Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, today announced that Japan will not pursue any new nuclear power plant construction. Japan had originally planned to construct 14 new reactors by 2030 but Kan's announcement officially scuttles that plan. The end of nuclear opens the door to renewables far wider in Japan where wind turbines continued to function and produce electricity during the earthquake and tsunami while the nuclear reactors themselves became resource-consuming liabilities adding greatly to the scale of the disaster. Just last week, Kan ordered that the Hamaoka nuclear plant be shut down until it could build stronger defenses against earthquakes and tsunamis.