Japan says `sayonara' to nuclear power, for now

Japan has become completely nuclear power-free for the first time in more than 40 years after power utility Hokkaido Electric Power began shutting the country's last active nuclear reactor today.

Japan, the world's third-largest user of nuclear power, has closed all of its 50-odd atomic power reactors despite its dependence on nuclear energy for around 30 per cent of the country's electricity needs.

Hokkaido Electric started lowering power generation at its 912-megawatt third unit at the Tomari nuclear plant in northern Japan at 5 pm (Japanese time). Power generation at the reactor is expected to reach zero by around 11 pm and the reactor unit is expected to be brought to a "cold shutdown" some time on Monday.

Japanese economy, which thrived on availability of cheap nuclear power suffered in the aftermath of the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant sparked by last year's tsunami.

The disaster made thousands of people flee from their homes in and around the plant area, many of whom will never be allowed to return.

The nuclear meltdown, the worst after the Chernobyl disaster in former USSR, and the consequent power shut down affected almost all of Japanese industry and the public lost faith in nuclear power as a safe option.