Actually, that's rather unfortunate. Even though the Japanese are wising up about 'green' BS, they're still being chicken little about nuke power. Japan is a very resource-poor country, and considering their current economic situation (which is worse than ours), spending boatloads of extra money on additional imports of hydrocarbon fuel would put them even deeper in debt.
Their biggest mistake was building that plant on top of an active fault line near the ocean. Newer designs and better locations would greatly reduce the threat of another Fukushima, and considering their knack for innovation, would likely result in a better overall end product.
Alas, the politics of fear trumps common sense.
I was thinking the exact same thing, so therefore I will say, good post! :)
Japan biggest mistake was allowing the CIA to brainwash their public into accepting nuclear power after WWII. That is perhaps one of the most dangerous places on the planet to place nuclear power plants. Far too many earthquakes.