The steady shift toward nuclear power across East Asia is not only welcome - it is essential. From South Korea’s reinvestment in atomic energy, to Japan’s gradual revival of idled reactors, and China’s unrelenting nuclear expansion, the region is increasingly recognising what environmentalists and energy experts have long argued: nuclear power is one of the few viable options for delivering reliable, low-carbon electricity on a massive scale.

Yet, in a baffling turn, Taiwan, long a technological and economic powerhouse, has allowed populist politics to sideline science and logic. In doing so, and in President Lai Ching-te’s government shutting down the nation’s last nuclear reactors, it was a move dressed in the familiar language of environmental caution and public safety. But the rhetoric wore thin almost immediately and millions of Taiwanese can now see through the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s anti-nuclear moves that were born of fear-mongering post-Fukushima.

The nation itself once relied on nuclear for around 20% of its electricity, but today sees its nuclear capacity lying idle while there is a greater dependence on imported fossil fuels, a spike in emissions, poorer air quality and persistent talk of summertime power shortages.

But Lai’s half-hearted retreat from atomic energy after he took over the presidency from his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen was more than likely designed to appease an anti-nuclear voting bloc and little more. It is now showing signs of reversal which, while it will prove beneficial in the long-run, is a costly U-turn that will waste time, money and, critically, public trust. That it need never have happened is telling of the ever-present desire in Taiwanese politics to gain power for power’s sake at elections - whatever the cost.

Meanwhile, across the Strait in China, and around the region, East Asia’s nuclear revival is gaining momentum and leaving Taiwan in the dust.

The case for nuclear in the region

Home to some of the world's most energy-hungry economies including industrial giants like Japan, South Korea, China - as well as Taiwan - all require immense, stable electricity supplies to power their advanced manufacturing, AI development, and sprawling tech sectors.

Unlike solar or wind, the fact that nuclear power does not rely on sunlight or wind speed means that it provides dependable baseload power, 24/7 – 365 days a year.

South Korea’s now impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol wisely reversed his own predecessor’s nuclear phase-out policy. Under his leadership, South Korea put in place the basics to make nuclear power account for over 30% of its electricity generation again, with plans to build more reactors and boost exports through deals in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Because of this, South Korea is now seen as a global leader in safe, efficient nuclear technologies and has the know-how to expand both at home and abroad.

Japan, too, is slowly moving past the trauma of the March 11, 2011 Fukushima disaster. More than a decade on, safety reforms, independent oversight, and improved reactor designs have allowed it to bring an increasing number of nuclear power plants back online. Given its limited land and lack of natural resources, Japan simply cannot meet net-zero goals without nuclear energy playing a central role – a fact that Tokyo clearly recognises.

China, for its part, is also racing ahead. Already the world's third-largest producer of nuclear energy, it is building more reactors than any other country and has more than 20 such facilities under construction with dozens more planned. China's leadership, for all its faults elsewhere, recognises that nuclear power is vital not only for climate targets, but also for cutting dangerous urban air pollution and reducing reliance on coal.

Taiwan: the outlier in a nuclear-friendly neighbourhood

In Taiwan meanwhile, the nation’s nuclear retreat, by contrast, looks increasingly self-defeating. Despite having some of the highest energy demands per capita in Asia, the island has chosen to mothball proven, functioning reactors in favour of importing expensive LNG cargoes and burning more coal. As a result, the power grid is being pushed to the brink and the capital Taipei has seen numerous bad-air days in recent months.

For President Lai, his campaign to distance his administration from nuclear power may have had short-term political value to keep the DPP in the Presidential Palace, but it comes at great cost to Taiwan’s long-term interests. Nuclear power plants take years to build and even longer to plan. By shutting down viable infrastructure, Lai has set Taiwan back a decade, likely more, on an effective path toward decarbonisation.

Even more frustratingly, there are growing signs he now realises his party’s mistake and may back an about-face, however tacitly. Sources suggest the administration is quietly reconsidering the role of nuclear in the energy mix and there have been hints at the possibility of extending the life of existing reactors or reintroducing nuclear energy into the national plan.

If true, such reversals will come with staggering costs for the 23mn Taiwanese on the main island - not just in engineering and procurement, but in lost time and policy credibility.

This political dithering by the DPP is not just inefficient; it is dangerous. Taiwan faces mounting threats to its energy security. As tensions with China increase, so too does the vulnerability of imported fuel supplies. Nuclear power offers a way to strengthen energy independence as reactors are fuelled by uranium stockpiles that can last for years, unlike oil or gas, which must be replenished on a regular basis. To ignore this is to ignore Taiwan’s geopoliical reality.

Leadership needed in Taipei

What Taiwan, and East Asia, needs now is bold, forward-thinking leadership. Leaders must not bow to outdated fears or misinformation campaigns as have so long been at the core of the anti-nuclear echo-chamber. They must act based on evidence, science, and long-term planning.

President Lai has an opportunity to correct his course. He can frame nuclear not as a dangerous relic of the past, but as a clean, stable, and technologically advanced solution for the future. Indeed, the World bank just a week ago moved to recognise the need to back nuclear projects after a 12 year funding freeze post-Fukushima. 

Will Taiwan follow suit on the home front and bring the nation back into the 21st century power wise? 

Taiwan’s younger generations, already among the most educated in the region, understand the science. Many want to live in a country that tackles climate change seriously - not one that lurches from one energy policy to another based on election cycles. If that continues, and Taiwan continues to waste time reversing its own decisions, it will find itself left behind - economically, environmentally, and eventually, politically.