Japan is the worst place for renewable. Very limited surface with a very high price for solar. For onshore wind japan is too densely populated, or too hilly. And for offshore wind the coast sink too quickly to be feasible except floatable except it is largely unproven and not a good match with typhoon in Japan. Nuclear is still the best hope for a decarbonized electricity generation in Japa.

Does Japan have Eminent Domain? Besides that Japan is also facing a problem where they have most of their population already lives in urban areas, with rapid depopulation of rural areas. Realistically the ability to build wind and solar farms as they age should get easier and easier as the land depopulates.

New nuclear designs are really safe objectively but will probably never gain traction because of public opinion ruined by the old nuclear designs of the 60's/70's.

TerraPower has some good designs.

The TerraPower story is the one which really makes me despise Trump.

Countries like Germany are all in on renewables, but then you have days where it's cloudy and the wind isn't blowing, and what do they do? Buy from France, who are invested in nuclear.

Are you arguing that Germany's approach is somehow "hypocritical"?

It could also be argued that what Germany does demonstrates that a combination of renewables and energy trade can work, and thus that more renewable energy in Europe is feasible. Wind is not gonna stop blowing everywhere at once, and solar makes up less of the mix.

By the way, about a third of Germany's renewable energy is not weather dependent (biomass, hydro, trash, a dozen geothermal plants etc.)

That is actually a really good argument to interconnect the grids better. Less wasted power, with old sources limited, but useful. Not everyone needs nuclear as long as someone has it for off hours.