Speaking at the Hiroshima Peach Memorial Ceremony, Noda acknowledged the country would aim to establish an energy policy “in the mid to long-term,” that would be fundamentally underpinned by a goal to reduce dependence on nuclear power.

However, even though it was the first time Noda had talked about the possibility of ridding the country of nuclear power, he hedged his comments.

Noda said he would order his cabinet to identify the possible challenges if Japan were to have “zero reliance” on nuclear energy in the future, but he refused to declare zero reliance as an eventual policy goal.

The memories of Hiroshima may be 67 years old, but the meltdown at the Fukushima Daii-chi nuclear power plant last year is still fresh and the backlash against nuclear energy strident.

In a country, where utility executives have driven energy policy, ignoring the resounding voice of public dissent could prove to be a political landmine.

In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Japan started a very public discussion on formulating another energy policy. For the first time, the public opinion was solicited on how much Japan should rely on nuclear energy by 2030.

Early results show about 70% of the polled called for zero reliance and it remains to be seen how much of the public input will be reflected in any policy outcome.

Analysts agree Noda may be trying a balancing act, as he battles declining poll figures and tries to steady an economy facing a double-dip recession.

His comments also reflect the harsh realities of energy supply in the country, which depends on imports of all types of fossil fuel for its energy needs.

Despite public opposition, in May Noda signed off the restart of two nuclear plants in the Oi, Fukui Prefecture.

His nuclear position was tested in recent local elections in Yamaguchi Prefecture, where Tetsunari Iida, the founder of a renewable energy research institute and an antinuclear campaigner challenged a conservative candidate.

Though Iida lost the elections in a predominantly conservative constituency, he gained more than 35% of the vote, indicating the public mood.

Still, even though public opinion may have aligned against nuclear power, it is yet to translate into election outcomes and the fate of Prime Minister Yoda hangs in balance.