Japan's power industry welcomed the government's roadmap ‌for the future replacement of nuclear reactors as a key step towards securing the workforce and supply chains needed to sustain the sector, but its top lobbyist on Friday ‌called for greater policy support to encourage ​investment.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry said in a ⁠policy proposal that Japan needed to rebuild ​between two and five aging nuclear reactors by the ⁠2040s and as many as 11 to 14 by the 2050s to ensure a stable power supply.

"It is highly ‌significant that the government has set ​out these development targets," ‌Nozomu Mori, chairman of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of ‌Japan, told a news conference.

"Without a sense of scale, the entire industry would be left feeling uncertain ⁠about securing talent and ‌maintaining supply chains," he ⁠said.

Mori, who is also the president of Kansai ⁠Electric ⁠Power, said the government should also create a business environment that provides ‌long-term investment certainty. Given the lengthy lead times for nuclear projects, he urged policymakers to move more quickly ‌on ​financial support measures and ‌regulatory reforms.

He also expressed hope that future government policy would allow not only the ​replacement of existing reactors but also the construction of new ones.