常時英心:言葉の森から 1.0

約10年間,はてなダイアリーで英語表現の落穂拾いを行ってきました。現在はAmeba Blogに2.0を開設し,継続中です。こちらはしばらくアーカイブとして維持します。

go dark

UG先生のfollow-upです。stop、halt、go offline、idleに続いて、go darkという表現を見つけました。なにせWall Street Journalなので、電力政策に暗雲立ちこめるという意味合いもあるような気もします。
なお、記事では少し堅い言葉ですが、sea changeという表現も使われています。これは「目覚ましい(急激な)変化、変貌」ということを以前、先生から教わりました。(GP)

TOKYO—Japan's last running nuclear reactor is scheduled to go dark on Saturday, marking an extraordinary turnaround for a country that just over a year ago was one of the world's most eager proponents of atomic energy.

The complete shutdown of the country's 50-strong reactor fleet leaves Japan without nuclear power for the first time since 1966, in a stark demonstration of how severely last year's devastating accident in Fukushima has shaken the public trust.

It is unclear how long the nukeless moment will last: Most of the country's reactors had been halted for routine maintenance, but then left offline while their safety was reviewed. The Japanese government is pushing hard to restart two units in western Japan before energy demand peaks in the summer, warning of power shortages if all the reactors, which produced roughly 30% of the country's electricity, stay offline.

Still, both proponents and opponents of nuclear power agree that Japan has seen a sea change in sentiment since the meltdown of three reactors at Fukushima Daiichi blew radioactive particles over much of the northeast and forced the evacuation of about 150,000 people.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303877604577381592575221730.html?mod=WSJASIA_hpp_MIDDLEThirdNews