jan29

End nuclear fuel recycling program -- Akahata editorial, January 29 (excerpts)

The Nagoya High Court on January 27 upheld residents' demands for a halt to the operation of the fast-breeder nuclear reactor Monju run by the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture. The ruling was that the government had wrongly approved the building of the reactor which had serious defects.

In 1995, liquid sodium leaked and a fire broke out in the reactor plant Monju and the reactor was shut down. The Liberal Democratic Party government's nuclear power policy of giving priority to the development of the fast-breeder nuclear reactor apparently was at an impasse. Nevertheless, the government has refused to abandon its policy of developing the fast-breeder reactor.

Late last year, the Koizumi Cabinet approved a plan to make changes in the Monju reactor in an attempt to resume its operation, maintaining that more efforts are needed to restore public trust in the govenment's nuclear fuel recycling policy, with securing operational safety as prerequisite. The high court decision, however, rejected the foundations of the government policy.

Challenging the court decision, the government's Nuclear Safety Commission said, "No safety assessment can be made on the assumption that all reactor equipment are volatile." It is extraordinary that the commission, which is supposed to regulate nuclear reactor operations, aggressively sells the "safety" of Monju in and out of court. This proves that an independent regulatory organization is necessary.

The Japanese Communist Party published the "Five-Point Urgent Proposal" in September 2002 after cover-ups of damage at nuclear reactors surfaced, and demanded that the government establish an independent nuclear reactor control commission, give up its extremely dangerous nuclear fuel recycling program, and carry out full scale inspections of all nuclear facilities in Japan. (end)