September 27, 2018

The Nuclear Regulation Authority on September 26 formally determined that Japan Atomic Power Co's Tokai Daini nuclear power plant (Tokai Village, Ibaraki Pref.) meets the safety standards necessary for the resumption of operations. The plant is the first to have passed the NRA screening among the NPPs affected by the 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

The plant in question is very old. It will reach its original 40-year lifespan this coming November and is the only plant located near the Tokyo metropolitan area. About 960,000 people live within a radius of 30 kilometers from the facility.

Local governments in this zone are required to draw up an evacuation plan to implement in case of a nuclear accident. However, no municipality has complied a feasible and effective plan, leaving many issues as they are.

Outside the building where the NRA made the "pass" judgement on the use of the aging plant, civic protesters shouted, "Don't reactivate aging reactors! It's dangerous for seismically active Japan to have nuclear reactors."

A participant said, "At a public hearing, I asked who assesses the effectiveness of evacuation planning and how it is assessed, but no clear answer was given," and criticized the restart of the NPP as irresponsible.

Past related articles:
> NRA okays use of damaged and decrepit Tokai Daini NPP [July 5, 2018]
> Local residents want the decommission of aging reactors at Tokai Daini NPP [November 25, 2017]p
> Extension of ‘40-year’ limit to operation of nuclear reactors deepens public concern over nuclear power generation [November 21, 2016]