February 8, 2024

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Kasai Akira on February 7 at a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting said that the Noto Peninsula earthquake proves that the current evacuation plan for a nuclear accident at the Shika Nuclear Power Plant is just a “desk theory”, and demanded that the plant be decommissioned.

The Shika NPP operated by Hokuriku Electric Power Company is located near the epicenter of the powerful quake that hit the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day.

At the Lower House committee meeting, Kasai said that under the current plan, residents living within a 30-kilometer radius from the NPP are required to evacuate by car in the event of a nuclear emergency. He pointed out that the New Year’s Day quake severely damaged most of the roads within a radius of five to 30 kilometers from the Shika plant.

Minister of State for Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Ito Shintaro said, “When roads are unable to be used as evacuation routes, residents will be advised to seek evacuation by sea and/or air, or stay indoors if necessary.”

Kasai pointed out, “With the January 1 quake, 80% of ports around the peninsula were heavily damaged. The use of the quake-hit Noto Airport for rescue operations by the Self-Defense Forces began 10 days after the quake. In the quake-affected areas, many houses collapsed and people were cut off from water, power, and food.” The JCP lawmaker stressed that for Noto residents, there is no way to escape to safer areas if a major nuclear accident triggered by a quake and tsunami occurs, and demanded the decommissioning of the Shika NPP.

Furthermore, Kasai pointed out that the Noto quake again indicated that in Japan which is prone to quakes and tsunamis, it is extremely risky to operate nuclear power plants, and urged Prime Minister Kishida to decide to depart from nuclear power generation.