July 7, 2011
Japanese Communist Party House of Representatives member Kasai Akira in the House Budget Committee meeting on July 6 revealed that the government had announced a “safety declaration” with only makeshift measures. Prime Minister Kan Naoto acknowledged Kasai’s points and suggested initiating a review of the government request to related municipalities to resume the operation of nuclear power plants.
Referring to the government report on the Fukushima nuclear accident, submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Kasai asked: “Have the measures based on the lessons of the Fukushima accident been taken at the Genkai NPP?
METI Kaieda answered that he was told that short-term measures have been taken and that he judged that its safety has been confirmed.
Kasai: Kyuden reports that it will construct protective walls as a tsunami-resistant measure. Has the work already been completed?
METI: It will take time to complete.
Kasai: It will take 3 years to install such walls. Are you saying that short-term measures can assure safety? The measures taken are only makeshift ones.
To begin with, power companies should be required to ask for resuming power plant operations and the government should carefully examine their requests.
Prime Minister Kan said that it is difficult to obtain public consensus on resuming the operation of nuclear power plants, and suggested a review of requests made by the related municipalities regarding the resumption of nuclear power plant operations.
Referring to the government report on the Fukushima nuclear accident, submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Kasai asked: “Have the measures based on the lessons of the Fukushima accident been taken at the Genkai NPP?
METI Kaieda answered that he was told that short-term measures have been taken and that he judged that its safety has been confirmed.
Kasai: Kyuden reports that it will construct protective walls as a tsunami-resistant measure. Has the work already been completed?
METI: It will take time to complete.
Kasai: It will take 3 years to install such walls. Are you saying that short-term measures can assure safety? The measures taken are only makeshift ones.
To begin with, power companies should be required to ask for resuming power plant operations and the government should carefully examine their requests.
Prime Minister Kan said that it is difficult to obtain public consensus on resuming the operation of nuclear power plants, and suggested a review of requests made by the related municipalities regarding the resumption of nuclear power plant operations.
