October 10, 2011
US strategy influence on Japan’s nuclear energy policy (Part 9)
“Power – the greatest ever known on earth – man now holds in his hands to use as he will.” This was a statement in a brochure the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) published in 1954 as an advertisement to promote the “atoms for peace” policy.
Stressing the enormous power of atomic fuel, the U.S. government rejected any attempts at discussions regarding the safety of nuclear energy.
“Up to the present time, we have been extremely fortunate in that accidents in nuclear reactors have not caused any fatalities. With expanding applications of nuclear reactions and nuclear power, it cannot be expected that this unbroken record will be maintained.”
This is the remark made by physicist Edward Teller, who took part in the Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb, at the U.S. Joint Committee on Atomic Energy in September 1953.
However, the Committee ignored Teller’s warning. Without having any discussions on the safety of nuclear reactors, the amendment to the Atomic Energy Act was approved in 1954, which accepted the entry of the private sector into nuclear power generation.
At that time, the AES did not disclose reports submitted by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards and repeated that every reasonable measure was taken to minimize the possibility of nuclear accidents (“Meltdown” by Daniel Ford).
As a result of disallowing critical opinions and hiding inconvenient information, the “safety” of nuclear power generation was emphasized. This provided the foundation for the nuclear “safety myth” which has been propagated in Japan.
A worst case scenario
In June 1956, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences mobilized 164 scientists to publish a report, which concluded that radiation, whether it is from atomic bombs, for peaceful use, or in the natural environment, is harmful to human bodies. It pointed out that the amount of radioactive waste, accumulated in accordance with the development of the nuclear power industry, could be more than the amount of radiation released in a nuclear war.
An even more shocking report was published in March 1957 by the AEC.
WASH-740, “Theoretical Possibilities and Consequences of Major Accidents in Large Nuclear Power Plants”, estimated that the worst case scenario would cause about 3,400 deaths, 43,000 injuries, and property damage of 7 billion dollars. “[P]eople could be killed at distances up to 15 miles, and injured at distances of about 45 miles,” it stated.
Using the U.S. report as a reference, Japan in 1960 also estimated the maximum possible damage from a meltdown at the Tokai nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture. However, unlike the U.S., the Japanese government did not publish its report, which estimated that the accident could bring about 720 deaths, 5,000 injuries, and property damage of 3.73 trillion yen. It was hidden from the public until 1979 when Akahata disclosed the report.
A serious nuclear accident was deemed possible, but the “safety myth” continued to be maintained.
(To be continued)
“Power – the greatest ever known on earth – man now holds in his hands to use as he will.” This was a statement in a brochure the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) published in 1954 as an advertisement to promote the “atoms for peace” policy.
Stressing the enormous power of atomic fuel, the U.S. government rejected any attempts at discussions regarding the safety of nuclear energy.
“Up to the present time, we have been extremely fortunate in that accidents in nuclear reactors have not caused any fatalities. With expanding applications of nuclear reactions and nuclear power, it cannot be expected that this unbroken record will be maintained.”
This is the remark made by physicist Edward Teller, who took part in the Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb, at the U.S. Joint Committee on Atomic Energy in September 1953.
However, the Committee ignored Teller’s warning. Without having any discussions on the safety of nuclear reactors, the amendment to the Atomic Energy Act was approved in 1954, which accepted the entry of the private sector into nuclear power generation.
At that time, the AES did not disclose reports submitted by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards and repeated that every reasonable measure was taken to minimize the possibility of nuclear accidents (“Meltdown” by Daniel Ford).
As a result of disallowing critical opinions and hiding inconvenient information, the “safety” of nuclear power generation was emphasized. This provided the foundation for the nuclear “safety myth” which has been propagated in Japan.
A worst case scenario
In June 1956, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences mobilized 164 scientists to publish a report, which concluded that radiation, whether it is from atomic bombs, for peaceful use, or in the natural environment, is harmful to human bodies. It pointed out that the amount of radioactive waste, accumulated in accordance with the development of the nuclear power industry, could be more than the amount of radiation released in a nuclear war.
An even more shocking report was published in March 1957 by the AEC.
WASH-740, “Theoretical Possibilities and Consequences of Major Accidents in Large Nuclear Power Plants”, estimated that the worst case scenario would cause about 3,400 deaths, 43,000 injuries, and property damage of 7 billion dollars. “[P]eople could be killed at distances up to 15 miles, and injured at distances of about 45 miles,” it stated.
Using the U.S. report as a reference, Japan in 1960 also estimated the maximum possible damage from a meltdown at the Tokai nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture. However, unlike the U.S., the Japanese government did not publish its report, which estimated that the accident could bring about 720 deaths, 5,000 injuries, and property damage of 3.73 trillion yen. It was hidden from the public until 1979 when Akahata disclosed the report.
A serious nuclear accident was deemed possible, but the “safety myth” continued to be maintained.
(To be continued)
