October 16, 2015
Amid fierce protests, Kyushu Electric Power Company on October 15 reactivated the No.2 reactor at its Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture, following the restart of the No.1 reactor in August.
The No.2 reactor is the second reactor that went back online under the new nuclear safety standards adopted following the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP.
With the police and private security company staff maintaining strict guard over the plant, anti-nuke citizens coming from across the country staged a protest in front of the gate of the nuclear power plant from the early morning. Holding placards reading, “No need for NPPs”, and “No.2 reactor is dangerous”, the participants repeatedly raised their voices in protest.
A 21-year-old university student from Fukuoka Prefecture said, “I feel much more anxiety about the presence of NPPs than about the risk of electricity shortages.”
A 64-year-old man who lives 15 km away from the plant stated, “The reactor went into operation despite the fact that 60% of Kagoshima residents oppose the reactivation. This is a denial of democracy. As a serious accident can happen at any time, the utility should decommission the reactors without delay.”
Japanese Communist Party member of the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly Matsuzaki Makoto and JCP member of the Satsumasendai City Assembly Inoue Katsuhiro delivered speeches in solidarity.
On the same day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide said to the press that if an idled reactor is confirmed to meet the new nuclear safety standards, the government will give the green light to the restart of the reactor. This underlines the Abe government’s strong pro-nuclear stance.
Past related articles:
> Commercial operations start at Sendai NPP amid protests [September 11, 2015]
> Operation of problematic Sendai NPP should be stopped without delay [August 22, 2015]
> JCP Shii issues statement opposing restart of Sendai NPP [August 12, 2015]
The No.2 reactor is the second reactor that went back online under the new nuclear safety standards adopted following the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP.
With the police and private security company staff maintaining strict guard over the plant, anti-nuke citizens coming from across the country staged a protest in front of the gate of the nuclear power plant from the early morning. Holding placards reading, “No need for NPPs”, and “No.2 reactor is dangerous”, the participants repeatedly raised their voices in protest.
A 21-year-old university student from Fukuoka Prefecture said, “I feel much more anxiety about the presence of NPPs than about the risk of electricity shortages.”
A 64-year-old man who lives 15 km away from the plant stated, “The reactor went into operation despite the fact that 60% of Kagoshima residents oppose the reactivation. This is a denial of democracy. As a serious accident can happen at any time, the utility should decommission the reactors without delay.”
Japanese Communist Party member of the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly Matsuzaki Makoto and JCP member of the Satsumasendai City Assembly Inoue Katsuhiro delivered speeches in solidarity.
On the same day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide said to the press that if an idled reactor is confirmed to meet the new nuclear safety standards, the government will give the green light to the restart of the reactor. This underlines the Abe government’s strong pro-nuclear stance.
Past related articles:
> Commercial operations start at Sendai NPP amid protests [September 11, 2015]
> Operation of problematic Sendai NPP should be stopped without delay [August 22, 2015]
> JCP Shii issues statement opposing restart of Sendai NPP [August 12, 2015]
