Japan Press Weekly

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2011 April 27 - May 10 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

JCP: Stop building nuclear power plants abroad

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Yoshii Hidekatsu in a House of Representatives Economy and Industry Committee meeting on April 22 urged the government to stop exporting nuclear power plant technology abroad.

The committee was discussing a draft bill to revise the Act on Special Measures concerning Industrial Revitalization that will promote the export of nuclear power plant reactors.

Yoshii pointed out that the bill is aimed at facilitating nuclear power plant technology exports to be promoted on the basis of the New Growth Strategy.

He urged that sales promotion to other Asian countries in particular should be stopped, as there is no environmental impact assessment on Japan and the rest of Asia in the event of a nuclear accident.

In October 2010, the Nuclear Power Development Co. for promoting nuclear power exports was established through the joint investment by nine electric power and other companies. The bill is linked to another bill on an international cooperation bank to financially support nuclear power plant exports.

Economy and Industry Minister Kaieda Banri ostensibly referred to the need to review the bill from a viewpoint of improving the Japan-made reactors’ safety after the occurrence of a nuclear accident. He said, “We can’t decide right now if we will continue with exports or not. Japan has exported nuclear power plants worldwide based on the safety and reliability of Japan’s nuclear power generation technology. Our first task is to contain the ongoing crisis.”

Yoshii said, “Now that Japan has lost the world’s trust regarding the safety and reliability of nuclear power technology, exports should be stopped.”