Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2011 September 21 - 27 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Local assembly resolution calls for permanent shutdown of Hamaoka NPP

A local assembly resolution of a city located within ten kilometers of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Shizuoka Prefecture for the first time has called for a permanent shutdown of the plant, whose operations are currently suspended at the request of the government, on the grounds that the NPP is located at the focal region of an inevitable Tokai earthquake.

Eleven members of the Makinohara City Assembly on September 26 voted for the resolution and four against it.

The resolution states, “(the Fukushima nuclear accident) shattered the (safety) myth and gave us a tremendous shock, making a large number of local residents evacuate their living areas and lose their jobs and property, breaking their families apart, and causing a collapse of their local culture and communities.” It then states, “In order to protect the life and property of our citizens, the Hamaoka NPP should be permanently shut down unless the safety and security of the local people can be ensured over the long term.”

Makinohara Mayor Nishihara Shigeki responded to the resolution by stating, “Since more and more people are concerned about the Hamaoka NPP, I cannot support resuming the operations of the plant for the time being.”

Japanese Communist Party assembly member Kumeta Koichi said, “The adopted resolution reflects the anxiety of local citizens and it is a big step toward a permanent shutdown and decommissioning of the NPP. I hope this move will spread around the country leading to Japan’s total break with nuclear power generation.”

Representatives of Makinohara City and the other three cities within ten kilometers of the Hamaoka NPP, including Omaezaki, Kikukawa and Kakegawa, make up a consultative council on safety measures around the plant, and the council has great influence on decision-making about whether to restart the operations of the Hamaoka plant.