Japan Press Weekly

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2011 September 28 - October 4 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Shii urges PM to abandon NPP resumption

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo criticized Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko for trying to resume operations of nuclear power plants while the cause of the Fukushima nuclear accident has not been fully revealed on September 27 at a House of Representatives budget committee meeting.

It would be unadvisable to restart off-line nuclear reactors without a thorough verification of the accident, Shii stressed, citing the government’s report submitted to the IAEA which stated that the damage caused by the earthquake to the nuclear reactors is still unclear and thus needs further investigation.

The prime minister responded to Shii by saying, “To swiftly carry out a thorough investigation on the accident is the major precondition for starting (procedures for resumption of operations).”

As one of the major obstacles to radiation decontamination procedures, Shii raised the delay of securing space for the temporary storage of radiation-contaminated soil. He urged the government to set a period for the use of temporary storage spaces and determine concrete ways for a final disposal of contaminated materials in cooperation with outside experts.

Shii also pointed out that the enormous cost for radiation decontamination, amounting to as much as a municipal government’s annual budget, has prevented local governments from promoting decontamination work. “All necessary costs must be provided by the national government and then compensated by Tokyo Electric Power Company,” he urged.