Japan Press Weekly

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2012 January 25 - 31 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Kyuden treated Genkai Town leaders to dinner party

Amid the public criticism in regard to the fake-email scandal over the restart of the Genkai nuclear power reactors in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu Electric Power Company (Kyuden), the plant operator, in December invited the mayor and assembly members of Genkai Town to a year-ending dinner party.

Kyuden’s “murky relationship” with officials of the local government has been pointed out by a third-party panel, a body investigating the utility’s attempt to manipulate public opinion by having employees at related firms to send to a TV program e-mail messages supporting the restart of the reactors in Genkai Town.

The yearend party took place on December 22 at an expensive restaurant featuring Japanese cuisine in Genkai’s neighboring city of Karatsu.

Kyuden has treated Genkai Town officials to such dinner parties at the end of every year.

Participants included 8 Kyuden officials, including Murashima Masayasu, the director and Genkai NPP manager. From Genkai Town, Mayor Kishimoto Hideo, Vice Mayor Oniki Shigenobu, and 11 out of the 12 assembly members attended. The only assembly member who was not invited to the dinner was Fujiura Akira of the Japanese Communist Party, who has been vocal in his opposition to the utility’s NPP management.

During the dinner, Kyuden’s Shimamura expressed his remorse over the scandal and stated that the company is making efforts to restore its public trust.

JCP assembly member Fujiura Akira said that in the town assembly, no one else criticized Kyuden even after the Fukushima nuclear accident. The dinner party further undermines the public trust as the public questions the local government’s willingness and capability to criticize the plant operator, he said.