Japan Press Weekly

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2012 February 22 - 28 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Companies headed by local assembly members receive contracts from KEPCO

Companies run by 3 assembly members of Takahama Town in Fukui Prefecture, hosting a nuclear power plant, received orders amounting to at least 450 million yen from the plant operator Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) between FY 2008 and 2010.

The Takahama Town Assembly last year adopted a resolution calling for the maintenance and the first restart of nuclear power plants in Japan after the Fukushima nuclear accident. The 3 members proposed the resolution.

Town assembly vice president Awano Akio runs an iron-related company that received 88 orders from KEPCO amounting to 384 million yen between 2008 and 2010, including a repair work order at a Takahama nuclear reactor. Nuclear plant related-businesses account for 70.2% of the company’s sales.

A company headed by assembly member Yokota Noritaka received 25 KEPCO-related contracts worth 63 million yen.

The other assembly member, Yamamoto Tomio, operates a company that leases to a KEPCO subsidiary storage facilities to store components and parts for nuclear reactors.

The resolution that was passed was proposed by Awano and seconded by Yokota and Yamamoto. It was adopted with the support of all assembly members with the exception of Japanese Communist Party representative Watanabe Takashi.

In December, the assembly dismissed a petition calling for the shutdown of nuclear power plants submitted by the Consumers Union of Japan. Only JCP Watanabe supported the petition.