Japan Press Weekly

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2013 April 3 - 9 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

JCP criticizes nuclear safety standard draft for allowing radioactive leak

Japanese Communist Party Lower House member Shiokawa Tetsuya has criticized the draft text for new nuclear safety standards as a measure that would allow radioactive particles to be released into the air in a severe accident.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) is working on the new safety standards which, as Prime Minister Abe claims, is one of the preconditions for the resumption of nuclear power operations.

Shiokawa at a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting on April 5 asked the government for details regarding countermeasures to be taken under the planned new standards in the event of a core meltdown.

NRA Chairman Tanaka Shunich in reply said that if such an accident occurs, venting air containing radioactive particles into the air through filters will be allowed to prevent the reactor containment vessel from exploding.

The JCP lawmaker demanded that the Prime Minister officially admit that the Fukushima nuclear accident is not under control, give up his intent to reactivate idled reactors, and make a political decision to immediately depart from nuclear power generation.