Japan Press Weekly

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2014 February 26 - March 4 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

JCP Kasai criticizes NRA for playing down situation in Fukushima

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Kasai Akira criticized the Nuclear Regulation Authority for trying to play down the Fukushima nuclear accident by reporting the number of mishaps at the site at less than the actual figure, from 201 to 107.

Kasai on February 27 at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting asked the government how many mishaps occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the March 2011 meltdown.

NRA President Tanaka Shun’ichi answered that 107 occurrences “including fairly minor ones” were reported.

Citing NRA material he had obtained, Kasai revealed that in addition to the 107 accidents, an additional 90 accidents at least occurred. He stressed that these cases included fairly serious ones such as an accidental shutdown of a radioactive water processing facility and contaminated vehicle that was allowed to leave the plant.

In response to Kasai’s remarks, Tanaka revised the number of accidents from 107 to 201.

The JCP Dietmember condemned the oversight organization for reporting the number of the incidents as much less than the actual number. The government is trying to play down the Fukushima nuclear accident by hiding the facts, he said.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said that accidents at the Fukushima plant should be recorded, immediately publicized, and properly addressed.

Kasai stated that a dangerous and difficult situation is continuing at the plant regarding contaminated water and other issues, and the nuclear accident is far from being controlled. He criticized the government’s new energy plan as seeking to reactivate nuclear reactors in defiance of this crisis situation and demanded the withdrawal of the plan.