Japan Press Weekly

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2014 May 28 - June 3 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Kagoshima’s nuclear accident evacuation plan ignores the hospitalized and people in care facilities

The Kagoshima prefectural government published on May 29 an evacuation plan in the event of a nuclear accident, which does not take into account the needs of those hospitalized or in care facilities.

At present, all nuclear power reactors in Japan are offline. The central government authority is now checking the safety of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima’s Satsumasendai City, with the aim of making it the first nuclear station to be reactivated since the Fukushima meltdown.

Approximately 215,000 people live within a 30km-radius of the power plant.

Based on evacuation plans worked out by the municipalities located close to the facility, the prefectural authorities presented 13 different scenarios, including a case at the height of the tourist season and when expressways are closed following a nuclear accident. In such cases, it will take up to 29 hours for residents to exit the 30km-radius.

Within the evacuation zone are 240 hospitals and welfare facilities where around 14,000 people are hospitalized. Amazingly, the prefecture’s evacuation plan leaves these people out of consideration.

Japanese Communist Party Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly member Matsuzaki Makoto sharply criticized the authorities for not considering the needs of these residents.

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Representatives of a civic group in Kagoshima’s Ichikikushikino City submitted to the city government 6,123 signatures urging the city to oppose the national government plan to restart operations of the Sendai NPP. The the city is within a 30km radius of the power station.

Ishigami Masanari, head of the group, said to the mayor, “We collected these signatures going from door to door. We hope the city authorities will make further efforts to protect citizens’ safety as well as to make our hometown more comfortable to live in.”

The group members are working to collect a total of 15,000 signatures, about half the city’s population. They are to count the number of newly gathered signatures in mid-June.

Past related articles:
> ‘Nuclear power-interest community’ is going on offensive [April 30, 2014]
> 1,800 citizens rally to oppose restart of Sendai NPP [December 16, 2013]