Japan Press Weekly

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2009 September 30 - October 6 TOP3 [ENVIRONMENT]

Has the lesson from the Tokai criticality accident been fully learned?

The accident caused the death of two plant employees and exposed many nearby residents to radiation. The radiation was also detected at the Naka Fusion Institute of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, located 2km from the plant.

Plant workers handled highly-enriched uranium solution without being provided enough information regarding the danger of contamination or accidents.

The Science and Technology Agency and the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan (NSC) had allowed the Tokai Plant to refine nuclear fuel without accident prevention measures. What’s more, they had failed to have on-the-spot inspections in the plant for seven years.

‘Safety myth’ must be scrapped

“Failure (to correctly develop and use nuclear energy) could cause a major disaster to humanity. This can be partly recognized by how serious the accident was that was caused by the radiation which was created when only 1mg of uranium underwent fission.” This was written in the preface of the white paper on nuclear power safety published about a year after the JCO’s critical accident. Has the Japanese government reflected on this lesson in regard to its administration of nuclear energy facilities?

The reprocessing plant in Rokkasho Village in Aomori Prefecture has not been able to set a date to resume operations after repeated troubles. The operation of the fast breeder nuclear reactor “Monju” has been discontinued for 14 years after a massive accident in August 1995.

A report issued by the NSC’s research committee on the JCO accident pointed out, “‘Safety myth’ of nuclear energy and the abstract slogan of ‘absolute safety’ must be scrapped.” However, prior to the planned start of “pluthermal” operations and the resumption of “Monju” operations, the “safety” propaganda is again inundating the public.

By learning lessons from the JCO accident, Japan must recognize nuclear energy as an immature technology, and drastically revise its nuclear energy policy.
- Akahata, September 30, 2009
EN