Japan Press Weekly

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2015 July 22 - 28 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Municipalities near Sendai NPP demand public briefing sessions

Ten municipalities near the Kyushu Electric Power Company (Kyuden) Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture are asking the power company to hold public briefing sessions as vital part of the preparations to restart the plant.

Kyuden is planning to reactivate the No.1 reactor at the plant in August by insisting that the reactor in question successfully passed the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s safety inspection in September 2014. The company, however, has not provided residents living around the plant with an opportunity to learn about the reactivation plan while repeating that local consent and cooperation are necessary to bring the reactor back online.

Since November last year, 10 municipalities in Kagoshima, Kumamoto, and Miyazaki prefectures adopted resolutions urging Kyuden to explain the restart plan in detail before the residents.

The assembly of Kumamoto’s Minamata City, 40km from the Sendai NPP, on July 2 unanimously adopted a resolution demanding a public briefing session in the city. The resolution stressed that people in Japan have yet to fully agree to restart idled nuclear power plants. The resolution states that regarding the restart of the Sendai NPP, the operator still faces many safety concerns, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and insufficient evacuation plans. It also states that as an electric utility entrusted with a public responsibility, Kyuden should not restart the plant without providing detailed explanations to Minamata citizens.

In Miyazaki’s Takaharu Town located 69km east of the plant, the town assembly on June 16 adopted a written request which points out that if a serious accident occurs at the plant, it will bring about devastating damage to the town.

Kagoshima’s Hioki City Assembly in its resolution pointed to the fact that Hioki citizens’ residential area is included in a 30km-zone from the Sendai plant. Citing that Kyuden proclaims that public consent and cooperation are necessary for the restart of the plant, the town assembly said that the company should hold a public briefing session.

The assembly of Kagoshima’s Yakushima Town which became Japan’s first UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 1993 also demanded a public briefing by the power company.

Commenting on these moves by local assemblies, Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Majima Shozo said that it is unacceptable for Kyuden to fire up the reactor in defiance of the opposition from local residents and municipal assemblies.

Past related articles:
> Violent volcanic eruption increasing public anxieties about safety of Sendai NPP [May 30, 2015]
> NRA OKs restart of Sendai NPP in disregard of public concern [September 11, 2014]