Japan Press Weekly

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2015 August 12 - 18 [POLITICS]

JCP Shii issues statement opposing restart of Sendai NPP

Amid fierce public opposition, the Kyushu Electric Power Company on August 11 restarted the No.1 reactor of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant (Kagoshima Prefecture). This is the first reactor restarted under the new nuclear safety standards which were revised after the 2011 nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP.

On the same day, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo issued a statement protesting against the restarting of the reactor and demanding the halt to the operation of the plant.

Shii in the statement pointed out that since the 2011 Fukushima accident, the majority of the public have been opposing the reactivation of nuclear reactors as shown in, for example, a recent opinion poll where nearly 60% of the respondents are against the reactivation. He said that it is totally unacceptable for the utility to ignore public opinion and to go along with the Abe government’s pro-nuclear policy.

The JCP chair noted that assemblies of five cities and five towns in the immediate vicinity of the Sendai NPP have called on the government to hold meetings to provide more information about the NPP as they will be the ones affected by any nuclear accident at the plant. The government, however, gave a green light to the restart plan without listening to the residents’ demands, Shii went on to say that this high-handed attitude cannot be tolerated in a democracy.

The JCP chair criticizingly said that the Abe government irresponsibly approved the resuming of the operation of the Sendai NPP based on the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s acknowledgment that the plant meets the new nuclear safety standards. Shii added that even the NRA chair admits that the plant will face the risk of serious accidents even if it meets the safety standards.

Shii said that it is a matter of grave concern that the government indiscriminately accepted the utility’s assertion that future eruptions of volcanoes surrounding the NPP are predictable, though volcanic experts assert they are unpredictable. He also underlined another problem that neighboring municipalities have yet to draw up evacuation plans in case of a nuclear accident.

Citing the fact that Japan has been able to do without active nuclear reactors for around 700 days, Shii stressed that it is clear that electricity demands can be met without nuclear power.

Shii argued that after experiencing the Fukushima disaster, the Japanese government should seek for a Japan without nuclear power through the promotion of energy-saving technologies and renewable energy sources. He said that this is the best way to get Japan on the track toward sustainable social and economic development.


Past related articles:
> Municipalities near Sendai NPP demand public briefing sessions [July 26, 2015]
> Violent volcanic eruption increasing public anxieties about safety of Sendai NPP [May 30, 2015]