Japan Press Weekly

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2017 November 22 - 28 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Fukui governor gives nod to restart of Oi nuclear power plant

The Fukui governor on November 27 consented to the restart of Nos 3 and 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO)’s Oi nuclear power plant in the prefecture in defiance of citizens’ concerns over possible nuclear accidents, provoking fierce public criticism.

Regarding the NPP in question, the Fukui District Court three years ago ordered KEPCO to not resume operations of the reactors, by acknowledging fundamental risks pertaining to nuclear power generation. The case is still pending in an appeal court.

Fukui Governor Nishikawa Issei two years ago agreed to reactivate two reactors at KEPCO’s Takahama NPP in the prefecture.

Outside the prefectural government building where Governor Nishikawa announced his approval to the restart of the Oi NPP, anti-NPP citizens staged a protest, criticizing the governor for blindly following the Abe government’s policy of promoting nuclear power.

Later on the same day, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira said to the press that Nishikawa’s decision to approve is unacceptable. At a news conference held in the Diet building in Tokyo, Koike pointed out that a 30-km radius of the Oi NPP includes not only Fukui but also Kyoto and Shiga prefectures and that the governors of the two prefectures are opposed to the reactivation. Koike stressed that although the Fukui governor gave his consent, it is unacceptable for KEPCO to restart the Oi NPP.

Koike also mentioned that only some ten kilometers away from the Oi NPP, the Takahama NPP is operating. He said that no municipality compiled an evacuation plan in the event that a powerful earthquake or tsunami causes serious accidents simultaneously at the two power stations. Under this circumstance, it is irresponsible for the governor to give a greenlight to the resumption plan, Koike stated.

The Oi Town Assembly, the town mayor, and the Fukui Prefectural Assembly already gave approval to the restart of the Oi NPP. Nishikawa’s consent would complete the final step in the procedure of obtaining local consent.

Past related articles:
> Fukui Prefectural Assembly agrees to restart Takahama NPP [December 18, 2015]
> Court orders KEPCO not to reactivate Oi NPP [May 22, 2014]