Japan Press Weekly

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2018 January 10 - 16 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP promises cooperation for civil group-drafted bill to abolish NPPs

A group of Japanese Communist Party parliamentarians on January 15 in the Diet building held talks with an anti-nuclear power civil organization, promising to support the organization-drafted bill to abolish nuclear power plants and promote the use of renewable energy sources.

The civil group named the Federation of Promotion of Zero-Nuclear Power and Renewable Energy (Genjiren) is composed of individuals and organizations working to build a society relying on sustainable energy that comes from the natural environment. Former Prime Ministers Koizumi Jun’ichiro and Hosokawa Morihiro serve as advisors to Genjiren. It recently published its draft of a fundamental law for the withdrawal from nuclear power generation and the promotion of the shift to renewable power generation. The bill is designed to achieve six aims, including swiftly shutting down all on-line nuclear power plants, preventing all off-line NPPs from being reactivated, and banning the construction of new facilities for nuclear power generation.

JCP lawmakers who attended the talks were: JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira, JCP Policy Commission Chair Kasai Akira, JCP members of the House of Councilors Kira Yoshiko, Tatsumi Kotaro, and Iwabuchi Tomo, and JCP member of the House Representatives Fujino Yasuhumi.

JCP Koike expressed his 100% support for the Genjiren-drafted bill by saying, “That’s exactly what the JCP has in mind.” Koike went on to say, “It is significant that civil movements made the pitch for a nuclear power-free society to politicians in the form of a draft law.” Kasai expressed his intention to bring up the matter in the Diet.

Genjiren President Yoshiwara Tsuyosi (advisor to the Johnan Shinkin Bank) said, “All nuclear power plants should be closed without delay. I want the JCP support in Diet deliberations to offer counter arguments against those who criticize our bill as ‘unrealistic’.”

Lawyer Kawai Yukihiro, who is the Genjiren chief secretary, said that the JCP’s energy policy is totally in line with the Genjiren proposed-bill and explained that the group will seek the cooperation of the ruling and opposition parties in enacting the bill.

Past related article:
> JCP Yamashita grills PM in Upper House [November 23, 2017]