Japan Press Weekly

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2023 October 4 - 10 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Rally held to demand immediate end to nuclear power generation and nuclear fuel cycle policy

Calling for an immediate end to nuclear power generation and the nuclear fuel cycle promotion policy, a rally took place on October 3 in the House of Representatives members’ office building with about 100 people participating.

Along with other opposition lawmakers, Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira and JCP member of the House of Councilors Iwabuchi Tomo attended the rally which was hosted by a network of civil groups working to realize a non-nuclear power policy.

As part of the rally, a question-and-answer session was held with officials of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, the Cabinet Office, and other relevant government organizations.

Participants asked questions regarding countermeasures and evacuation plans in case a severe accident occurred at spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants which are operated by Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited in Aomori’s Rokkasho Village and Ibaraki’s Tokai Village. Participants’ questions ranged from questioning the preparedness for massive quakes and tsunamis and measures to deal with unexpected crises, such as large-scale power outages.

Government officials only said that the reprocessing plants have multiple safety measures in place.

Ikejima Fukiko, a member of the rally organizer, criticized the government-set safety measures at nuclear power-related facilities for failing to be prepared for the worst possible case scenario.