Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2011 June 29 - July 5 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Local mayor OKs restart of Genkai N-reactors

Genkai Town Mayor Kishimoto Hideo on July 4 approved the restart of two reactors at the Genkai nuclear power plant, currently suspended for regular inspection, in Saga Prefecture. Neighboring municipalities are expressing concerns over his decision.

The mayor conveyed his approval to Kyushu Electric Power Co. President Manabe Toshio at the town office. Kishimoto has become the first municipal head to give a green light to the resumption of a local nuclear power reactor in Japan since the Fukushima nuclear accident.

“There are no safety-related problems for a restart. We received understanding from the residents,” said Kishimoto.

Nakaaki Kido, local residents’ group leader who directly expressed his protest to the mayor, said, “Local people don’t feel that the safety of the Genkai plant was confirmed.”

“As the Fukushima accident has made clear, the impact of a nuclear accident cannot be contained only in the local host municipality. Mayor Kishimoto seems to be unaware of this fact,” said Urata Sekio, Japanese Communist Party assembly member of Karatsu City, located next to Genkai Town.

In Nagasaki Prefecture, Mayor Tomohiro Ikuhiro of Matsuura City, which includes islands located within 8 km from the Genkai plant, said, “Under the current system (for resumption of nuclear reactors), the national government only listens to the opinions of the heads of the reactor-hosting municipality and the prefecture. While we are a neighboring city, Matsuura City cannot have our opinion heard on the matter.”

“I will call on the state to establish a system for surrounding municipalities, including ones in neighboring prefectures, to be able to convey local opinions to the national government,” the mayor added.