Japan Press Weekly

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2011 July 27 - August 2 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

NISA’s manipulation of public opinion must be thoroughly investigated: JCP Ichida

Chubu Electric Power Company (Chuden) on July 29 admitted to the fact in a written report that the Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency had instructed the utility to place people supportive of nuclear power generation among the audience attending a symposium on this matter.

Asked by reporters on the most recent revelation, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi at a news conference said, “I feel quite upset that NISA, which should be a ‘regulatory body’ of nuclear power, gave instructions to the power company with the intent to manipulate public opinion.”

He demanded that the Diet summon NISA officials in order to get full disclosure about its methods of manipulation.

Ichida also said, “The JCP has continuously called on the government to separate the nuclear regulatory body from the METI, an administrative organization promoting nuclear power generation. The pressing need for separation has been clearly revealed.”

Chuden reported that in August 2007 prior to a symposium on a pluthermal plan at its Hamaoka nuclear power station in Shizuoka’s Omaezaki City, NISA instructed the company to gather participants willing to comment favorably on the plan.

Although Chuden once prepared a draft for participants, it decided not to follow NISA’s instruction based on its own judgment that, “Complying with the instruction would be problematic in terms of compliance.”

Chuden, however, complied with part of NISA’s instructions by calling on its employees and employees of related companies to take part in the symposium.