Japan Press Weekly

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2012 April 18 - 24 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Two local governors call for revision of nuclear energy policy

Governors of 2 prefectures located close to the Oi Nuclear Power Plant on April 17 proposed that the government review its nuclear policy before asking for citizens’ approval concerning the restart of reactors at the Oi plant in Fukui Prefecture.

Their proposal was in response to the government’s statement that reactivation of the offline reactors is “appropriate”.

Shiga Governor Kada Yukiko and Kyoto Governor Yamada Keiji announced the proposal at a press conference in Kyoto City, and submitted it to the prime minister and the industry minister.

Some areas of the prefectures are within 30 km from the NPP. A 30-km radius from a nuclear reactor is designated by the IAEA as an Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone (UPZ), “a zone around a nuclear facility in which plans and preparations have been made to promptly implement urgent protective actions in the event of an accident”.

The submitted document states that the government has not provided enough explanation regarding safety concerns and the necessity of resumption.

In the proposal, the governors demand that: the government seek a safety evaluation of the reactors by professionals; disclose information needed for the public to be able to properly evaluate the pros and cons of a restart; explain reasons why they decided the restart to be “appropriate” before sufficient measures to ensure the safety of the facilities are implemented; and put forth a concrete plan to “decrease dependence on nuclear power” as the government itself has declared as its aim.

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On the following day, Shiga Governor Kada met with Fukushima Governor Sato Yuhei to explain about the proposal. “The national government has not yet finished its investigation into the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. I fully agree with the proposal,” Sato stated in reply.