Japan Press Weekly

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2012 July 4 - 10 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Investigation panel’s report undermines basis for Oi restart decision: Shii

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on July 5 said that a report by an independent Diet panel investigating the nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant offers some important points which make the government’s decision to restart idled nuclear reactors groundless.

Asked by reporters for comment, Shii at first cited that the report clearly states that the nuclear accident was not an “accident” but was man-made and proposes a drastic overall review of nuclear power-related legal regulations.

Shii stressed that it is important that the report points to the possibility of damage to nuclear reactors caused by the 3.11 quake and the necessity of continuous investigation by a third-party body.

Shii pointed out, “The basis for the government’s decision to reactivate the No.3 unit at the Oi NPP was that the quake caused no damage to the reactors at the Fukushima plant. The report, however, undermines the validity of this assertion.”

He went on to say, “Essentially, the government should have determined whether to restart offline reactors only after receiving the investigation panel’s report and holding thorough Diet deliberations on the proposed restart. From this point of view, the government’s conclusion on the Oi restart was premature and unjustifiable.”