Japan Press Weekly

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2012 October 31 - November 6 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Revised nuclear evacuation zone expanded to 30km

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on October 31 adopted new guidelines expanding evacuation areas in case of nuclear accidents from the current 10km to 30km in radius from nuclear plants, which will affect a population of 4.8 million.

Under the guidelines, the number of prefectures that will include evacuation zones increases from 15 to 21. The number of municipalities also triples to 135, and the population affected increases sevenfold.

According to the NRA’s estimate on the spread of radioactive substances, residents outside the 30km zones will also need to evacuate in some cases. However, NRA Chair Tanaka Shun’ichi said, a 30km radius from a plant is “enough” for evacuation.

In addition, the authority failed to decide on minimum doses of radiation requiring evacuation. It also put off making a decision on areas requiring prior distribution of iodine tablets to prevent thyroid damage, and regions that will need some protection measures against exposure to a radiation plume.

The Japanese Communist Party and citizens’ groups have repeatedly requested the government to expand evacuation zones since before the Fukushima accident last year. However, the state has totally disregarded the demand. The NRA’s irresponsible attitude shows that the regulatory body still clings to the “safety myth” of nuclear power that was sharply criticized after the accident.