Japan Press Weekly

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2014 April 16 - 22 [ECONOMY]

Nuclear power plants export equals ‘safety myth’ export: JCP Inoue

The House of Councilors approved on April 18 atomic energy agreements to enable Japan to export nuclear power plants to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates by the majority vote of the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties along with the opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Six opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, voted against the deals.

This is the first time that pacts of this kind were endorsed since the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The Abe administration, which regards the export of nuclear power reactors as a pillar of its economic growth strategy, clarified its position to promote the export even after the meltdown accident.

At an Upper House committee meeting prior to the vote, JCP councilor Inoue Satoshi argued, “It’s totally irresponsible for the state which failed to prevent the critical accident to push its atomic reactors abroad. It amounts to exporting a new ‘safety myth’ about nuclear power plants.”

One DPJ lawmaker abstained from voting, although the party had bound its members to support the accords.

Past related article:
> Several lawmakers abstain on vote on nuclear power pacts [April 5, 2014]