Japan Press Weekly

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2015 March 11 - 17 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Hamaoka NPP stands on focal zone of expected earthquake

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Shimazu Yukihiro on March 10 demanded that the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) decommission the Hamaoka nuclear power plant (Shizuoka Pref.) located in a focal zone of an expected Tokai earthquake.

Shimazu at a subcommittee meeting of the House Budget Committee pointed out that a 70% chance of an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 or 9 is projected to hit the area within 30 years.

Shimazu asserted that the Hamaoka NPP is particularly dangerous because a low-velocity layer fault line runs directly beneath its Unit 5 reactor.

When an earthquake occurred six years ago off the nearby bay, the sway of the plant facilities was much more than expected, causing 33 damages to the No.5 reactor.

So far, 26 assemblies out of 35 cities and towns in Shizuoka have adopted either an opinion paper or a resolution calling for stricter safety measures. Of the 26, six municipalities are opposed to the resumption of Hamaoka reactors and 13 call for a permanent shutdown or the decommissioning of the plant.

METI Minister Miyazawa Yoichi admitted to knowing of the concern among local governments over the safety of the Hamaoka plant and said, “If the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) gives a green light, I myself will go to Shizuoka to explain the restart of the plant.”

Shimazu said, “Disaster evacuation will be extremely difficult if a large quake and a nuclear accident occur at the same time,” and demanded that the central government work to promote the use of renewable energy sources rather than nuclear power generation.

Past related article:
> JCP condemns Chubu electric for requesting permission to restart Hamaoka NPP [February 15, 2014]