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2016 July 27 - August 2 TOP3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Kagoshima governor to demand suspension of Sendai NPP operation

Newly-elected Kagoshima Governor Mitazono Satoshi on July 28 at his first press conference expressed his intent to demand that the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in the prefecture, which is the only active NPP in Japan, be immediately halted to undergo thorough safety inspections.

Mitazono won the July 10 gubernatorial election by promising to halt the operations of the Sendai NPP.

Governor Mitazono pointed out, “A series of earthquakes in Kumamoto in April has increased Kagoshima residents’ anxieties about the Sendai NPP.” He stressed that in order to ease their anxieties, he will request the plant operator, Kyushu Electric Power Company, to put the Sendai NPP offline and conduct safety inspections.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority in September 2014 judged that Nos 1 and 2 reactors at the Sendai NPP meet the new safety standards. After receiving approval from former Kagoshima Governor Ito Yuichiro, the utility reactivated these reactors in August 2015 and October 2015 respectively.

Outside the prefectural government office building during the press conference, the governor’s supporters held a rally. Taira Yukio, who heads a local anti-nuclear power organization, said, “The prefectural government led by the anti-NPP governor will open the way for the decommissioning of the Sendai NPP.” Taira noted that the governor may have difficulties in fulfilling his election promise as the pro-nuclear power Liberal Democratic and Komei parties hold a majority of seats in the prefectural assembly. He expressed his hope that the governor will continue to pursue his goal as many residents are counting on him to do so.

Past related articles:
> Anti-nuclear power candidate wins gubernatorial race in Kagoshima which hosts Sendai NPP [July 11, 2016]
> Kagoshima Prefecture holds bogus public briefing for restart of Sendai NPP [December 1, 2015]