Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan: The public should decide whether to abandon the use of nuclear energy
Oct. 10, 2013
by Naoki Imai and Gosuke Nagahisa, Staff Writers
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan appeared at the 56th Convention on Protection of Human Rights, taking place in Hiroshima, and spoke on the issue of nuclear energy and radiation exposure. Responding to questions from a lawyer, Mr. Kan said, “In a sense, it’s easy to prevent nuclear power plant accidents. You simply have to get rid of the nuclear power plants. The public should decide whether or not nuclear energy should continue to be used.”
Mr. Kan reflected on the moment he was informed of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant, saying, “I felt a chill go down my spine.” He also said that he told executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company that they should not evacuate the plant and that they should ask workers who are 60 or older to go voluntarily to the accident site.
Mr. Kan also expressed regret that there were flaws in the process of disclosing information at the time of the accident. The System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI) was not employed promptly to assist with evacuations. Mr. Kan said that the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry did not explain how the system functions and that he was not completely familiar with it. He said he was sorry that this prevented the SPEEDI system from being put to use immediately after the disaster.
Mr. Kan was charged with professional negligence resulting in bodily injury and other charges stemming from the accident at the nuclear plant in Fukushima, but the charges against him were dropped on September 9.
(Originally published on October 4, 2013)
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan appeared at the 56th Convention on Protection of Human Rights, taking place in Hiroshima, and spoke on the issue of nuclear energy and radiation exposure. Responding to questions from a lawyer, Mr. Kan said, “In a sense, it’s easy to prevent nuclear power plant accidents. You simply have to get rid of the nuclear power plants. The public should decide whether or not nuclear energy should continue to be used.”
Mr. Kan reflected on the moment he was informed of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant, saying, “I felt a chill go down my spine.” He also said that he told executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company that they should not evacuate the plant and that they should ask workers who are 60 or older to go voluntarily to the accident site.
Mr. Kan also expressed regret that there were flaws in the process of disclosing information at the time of the accident. The System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI) was not employed promptly to assist with evacuations. Mr. Kan said that the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry did not explain how the system functions and that he was not completely familiar with it. He said he was sorry that this prevented the SPEEDI system from being put to use immediately after the disaster.
Mr. Kan was charged with professional negligence resulting in bodily injury and other charges stemming from the accident at the nuclear plant in Fukushima, but the charges against him were dropped on September 9.
(Originally published on October 4, 2013)
