Restart of Genkai reactors put on hold amid distrust against gov’t
Jul. 8, 2011
The head of a southwestern Japanese town where the Genkai nuclear power plant is located retracted on Thursday his approval to restart two reactors suspended for regular checkups as he expressed his strong distrust over the central government's inconsistent position on the issue.
The latest development swept away from the government the chance to restart the country's nuclear reactors for the first time since the March disaster caused the nuclear emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and led industry minister Banri Kaieda, who is also in charge of nuclear policy, to suggest he will step down from the post ''when the time comes.''
The local backlash was triggered after the government said a day before it will conduct safety assessments on all the country's nuclear power plants, despite giving an assurance earlier that sufficient steps have been taken to operate them safely based on lessons learned from the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima complex.
The announcement of the so-called stress tests to check nuclear reactors' capacity to withstand extreme natural events elicited sharp remarks from Genkai Mayor Hideo Kishimoto. He had made clear his approval of the resumption of the two Genkai reactors in line with a request by Kaieda, who visited Saga Prefecture in late June to say the reactors are safe to restart.
''I made a decision for nothing. If the government wants to do (safety) inspections, it should have shown the idea earlier. I cannot believe Prime Minister Naoto Kan,'' he said at a press conference in the prefecture.
Kaieda told a parliamentary committee Thursday he felt that resumption of the reactors would be difficult without gaining the approval of heads of local municipalities and people concerned.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano apologized to Saga Gov. Yasushi Furukawa, who traveled to Tokyo to press the government to show a ''unified view'' on the issue of resumption of reactors.
''Prime Minister Naoto Kan sometimes makes positive remarks about resumption, and sometimes he does the opposite. I told the chief Cabinet secretary that, unless the government comes up with a proper unified view, we, the local government, would not know how to act,'' Furukawa told reporters after the meeting.
He also told Edano at the outset of the meeting that he feels there is a ''discrepancy'' between the views of Kan and Kaieda over the country's nuclear power policy.
''I appreciate the decision to conduct stress tests to bring a sense of reassurance (to the local people). But I cannot help questioning why this announcement has to be made now,'' he said.
Kaieda has encouraged the resumption in a bid to avoid a power shortage problem expected to become more serious later this summer. But Kan is known to have taken a ''cold reaction'' on the resumption of the Genkai reactors because he became more eager to promote the use of renewable energy, a source close to the matter said.
Furukawa said he wants the prime minister to visit Saga Prefecture to directly explain his views to the local people.
Edano said he takes Furukawa's remarks ''sincerely'' and that the government is currently trying to ''sort out'' its view on whether the stress tests should serve as a precondition for the resumption of reactors.
Of the nation's 54 commercial reactors, 35 are not in operation for reasons including regular inspections or the effects of the March earthquake and tsunami disaster. None of the reactors has resumed operating since a series of explosions at the Fukushima plant 220 kilometers north of Tokyo released massive amounts of radioactive material in the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
The two nuclear reactors at the Genkai plant were considered likely to be the first to resume operating since the March crisis, but the announcement of the stress tests has dampened such prospects.
Furukawa told reporters, ''As long as the government's policy remains wobbly, we cannot further consider this matter.''
Under the planned stress tests, plant operators are expected to assess to what extent nuclear reactors can withstand major earthquakes and tsunami that have impact beyond expectations, and find the weak points, according to the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
The National Governors' Association held a special committee meeting Thursday, at which governors and other attendants also criticized that the government has not given sufficient explanation about the stress tests.
During the meeting in Tokyo to discuss measures to deal with the nuclear crisis, Shimane Gov. Zembee Mizoguchi said the government is trying to ''rush without making preparations.''
(Distributed by Kyodo News on July 7, 2011)
The latest development swept away from the government the chance to restart the country's nuclear reactors for the first time since the March disaster caused the nuclear emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and led industry minister Banri Kaieda, who is also in charge of nuclear policy, to suggest he will step down from the post ''when the time comes.''
The local backlash was triggered after the government said a day before it will conduct safety assessments on all the country's nuclear power plants, despite giving an assurance earlier that sufficient steps have been taken to operate them safely based on lessons learned from the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima complex.
The announcement of the so-called stress tests to check nuclear reactors' capacity to withstand extreme natural events elicited sharp remarks from Genkai Mayor Hideo Kishimoto. He had made clear his approval of the resumption of the two Genkai reactors in line with a request by Kaieda, who visited Saga Prefecture in late June to say the reactors are safe to restart.
''I made a decision for nothing. If the government wants to do (safety) inspections, it should have shown the idea earlier. I cannot believe Prime Minister Naoto Kan,'' he said at a press conference in the prefecture.
Kaieda told a parliamentary committee Thursday he felt that resumption of the reactors would be difficult without gaining the approval of heads of local municipalities and people concerned.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano apologized to Saga Gov. Yasushi Furukawa, who traveled to Tokyo to press the government to show a ''unified view'' on the issue of resumption of reactors.
''Prime Minister Naoto Kan sometimes makes positive remarks about resumption, and sometimes he does the opposite. I told the chief Cabinet secretary that, unless the government comes up with a proper unified view, we, the local government, would not know how to act,'' Furukawa told reporters after the meeting.
He also told Edano at the outset of the meeting that he feels there is a ''discrepancy'' between the views of Kan and Kaieda over the country's nuclear power policy.
''I appreciate the decision to conduct stress tests to bring a sense of reassurance (to the local people). But I cannot help questioning why this announcement has to be made now,'' he said.
Kaieda has encouraged the resumption in a bid to avoid a power shortage problem expected to become more serious later this summer. But Kan is known to have taken a ''cold reaction'' on the resumption of the Genkai reactors because he became more eager to promote the use of renewable energy, a source close to the matter said.
Furukawa said he wants the prime minister to visit Saga Prefecture to directly explain his views to the local people.
Edano said he takes Furukawa's remarks ''sincerely'' and that the government is currently trying to ''sort out'' its view on whether the stress tests should serve as a precondition for the resumption of reactors.
Of the nation's 54 commercial reactors, 35 are not in operation for reasons including regular inspections or the effects of the March earthquake and tsunami disaster. None of the reactors has resumed operating since a series of explosions at the Fukushima plant 220 kilometers north of Tokyo released massive amounts of radioactive material in the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
The two nuclear reactors at the Genkai plant were considered likely to be the first to resume operating since the March crisis, but the announcement of the stress tests has dampened such prospects.
Furukawa told reporters, ''As long as the government's policy remains wobbly, we cannot further consider this matter.''
Under the planned stress tests, plant operators are expected to assess to what extent nuclear reactors can withstand major earthquakes and tsunami that have impact beyond expectations, and find the weak points, according to the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
The National Governors' Association held a special committee meeting Thursday, at which governors and other attendants also criticized that the government has not given sufficient explanation about the stress tests.
During the meeting in Tokyo to discuss measures to deal with the nuclear crisis, Shimane Gov. Zembee Mizoguchi said the government is trying to ''rush without making preparations.''
(Distributed by Kyodo News on July 7, 2011)
