Exporting Nuclear Plant

Even after the serious accident, Japan still sells its nuclear power generation plants. The Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe Agreed with Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to have a nuclear agreement and Japan won a deal on the construction of nuclear power plant in Sinop located on northern Turkey and along the coast of Black Sea. Resuming nuclear business with no guarantee over safety may cause further negative reputation of Japan.

Both leaders signed a joint declaration that upgrades the bilateral relationship between Japan and Turkey to strategic partnership, enhances political relationship by more frequent meeting by the leaders, and encourages cooperation in health, agriculture, food, infrastructure and communication satellites. Those should be welcomed as positive results of the bilateral diplomacy. But the declaration includes the deal over nuclear agreement and plant.

The Turkish seemed to cerebrate the nuclear deal. “What happened at Fukushima upset all of us. But these things can happen. Life goes on,” said Erdogan, according to a BBS report. If he had seen the people in Fukushima, leaving their hometown and living uncomfortable lives, he could not say “life goes on.” These things should never happen.

The question is whether nuclear plant made in Japan is reliable. The source of the Fukushima accident has not completely determined. The relations of tsunami, blackout, meltdown of fuel bars, vent, hydrogen explosion, and commanding system of administrators have not been fully developed. Nuclear Regulation Authority in Japan has not determined new regulation standard after the accident. The government of Japan has not addressed future plan for energy use. Nuclear is the most unreliable energy in Japan so far.

Political advantage drove both leaders to deal with the nuclear agreement. For Erdogan, nuclear energy looked fascinating for further growth of Turkish economy. For Abe, resuming nuclear business appeals voters of his eagerness in escaping from a quagmire of endless nuclear argument through the Japan-Turkey deal as one of his growth strategy.

It is true that every person has desire for living a better life. But there is an argument in Japan after the great disaster that human desire invited that great tragedy. Erdogan needs to understand the point. The positive attitude of Abe to sell Japanese nuclear plant does not make sense as the PM of Japan, the country which rejected US beef with the concern over safety. The answer obviously is independence on nuclear.