Resumption without Persuasive Reason

Nuclear Regulation Authority approved two reactors in Takahama Nuclear Power Plant, owned by Kansai Electric Power Company, to be meeting safety standard revised after the severe accident in Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant four years ago. It became the second nuclear power plant in Japan that passed the test for resumption. KEPCO will make efforts to get approval from residents around the site. However, NRA’s process of the assessment raised controversy over hearing people’s voice.

In the process of assessment, about thirty-six hundred public comments were brought to NRA. One of the greatest concerns among the comments was simultaneous accidents. There are three nuclear plants and a fast breeder reactor around Takahama Plant. If a great earthquake happens in Japan Sea and huge tsunami washes the shore, it will be possible for all those nuclear plants to be simultaneously out of control.

NRA’s answer to the question was ridiculously simple. “Each plant will individually deal with that,” told the Chairman of NRA, Shun-ichi Tanaka, in the press conference. What the Japanese learned from the accident in Fukushima was that human being could not deal with nuclear accident. Workers in Fukushima Plant repeatedly evacuated from the site in order to avoid fatally high-level radiation. NRA at least has to make detailed evacuation plans in every possible case of multiple and simultaneous accidents.

KEPCO and the government of Japan look like optimistic in achieving approval from the residents. Takahama Plant is located in Takahama town in Fukui Prefecture. The national government is going to hear opinion from Fukui prefectural government and some towns within thirty kilometers from the plant. Those local governments are positive on resuming the reactors, because their finance have been addictive to nuclear power plant that brings subsidy.

Frustrated are the other local governments outside Fukui. Maizuru City in Kyoto Prefecture is only four kilometers away from Takahama Plant. Governor of Kyoto has been demanding KEPCO and national government to get approval from people in Kyoto Prefecture. “Approvals from Kyoto and Shiga Prefecture are not legally necessary for resumption of nuclear reactors,” told Katsunobu Kato, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, dismissing the governor’s request.

Policy for resuming nuclear reactors is basically wrong in terms of its dependence on manageability of severe accident, because nuclear accident is not manageable. Approval of national government does not make sense along with absence of reliable evacuation plan and ignorance of residents around. Nuclear option of Japan cannot be stopped.