But will it?

December 14, 2012

Noda says Tsuruga reactor will be decommissioned if safety is at risk

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20121214p2g00m0dm029000c.html

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Thursday a nuclear reactor at Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tsuruga Power Station will be decommissioned if the Nuclear Regulation Authority determines that safety is at risk at the reactor that is seen as likely to be sitting on an active quake fault.

"The government must respect a judgment by the NRA," Noda told on a night program on TV broadcaster TBS. "I believe if it doesn't go operational, no profits will be earned and it will be decommissioned on a judgment by the operator."

Asked about what action may be taken if the Tsuruga No. 2 reactor is not authorized to resume operating, NRA chairman Shunichi Tanaka told reporters Wednesday that, "We will not be making a judgment on decommissioning the reactor but would like to swiftly request any necessary safety measures be taken, if any."

Noda's remark is a stronger indication of the government's readiness to retire the reactor if necessary.

Experts presented a unanimous view at a meeting of NRA officials on Monday that the fault in question is likely to be active, raising the likelihood of the No. 2 reactor being placed out of service.

Ahead of the TV program, Noda criticized in an election campaign speech the former government led by the Liberal Democratic Party for allowing the construction of the No. 2 reactor.

"I wonder which government under what party permitted the establishment by leaving (geological) survey work solely in the hands of the (plant) operator," he said.

On the active fault, Noda said, "It became clear for the first time after an investigation by the Nuclear Regulation Authority with a high degree of independence."

"We are seeking to stop all nuclear power stations in the 2030s," said Noda, the president of the Democratic Party of Japan. "The LDP is for continuing nuclear power generation. There is a crucial difference" between the two.