Diet committee to meet on water crisis on Friday

September 24, 2013

Lower House panel to discuss wastewater on Friday

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130924_35.html

Japan's ruling and opposition parties have agreed to examine the problem of radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in a Lower House committee meeting on Friday.

Directors of the Lower House Committee on Economy, Trade and Industry on Tuesday discussed when to meet on the matter, as the Diet is currently not in session.

They agreed to summon President Naomi Hirose of the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, as an unsworn witness on Friday to ask how the utility has been coping with the wastewater problem.

Members of the committee inspected wastewater tanks and leakage sites at the plant this month.

The directors also decided to summon Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka next Monday.

Committees of the Diet rarely hold sessions when it is closed. Opposition parties demanded that the committee open a session on the radioactive water, but the members of the group failed to agree on the matter until Tuesday.