Even nuclear proponents...

November 25, 2013

Nuclear firm concerned about secrecy bill

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131125_43.html

A representative of a nuclear-related company in Fukushima voiced concern about the proposed state secrets legislation at a public hearing on Monday.

Yukiteru Naka is the chairman of a company that has been involved in equipment design and maintenance at nuclear plants.

He said the draft legislation may make workers too fearful of punishment to relate what they've learned at their nuclear plants.

He said that although it is important to strengthen anti-terror measures, too much control of information exerts psychological pressure on workers.

Naka's company provides the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant with 60 employees that do clean-up and decommissioning work.

He said the bill would make it even harder to recruit workers for the decommissioning work, which it is believed will take 40 years.

Naka said it had once been taboo to raise questions about nuclear plant safety, and that created the myth that nuclear plants were safe.

He said there will be no nuclear safety without disclosure of information, and that the bill should not be applied to the nuclear power industry.