Words of caution from evacuees

March 14, 2014

Fukushima evacuees offer cautionary tale against reactor restarts

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201403140062

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

SATSUMA-SENDAI, Kagoshima Prefecture--Fukushima evacuees say they are concerned over what they see is a rapid shift away from the public’s anti-nuclear sentiment as two reactors at a nuclear plant in southern Kyushu have been placed on the shortlist for safety screenings.

On March 13, the Nuclear Regulation Authority said it will give priority to examining the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at the Sendai nuclear power plant in Satsuma-Sendai, a prerequisite to restarting shuttered reactors. The two Kyushu Electric Power Co. reactors are expected to resume operations as early as this summer if the safety screenings go according to schedule.

“We’ve gotten over a big hump,” Hideo Iwakiri, the city's mayor, told a news conference. “I believe (the Sendai plant) is the safest, most secure nuclear power plant in Japan.”

Victims of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami three years ago remain wary. The nation's 48 reactors are currently offline in the wake of the accident and must pass tougher safety regulations to be restarted.

“I hope people will open their eyes to the reality of Fukushima, rather than blindly go forward with the resumption of operations,” said Yasuo Fujita, 61, an evacuee from the town of Namie, located a few kilometers north of the Fukushima nuclear plant, who now lives in Tokyo’s Koto Ward. “The accident has deprived us of our living and ruined the rest of our lives.”

Fujita said he cannot completely dismiss the desire for an early restart of the reactors by residents in the areas surrounding the Sendai nuclear plant. Still, he said there is no need to rush to restart operations at the Sendai plant.

Kagoshima Governor Yuichiro Ito, who has been working eagerly to bring the reactors back online as soon as possible, said, “The prefectural government will keep careful watch over the screening process.”

He has said he hopes to have the prefectural assembly green-light the restart of the plant by the June assembly session.

Kagoshima Prefecture has budgeted 12 million yen ($117,000) to hold three explanatory sessions for residents. It currently plans to conduct hearings in Satsuma-Sendai and another city in the prefecture to win the consent of citizens after the NRA’s checks are completed.

Ito and Iwakiri say it will be possible for the plant to resume operations if the operator gains approval from the assemblies and the leadership in both the prefecture and the city. However, surrounding municipalities insist their consent is also needed before operations can restart.

An Asahi Shimbun survey of eight municipalities within a 30-kilometer radius of the Sendai plant found that four are demanding their approval be secured in advance of restarting the reactors. That survey did not include Satsuma-Sendai.

In addition, 40 percent of 134 cities, towns and villages within 30 km of nuclear plants across the nation said they have yet to work out their evacuation plans in the event of another accident, according to the Asahi Shimbun survey.

A pear farmer from the town of Okuma in Fukushima said the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant showed there are no “safe” nuclear facilities.

“It remains unclear what is happening to the reactors in Fukushima. A succession of crises, such as water leaks, have been reported,” said farmer Kiyoe Kamata, 71, whose home is located just three kilometers from the crippled facility. “How can we conclude that other plants are safe?”

The former Okuma resident, who currently lives in Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, about 50 km from his home, asked for careful consideration for the restarting of reactors.

“Although three years have passed (since the earthquake and tsunami), we have no idea where we are going from here,” Kamata said. “Careful judgments will be needed in order to avoid a situation where more people could be forced to face similar difficulties like the ones we are now suffering.”