Mixed feelings in Sendai

July 8, 2015

Local reaction mixed to fuel loading, imminent restart at Sendai nuclear plant

Protesters hold up light-up message boards in front of the Tokyo office of Kyushu Electric Power Co. in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on the evening of July 7, 2015. (Mainichi)

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150708p2a00m0na013000c.html

SATSUMASENDAI, Kagoshima -- Kyushu Electric Power Co. started work to load nuclear fuel into the No. 1 reactor at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant on July 7, sparking mixed reactions among local residents.

If the reactor restart at the Sendai plant goes ahead as planned, it will be the first such reactivation under stricter safety requirements adopted after the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant meltdowns in March 2011.

About 120 people including local residents gathered in front of the main gate of the Sendai nuclear power complex on the morning of July 7. Holding banners which read, "Loading of nuclear fuel is a step toward accidents," they shouted, "We will never condone reactivation," and, "Kyushu Electric should abandon nuclear reactors."

Kiyoaki Kawabata, 59, who heads a local self-governing body in the Kagoshima Prefecture city of Satsumasendai, was angry that Kyushu Electric had moved ahead with fuel loading without holding a briefing session for local residents.

"Even though residents have been seeking an explanation, they ignored us. We cannot forgive them for that," he said. Hiroshi Sugihara, a 67-year-old part-time lecturer at Kagoshima University, commented, "They should stop work and abandon their (reactor) restart plans."

Seven people from Minamata, Kagoshima Prefecture, about 45 kilometers from the Sendai nuclear station, joined the rally. Takafumi Nagano, the 60-year-old head of a group calling for sound nuclear evacuation plans, said, "We must not allow for the beginning of a new nuclear era." In the 1970s, Nagano lived in what was then Sendai city and joined a campaign opposing construction of the Sendai plant.

Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, who heads a pro-nuclear group in Satsumasendai and the Sendai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "Although the local economy remains in bad shape, I hope that, with the fuel loading, the imminent nuclear plant restart will activate the local economy and stabilize business performance."

Kagoshima Gov. Yuichiro Ito said in a statement, "Because inspections will continue to be carried out before the nuclear plant is put back on line, I would ask Kyushu Electric to continue to place top priority on ensuring safety and take all appropriate measures."

About 200 people opposed to the Sendai restart gathered in front of Kyushu Electric's branch office in the Yurakucho district of Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on the evening of July 7. The rally was organized by the "Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes."

Holding banners, some of which said: "Don't put in nuclear fuel!" and, "Don't press the start button," the demonstrators chanted slogans including "People can't evacuate!" for about 90 minutes. Protester Yoshimitsu Umezawa, a 62-year-old caregiver from the Tokyo city of Machida, said, "We can't forgive a reactivation which puts priority on the economy and ignores people's lives."

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July 08, 2015 (Mainichi Japan)

July 7, 2015

Naraha residents can return home Sept. 5 in lifting of evacuation order

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201507070089

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

NARAHA, Fukushima Prefecture--The people of Naraha, a town that was evacuated after the disaster at the nearby Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, will be allowed to return home Sept. 5, the government said.

It will be the first among seven municipalities to have an evacuation order for all residents lifted since the meltdowns at the plant in March 2011.

The central government notified Naraha officials July 6 that it had fixed the date. Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto accepted the plan, saying the town will help residents resettle.

The removal of the evacuation order is aimed at “accelerating the town’s recovery” from the nuclear disaster, said Yosuke Takagi, state minister of economy, trade and industry, during a meeting with Matsumoto.

Takagi, who heads the on-site headquarters of the nuclear disaster response task force, said the government believes that radioactive contamination in the town is “not dangerous enough to continue forcing evacuation on residents who want to return home.”

He also pointed out that prolonged evacuation will have a negative impact on residents’ health and will deprive the town of recovery opportunities if private businesses are prevented from starting up in the area.

The lifting of the evacuation order for Nahara will be the first case among the seven municipalities in which almost all the residents as well as municipal governments were forced to evacuate.

The majority of the town’s 7,400 residents currently live in temporary housing and publicly subsidized apartments in other parts of Fukushima Prefecture or elsewhere. They will be allowed to return home permanently once the evacuation order is removed.

Even after the evacuation order is lifted, residents can remain living in the temporary shelters and other dwellings where they currently reside rent-free until March 2017.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled plant, has also pledged to continue paying compensation to all residents until at least March 2018.

On June 17, Takagi had proposed lifting the evacuation order before the Bon holiday period in mid-August, but this plan was opposed by local officials and residents who argued that not enough had been done to restore the town’s environment.

The central government pushed back the date to Sept. 5, assessing the government's efforts have met three criteria necessary to lift the evacuation order: lower airborne radiation, improved infrastructure and administrative services, and a sufficient consultation period for residents and the local authority to discuss the situation with central government officials.

(This article was written by Takuro Negishi and Akifumi Nagahashi.)