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information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise

Extremely confusing

October 30, 2012

 

Nuclear simulations find local govts flat-footed

Situated about 40 kilometers away from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, the city government of Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture, probably spent little time worrying about what to do if a major nuclear crisis were to break out at the plant--until the government released the results of its latest disaster simulations, that is.


"I'd never dreamed [radioactive substances] could reach as far away as here," Uonuma Deputy Mayor Taichi Nakagawa said after the Nuclear Regulation Authority's studies showed radiation could reach his city in the event of an accident at the plant run by Tokyo Electric Power Co.


Local officials in cities, towns and villages more than 30 kilometers away from nuclear power plants around the country expressed surprise at the results of the latest simulations, which were based on accident scenarios at four nuclear plants, including Kashiwazaki-Kariwa.


The simulations showed high levels of radioactive substances could spread farther than 30 kilometers from nuclear plants, a distance that had previously been regarded as the limit for which disaster countermeasures needed to be in place.


These municipalities, embarrassed at being caught unaware, will be required to designate priority areas for disaster planning and will be urged to reconsider evacuation plans.


As the Niigata prefectural government and municipalities in the prefecture began working on new disaster plans, the Uonuma city government was especially shocked, as it had recently decided to accept evacuees from within the 30-kilometer radius.


The government simulation indicated radioactive substances could reach central areas of the city.


"A study panel [of affected municipalities] will have to reexamine in a wider manner what responses need to be taken, and integrate its conclusions into regional disaster planning," Mayor Etsuko Odaira said.


Neighboring Tokamachi faces a similar situation. The city government had planned to have residents within 30 kilometers of the power plant first evacuate to other, what they thought were safer, parts of the city.


Only if the effects of the nuclear crisis spreads, the city plans to evacuate residents outside Tokamachi.


But since the latest simulation showed some areas outside the 30-kilometer radius could be affected in a nuclear accident, the city will have to reexamine its evacuation plans. "The city can't act on its own. We need detailed guidance from the central government to move forward," one city official said


Revamping evacuation plans is only part of the problem. Both Uonuma and Tokamachi produce the renowned rice brand Uonuma Koshihikari.


An official of the Kita-Uonuma Japan Agriculture branch said: "We're worried about what will happen if a crisis were to break out. After we get good information, we'll inform farmers we work with and think about what needs to be done."


Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi nuclear plant in Oi, Fukui Prefecture--currently the nation's only operating nuclear plant--was one of the four power stations where radiation was predicted to spread beyond 30 kilometers.


The simulation showed that if large amounts of radioactive substances escaped from all four of its reactors, in the worst case contamination could reach Nantan, Kyoto Prefecture, which is 32.2 kilometers south of the plant.


Nantan has 2,100 residents in 850 households that live within 30 kilometers of the Oi plant, but the latest simulation added more to the list of those who would be potentially affected by a nuclear disaster.


The city government conducted an evacuation drill Oct. 21 to prepare for an accident at the Takahama nuclear power plant in Takahama, Fukui Prefecture, which is closer to the city than the Oi plant.


Since the city already has disaster plans in place for a contingency at the Takahama plant, a city official said the new simulation results would not affect their countermeasures much.


Nevertheless, an increase in the number of residents who have to evacuate would make the city's fiscal burden heavier. "Implementing our plans without aid from the central government would be difficult," the official said.


Officials from Fukui Prefecture and the town of Oi complained that the latest simulation did not take geographical features into consideration.


A prefectural disaster-prevention official said, "With only mechanical data like maps and numbers, we can't understand what the projections really mean."


Hiroshi Nakatsuka, speaker of the Oi town assembly, said: "Simply releasing projections on the spread of radioactive substances will only fuel people's fears. The authorities should present plans for larger-scale evacuations."

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