First meeting at new TEPCO headquarters

January 11, 2013

TEPCO execs hold 1st meeting at its new Fukushima headquarters

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130111p2g00m0dm015000c.html

FUKUSHIMA (Kyodo) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Friday held its first meeting at its new Fukushima headquarters to discuss compensation and decontamination issues resulting from the nuclear disaster in 2011, the worst since Chernobyl.

Among those attending the meeting at the headquarters, established Jan. 1, were TEPCO Chairman Kazuhiko Shimokobe, President Naomi Hirose and Vice President Yoshiyuki Ishizaki.

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was crippled by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, set up the new office after facing criticism for slow progress in its processing of compensation claims and decontamination work.

The Fukushima headquarters is located in the town of Naraha, about 20 kilometers south of the crippled nuclear power plant.

TEPCO Fukushima rebuilding office has 1st meeting

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20130111_23.html

The meeting on Friday came one week after TEPCO launched the Fukushima Revitalization Headquarters in Naraha Town, about 20 kilometers south of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant. The office was set up to respond to criticism that the utility is slow to compensate and decontaminate after the disaster at the plant.

TEPCO Chairman Kazuhiko Shimokobe and President Naomi Hirose were among 30 executive and other officials at the meeting.

TEPCO says the executives decided at the meeting to transfer some of the clerical functions of the firm's Tokyo head office to Fukushima in about 2 years. The Fukushima office plans to hire about 10 people locally in the fiscal year starting in April as part of efforts to create jobs in the prefecture.

The meeting resulted in no decisions on specific compensation or decontamination projects.

TEPCO Executive Vice President and Fukushima office head Yoshiyuki Ishizaki says the executives recognize the significance of compensation and decontamination, but failed to agree.

Ishizaki says the utility will continue to discuss the matters while seeking opinions of local governments.

TEPCO plans to hold Fukushima headquarters meetings every 3 months.