information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
23 Janvier 2014
January 22, 2014
Staff Writers
Morihiro Hosokawa pledged Wednesday he would try to end Tokyo’s dependence on nuclear power as he finally made his candidacy for governor official just a day before campaigning officially starts.
The 76-year-old former prime minister said he would set up a strategic panel of experts to explore basic energy policies to abolish nuclear power.
“In order to realize a Tokyo that is not dependent on nuclear energy, I would prompt the public and private sectors to generate renewable energy as well as to ask for cooperation from the residents of Tokyo to conserve energy,” Hosokawa told a news conference, finally revealing his election pledges after two delays.
He said he would like to set the year 2020, when Tokyo will host the Summer Olympics, as a target for creating a “new Tokyo and Japan.” He acknowledged that he did not initially welcome the successful bid to bring the Olympics to Tokyo because resolution of the Fukushima nuclear crisis is not yet in sight.
He said as governor he would also address the capital’s needs in disaster prevention, welfare and support for households raising children.
Other candidates also talked Wednesday about their election pledges.
Former health minister Yoichi Masuzoe, another of the leading candidates, appeared to back off from his earlier anti-nuclear stance by saying it is up to the Nuclear Regulation Authority and the central government to decide whether to restart the nation’s idled reactors.
Earlier, Masuzoe said he advocated “datsu-genpatsu” (phasing out nuclear power) by saying all nuclear plants should eventually be mothballed.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which urges reactor restarts once they clear the NRA’s new safety tests, is giving semi-official support to Masuzoe, an apparent reason for toning down his stance.
At another news conference at the Japan National Press Club, candidate Kenji Utsunomia, a former chairman of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, said he will not hold talks with Hosokawa to unify the anti-nuclear forces for the election.
Some anti-nuclear activists have urged Utsunomia, an opponent of nuclear power, not to run and thus avoid a split in the no-nukes vote
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Utsunomiya pointed out that Hosokawa had not made public his campaign pledges yet, and he could not forgo his candidacy just because of his anti-nuclear policy.
“This is an abnormal gubernatorial election. Candidates have already decided to run, but we can’t have a policy debate yet,” Utsunomiya said.
Toshio Tamogami, a former chief of staff of the Air Self-Defense Force, said Wednesday he would use his crisis-management experience as a top military officer to improve Tokyo’s preparedness for a major disaste
Ex-PM Hosokawa set to pledge to turn Tokyo into world's most energy-efficient city
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140122p2a00m0na003000c.html
Former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa will pledge to press for "zero nuclear power" and try to make Tokyo the most energy-efficient city in the world in his campaign platform for the Feb. 9 Tokyo gubernatorial election, sources in his camp have revealed.
In his campaign platform due to be announced at a news conference on Jan. 22, Hosokawa, 76, will vow to set up a "Tokyo Energy Strategic Council" of experts to draw up a medium- to long-term road map for Tokyo's energy policy, the sources said.
After official campaigning for the Tokyo gubernatorial election kicks off on Jan. 23, Hosokawa will take to the streets every day to drum up voter support, as will former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, 72, according to the sources.
The platform consists of five pillars: pursuing zero nuclear power; taking measures for disaster prevention and landscape protection; hosting a "simple" 2020 Tokyo Olympics; upgrading urban infrastructure; and creating an urban model that is child- and elderly-friendly.
As for nuclear power, Hosokawa says it "has a fatal flaw in that radioactive waste cannot be disposed of," and that "now is the only chance to make a political decision to stop the reactivation (of idled nuclear reactors)." He emphasizes that a shift in the energy policy will create new growth. Pledging not to give the central government a free hand over the power policy, Hosokawa says the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will tackle reforms in Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) as a shareholder.
On the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Hosokawa says Tokyo will take measures to promote culture and hold events jointly with cities in the Tohoku region in order to show the world how the disaster-hit region has been restored. He also proposes to host a simple Tokyo Olympics unique to Japan and set up a "Tokyo Volunteer Team" designed to spread Japanese-style hospitality known as "omotenashi" throughout the world. He says he will review over-the-top construction plans for Olympic facilities. As for disaster prevention, Hosokawa vows to press for a policy that values forces of nature and "risk communication" with citizens and create a "corridor of water and green" that doubles as a landscape preserver.
Meanwhile, former Japan Federation of Bar Associations President Kenji Utsunomiya, who plans to run in the Tokyo governor's race, released the details of his campaign platform at his campaign office in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Jan. 21. Utsunomiya, 67, has pledged to make Tokyo the world's best place to work and live and enact ordinances to regulate so-called "black companies," or firms with poor labor practices, as well as so-called "dappo houses," or small living quarters that skirt the law. He also vows to consider making medical treatment for people aged 75 and older free of charge and maintain subway fares at current levels even after the consumption tax is raised.
As for nuclear power, Utsunomiya stands against any move to reactivate nuclear reactors and vows to extend support for victims of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. "While I have not had a chance to hold policy debates with other people who plan to run in the election, I made the effort to present my policies to make the election fruitful," he said.
January 22, 2014(Mainichi Japan)
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