Yes, what about the promised regulatory body?

April 9, 2012

Govt. urged to set up new nuclear regulator

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120409_24.html

Japanese municipalities hosting nuclear power stations have urged Nuclear Crisis Minister Goshi Hosono to expedite the planned launch of a new regulating body.

Kazuharu Kawase, the head of an association of such municipalities and the mayor of Tsuruga City, visited Hosono on Monday to make the request.

Kawase told the minister that the government's stress tests, its call for establishing a reactor service life of 40 years, and its new safety standards all lack scientific basis.

He said people living near nuclear power plants are becoming increasingly confused and are losing faith in the government.
He asked Hosono to establish a new and reliable nuclear regulatory body as soon as possible. He also asked the minister to ensure that the new body functions effectively and that it clearly explains how it is going to improve safety.

Hosono replied that the establishment of a new body will help assure residents of nuclear safety. He said he hopes to launch such an agency in the not-too-distant future after getting opposition parties on board.

Kawase also said many people who were evacuated after last year's nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant do not know when they can return to their home towns. He called for the speedy decontamination of affected areas, saying residents' uncertainties about their futures are fueling their distrust of the government.