- The government panel formed by ex-PM Kan has issued its report on the Fukushima Daiichi accident. The panel concludes Tepco ignored evidence of possible severe accident risks prior to the accident, pointed another guilty finger at Japan’s primary nuclear regulator NISA, said PM Kan’s interference was un-called-for, but fell short of calling the crisis man-made. The report says, “The fundamental problem lies in the fact that utilities, including TEPCO, and the government have failed to see the danger as reality as they were bound by a myth of nuclear safety and the notion that severe accidents do not happen at nuclear plants in our country.” The panel also suggested the situation leading to the F. Daiichi accident could be endemic with respect to Japan’s nuclear industry. Further, the panel implied that not enough steps have been taken to insure adequate safety concerning reactor restarts, “We understand that immediate safety measures are being further detailed and will materialize in the future. But we strongly urge the people concerned to make continued efforts to take really effective steps…Both the government and companies should establish a new philosophy of disaster prevention that requires safety and disaster measures against any massive accident and disaster … regardless of event probability.” The report also says Tepco should review its analysis of the accident because it seems they have made errors and all causes of the crisis have not yet been fully disclosed. They also chided the utility for having employees “not fully trained to think for themselves. The government-appointed panel said there was no proof the earthquake was a key factor in the disaster…a stunning contradiction to the Diet investigative committee’s (NAIIC) recent report (Japan Today)
- The government report also compared the accident response at F. Daiichi with what simultaneously occurred at Fukushima Daiini, 10km to the south. It says the staff at F. Daiini averted a nuclear accident because they monitored reactor temperatures and pressures, as well as made speedy preparations for alternative water cooling supplies. These things did not occur at F. Daiichi because all emergency power supply sources were flooded by the tsunami. The emergency power systems at F. Daiini were not lost because the wave that hit to power complex was ~15 feet smaller. This comparison suggests that if not for the tsunami-initiated full station black-out at F. Daiichi, the nuclear accident could have been avoided. (NHK World)
- Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan has outlined a bill in the Diet to outlaw nuclear energy by 2025. He has support from at least a dozen members of the Diet. The bill identifies two central reasons for the abolishment of nukes. First, future nuclear accidents could lead to “infinite damages”. Second, with no safe method of disposal, “piles of nuclear waste” will be left to future generations. Kan’s bill will call for establishing alternative power sources to replace nukes. In order to minimize carbon emissions, Kan wants unprecedented construction of massive wind and solar farms. The bill also calls for the government to create jobs in the communities now hosting nuclear plants so that nuclear abolition will not hurt local economies. (NHK World)
- Last week’s massive antinuclear demonstration in Tokyo continues to make headlines. Why did so many people attend? Why were there so many elderly citizens? “Before the disaster, I had never thought of taking part in rallies,” said 22-year-old Yusuke Hasunuma, “But now I find it very exciting. It’s great to take action with other people who feel the same.” It seems that for the younger demonstrators, participation was due to the thrill of being part of a kindred group. But, this does not seem to have been the case with elderly demonstrators, who made open references to the horrors they recall due to the bombings of Hiroshima/Nagasaki in 1945. Kiyoshi Abe, professor of media and communication studies at Kwansei Gakuin University said, “I think many of those who experienced World War II and particularly the misery of atomic bombs are participating…Elderly people worked hard and kept silent for the sake of the country’s recovery from the war, but they seem to have realized that what they dreamed of is different from what they are seeing now.” (Japan Today) Thus we see more evidence of the Hiroshima Syndrome at work in Japan.
- Some protestors said they don’t care if there are rolling blackouts and fossil-fueled pollution…they just want all nuclear energy abolished immediately. One man named Ozaki said, “If there is a power shortage, there are alternatives. What about coal-fired power stations, hydro-electric power stations, or we can just survive with what we have. We have to be patient, but even with blackouts, we can survive without nuclear power.” Japan’s business community feels otherwise. Masami Hasegawa of the Japan Business Federation said, “We hear our members saying that they cannot stay in Japan if this situation continues…If the current situation continues, energy consuming industries cannot survive in Japan and they will leave.” But, protesters say safety and the avoidance of fear is more important. (CNN Asia)
- Oi unit #4 is connected to the Japanese grid and its electrical output is on the steady increase. Kansai Electric Company says the plant will achieve full power shortly after midnight on Wednesday. Full operation of the two reactors will allow the government to remove power-saving targets in the service areas of Chubu Electric Power Co., Hokuriku Electric Power Co. and Chugoku Electric Power Co., while further easing the target in the area served by Shikoku Electric Power Co. to 5 percent from 7 percent. (Kyodo News)
- In an attempt to prevent Hamaoka restarts, a petition with 178,000 signatures has been submitted to Shizuoka Prefecture calling for a nuclear referendum. The local election committees will check the petition for irregularities and report by August 12. The prefecture’s assembly is required to consider a possible referendum if a petition signed by 2% of the voters is submitted, which in this case must number at least 62,000. (NHK World)
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