Governor of Kagoshima Fails Fukushima Lessons:
ignores science, safety and public opinion
States operation of Sendai Nuclear Power Plant is “Unavoidable”
For immediate release: 7 November 2014
Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith +81-90-3620-9251
Governor Yuichiro Ito of Kagoshima in approving the restart of the two nuclear reactors at Sendai earlier today has failed to understand the lessons of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe, Green Action stated. The Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly has earlier voted to approve operations of the reactors. In the last week evidence has been made public that the reactor operator and the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) are ignoring volcano risks to Sendai ; that evacuation shelters required in the event of a severe nuclear accident are in violation of the law (revised in April 2014) for emergency evacuation planning. Demands for consultation on restart by citizens throughout Kagoshima have all now been ignored.
“So desperate are Kyushu Electric, the Abe government and the Liberal Democratic Party leadership to restart the Sendai reactors, that they are willing to exert maximum leverage on Kagoshima. The Governor, by stating that restart of Sendai was “unavoidable” has mistakenly chosen, like them, to ignore the evidence of the risks restarting Sendai presents to the lives and livelihoods of the people of not just Kagoshima but a much greater geographical area. The volcano scientists who have stated that predicting eruptions in advance is not possible have spoken clearly based on their decades of experience. Yet, Kyushu Electric, NRA chair Shunichi Tanaka, and the politicians who support them are prepared to disregard these warnings and the concerns of the people of Kagoshima. The Fukushima accident was in part caused by the same arrogant disregard for nuclear safety concerns, and tragically it is being repeated once more. The Kagoshima Governor has failed to learn the lessons of Fukushima and to act to protect the interests of the people of his region,” said Aileen Mioko Smith, executive director of Green Action.
In the last week city officials of Satsumasendai City where the Sendai reactors are located, and Izumi City, Ichikikushikino City, Akune City (all within 30km from the Sendai reactors) and Minamata City in Kumamoto Prefecture where evacuees from Kagoshima are to evacuate have all confirmed to citizens groups that many of their nuclear emergency shelters are vulnerable to the impacts of tsunami’s and storm surges or landslides and that as a result they are required under the law to find safe alternatives. The emergency plans for these communities with hundreds of thousands of people are currently in violation of the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Law.
On 25 September, Kumamoto Prefecture which neighbors Kagoshima and 4 of its local authorities issued a joint petition to the Government to undertake a detailed, careful explanation to Kumamoto citizens and the prefecture regarding the NRA review and Government decisions on the Sendai plant. They also demanded that the Government issue its regulations for radiation exposure/evacuation beyond the 30km limit (the PPA standard) which are yet to be issued and undertake measures including financial measures for these areas. They also demanded that the Government undertake human and financial support for local authorities with citizens evacuating and local authorities accepting evacuees. The Government is yet to respond to any of these demands.
In the meantime, in Fukushima Prefecture, radiation levels in many areas remain higher than government set limits with no prospect for return of the population. At the time of the accident, authorities took over a month to evacuate Iitate village’s citizens despite the high radiation exposure. Kagoshima City with a population of over 600,000, is located in a similar distance away, 40km, from the Sendai reactors.
Recent polling have shown increasing demands for wider consultation on nuclear reactor restarts beyond communities that directly benefit financially from hosting power plants.
Even with approval from the full Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly and the Governor, restart of the two reactors at Sendai will not take place before 2015. The NRA has yet to complete its review of the Sendai reactor post Fukushima retrofitting plan, safety management rules and onsite inspections of the plant. Kyushu Electric’s concrete plans to comply with the NRA’s volcano guide have not been completed and made public.