Author: Rick E

International Symposium: “Energy Policy Shift and the Creation of Public Spheres: Learning From Germany’s Experience” (8 December 2013, Hosei University, Japan) The Potential of Japan’s Anti-Nuclear Citizens’ Movement to End Nuclear Power and Implement Change in Japan’s Energy Policy What Needs to be Undertaken to Meet this Challenge Aileen Mioko Smith Executive Director, Green Action The Potential of Japan’s Anti-Nuclear Citizens’ Movement to End Nuclear Power and Implement Change in Japan’s Energy Policy What Needs to be Undertaken to Meet this Challenge (Abstract and Full Text: PDF) Japanese translation of the abstract: 日本の反原発市民運動が、原子力に止めを刺し国のエネルギー政策転換を実現させる可能性について-この課題を達成するために私たちが引き受けなければならないことは何か（要旨：日本語）

WE ALL SHARE OCEANS! Please help stop the radioactive contamination of the Pacific Hello, this is an urgent message from Japan. It was revealed that, as the result of the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Plant, 300 tons of radioactive waste water containing highly toxic substance such as cesium, strontium, tritium has been leaking in the sea every day. It is of absolute necessity to prevent the discharge of this contaminated water. The Japanese government says it will assign a prevention budget but it’s not until the next fiscal year. Plus the plan fails to stop groundwater from flowing into the power plant buildings and lacks fundamental preventative measures….

Radioactive Discharges into the Pacific from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Site On 8 August, NGOs and Diet members held a meeting with the Japanese government concerning the radioactive discharges into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi site. The meeting was held in Tokyo at the Upper House Diet Office Building. The government says it will assign a budget to deal with this problem, but it’s for the next fiscal year, plus, the countermeasures are grossly insufficient. What was revealed at yesterday’s meeting…. IT’S UNCLEAR WHO’S IN CHARGE AND WHO’S RESPONSIBLE IN THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT: It became evident that it’s unclear which government entity is responsible for and…

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) Subverts Own Post-Fukushima Safety Rules Allows Ohi Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 & 4 ‘s Continued Operation For immediate release: 3 July 2013 Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith (Tel: +81-90-3620-9251) Kyoto, Japan—-The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) today approved continued operation of Kansai Electric’s Ohi Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 located in Fukui Prefecture even though it is the first to admit the two plants do not meet new post-Fukushima regulatory standards. The standards will take effect Monday, 8 July. “The NRA has taken the lead in ignoring compliance with its new nuclear regulatory rules which have been created to apply the lessons learned from…

MOX (mixed plutonium uranium) Fuel Shipment Arrives in Japan with No End-Use Determined For immediate release: 27 June 2013 27 June 2013, Takahama Town, Fukui Prefecture, Japan—-A shipment of MOX (mixed plutonium and uranium oxide) fuel arrived at Kepco’s Takahama nuclear power plant today located in Fukui Prefecture facing the Japan Sea. Today’s shipment violates the Japan Atomic Energy Commission’s determination, issued in 2003, requiring utilities to specify the end-use of MOX fuel before it is imported. Kepco has not been given permission to restart its Takahama nuclear power plant. On top of that, the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has not even established post-Fukushima accident regulatory standards for MOX…

Japan’s Two Operating Reactors won’t meet New Post-Fukushima Standards Will the Nuclear Regulation Authority Still Allow Them to Operate? For immediate release: 19 June 2013 Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith Kyoto, Japan—-The Nuclear Regulation Authority today approved new post-Fukushima regulatory standards. The standards will now be sent to the Cabinet for approval. They are scheduled to take effect on 8 July. Will the NRA ignore compliance with its new standards from day one by allowing the two currently operating nuclear reactors in Japan, Ohi Units 3 and 4 to continue to operate, thus setting the precedent for further non-compliance? At issue is whether Japan has learned the lessons of the Fukushima…

Is Japan headed for another Fukushima? Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority Capitulates to Electric Utility on Earthquake Assessment For immediate release Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith +81-90-3620-9251 10 June 2013, Kyoto, Japan—-Today, Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA), in a complete about-face, yielded to Kansai Electric, the second largest utility in Japan at an NRA hearing assessing whether or not the only two nuclear power plants operating in Japan today, Ohi Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 would be allowed to operate after new regulatory standards come into force 17 July. NRA’s “Ohi Nuclear Power Plant Status Assessment Hearing” (Ohi Genpatsu no Genjo ni Kansuru Hyohka Kaigo) began on 19 April with…

Japanese court rejects plaintiff demand to shut down Ohi Units 3 and 4 Plaintiffs will immediately appeal ruling Court recognizes interaction of 3 earthquake faults near Ohi but declares Ohi prima facie safe (safe for now unless proven otherwise) Court states there is no legal time limit for shutting down reactors in the event of an accident/earthquake Press Release For Immediate Release (Kyoto, Japan): 16 April 2013 Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith +81-90-3620-9251 (co-lead plaintiff) For Japanese statement issued by plaintiffs’ group see: http://greenaction-japan.org/internal/130416_statement.pdf The judgment in the legal case against the only two nuclear power plants currently operating in Japan, Ohi Nuclear Power Station Units 3 and 4, owned and…