'Drastic' shift needed to prevent repeat of Japan nuclear crisis

THE FINAL government report into the Fukushima nuclear meltdown has called for a “drastic” shift in disaster management to avoid a repeat at one of Japan’s 50 commercial nuclear reactors.

Released weeks after the government green-lighted the restart of two reactors – the first since last year’s triple meltdown – the call raises doubts over whether Japan’s atomic plants are prepared for another seismic disaster.

“We understand that immediate safety measures are being further detailed and will materialise in the future,” said the report, released yesterday. “But we strongly urge the people concerned to make continued efforts to take really effective steps.”

The findings, by a panel of government-appointed experts, are likely to fuel Japan’s growing anti-nuclear movement, which launched a string of summer protests that culminated in a huge central Tokyo rally last week. Protesters are also hoping to prevent the restart of the world’s largest nuclear plant, the seven-reactor Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex.

The government of prime minister Yoshihiko Noda has come under fire for what many see as its too-hasty decision to order reactors back on line. Opponents insist Japan cannot guarantee the safety of its atomic plants in such an earthquake-prone country.

Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, has argued since the crisis began after the earthquake and tsunami of March 11th, 2011, that it could not have foreseen the size of the huge seismic event.

The panel, led by engineering professor Yotaro Hatamura, said the utility made “no attempt” to prepare for disaster because of what it called a “safety myth”.

“Officials at Tepco and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency were convinced that an accident could not occur.”

The report, the fourth since the crisis at Fukushima, comes after a damning indictment by a parliamentary committee this month that slammed “collusion” between Tepco and the nuclear regulators.

All four reports have heaped criticism on the government of then prime minister Naoto Kan for its handling of the crisis and for withholding data on radioactive fallout.

A privately led inquiry concluded in January that Mr Kan had attempted to “micromanage” the crisis but said his decision to confront Tepco on March 15th had stopped it from abandoning the Daiichi plant and probably saved Tokyo from catastrophe. The parliamentary inquiry said there was little evidence to support this conclusion. Yesterday’s report said it was “possible” that Tepco considered complete withdrawal.

Mr Noda’s government is expected to announce its post-Fukushima energy policy next month and has launched hearings to test public opinion. The suspension of almost all reactors since the disaster has increased Japan’s bill for oil and gas imports by an estimated $100 million (€82.5 million) a day. Tepco and other utilities want nuclear power to provide 20-25 per cent of the country’s energy mix.

“Japan has too many earthquakes to safely host nuclear power,” said Shinichiro Watanabe, who attended the anti-nuclear rally last week. “It’s only a matter of time before something bad happens again.”