DOCSLIB.ORG

Abandoned Plans for Suzu and Maki Nuclear Power Plants: the Beginning of the End?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Abandoned Plans for Suzu and Maki Nuclear Power Plants: the Beginning of the End? TOKYO Nov03-Feb04 No. 98 NUKECitizens' Nuclear INFO Information Center 3F Kotobuki Bldg., 1-58-15, Higashi-nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0003, JAPAN URL: http://cnic.jp/english E-mail : [email protected] Abandoned plans for Suzu and Maki Nuclear Power Plants: the beginning of the end? The joy of the citizens of Suzu on hearing that the Suzu Nuclear Power Plant plan had been cancelled n Dec. 24th, 2003, Tohoku Electric Power This is the first time that a construction plan Company officially announced that it was has been abandoned for a nuclear power station abandoning its plan to build the Maki which was included in the government’s Basic ONuclear Power Plant in Maki Town, Niigata Pre- fecture. According to the company the proposal CONTENTS for the construction dates back 32 years, but if one Suzu and Maki Plants Abandoned 1-3 counts from the time when, in order to disguise its plan to build a nuclear power plant, the com- Recent Developments in Nuc. Fusion Research 4-6 pany bought land under the pretense of building a Open Debate re Fuel Reprocessing 7-8 health resort, the project is actually 40 years old. Leaks in Rokkasho Spent Fuel Storage Pool 9-10,16 However, in the end the resolute resistance of the Developments since Monju Court Decision 11-12 local people against the nuclear power plant pre- Anti-Nuke Who’s who: Misako Ogawa 13,16 vailed. News Watch 14-15 Nov03-Feb04 No.98 Nuke Info Tokyo Plan for Electric Power Development and which Plant is a direct result of a decision on Decem- had already commenced the safety screening pro- ber 18 by the Supreme Court to reject a lawsuit cess. In the same month, on December 5th, the by the proponents of nuclear power. As a result Suzu Nuclear Power Plant plan (Suzu City, Ishi- of this decision, Tohoku Electric was unable to kawa Prefecture), which has been pursued jointly procure the land adjacent to the land where the by Kansai, Chubu and Hokuriku Electric Power core of Reactor Unit 1 was to be built. Tohoku Companies, was declared “frozen” by the three Electric claims to be utterly dissatisfied with this companies involved. In reality this means that the “disturbing decision”. However the Denki Shim- project has been abandoned. This is the first time bun newspaper, which reported about the court that any electric power company has abandoned decision in its December 22nd issue, anticipating plans on the basis of its own management deci- the official decision of Tohoku Electric wrote, sion. “Unlike the era of constant progress, during this That’s two “firsts” in a row. What these cases era of liberalization withdrawal is one possible have in common is that the resistance of the local strategy”. The decision of the Supreme Court was people for around thirty years prevented the com- a good excuse for withdrawal. panies from constructing the plants, until times The land which Tohoku Electric tried unsuc- and circumstances combined to encourage them cessfully to buy originally belonged to the town, to abandon their plans. In the end, their long but the Mayor sold it to members of an anti-nucle- struggles bore fruit. It is just as Yohsaku Fuji, ar group. His action was prompted by Japan’s President and Director of Kansai Electric Power first ever local referendum regarding the location Company (KEPCO), said regarding the Suzu of a nuclear power plant, conducted on August Power Plant plan: “The resistance movement was 4th, 1996. The turnout reached 88% and 61% very strong. Time was moving on, but we hadn’ of the valid vote cast (54% of all eligible voters) t even begun a location assessment. During that opposed the nuclear power plant. time energy demand has become sluggish. Price In spite of the criticism from the proponents of competition has become fiercer as a result of nuclear power that the Mayor sold the land with- liberalization. The circumstances have changed out the approval of the Town Council, the Mayor completely.” The same fate befell the construc- was re-elected and the Niigata District Court, the tion plan for the Maki Power Plant, which was Tokyo High Court and also the Supreme Court all abandoned with the safety screening process still upheld that “this measure, taken in order to abide on hold. by the result of the referendum, was in accordance The same “first time” situation is about to visit with law”. It could be said that, in effect, the the construction plans for other nuclear power Supreme Court itself concluded that the volition plants that have been blocked in the same way. of the people, as expressed in the public referen- This is the beginning of the end for them too. dum, had to be respected. The Mayor of Mihama Town (Fukui Prefecture) The thing which made the referendum possible announced on December 9th the postponement in the first place was another piece of land - not of a decision regarding a petition presented to in this case land owned by the local government, the Town Council in the Fall of 2001 requesting but land collectively owned by opponents to the the extension of the Mihama Power Plant. As nuclear plant. This piece of land was located on reasons, the Mayor cited the circumstances fac- the coast on the proposed site of Reactor no.3. ing KEPCO, namely the downward correction for This became a lever for the opposition movement, electricity demand estimates and cost competition because it halted the safety screening process. following the liberalization of the electricity mar- When the former Mayor, a proponent of nucle- ket. ar power, was about to sell the land in question to Tohoku Electric, the women of the town orga- Continuous opposition stopped nized a hunger strike in the entrance hall of the construction of nuclear power sta- Town Hall and workers organized a sit-in in front tions of the Assembly Hall, so that the council meeting The revocation of the plans for the Maki Power had to be cancelled. If just one element in this Nuke Info Tokyo Nov03-Feb04 No.98 3 30-year plus struggle had been missing, instead the Secretary to the Minister of Economy, Trade of the plan being abandoned, the nuclear power and Industry made the following comment: station might be operating today. “There is a shift from increasing the supply and supplementing the quantity to lifting the quality Take the next step confidently of demand and supply.” The collapse of the plans for the Suzu and Evidently the times and circumstances have Maki power plants teaches us again the impor- changed. Let’s take the next step confidently. tance of keeping the campaign going and never (By Baku Nishio) giving up. Of course, the Suzu and Maki Nuclear Power Plant Datelines nuclear power problem is far from over. Nation- Year Maki Suzu Other 1965 Purchase of land for health Japan's first commercial wide there are more than resort begins reactor (TEPCO GCR) goes critical 50 reactors in operation and 1969 Newspaper article reveals the government is deter- nuclear power plant plan 1971 Tohoku Electric officially Power companies start mined to implement its applies to Maki Town maneuvering nuclear fuel cycle policy 1975 Local government requests First national anti-nuclear central government for site energy gathering held in no matter what. Neverthe- consideration Kyoto less, this experience clearly 1976 Kansai, Chubu and Tohoku Electric Power Cos announce shows that phasing out joint site proposal nuclear power is not “an 1979 Three Mile Island accident 1981 Included in the government's unrealistic dream”. Basic Plan for Electric Power Development The detection of the 1982 Tohoku Electric applies to ‘trouble concealment’ at government for permission to Tokyo Electric Power construct reactor 1983 Opponents unable to acquire Company (TEPCO) led to land. Tohoku Electric applies for suspension of safety the suspension of the oper- screening, advising ation of one nuclear reactor government of changed siting plan. after the other. In the wake 1986 Chernobyl accident of this scandal the problem 1989 Citizens stage 3 week action to block City Hall in response of the insecurity of nuclear to site inspection by KEPCO. power as a source of energy Inspection stopped. 1991 Growth in electricity demand supply was raised again begins to slow down last summer. Moreover the 1995 Attempts to sell town land to Liberalization of wholesale Tohoko Electric blocked by electricity begins. Monju blackout in North America opposition campaign. accident. Regulation for citizens' showed that a high depen- referendum passed. dency on nuclear power 1996 Representative of Citizens' prolongs blackouts. Referendum Action Committee elected Mayor. In an article in the Referendum held. Nuclear December 8th issue of power plant rejected. 1999 Mayor sells town land to JCO criticality accident Denki Shimbun, which members of Citizens' Referendum Action refers to the “freezing” of Committee . the construction plan for 2000 Governor of Mie Prefecture cancels Ashihama Nuclear the Suzu Power Plant, a Power Plant plan. staff member of the Agency Liberalization of electricity sales to large scale of Natural Resources and consumers. Energy is quoted as saying, 2001 Overwhelming rejection of nuclear power plant in “The notion that the con- citizens' referendum in struction of power plants is Miyama Town, Mie Prefecture connected to stable energy 2003 Nuclear power plant plan Nuclear power plant plan supply has changed”. And abandoned abandoned 4 Nov03-Feb04 No.98 Nuke Info Tokyo Recent Developments in Nuclear Fusion Research 1. Introduction - Developments regarding the sit- Even now, the level of public awareness in ing of ITER Japan of ‘nuclear fusion energy’ is very low.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Betrayed by Nuclear Power Transforming the Community and Collective Memory of Fukushima’S Evacuees
    Leiden University, Faculty of Humanities Asian Studies 120EC: Japanese Studies MA Thesis Betrayed by Nuclear Power Transforming the Community and Collective Memory of Fukushima’s Evacuees Author: Nick Sint Nicolaas Student Number: 1059998 Supervisor: Dr. A.E. Ezawa Second Reader: Dr. M. Winkel Date: December 15, 2015 Word count: 14,043 Table of Contents I: Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….……… 3 Disaster Background ..….….….………………………………………………….……… 5 II: Theoretical Framework ...…………………………………………………………………….. 8 Communities …………………………………………………………………………….. 8 Community Attachment …………………………………………………………………. 9 Collective Memory …………………………………………………………………….. 10 Disasters ...……………………………………………………………….….….………. 12 III: Japan’s Nuclear History ...………………………………………………………………….. 16 Postwar Nuclear Allergy.……………………………………………………………..… 16 Localized Pro-Nuclear Strategies ……………………………………………………… 18 Post-Disaster Nuclear Discourse …...……………………………..….………………… 20 IV: Analysis ……………………………………………….…………………...………………. 23 Futaba ………………………….……………………………………………………….. 25 Mayor Idogawa: Representing the Collective ………………………………………….. 27 Decontamination Waste Storage: Taint vs Absolute Loss ...…………………………… 30 The Elderly: Futility ……………………………………………………………………. 33 Temporary and Core Communities ……………………………….……………………. 34 Nakai Family: In the Face of Absolute Loss ……………………..…………….……… 35 Suzuki Family: Salvaging Treasures and Moving On ……………………………….… 36 Widow Umeda: Holding On to What Remains …………….………………………….. 38 Saito Family: Forsaking a Legacy ……………………………………………………... 39 Farmer
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparative Analysis of Nuclear Facility Siting Using Coalition Opportunity Structures and the Advocacy Coalition Framework
    UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE ORDER IN A CHAOTIC SUBSYSTEM: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NUCLEAR FACILITY SITING USING COALITION OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURES AND THE ADVOCACY COALITION FRAMEWORK A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By KUHIKA GUPTA Norman, Oklahoma 2013 ORDER IN A CHAOTIC SUBSYSTEM: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NUCLEAR FACILITY SITING USING COALITION OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURES AND THE ADVOCACY COALITION FRAMEWORK A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE BY ______________________________ Dr. Hank C. Jenkins-Smith, Chair ______________________________ Dr. Carol L. Silva, Co-Chair ______________________________ Dr. Christopher M. Weible ______________________________ Dr. Deven E. Carlson ______________________________ Dr. Jill A. Irvine © Copyright by KUHIKA GUPTA 2013 All Rights Reserved. Dedication For my incredible parents, Anil and Alpana Gupta, for making all of this possible, and my husband, Joseph T. Ripberger, for being a constant inspiration. Acknowledgements This dissertation would not be possible were it not for the invaluable support I have received throughout my journey as an undergraduate at Delhi University in India, a graduate student at the University of Warwick in England, and my pursuit of a doctorate at the University of Oklahoma in the United States. During my time at Delhi University, Ramu Manivannan was an amazing mentor who taught me the value of making a difference in both academia and the real world. My greatest debt is to Hank Jenkins-Smith and Carol Silva at the University of Oklahoma, whose encouragement, guidance, and intellectual advice has made this journey possible. I am deeply grateful for their unending support; this dissertation would not exist without them.
    [Show full text]
  • Public Participation in Japan's Nuclear Energy Policy-Forming Process
    PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN JAPAN’S NUCLEAR ENERGY POLICY-FORMING PROCESS Comparison of pre- and post-Fukushima processes By Philip White Asian Studies, The University of Adelaide Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Studies School of Social Sciences, The University of Adelaide 12 December 2014 Table of Contents Table of Contents................................................................................................... i Abstract................................................................................................................. iv Declaration............................................................................................................. v Acknowledgements............................................................................................... vi Acronyms.............................................................................................................viii Introduction.......................................................................................................... xi 1. Overview................................................................................................................ xi 2. Summary of chapters......................................................................................... xiii 3. Notes regarding terminology and sources......................................................... xv 4. Personal disclosure statement......................................................................... xviii Chapter 1 : Public Participation – A
    [Show full text]
  • Towards a Border-Less Democracy
    (Atom-Politics , in East Asia : ' Towards a Border-less Democracy SASAKI Hiroshi* Abstract This paper discusses the term "Atom-Politics", which refers to the cross-border political phenomenon that derives its power not only from nuclear weaponry but also from the generation of electricity by nuclear power. When seen from this comprehensive viewpoint, this research suggests that greater insight can be made into the political dynamics and process of ' globalization taking place in East Asia. Followmg a survey of the expanse and present mfluence of "Atom Politics" in the Asian Region, this paper will focus upon the anti-nuclear movements taking place in Niigata, Japan, and will seek to understand the profound ramifications these activities have for the future of democracy. Introduction : Chernobyl's Prayer 200 1 marks fifteen years since the Chernobyl tragedy. In those fifteen years, we~have witnessed a number of drastic and sometimes dramatic changes in the world. The political structure of the Cold War has collapsed, and the word ' globalization' has become a key concept for explaining the circumstances of the new age. However, with so many serious events and incidents that could affect the future of the world, *SASAKI, Hiroshi [Niigata University of International and Information Studies] - 1 55- we are sometimes apt to think of past events as simply the 'past' and forget to consider the profound ramifications such events hold for our age. As Maruyama Masao once pointed out, the Japanese people, in particular, have iended to subordinate the past to the present throughout history-a dynamic which he calls ima-ch~shin-shugi (Maruyama, 1992).
    [Show full text]
  • El Desastre De Fukushima Y El Futuro De La Energía Nuclear: Aprendiendo De La Experiencia”
    Simposio internacional “El desastre de Fukushima y el futuro de la energía nuclear: aprendiendo de la experiencia” ÍNDICE GENERAL Introducción Índice de conferencias Índice de ponencias Índice de trabajos de comentaristas Índice de autores XII Congreso Internacional de la Índice de documentos Asociación Latinoamericana de Estudios de Asia y África en inglés (ALADAA) Índice de videos Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla Puebla, México, 13 a 15 de junio de 2012 Imágenes Programas Asociación Latinoamericana de Estudios de Asia y África (ALADAA), El Colegio de México/Centro de Estu- dios de Asia y África (CEAA)/Centro de Estudios Demográficos, Urbanos y Ambientales (CEDUA), Fundación Japón, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP)/Escuela de Relaciones Internaciona- les, Universidad de Colima/Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mé- xico (UNAM) Memoria del Simposio internacional “El desastre de Fukushima y el futuro de la energía nuclear: aprendiendo de la experiencia” México: Asociación Latinoamericana de Estudios de Asia y África (ALADAA), 2013 Japón—energía nuclear—Fukushima—desastre nuclear Edición: Ricardo Iván Rodríguez Ramírez Traducción japonés a inglés: Michiko Tanaka Traducción japonés español: Marcela Méndez Traducción inglés español: Carla del Real y Emma Mendoza Corrección de estilo de traducciones al inglés: Patricia Solís Fotografía: Guillermo Quartucci Video: Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP)/TV UPAEP y El Colegio de México Diseño: Jannette Ramírez Arámburo D.R. © Asociación Latinoamericana de Estudios de Asia y África (ALADAA) Camino al Ajusco 20 Pedregal de Santa Teresa 10740 México, D.F. 2 Ir a: Inicio Introducción Conferencias Ponencias Trabajos de comentaristas Autores Documentos en inglés Videos Imágenes INTRODUCCIÓN La idea de la realización del Simposio internacional “El desastre de Fukushima y el futuro de la energía nuclear: aprendiendo de la experiencia” surgió a cuatro meses de ocurrido este desastre.
    [Show full text]
  • Risk and Rationalities in Japan Among Residents of Nuclear Plant Areas
    Doctoral Dissertation Academic Year 2017 Risk and Rationalities in Japan Among Residents of Nuclear Plant Areas Graduate School of Media and Governance Keio University Tarek Katramiz 2 ABSTRACT The thesis examines the complexity of risk understandings among residents of nuclear power plants (NPP). It focuses on the local communities living in a setting similar to, but not the same as, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP) site, Omaezaki City in Shizuoka Prefecture, where the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant is located. Through the lens of 3.11 and its aftermath, the thesis seeks to provide a detailed description of how residents of such communities have been making sense of living close to such facilities before, and several points in time after the 3.11 disaster. The thesis investigates residents’ viewpoints on the nearby nuclear power plant, notions of trust and responsibility, sense of place, and the factors associated with community acceptance of the facility. The thesis argues that nuclear-related issues simply cannot consume the residents’ everyday concerns, thereby dissipating the significance of the nuclear risk. The risk of having the plant in the vicinity is merely part of the wide range of risks touching upon the multidimensional concerns of the residents’ everyday life. The thesis shows how there are complex workings related to financial, communal, familial and other concerns, which make the residents' partisan choices (pro or anti- nuclear) almost mute. To the extent that the plant brings "fringe" benefits to the communities, the fundamental choice of pro- or anti- nuclear plays a secondary role in dictating the residents' outward stance toward the presence of the nuclear power plant.
    [Show full text]
  • Japan's Plutonium Policy and Mox Program Full of Contradictions
    TOKYO Sep./Oct. 2000 NUKE INFO Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center No. 79 3F Kotobuki Bldg., 1-58-15, Higashi-nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0003, JAPAN URL: http://cnic.jca.apc.org/ e-mail : [email protected] JAPAN'S PLUTONIUM POLICY AND MOX PROGRAM FULL OF CONTRADICTIONS Protest in front of MITI against the agreement reached between Japan and the UK to return the MOX fuel with falsified quality control data. UK and Japan Agree to Return BNFL’s MOX to take place within 2~3 years. In total, BNFL On 11 July 2000, during her visit to Japan, agreed to pay 6.4 billion yen to KEPCO as com- Ms. Anna Walker, the Energy Director of the UK’s pensation for damages incurred due to the fal- Department of Trade and Industry, met officials of sification. The sum includes the shipping costs. Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Indus- Both parties noted that it was necessary to secure try (MITI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), domestic regulatory approvals and international and the Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO). consents based on relevant existing treaties Following the meetings, Ms. Walker signed an CONTENTS agreement to have the mixed plutonium-uranium MOX fuel to be sent back to the UK 1-2 oxide (MOX) fuel with falsified data returned No Nukes Asia Forum held in Japan 3-4 to the UK. (See NIT No. 76, pp. 1-2; No. 75, pp. Energy in Japan 5-7 1-3; No. 74, pp. 8-11.) Following the agreement, DATA: Workers' Exposure 8 KEPCO lifted the moratorium on signing any MOX Workshop Announcement 9 fuel and reprocessing contracts with BNFL.
    [Show full text]
  • Public Preferences Related to Consent-Based Siting Of
    Public Preferences Related to Consent-Based Siting of Radioactive Waste Management Facilities for Storage and Disposal: Analyzing Variations over Time, Events, and Program Designs Prepared for US Department of Energy Nuclear Fuel Storage and Transportation Planning Project Hank C. Jenkins-Smith Carol L. Silva Kerry G. Herron Kuhika G. Ripberger Matthew Nowlin Joseph Ripberger Center for Risk and Crisis Management, University of Oklahoma Evaristo “Tito” Bonano Rob P. Rechard Sandia National Laboratories February 2013 FCRD-NFST-2013-000076 SAND 2013-0032P Public Preferences Related to Consent Based Siting of Radioactive Waste Management Facilities ii February 2013 DISCLAIMER This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government. Neither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness, of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. References herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trade mark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government or any agency thereof. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
    [Show full text]
  • Power Struggles: the Strategies and Tactics of the Anti-Nuclear Movement in Contemporary Tokyo Alexander James Brown University of Wollongong
    University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2015 Power struggles: the strategies and tactics of the anti-nuclear movement in contemporary Tokyo Alexander James Brown University of Wollongong Recommended Citation Brown, Alexander James, Power struggles: the strategies and tactics of the anti-nuclear movement in contemporary Tokyo, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong, 2015. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/4512 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] School of Humanities and Social Inquiry Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts Power Struggles: The Strategies and Tactics of the Anti-nuclear Movement in Contemporary Tokyo Alexander James Brown This thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Wollongong 2015 ABSTRACT In this thesis I explore the strategies and tactics of the anti-nuclear movement in the Japanese capital Tokyo after the Fukushima nuclear disaster of March 2011. A little over a year later the anti-nuclear movement had grown to become the largest social movement in the archipelago in more than half a century. The compound effects of the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011 and the nuclear accident at Fukushima intensified existing dissatisfaction not only with the nuclear industry but with the decaying institutions of Japan’s capitalist developmental state. In this thesis I use autonomist Marxist perspectives to situate the disaster against the backdrop of the breakdown of capitalist developmentalism and the transition to a post-industrial society.
    [Show full text]
  • — Rethinking Nature in Contemporary Japan Science, Economics, Politics
    IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN IN RETHINKING NATURE Ca’ Foscari Japanese Studies 1 History and Society 1 — Rethinking nature in contemporary Japan R MIYAKE, MARIOTTI, EVELANT Science, economics, politics edited by Marcella Mariotti, Toshio Miyake, Andrea Revelant Edizioni Ca’Foscari 1 Rethinking nature in contemporary Japan Ca’ Foscari Japanese Studies History and Society Collana diretta da Paolo Calvetti, Massimo Raveri Bonaventura Ruperti, Guido Samarani 1 | 1 Edizioni Ca’Foscari Ca’ Foscari Japanese Studies History and Society General scientific editors History and Society sub-series: Guido Samarani (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Arts and Literature sub-series: Bonaventura Ruperti (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Religion and Thought sub-series: Massimo Raveri (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Linguistics and Language Education sub-series: Paolo Calvetti (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Scientific committee History and Society sub-series: Kimio Ito¯ (Kyoto University, Japan) Toshio Miyake (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Andrea Revelant (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Steffi Richter (Universität Leipzig, Deutschland) Sven Saaler (Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan) Arts and Literature sub-series: Tomoko Aoyama (The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) Jaque- line Berndt (Kyoto Seika University, Japan) Luisa Bienati (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Caterina Mazza (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Carolina Negri (Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia) Andreas Regelsberger
    [Show full text]
  • Hamaoka Verdict: Passing Judgment on the Judge
    TOKYONov./Dec. 2007 No. 121 NUKECitizens' Nuclear INFO Information Center Akebonobashi Co-op 2F-B, 8-5 Sumiyoshi-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0065, JAPAN Phone: +81 3 3357 3800 Fax: +81 3 3357 3801 URL: http://cnic.jp/english/ e-mail : [email protected] Hamaoka Verdict: Passing Judgment on the Judge among local residents a n d t h e g e n e r a l public." A more explicit criticism appeared in the Asahi Shimbun (29 October 2007): " I f t h e T o k a i earthquake does indeed strike, how can we be sure that its intensity will be in the range that the authorities deem to be safe? The residents are far from relieved by the court decision ... It seems "Unjust Verdict" that the court ruling places too much trust on he Hamaoka nuclear power plant is safe. the government's safety standards, the nuclear You can shake it, but you can't break it. plant's quake-resistant design based on those Thus wrote Judge Akira Miyaoka (long may government standards, as well as the plant's This name be remembered) of the Shizuoka District actual operations." Court in his 26 October "Nuclear Power Day"1 verdict. Background The plaintiffs in this case are not so easily A civil lawsuit demanding a temporary convinced. They have appealed the verdict to the injunction to terminate the operation of Units 1-4 Nagoya High Court. Indeed, it appears that even of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant was filed people who are generally favorable to nuclear on 25 April 2002 and a regular lawsuit was filed power are skeptical.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of the Chernobyl Disaster on Japan's Anti-Nuclear Power Movement
    TOKYO Mar./Apr. 2016 No. 171 NUKECitizens' Nuclear InformationINFO Center Akebonobashi Co-op 2F-B, 8-5 Sumiyoshi-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0065, JAPAN Phone: +81 3 3357 3800 Fax: +81 3 3357 3801 URL: http://cnic.jp/english/ e-mail : [email protected] 30 years since Chernobyl... The impact of the Chernobyl Disaster on Japan's anti-nuclear power movement 'Women don't want nuclear power' Protestors in Tokyo on the second anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster in April 1988 (Photo by Akira Imai) It will soon be 30 years since Chernobyl Nuclear More precisely, the large rallies that were seen Power Plant Unit 4 went out of control and caused in Europe and other regions did not occur in a disaster in what was then Soviet Ukraine in Japan. Even in Tokyo, a big city, the number 1986. The radioactive substances emitted from the of participants in an anti-nuke rally was about reactor were dispersed as far away as Japan, 8,000 1,500 at most. This number was small, especially kilometers away. compared with the fact that a few thousand to ten thousand people rallied nationwide during the first The Nuclear Disaster Study Group, established in half of the 1980s, before the Chernobyl disaster, Osaka, started telephone services on May 17, 1986 demanding the cancellation of the public hearings to answer public concerns about radioactivity. being held as part of the procedure for building Immediately after the provisionally laid lines more reactors in existing nuclear plant sites. were connected, the telephones stated to ring and Many participants of these rallies were those who never stopped.
    [Show full text]