Even if we were to review our nuclear and energy policies, Japan would not be able to survive if all nuclear power plants were to suddenly shut down. For the time being, we have no choice but to restart nuclear power plants one by one, starting with those that have completed regular inspections and confirmed to be safe. The government should know this, but has remained silent, perhaps fearing opposition from residents and public opinion. Finally, on June 18, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kaieda Banri declared that safety measures for nuclear power plants had been completed, and on the 26th, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency visited Saga Prefecture, where the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant is located, and held an explanatory meeting for the prefecture's residents, beginning the groundwork for restarting the plants. However, the outlook for restarting all nuclear power plants remains unclear.
The biggest problem is who will convince people that nuclear power plants are safe and should be operated.
In the first place, it is the role of the Nuclear Safety remove background image Commission to make a broad judgment on whether a nuclear power plant is safe or not, but no one can trust an umpire who is pro-nuclear power and calls any ball a strike. The current chairman of the Nuclear Safety Commission, Haruki Madarame, was the chief inspector of a project to extend the period for regular inspections of nuclear power plants from 13 months to 18 months and then to 24 months, in accordance with the wishes of the power companies and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
On the other hand, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency was unable to understand the reality of the accident and was merely providing a retroactive explanation based on the report from TEPCO, located away from the site. It is like a baseball commentator making irresponsible remarks from the stands, and cannot be trusted at all.
Japanese government offices are full of bias and cannot make neutral judgments based on the public's point of view. The Cabinet Office and the Prime Minister's Office should be the most neutral, but whatever the current Prime Minister Naoto Kan says, it's unlikely to reach the public's ears.
The fact that Prime Minister Suga is not making a neutral decision can be seen in the request to shut down the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture. The Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant meets the national earthquake resistance standards, and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency had confirmed its safety by stating that "the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant has tsunami countermeasures in place." Despite this, Prime Minister Suga hastily requested Chubu Electric Power to shut down the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant, citing the reason that "there is an 87% chance that a magnitude 8 earthquake will occur within the next 30 years."
However, even scholars do not know which of two locations, one with a 12% probability of occurrence within the next 30 years and the other with an 87% probability of occurrence, will experience a major earthquake directly beneath the surface first. In fact, warnings that a major Tokai earthquake would strike in the near future have been issued by scholars for as long as 50 years, so there is very little justification for hastily shutting down only the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant, while skipping over discussions of electricity demand, local sentiment, compensation issues, and so on.
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