Despite howls of protest, the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan (NSC) on March 23 endorsed the assessment of stress tests for two nuclear reactors that the government hopes to restart before the summer.
Despite howls of protest, the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan (NSC) on March 23 endorsed the assessment of stress tests for two nuclear reactors that the government hopes to restart before the summer.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Cabinet ministers will confirm whether it is safe to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture and seek approval from local governments.
If the reactors are restarted, they will effectively be the first since the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami triggered the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March last year.
The NSC examined the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency’s assessment of computer-simulated stress tests for the two reactors, completing the technical procedures for safety confirmation before their restarts.
The NSC released its final report after an extraordinary meeting on March 23. Up to 30 observers attended the meeting, some shouting in protest.
If approval is obtained from local governments, Noda and his ministers will meet again as early as the end of of March to decide whether to restart the reactors.
Fukui Governor Issei Nishikawa has repeatedly called for establishing provisional safety standards that incorporate the lessons learned from the Fukushima nuclear accident as a condition for the restarts.
Some in Fukui Prefecture say it will be difficult to judge by the end of March whether the reactors can be restarted.
In Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, about 60 kilometers from the Oi nuclear power plant, the city assembly unanimously passed a statement of opposition to the restarts on March 19. It was the first time a municipal assembly in the prefecture has expressed such opposition.
Noda’s plan to restart the reactors at an early date is also facing opposition within the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.
In a report adopted on March 22, a DPJ task force on the Fukushima nuclear accident said it is premature to make a political decision on the restarts.
As a precondition for restarting reactors, the report called for an early establishment of a new nuclear regulatory agency, saying a system is needed for judging safety from technological, institutional and social standpoints.
The new agency was expected to be set up under the Environment Ministry on April 1, incorporating NISA, which is part of the industry ministry, and the NSC, under the Cabinet Office.
But the government abandoned this schedule after the DPJ and the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party failed to agree to start Diet deliberations on a nuclear safety reform bill.
It remains unclear whether deliberations will start during the current Diet session, given a wide gap between the ruling and opposition parties over the independence of the agency.
“In reality, the government cannot make its judgment on the restarts until the nuclear regulatory agency is established,” said a member of the DPJ task force.
Kansai Electric Power Co., operator of the Oi nuclear power plant, submitted the results of its first-stage stress tests for the two reactors to NISA in autumn.
The tests evaluate whether the reactors can withstand earthquakes and tsunami beyond design standards.
The NSC endorsed NISA’s assessment that the test results were appropriate. But it added that safety needs to be enhanced through continued improvements, incorporating the latest international knowledge and experience promptly.
The NSC also called for implementation of second-stage stress tests to evaluate the safety of the reactors in a comprehensive manner.
NSC Chairman Haruki Madarame has said first-stage tests alone are insufficient.