Even as global concern increases over the radioactive water leaks from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Japanese lawmakers are not aggressively tackling the problem.
Even as global concern increases over the radioactive water leaks from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Japanese lawmakers are not aggressively tackling the problem.
The international focus comes only days before the International Olympic Committee selects the host for the 2020 Summer Olympics on Sept. 7. Tokyo is one of three cities in the running.
About the only lawmakers who have taken action is a small multi-partisan group calling for the elimination of all nuclear plants in Japan.
Tomoko Abe, a Lower House member in the group, said, "Now is not the time to be saying to the IOC, 'Japan is all right.' The Abe administration and the Diet lack a sense of crisis in dealing with the problem."
On Sept. 5, seven members of the group visited the Fukushima No. 1 plant for a close-up look at the tanks that have been the source of leaking contaminated water.
Wearing protective gear, the lawmakers spent about three hours at the plant, checking on the storage tanks, as well as the wells that have been dug to pump out groundwater that flows under the Fukushima plant site.
But despite the seriousness of the situation, other Diet members do not appear to be in a rush to deal with the problem.
While the Diet is currently not in session, members of the Lower House Economy, Trade and Industry Committee had decided to visit the Fukushima plant site. However, a definite schedule could not be put together because committee chairman Shigeyuki Tomita had an overseas business trip planned.
As a result, the group of no-nukes lawmakers was the first to visit the plant site, even though Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant operator, was at first reluctant to allow the visit because of the group's stance on nuclear energy.
No decision has yet been made on when committee sessions would be held to discuss what was learned from the plant site visit scheduled for Sep. 12.
Both the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and opposition Democratic Party of Japan have their own reasons for taking a cautious approach.
A joint session was held on Sept. 4 of the LDP research commission on natural resources and energy strategy as well as the economy, trade and industry policy division. Members welcomed the central government's involvement in handling the leaking water problem.
"There can be no closure on the nuclear accident unless something is done about the contaminated water," one participant said. "It is very encouraging to see the central government playing a leading role in dealing with the problem."
LDP lawmakers, though, were less eager to review the comprehensive plans to deal with the nuclear accident.
Tadamori Oshima, who heads the project team jointly set up by the LDP and New Komeito to deal with the contaminated water problem, said it would not be a simple matter to decide what legislative steps need to be taken to resolve the issue.
There are also concerns that if the central government has to provide public funds whenever there is a new development, there would be no end in sight for government involvement.
The DPJ is also treading lightly in dealing with the contaminated water problem.
A number of lawmakers, including Teruhiko Mashiko, an Upper House member representing Fukushima Prefecture, visited the plant site on Aug. 14. On Aug. 22, the party set up a headquarters to respond to the contaminated water problem.
In a Sept. 5 meeting, DPJ lawmakers decided to seek committee sessions in the Upper House while the Diet is not in session.
However, DPJ members are also aware of the strong criticism being voiced by LDP officials, who blame the DPJ government for leaving the contaminated water problem up to TEPCO.
Some DPJ lawmakers, therefore, are hesitant to criticize how the Abe administration deals with the problem, since the situation might not have become as serious as it is now if the DPJ government had dealt with it more aggressively when it was in power.