The Noto Peninsula earthquake made clear the limits of nuclear disaster prevention. Roads and buildings were severely damaged, making it impossible to evacuate or shelter in place. The Nuclear Regulation Authority is an escape from reality. Regarding the “Nuclear Disaster Countermeasure Guidelines,” which describe basic policies for protecting residents, Committee Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka said, “We are not considering revising them.” This could expose residents to radiation if the contamination spreads. I searched for a way to correct the cessation of thinking. (Naoaki Nishida, Kyoko Ando)
◆Request that “nuclear power plants should not be operated”
Hokuriku Electric Power’s Shiga nuclear power plant.Shiga Town on the right = January 19th
“It’s clear that if the earthquake and nuclear power plant accident combine, we’ll be in a situation where we can’t do anything. Why don’t we reconsider the guidelines?”
Takako Nakagaki, 73, of Kanazawa City, who is part of the “Shareholders’ Association Working with Hokuriku Electric Power to Promote the Abolition of Nuclear Power,” does not hide her anger. Considering the recent disaster, it would be difficult to shelter in place or evacuate as required by the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Guidelines, and at the end of January, we submitted a request to the Nuclear Regulation Authority requesting that “nuclear power plants in various places should not be operated.”
The guidelines that Mr. Nakagaki views as problematic are formulated by the Nuclear Regulation Authority based on the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness. It serves as the basis for disaster prevention plans created by each local government to protect residents in the event of an accident.
◆ Land, sea, and air evacuation routes have been disrupted, making it difficult to evacuate indoors.
Cracks in the road remain nearly a month after the earthquake occurred on January 29th in Anamizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture.
According to the guidelines, in the event of an abnormality at a nuclear power plant, residents within a 5km radius of the power plant will, in principle, be evacuated, while those outside the area will be sheltered indoors, and evacuation will begin when air radiation levels reach a certain level.
However, the road network in the disaster-stricken areas was disrupted, and sea and air routes were also cut off due to upheaval and cracks in the ground. Damage to buildings was also significant, and according to Ishikawa Prefecture, as of the 5th, more than 52,000 homes had been destroyed.
◆ “It’s not about the guidelines themselves,” he said, making only minor revisions.
The reality is that it is impossible to evacuate or shelter in place. Nakagaki says, “We should use the Noto Peninsula earthquake as an opportunity to take it as a warning from nature.”
However, Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka said at a press conference on January 31, “I do not believe that the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Guidelines themselves need to be revised,” and expressed his intention to only make minor revisions.
Why exactly?
Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka explaining the review of the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Guidelines = January 17th
At a press conference on January 17, Mr. Yamanaka offered his opinion, “Based on the situation of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, it is not true that the current disaster guidelines were inadequate in responding.” At a press conference on the 31st, he said, “I think there are some areas that need to be reconsidered regarding disaster prevention against natural disasters, but this is not a matter of the Nuclear Disaster Guidelines themselves.”
◆If we reconsider, we won’t be able to operate nuclear power plants.
It is often said that “damage caused by natural disasters is outside the scope of protection,” but what could happen if the current guidelines remain in place?
Junko Masano, a journalist, expressed her sense of crisis, saying, “Even if a nuclear accident occurs, there is no way to respond on the ground.If roads are cut off, there will be no escape, and if houses collapse, people will be exposed to radiation.” Still, she believes that the reason the national government has not revised its guidelines is that, “If they were seriously revised, local governments would not be able to create viable disaster prevention plans, and they would be unable to operate nuclear power plants.”
There are other puzzling factors as well.
Chairman Yamanaka cited the “starting date and period of evacuation indoors” as a key point for minor revisions, and said the reason for considering this revision was due to requests from local governments surrounding Tohoku Electric Power’s Onagawa nuclear power plant (Miyagi Prefecture). However, when Yamanaka was asked at a press conference, “Are we going to listen to the opinions of other local governments and other stakeholders?” he answered, “First, we will discuss this within the regulatory committee and think about how to proceed.” It has become clear that the government is taking a backseat to exchanging opinions with local governments.
◆Calls from leaders calling for realistic measures
Mr. Masano said, “The NRA is trying to repair itself by improving its operations.The current situation in the disaster-stricken areas is being ignored, and there is nothing more ridiculous than this.”
Mayor Kentaro Inaoka takes a cautious stance on restarting nuclear power plants = February 2nd
Controversial nuclear disaster countermeasure guidelines. After the recent earthquake, local governments have begun to voice the need for a review of the evacuation and shelter-in-place measures that are central to this, in line with reality.
In an interview with this newspaper, Kentaro Inaoka, the mayor of Shiga Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, where the Hokuriku Electric Power Shiga Nuclear Power Plant is located, mentioned evacuation drills conducted by the prefecture and other organizations. He said, “There is no escape either by sea or by air.”
Hideyo Hanazumi, the governor of Niigata Prefecture, which is home to the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, also stated at a press conference on January 24 that it is “physically impossible to evacuate indoors” in light of collapsed houses. He called for discussion toward a “realistic evacuation.”
◆Ishikawa Prefecture stands out for its attitude of following the national government
Seiichiro Hasui, a professor of international politics at Ibaraki University whose research focuses on nuclear disasters, said, “Roads are cut off, and the homes where people are waiting are not airtight enough to prevent radiation.This earthquake makes safe evacuation impossible. As the situation becomes clearer, it is important for local governments to speak out based on the knowledge they have gained in their communities.”
Voices from local governments that visualize issues with guidelines. It can also be a force that moves a country. What carries more weight is Ishikawa Prefecture’s response. Like Shiga Town, it is a local government that is located at a nuclear power plant that was affected by the disaster. It attracts a lot of attention and has a lot of influence.
However, since the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, which occurred under former Governor Masanori Tanimoto, there has been an undeniable impression that the government has been following the national government and has fallen behind the curve.
“Ishikawa’s slow response to nuclear power plant emergencies: ‘Waiting for national verification'” The Hokuriku Chunichi Shimbun newspaper reported this in June 2011. Although other prefectures have begun reviewing their disaster response plans, the prefectural government has not convened an internal subcommittee on the grounds that “the national government does not understand the full extent of the Fukushima accident” (Governor Tanimoto) was viewed as problematic.
◆ Denies the assumption that airports and ports will become unusable as “extreme”
Removal work of a collapsed house blocking the road
In November 2011, the government agreed to expand the priority area for disaster prevention measures from the 8-10 km radius of the nuclear power plant to the approximately 30 km radius. While preparations were made for widespread contamination, there were concerns within Ishikawa Prefecture that Oku-Noto, on the north side of the Noto Peninsula, would be isolated. Most of Oku-Noto is outside the 30km radius, but if the area inside that area was closed to traffic, there was a risk that the land route would be cut off.
However, at a press conference in February 2012, Governor Tanimoto expressed his own interpretation of the extent of radioactive contamination, saying, “There is no danger beyond a 30km radius.” In the event that supplies to Oku-Noto are cut off, he advocated, “All we need to do is use planes and ships to bring in daily necessities.The government has the infrastructure to do just that.” When asked about his assumption that airports and ports would become unusable due to the harsh winter weather, he denied the entire assumption, calling it “extreme.”
“It was a naive outlook that would leave it up to the state.” Fumio Shimizu, vice representative of the Social Democratic Federation of Prefectural Associations and a member of the Uchinada town council, says so. The town is approximately 40 kilometers south of the Shiga nuclear power plant. Even now, every time there is an aftershock, I am worried about the nuclear power plant. “Roads are cut off, homes are destroyed, and evacuation centers are full. If a nuclear disaster were to occur in Ishikawa Prefecture today, we would not be able to evacuate.”
◆Governor Hase also lacks encouragement for safety measures.
Prime Minister Kishida (third person from the right) receives a written request from Governor Hase (second from the right) at the Ishikawa Prefectural Office on January 14th.
Hiroshi Hase, who was first elected as governor of Ishikawa prefecture in 2022, has so far made little mention of safety measures for nuclear power plants. A person in charge of the Prefectural Crisis Countermeasures Division explains, “The governor is prioritizing disaster response, and there is no move by the governor to request the national government regarding future nuclear disasters or evacuation procedures.”
However, Hasui said, “Local governments are the point of contact for protecting the lives and property of residents,” explaining that they have a heavy responsibility to listen as their representatives and lobby the national government.
Even though disaster response is currently a priority, the prefecture can “alleviate concerns about nuclear power plants” by simply compiling information from residents and sending out requests to the national government and the Nuclear Regulation Authority. He added, “Both the national and local governments should make every effort to utilize the local knowledge gained through great sacrifice for future nuclear disaster prevention.”
◆Desk memo
The former governor’s optimism is difficult to understand. He felt the same way when he was in charge of Ishikawa prefectural government. The feared isolation of Oku-Noto has now become apparent. Were air and sea routes fully usable, as the former governor said? Long-term government for 7 terms and 28 years. Have you heard the words that hurt your ears? The cost of stopping thinking falls on the residents. The current governor, Mr. Hase, should understand this and act accordingly. (Sakaki)
2024-02-06 03:00:00
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