Tomari Unit 3 Resumed as if Fukushima Never Happened Where next? An End to Nuclear Power

Tomari Unit 3 Resumed as if Fukushima Never Happened

Where next?

An End to Nuclear Power

Kaori Izumi (kaori-izumi@ta3.so-net.ne.jp)

Director, Shut Tomari

Co-Director, Save Fukushima Children Hokkaido, Japan

Washington DC, New York, Indian Point, USA

19-23 Sep 2011

Immediately after 3.11 Fukushima-Daiichi disaster occurred, “Shut Tomari” was founded to shut down the three Tomari nuclear power plants in Hokkaido, the northern most island of Japan. Ever since we have done everything we could think of, i.e. collection of signatures, demonstrations, petitions and negotiations locally and globally with all involved institutions.

Finally, on August 1st we filed an injunction lawsuit against the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), demanding him not to approve the final safety tests on Tomari Unit 3. The Fukushima Daiichi accident is ongoing, its investigation not completed, the cause of the accident not known, and no necessary new safety measures set up. Nevertheless, on August 17^th, Tomari Unit 3 became the first commercial reactor in the world to be resumed only six months after 3.11.

For METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), fearing for all nuclear power plants in Japan to stop, it was a must for them to resume a first one after Fukushima with whatever means. Hokkaido Electric could not allow all three Tomari reactors to stop as it would prove that Hokkaido could manage without nuclear power.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) announced that Tomari 3’s safety is guaranteed as if for them Fukushima had never happened. NISA is the one who approved the safety of Fukushima Daiichi before 3.11 in spite of clear evidence concerning earthquakes and tsunamis, and NISA is therefore one of the entities responsible for the catastrophe. A thief is a watchman of its own.

Tomari 3 was a soft target with the Governor Harumi Takahashi who is a former METI pro-nuclear bureaucrat. As citizen’s voices against resumption of Tomari 3 were growing loud, the governor bypassed the Hokkaido legislature, and Hokkaido residents. Even the people living in Tomari were not consulted at all.

Then it was revealed, and we confirmed it with the Hokkaido Electoral Control Committee, that, “Hokkaido Electric board members are faithful donors of Governor Harumi Takahashi; also, Hideo Minamiyama, the president of “Hooshunkai”, her political fund managing organization is a former president of Hokkaido Electric; and former employees of the Hokkaido Government were re-employed by Hokkaido Electric”. Our own investigation revealed that a former Chief of Hokkaido Prefecture’s Nuclear Power Safety Division is re-employed by Hokkaido Electric on

April 1^st.

On August 26^th it was reported that Hokkaido Electric rigged to get a majority YES opinions in a symposium on MOX fuel held in 2008 by instructing employees to attend as citizens and voice opinions for the program, and more of such cases followed. It is exposed that rigging was “business as usual” for Hokkaido Electric, who regularly mobilized its employees not only on MOX fuel but also on construction of Tomari 3 in 1999 and 2000. Hokkaido Electric’s intention then was to mobilize 5,000 YES opinions for its construction.

Nuclear power has been promoted for decades as a national project based on the cozy relationship between METI, electric companies, business circles, academia, media, and the judiciary. A new law was passed in July to help out Tokyo Electric from its bankruptcy with huge subsidies from taxpayers, while no measures are being taken to help individual victims of Fukushima from bankruptcy. This is a democracy issue we are struggling with.

The immense suffering of people affected by the Fukushima-Daiichi disaster can only be given meaning if we now learn from this catastrophe and those that preceded it at Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and elsewhere. Can the world afford another Fukushima? We are appealing to the world to put an end to the age of nuclear power in the wake of Fukushima. Otherwise it can happen again, at Tomari, Indian Point, or anywhere at any time.

Prof.Baracca's visit to Japan and Tomari3

I got a message from Salvatore Federico, who is an Italian working at an university in Canada.

Below our correspondents on Prof. Baracca.

________

Salvatore wrote to me:

Prof. Baracca is a nuclear physicist, who has an intense anti-nuclear
activity. He was among the promoters and supporters of the recent referendum
we had (and won) in Italy against nuclear power plants.

Prof. Baracca is coming to Japan next week, to participate and speak in
anti-nuclear meetings (Gifu and Hiroshima).

We read you email below, and would like to know more about the sources of
the information in the email, particularly those about the Tomari nuclear
power plant next opening, and the food contamination in all Japan.

_______________

And below my answer.

Dear Salvatore,

Thank you very much for your message.
Will it possible for Prof. Baracca to visit Sapporo, Hokkaido to give a talk
on the subject while he is still in Japan?
Please let me know.

Our government wants to get any nuclear plant started as the first one to
restart after Fukushima Daiichi accident.
They tried Genkai in Saga prefecture in Kyuusyuu, which failed, then they
targeted Tomari 3 in Hokkaido and Ooi 1 in Fukui
after they had been in trial operation for four months which is not normal.
This is because electric compamies were not sure about new safety standard
after Fukushima after old standard for safety totally failed.
But the chairman of Nuclear Safety Commission, Haruki Madarame made a
comments saying, "It is not right for the two nuclear power plants in Tomari
and Ooi to operate without final test".
He said this just to push the two reactors to start their full commercial
operation. Nuclear Safety Unit of Min of Finance and Business responded by
instructing Hokkaido Electric and Kannsai Electric to apply for final test
which is an requirement for any nuclear power plant under check up to go
through before it starts full commercial operation.
Andboth electoric companies have now applied for it.
As Ooi 1 and Tomari 3 were to go through final test to enter into their
commerical operation, Ooi 1 got some trouble with cooling system and it was
stopped manually.
As Ooi 1 is stopped now, Tomari 3 is the main target for our government.
Mr. Edano announced that Tomari 3 is not under check up, but it is under
full operation, thus there is no requirement for newly introduced safety
test - stressless test, which is not true.

There is a battle between Minister of Finance and Business and Edano on one
hand, and Prime Minister Kan on the other.
Our Hokkaido Mayor Harumi Takahashi asked central government to give her a
written instruction and guarantee that Tomari 3 is safe for full commercial
operation.
Pressure by Liberal Democratic Party in Hokkaido Council which has the
majority and is pro-nuclear power are putting pressure on Hokkaido Mayor to
start Tomari 3 in full commercial operation. The Liberal Democratic party
is a party which gets 77% of their donation from Hokkaido Electric which
runs nuclear power. There is a strong economic and political link between
the two.

Whole Japan is now watching Tomari 3.

Regards,
Kaori Izumi

Our first day to sit in front of Hokkaido Government Office

Following an announcement on the 20 July by our central government - Mr. Edano- that Tomari Reactor 3 should move into its full commercial operation, we civic groups started to sitting in front of Hokkaido Government' Office in this morning as our protest against this decision. If it happens, Tomari 3 will be the first nuclear power plant after Fukushima Daiichi which will re-start commercial operation. Whole Japan is watching the fate of Tomari 3 and our move.

We request all our partners in Japan and abroad to join our struggle.