A major turning point has been reached on returning to nuclear power, as the choice to move away from this power source or continue relying on it was being mulled.

Fourteen years and eight months after the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant accident, it now appears likely that Tokyo Electric Power Co. will resume operations at one of its plants for the first time after that triple meltdown.

The government had proposed a policy of reducing dependence on nuclear energy in the wake of the accident, but three years ago, it changed course to one of utilizing nuclear energy as much as possible.

In the basic energy plan revised in February, the policy direction regarded after the accident as the starting point of decreasing as much as possible dependence on nuclear energy was deleted.

And now, TEPCO, which was permitted to continue existing as a special case to compensate victims of the nuclear accident and fulfill its mission of rebuilding Fukushima, has moved forward with the resumption of nuclear plant operations.

While concerned about gradually making a permanent dependence on nuclear energy, we cannot but hold strong doubts about having TEPCO operate a nuclear plant.

Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi on Nov. 21 announced that he had decided to allow resumption of operations at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.

He had said that one factor he would consider in deciding was the opinion of the Niigata public.

One result of that survey was that about 60 percent of respondents did not believe that the conditions for resumption of operations had been put in place.

Earlier in November, Mayor Tatsunobu Isoda of Nagaoka, located next to Kashiwazaki, passed on to Hanazumi his belief that it was too early to allow for resumption because there  needed to be a more thorough think through of safety and disaster prevention measures.

ABSURDITY OF LOCAL CONSENT

If one seriously faces the results of public surveys to determine what the Niigata public feels as well as the concerns raised by mayors of adjacent municipalities, we have to question the governor’s decision to allow for resumption of operations at this time.

Allowing for resumption before establishing evacuation routes and radiation protection facilities that many Niigata residents will need as well as setting up a snow clearing system for a prefecture known for its heavy snowfall to allow for evacuation is a judgment that casts aside public concerns.

There is no telling if the plan to recycle spent nuclear fuel after reprocessing will ever get off the ground and no decision has been made on a site for the final storage of highly radioactive nuclear waste.

As the central government delays deciding on measures to deal with the fundamental defects contained in nuclear power generation, it has pushed off on municipalities hosting the plants to make grave decisions to allow for a return to nuclear energy.

The absurdity of procedures to seek the consent of local communities has once again been repeated.

Hanazumi intends to ask the prefectural assembly for a vote of confidence over whether he should continue in office to implement his latest decision.

In October, the prefectural assembly passed a resolution that said it would express its will regarding the governor’s decision after conducting thorough discussions.

Rather than simply rubber-stamp Hanazumi’s decision, the prefectural assembly must conduct discussions that squarely address the concerns of the Niigata public and the distrust toward TEPCO.

In its past editorials, The Asahi Shimbun has repeatedly argued for never forgetting the lessons of the accident in which a severe reality was faced and to move toward a society that did not rely on nuclear energy.

The editorials have also repeatedly cast doubts as to whether a culture that placed top priority on safety had taken root in TEPCO, which continuously triggered various problems, as well as even whether the utility was qualified to operate a nuclear plant.

CONCERNS REMAIN ABOUT SAFETY CULTURE 

As the Niigata public survey shows, concerns about TEPCO's corporate culture have not been erased.

In 2017, when the Nuclear Regulation Authority said that the No. 6 and 7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant met new safety standards, it also raised doubts as to whether TEPCO was fit to once again operate a nuclear plant.

And even after passing screening needed to resume operations, a series of flaws has been found in TEPCO’s anti-terrorism measures.

In 2021, the NRA, in effect, issued an order banning TEPCO from operating a nuclear plant.

While that order was lifted in 2023, shortly before Hanazumi’s latest decision, improper handling of confidential documents related to terrorism measures came to light.

The NRA intends to carefully look into how that occurred.

Because a nuclear plant is such a gigantic facility, an accident could occur unless a safety culture is instilled in everyone involved in operating such a plant, from executives, the control department, engineers at the site and employees at related companies.

Moreover, TEPCO also must deal with decommissioning the Fukushima No. 1 plant.

While preparatory work has begun on the difficult task of removing melted nuclear fuel from the reactors, achieving the goal of completing decommissioning by 2051 is highly problematic.

Doubts remain as to whether TEPCO, which shoulders a heavy burden for decommissioning, has enough remaining strength to direct a resumption of operations at another nuclear plant.

THOROUGH PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS NEEDED

Most of the electricity generated at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is transmitted to the greater Tokyo metropolitan area and is not used in Niigata.

The scenario that existed prior to the accident of communities hosting a nuclear plant carrying the risks while other areas enjoy the benefit of consuming large volumes of electricity will be restored in the Tokyo area.

Despite that fact, discussions among the public about the use of nuclear energy have not been thoroughly conducted.

The government has left up to the NRA deciding whether technological screening standards have been met to operate nuclear plants.

And in moving toward a final decision on resumption of plant operations, the government has left up to local communities establishing evacuation measures as the last stand of protection should an accident occur.

With the progression of global warming, use of air conditioners in the summer is a must so the stable supply of electricity is an important issue directly tied to our daily lives.

Be that as it may, the government must not hurry to return to nuclear energy, but should instead place greater emphasis on expanding renewable energy sources.

All efforts have not yet been made on policy, technological development and the spread of energy sources, such as installing the transmission and storage facilities needed for expansion and effective use of solar and wind power.

We must not allow the lessons learned from that dreadful accident to wither.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 22