TOKYO, June 22 — The head of a major inquiry into Japan’s nuclear disaster and a former senior Cabinet adviser have sounded alarm over plans this week to restart a 44-year old reactor, saying the industry and government have not taken on board the lessons from Fukushima.
Tatsujiro Suzuki, a former deputy chairman of the Cabinet Office’s Atomic Energy Commission, told Reuters he has misgivings over how approval for the restart was obtained. Explosions rocked the site as reactors melted down, causing huge clouds of radioactive matter to scatter over land and sea. Lax oversight allowing Tokyo Electric to downplay tsunami risk was one of the failings highlighted in the crisis.
The visits to Fukui by officials including the head of the powerful natural resources agency were raised at a recent hearing of the parliamentary committee. A subsidy of ¥2.5 billion was agreed for local communities before the Fukui governor signed off on the restart. METI said in response to emailed queries it had decided on the subsidies in April this year and had informed local officials in Fukui. The ministry confirmed the number of visits by officials to Fukui and said the trips were “to exchange opinions”.