Seismologists warn Japan against nuclear restart

Reuters has reported from Tokyo:

"...Seismic modeling by Japan's nuclear regulator did not properly take into account active fault lines near the Ohi plant, Katsuhiko Ishibashi, a seismologist at Kobe University, told reporters.

"The stress tests and new safety guidelines for restarting nuclear power plants both allow for accidents at plants to occur," Ishibashi told reporters. "Instead of making standards more strict, they both represent a severe setback in safety standards."

Experts advising Japan's nuclear industry had underestimated the seismic threat, Mitsuhisa Watanabe, a tectonic geomorphology professor at Tokyo University, said at the same news conference.

"The expertise and neutrality of experts advising Japan's Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency are highly questionable," Watanabe said.

After an earthquake in 2007 caused radiation leaks at reactors north of Tokyo, Ishibashi said Japan was at risk of a nuclear disaster following a large earthquake, a warning that proved prescient after Fukushima.

While it is impossible to predict when earthquakes will happen, Ishibashi said on Tuesday the magnitude 9 quake last year made it more likely "devastating" earthquakes would follow."

"Life is sacred -- no nuclear power"

Our friends and colleagues at Green Action Japan have posted the following coverage of protests in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, against the impending restart of Ohi Nuclear Power Plant:

"17 June 2012 rally

Stop Ohi Restart

Fukui, Japan

Here are photographs Green Action took of the rally/demonstration held this Sunday, 17 June against Ohi Nuclear Power Plant restart in Fukui, Japan where the plant is located.

As you can see, the people are in high-spirits, ready to keep fighting restart of nuclear power in Japan. In the meantime, on TV, Prime Minister Noda and the politicians that approved restart all look stressed out."

"Jitters as Japan decides to restart nuclear reactors"

The Christian Science Monitor has reported that even in Fukui Prefecture -- with 14 atomic reactors, nearly one every other mile along its 31 mile long coastline on the Sea of Japan -- residents are very concerned about Japanese Prime Minister Noda's approval of restarting the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant, especially concerning earthquake fault lines in the vicinity. This first restart of atomic reactors post Fukushima has led to a 45,000 strong protest at the Japanese Prime Minister's residence in Tokyo, thousands protesting in Fukui Prefecture itself, and international rallies, including at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., co-sponsored by Beyond Nuclear.

Japanese government agencies ignored U.S. DOE measurements of high radiation in critical first days after Fukushima catastrophe began

U.S. DOE data, available to the Japanese federal ministries in March 2011, but ignored -- to the peril of thousands of Japanese nuclear refugees, who unknowingly evacuated directly into the worst of the falloutThe Asahi Shimbun has reported that more than one Japanese federal government agency responisible for protecting its citizens against radioactivity releases during a nuclear accident failed to act on U.S. Department of Energy provided data, showing high radiation levels escaping Fukushima Daiichi to the northwest -- precisely where thousands of fleeing residents evacuated to.

This shocking news is in addition to reports made public many months ago, that multiple Japanese federal agencies had SPEEDI computer modeling data in hand, showing that high radioactive fallout was occurring exactly where villagers from Namie had evacuated to.

Protest Japanese Prime Minister Noda's decision to re-start Ohi atomic reactors

The Japanese grassroots anti-nuclear movement (Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center, FoE Japan, Green Action, No Nukes Asia Forum, Peace Boat, and Shut Tomari) has called upon international allies to rally at Japanese embassies/consulates, and/or send messages of protest to Japanese Prime Minister Noda, for his decision to re-start the first of 50 idled atomic reactors, beginning at Ohi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture. Noda has not learned the lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe, so powerfully communicated by women survivors from Fukushima Prefecture. The latest news is that the approval decisions, and the actual re-start of the reactors at Ohi, could very well happen in the next few days.

The call to action requests supporters, in the next several days, to assemble, peacefully and respectfully, in front of Japanese embassies/consulates (see a list of Japanese consulates and embassies across the U.S., and the rest of the world); to submit a letter of protest (sample language provided) addressed to Prime Minister Noda, via the Japanese Ambassador in your country; to seek media coverage of your actions; and to report back to Japanese organizers so they can reinforce your message to the Japanese government (via email to Aileen Mioko Smith at Green Action Japan, amsmith@gol.com). 

Beyond Nuclear will join with NIRS -- and representatives of other environmental groups -- as it delivers a petition to the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Monday, June 18th.

See and sign NIRS's petition here.

For those in the United States, you can fax your protest letter to the Japanse Ambassador to the U.S., Ichiro Fujisaki, at this number: (202) 328-2187. Ask Ambassador Fujisaki to forward your message to Japanese Prime Minister Noda. 

Or you can email your protest letter to Ambassador Fujisaki via jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp.

If you would rather phone the Japanese Embassy, the number is: (202) 238-6700.

Update on June 23, 2012 by admin

As reported on June 8th by the New York Times, Prime Minister Noda threatened power outages and econcomic disruption across Japan if atomic reactors are not restarted in the aftermath of Fukushima. Despite this, a two-thirds majority of Japanese oppose a rush to restarting atomic reactors.