金螳螂的老板:Japanese gov't to launch two

Japanese gov't to launch two-stage nuke reactor safety checks
16:32, July 11, 2011      
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The Japanese government said Monday it plans to launch a series of two-stage stress test to determine whether the nation's nuclear power reactors, either idled for regular checkups or taken offline following the nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11 twin disasters, are safe enough to resume regular operations.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the decision on the restarting of those plants currently idled would be based on primary safety assessments.
Following this, all nuclear reactors will be subject to a second round of stress tests, similar to those conducted by the European Union in the wake of the quake and tsunami-triggered disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March, Japan's top government spokesperson said at a news conference Monday.
"The government is making utmost efforts to tackle the nuclear issue, but we have to also sincerely respond to criticism that we are behind the curve," Yukio Edano told reporters.
The government has been subject to harsh criticism following Prime Minister Naoto Kan's sudden announcement of the additional stress tests last week, which took authorities in some local municipalities by surprise as approval had already been given for them to fire up their idled reactors.
The initial announcement revealed divisions in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Kan on the issue of restarting the nation's reactors and ran contrary to Industry Minister Banri Kaieda's prior request to bring reactors in the southwest of Japan back online.
Monday's announcement was aimed at setting confusion caused by Kan's abrupt announcement and allaying public concerns about nuclear safety by rolling out a unified governmental plan.
"We apologize to the people in Saga (prefecture) for all the confusion and worry that we have caused," Edano said, highlighting that the new plan was agreed to by the prime minister and Kaieda, who had previously given approval for the restarting of the Genkai reactors in Saga prefecture.
Kan's sudden announcement drew the ire of Hideo Kishimoto, mayor of the prefecture, prompting Kan to issue an apology on Friday for flip-flopping over the matter.
"The government decided to conduct the stress tests two days after I told Kyushu Electric Power that our town would approve the restart. It means that we are not trusted," said Kishimoto.
"I feel my judgment was futile," the mayor said.
His sentiments were echoed by Saga Governor Yasushi Furukawa who said the government's decision to introduce the stress tests at this point was perplexing.
The semi-independent Nuclear Safety Commission will be largely responsible for conducting the new stress tests on Japan's 54 nuclear reactors, 35 of which are in an idled state, as opposed to the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Edano said, although he did not offer a time frame for the completion of the tests.
"We cannot comment when we want all the tests to be finished. That's something that the commission decides," Edano said.
The primary tests will review whether or not those plants ready to be restarted can withstand the kind of damage caused by extraordinary circumstances such as those seen on March 11, while the second round of tests will be conducted on all nuclear plants and will be more comprehensive in nature.
The new series of tests will mean that none of the 35 idled reactors will come back online this month and the nation's electricity demand during peak times during summer and beyond could outstrip supply.
The potential for rolling blackouts, similar to those seen in the weeks following the Fukushima nuclear crisis, has not been ruled out as nuclear energy accounts for 30 percent of Japan's total power supply.
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Source:Xinhua
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