Shift from the present nuclear energy policy: JCP

With the hazards associated with nuclear power plants, the Japanese Communist Party is urging the government to undertake a thorough inspection of all 54 nuclear power reactors operating throughout Japan and to shift from the present nuclear energy administration policy to a policy that places priority on safety.

The JCP demands that new safety standards be established based on lessons from the Great East Japan Disaster and on the relevant international requirements, and that the government inspect all the reactors to ensure that they meet the new standards.

In addition, the JCP proposes that the government cancel its plan to add an additional 14 reactors; that the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station in Shizuoka’s Omaezaki City be shut down on the grounds that it is located right at the focal zone of a possible Tokai earthquake; that aging reactors be retired; that operations of the fast breeder reactor Monju be shut down; and that the government disallow the nuclear fuel-cycle method of using plutonium such as plutonium-thermal power generation.

It is imperative for the government to separate the nuclear regulatory organization from the nuclear promoting Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the JCP states.

The party also argues for the necessity of a change in energy policy from reliance on nuclear power to a full-fledged use of renewable energy.