Year After Reactor Accident, Japan Even More Dependent on Nuke Power

by Suvendrini Kakuchi

But environmental activists say Tokyo has gone from the frying pan to the fire by choosing to rely on what many here consider a particularly dangerous fuel source -- nuclear power.

Unrepentant, the government has revealed plans to build more nuclear plants, even as many Japanese call for a reduction in the country's use of nuclear energy.

Japan already has 51 commercial nuclear plants that supply more than 37 percent of its energy needs, while imported oil accounts for about half.

Renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal and wind generate only 2 percent of the country's power. But together, nuclear power and natural gas account for nearly half of Japan's energy needs, up from some 25 percent during the first oil crisis of 1973.

The country's current energy profile was built over the last three decades, after the 1970s oil crisis prompted this industrial power described at the time as the most dependent on imported oil to seek alternative energy sources.

In recent years, pressure to slash greenhouse gas emissions has contributed to the increasing reliance on nuclear power, despite accidents at nuclear plants and opposition from the public.

Activists say it is time for Tokyo to reconsider its stance.

They argue that instead of building more nuclear plants, the government should start phasing out existing facilities, where, they say, lax safety standards have made the plants all the more risky.

The Sept. 30, 1999 radiation leak at a fuel processing plant in Tokaimura, 130 kms northeast of Tokyo, led to the death of two of the facility's workers and exposed more than 400 other people -- including residents of nearby communities -- to high levels of radiation.

According to Greenpeace Japan, the country's nuclear plants have experienced a rash of emergency reactor shutdowns in recent years. In 1999 alone, there were at least five reported primary coolant leaks, the group says.

As expected, anti-nuclear demonstrations were held both in Tokyo and Tokaimura to commemorate the 1999 accident. To counter public concerns, the government sponsored safety drills at nuclear facilities across the country, as well as lectures about the benefits of nuclear energy.

Tokyo also launched a new information network that is supposed to spring into action the moment there is another nuclear plant mishap. The network is aimed at helping spread accurate information among the public.

Officials said that workers at nuclear power facilities will get better training, and noted that a new system of spot checks and stringent inspections will be implemented to "control" possible accidents.

In addition, the Nuclear Safety Commission is forming a group of on-call technical advisors and will report directly to the prime minister should an accident occur.

Says commission head Shojiro Matsuura: "My organization has been beefed up to cabinet level, an indication of the government's dedication to preventing another disaster."

The basic message is that "if used correctly, depending on scientific and engineering advancement and the judgments of society, nuclear power can provide mankind with a huge stable supply of energy far into the future," he says.

But Matsuura concedes that there is "a need to regain the trust of the people in order to carry on."

Surveys by the Citizen's Nuclear Information Center indicate that many Japanese still fear and distrust nuclear power.

Still, Japan is currently drawing up a new, long-term energy policy that experts say will represent a modest change in the expansion of nuclear energy. For instance, although the government will continue to build nuclear plants, it plans to scale back to 13 the planned 16 to 20 new plants to be built by 2010.

The new plan also calls for more investments in the disposal of radioactive waste and stresses the need to address safety questions to regain public trust.

Meanwhile, Tokaimura residents remain concerned about further nuclear accidents despite the closure of the plant following the 1999 incident, says the Kyod News Service, which recently conducted a telephone survey there.

Such fears may have been triggered by plans to reopen a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant there. Full-scale operations at the facility are expected to start this month.

Green groups have been in an uproar over the move. But many residents said that while they cannot shake the fear of another mishap, they really have no choice but to accept the plant. Said one resident: "We have no other option. We need them."

Tokaichi University professor Michiako Furukawa points out that many of Japan's nuclear plants are now more than 30 years old. According to Furukawa, this lifespan was once considered a plant's operating limit, although he also said experts have since adjusted the number to 50 years.

Stresses Furukawa: "There is uncertainty with nuclear energy. The decision to pursue energy is not worth it."