"No. 25 [Nuclear Power] Moving on to Step 2 - Prime Minister's Dialogue with the People Engaged in the Work to Stabilize the Nuclear Power Station"
"The second supplementary budget and the Basic Policy for Reconstruction"
"The key question: Who exactly will check the safety?"
"No. 25 [Nuclear Power] Moving on to Step 2 - Prime Minister's Dialogue with the People Engaged in the Work to Stabilize the Nuclear Power Station"
--- At J-Village, where the people engaged in the work to stabilize TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station are stationed (July 16)
The Prime Minister encourages the members of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF)
Prime Minister: I believe that we have come so far thanks to your self-sacrificing sprit and efforts.
--- 17th meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters (July 19)
Prime Minister: I convened the meeting in this form as we have just completed Step 1.
Narration: The Roadmap towards Restoration from the Accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is updated once a month.Every month the mark that shows current progress has moved steadily to the right, and on July 17 the conclusion of Step 1 was finally reached. This means that the "stable cooling" of the reactors has been achieved.
Narration: People working at the site are risking their lives to realize the plans in the Roadmap. These people are stationed in the facility called J-Village, where the Prime Minister has already visited twice to provide his encouragement. The first visit was three weeks after the occurrence of the incident.
--- First visit to J-Village (April 2)
SDF member A: There are three tents. Each used for decontamination.
Prime Minister: There is one lane for the SDF and for TEPCO...
SDF member B: Two lanes. They are extremely advanced decontamination facilities.
Hearing an explanation about an internet teleconference
TEPCO staff: It is currently connected to eight other locations. We leave it on all the time. We gather there even at night whenever something happens.
The system is connected to TEPCO head office, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Fukushima Prefectural Office, etc., all the time; the TV monitors display each location
The Prime Minister sends his message to each location
Prime Minister: Thank you truly for your hard work. In order to bring the nuclear power station under control by all means...
Narration: Three months after giving these words of encouragement...
--- 17th meeting of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters
(July 19)
Prime Minister: "Things have progressed this far with regard to Step 1 thanks above all to the people working really hard at the site. I visited the site myself last Saturday (on July 16) for the second time and I think their efforts are truly remarkable."
--- Second visit to J-Village (July 16)
Giving words of encouragement to the SDF members
Prime Minister: I am looking forward to seeing you deliver results and be acknowledged for rebuilding Japan stronger than ever and for engaging on the frontlines of this struggle.
Narration: There the Prime Minister also met for the second time with Mr. Masao Yoshida, General Manager of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, who has been at the forefront of the work to stabilize the nuclear power station since March 11. During the meeting...
General Manager Yoshida: Oh, an earthquake! This is what frightens us.
Prime Minister: Aftershocks are frightening.
Narration: On top of aftershocks, there is now another phenomenon that impedes the work...
General Manager Yoshida: In this heat, since as many as 3,000 people are working at the site even today, precautions must be taken against heat stroke and injuries.
Narration: People working at the site also appealed directly to the Prime Minister.
Medical staff: The protective suit is really stifling. Even when it is cool like in this room, you will be drenched in sweat the moment you start moving around in it.
Person 1 working at the site: Now everyone starts working early, before it gets hot. Most of us come to work at four in the morning.
Person 2 working at the site: It takes quite a lot of time to go and have a radiation check, and there are so many people...
Person 1 working at the site: It would be very helpful if something like a health check center could be established around here.
Prime Minister: The Government will do all it can to respond to the situation. Thank you for your continued cooperation.
After face-to-face talks, the Prime Minister stands up and shakes hands with the people working at the site
Narration: From now on, the people at the site are moving on to the next target - Step 2.
They will step up efforts to prevent the spread of radiation damage and aim to achieve a stable condition in the nuclear reactors known as "cold shutdown" within the next three to six months. The all-out efforts will continue.
"The second supplementary budget and the Basic Policy for Reconstruction"
Yesterday, the second supplementary budget was passed by the Diet. The Cabinet is pressing ahead steadily in handling the work that needs to be done. The two major undertakings of "recovery and reconstruction from the earthquake disaster" and "bringing the accident at the nuclear power plant under stable control" are moving forward without interruption.
Continuing with this, today, the Reconstruction Headquarters in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake deepened its discussions on the Basic Policy for Reconstruction regarding the scale of the projects as well as the framework for fiscal outlays. We will compile the Basic Policy within July and finally link it to discussions on the third supplementary budget for full-fledged reconstruction. While some criticize this as "late," if you view this with a non-emotional eye, since the earthquake disaster struck in March, work has been progressing steadily, with the first and second supplementary budgets passed in sequence, and next, the Basic Policy, which will serve as the basis for the third supplementary budget, to be decided shortly.
As Ms. Kiyomi Tsujimoto, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, often says, it is not simply the reconstruction of society's "hardware" buildings and so on that requires budget allocations and policy measures. We will also be engaged in "reconstruction of the heart" for each individual affected by the disaster and "reconstruction of kizuna (bonds among people)" that have been disrupted in society. Not politics, but policies. Now, the most important thing is to keep the people who have been affected by the disaster firmly in mind and dedicate all our energies to this situation.
"The key question: Who exactly will check the safety?"
Yesterday, the structure for checking the safety of nuclear power plants moved forward considerably in concrete terms. I received a report that the method and the implementation plan for the comprehensive safety assessments (the so-called "stress tests") have been formulated by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA).
With regard to the current matter, a great amount of inconvenience has been given to the people concerned, in that "the Prime Minister's instructions regarding the necessity of conducting stress tests were slow in coming." However, the essence of the matter lies in the issue of "whether or not it is acceptable to have only NISA - which is affiliated with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which has been promoting nuclear power plants - decide the safety standards related to the resumption of nuclear plant operations and on its own pass judgments on adequate achievement of those standards." While I regret the confusion regarding the arrangements, the issue of the structure is a more important matter.
In the near future, it will be necessary to undertake a fundamental review of safety standards and the system, but until that time we cannot sit idly by. For the immediate term, we must move forward on the actual safety checks through the involvement of the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), an independent entity, in addition to NISA.
As a point of fact, the succession of events leading up to yesterday's decision on the implementation plan has been "(1) Receipt of request from NSC (July 6), (2) Submission of a draft plan by NISA, (3) Instructions from NSC to strengthen the draft plan, (4) Revisions by NISA, (5) NSC confirms the draft plan as appropriate (yesterday)." While it has not been widely reported, the core matter regarding the issue of "whether or not it is acceptable for NISA to decide matters by itself" will in fact be cleared without waiting for changes to the system.
In addition, publicly disclosing the safety standards in advance has enabled us to take advantage of checks by a wide range of expert eyes. The next step is to explain this safety assessment implementation plan to the local governments, and after that, the electrical power providers will be instructed to implement the plan.
As for the results of the assessments, which will require one or two months, upon receiving reporting from the electrical power providers, procedures will be followed whereby first NISA, and subsequently here again the NSC, will confirm adequacy in meeting the standards. Upon receiving the judgment of experts from these multiple institutions, four Cabinet members, including myself, will consult, and after hearing the views of the local community, a final decision will be taken.
While this is a cumbersome process, these procedures are necessary for the safety and the peace of mind of the Japanese people.
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