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Fukushima plant chief: No need to extend decommissioning target

17 Comments
By MARI YAMAGUCHI

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17 Comments
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He (as usual with these appointees) has absolutely no idea! Just parrot the government line. Everything is fine, everything is fine....OH didn't see that coming?

6 ( +7 / -1 )

they have no clue even on how to start decommissioning but , hey, i am 60, so i do not mind to make predictions 40 years ahead, chances on having to apologize in person for being wrong are slim

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Fukushima plant chief: No need to extend decommissioning target

Typical Japanese. Can't face the reality and live in denial. For the sake of just saving face.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

You rarely see such level of incompetence by someone who'd you think is a professional in his field of work.

“I don't think we need to revise the target right now,” Ono said Tuesday in an online interview with The Associated Press. “We will stick to the 30-to-40-year finishing target, and will compile a timeline and technology and development plans accordingly.”

Makes me think that there is currently either no actual plan, or they don't want to change the current one because someone would lose face.

Ono said the removal of the melted fuel debris will hopefully progress on track during the 2030s. “The next 10 years for us is to prepare for that goal,” he said.

I'm speechless. He did not say that, has he?

Ono said the plant's end state should be discussed by the government, local residents, experts and other concerned parties, and should be decided by a consensus.

Yes, more discussions, more Excel sheets, surveys, simulation runs! Because there have been no discussions like this before. Because if there were, why do another, right?

Consensus doesn't really work in here. Few local residents may be asked, but that's all. Fill some sheets of papers, surveys and then just discard it.

Can you imagine having a referendum in Japan, similar like they do in Switzerland?

There IS a problem and it needs to be solved. It will not age well like a good whiskey or wine. How about admitting that and do something about it already? It's 2021 and this situation happened in 2011!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Although its not realistic, sticking with the 30-40 year target at least partially stops them from just kicking the can down the road for the next generation. If they were to set a realistic target, it would probably be over 100 years.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

LDP chief: No need to extend decommissioning target

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It’ll never get done anyway, and all those responsible for it and soon to be dumps in the ocean will be long dead anyway, so no need.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

When was Fukushima reactor built?

1967

It was supposed to be decommissioned 1 year before this happened.

How did we get here?

-Old reactor. Not enough safety in place.

-Hit by magnitude 9 Earthquake. So powerful the Earth spins faster.

-Massive Tsunami, worst seen in over 100 years.

Nuclear technology in 2021 should not be judged base on what happened at Fukushima. That reactor is from 1967.

-New Reactors are safer. 3rd gen.

-Nuclear technology was still new when Fukushima was built.

-50 years of advancements has been made since Fukushima Reactor was built. 50 years of new safety features, new ways to prevent a meltdown.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Mr Ono sounds sensible and realistic to me. If you look at what he says, he is listening to his advisors, and weighing possibilities. No immediate need to revise the target just yet. A steady hand on the controls.

“I don't think we need to revise the target right now,” Ono said Tuesday in an online interview with The Associated Press.

Granted that on balance he does sound optimistic, but I would rather have him in charge than any of these pessimists. The situation is grave enough already without added drama.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

You could probably envisage that in years to come that the only solution will be a huge cover like the one at Chernobyl. As it stands it looks like they have no answers.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I pretty much agree with ReasonandWisdom here.

Fukushima was a perfect storm of everything going wrong at exactly the same time on outdated technology. Even then, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

It was handled badly afterwards, but that really shouldn't be a reason to disavow all (increasingly safe) nuclear technology moving forwards. Especially in a country like Japan that doesn't have many other options.

As far as the article, I do agree with Ono insofar a Chernobyl-style entombment not being the best way to go. There's too much potential for radioactive material to escape, and we have simply improved our ability to handle clean-up since then.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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