Kaieda asks local gov'ts to restart nuclear plants after safety steps confirmed

'Rigorous', 'improved', 'safe'. Hollow rhetoric that serves only to deepened the mistrust. 'Authorities' should allow? Hey, you arrogant mouthpiece, ASK The People, YOUR boss.

A massive once-in-a-century quake, followed by HUGE tsunami that knocked down everything in their path (except the nuclear reactors) ... come on people, cut them some slack, the existing safety precautions were reasonable, and they claim they've improved on them. I do think the older plants need to be phased out and the newer plants built to higher standards using "the engineer's rule" (double everything), but right now Japanese industry is at a stand-still and no country can afford that for long.

The likelihood of another quake that size? Close to zero. The likelihood of people losing their jobs and companies shutting down? High.

So everything at the other reactors is now hunkey-dorey and safe. All supplied with well-protected secondary and tertiary power sources (that was quick) and hazard suits and extra dosimeters, trained personnel and emergency rations... ...until the next quake, and then we find out what wasn't really ready.

Did anybody else read about the damaged pipes that were found at the Hamaoka reactor while it was being shut down. And the water in the basement there? What else will they find around the country?

I know Japan needs power badly, but I feel very uneasy at this quick approval and resumption.

@Frungy -- I see your point, but the risk in Tokai is far from "Close to zero".

Do you feel 'reasonable' is adequate as the yardstick to set up safety regimes for nuclear power plants? It's not. Close to zero doesn't cut it. Not when the consequences are so dire. If not for the prevailing winds Japan would now be cut in two. Germany, Italy, Switzerland... may the list grow as quickly as possible. Read up on every, every, mega-quake recorded and count how many of those have, within a year, had a similar sized event occur close to the original quake. Only yesterday there was a 5.9, 70 miles off the Fukushima coast.

YongYong:

" Germany, Italy, Switzerland... may the list grow as quickly as possible. "

Get real. there are scores of new nuclear plants planned all around the world, including in China, Korea, and Taiwan next door. Also in very dubious locations such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, which reall should be cause for worry.

The only places where the plans have been stopped because of popular demand are some rich Western nations which have the luxury of accommodating a large, touch-feely new-age section of the population which has come to believe that that it is possible to replace nuclear power with pipe dream schemes such as windmills... without compromising their coddled lifestyles. They will found out reality soon enough.

Willy, hunny, 'get Real?'. It's you who need a pint of that juice. As I told you before, the data you read from, espouse to know is from BEFORE this catastrophe.Bring your data up a more contemporary time frame.

Only Rich Western countries can afford the pipe dream of renewable power? Last time I checked Japan was the 3rd biggest economy in the world and that's after 20 years of no growth. Japan also claims to be a technological leader. After the last 3 months huge holes in the Industry have been exposed, covered up and fudged, and suddenly all is "reasonable"... If any country "on paper" could lead the world towards renewable energy it is Japan. Shame the facts do not match.

I think this is good. Start those babies up and get this economy rolling.

'Rigorous', 'improved', 'safe'. Hollow rhetoric that serves only to deepened the mistrust. 'Authorities' should allow? Hey, you arrogant mouthpiece, ASK The People, YOUR boss.

Hmm, tell ya what. Lets have em shut down all the nuclear power plants in Japan. Of course we'll see massive blackouts, but you seem ok with that. I wonder how long it will be before 'their boss' decides they would prefer to have power, even nuclear power. You alarmism not withstanding. You obviously use a computer. Why not shut it off, and go back to nature?

Willy, hunny, 'get Real?'. It's you who need a pint of that juice. As I told you before, the data you read from, espouse to know is from BEFORE this catastrophe.Bring your data up a more contemporary time frame.

About what should he get real? The fact that alt energy is presently no more then a pipe dream, or the the reality that Japan is in desperate need of power. Despite the panic and fear , Its more the a little unlikely that there will be another 9.0 earthquake followed by a tsunami.

So, the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Trade checked them and said their okay, as well as the JAPAN Nuclear Agency? Well, of course, they have no vested interests in the restarting of the reactors and are SURELY taking into account the peoples' best interest!

Haha.

Kaieda... if the people don't want them restarted, that should be the end of it -- but since when have politicians listened to their constituents over profits?

When the next big disaster comes (and it's WHEN, not IF) and this happens again the government will just shrug and say, "How could we have known?"

Get real. there are scores of new nuclear plants planned all around the world, including in China, Korea, and Taiwan next door. Also in very dubious locations such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, which reall should be cause for worry.

Might be worth noting that all 3 countries (Germany/Italy/Switzerland) included clauses which allow them to buy energy from nuclear-nations (Italy have been doing this for a long time anyway) so they will be indirectly using nuclear plants unless they can actually replace them with renewable sources.

This economy has not rolled for 20 years with NP, how about a change or are we going to be happy with another 20 years of decline and no change, I do believe off the leash Japanese people can do it. There might not be another event, many experts say there might be. Might it be prudent to plan for the worst and plan to avoid it.

Japan should take a look at Thorium reactors.

Might be worth noting that all 3 countries (Germany/Italy/Switzerland) included clauses which allow them to buy energy from nuclear-nations (Italy have been doing this for a long time anyway) so they will be indirectly using nuclear plants unless they can actually replace them with renewable sources.

might also be worth noting that the European electricity market is open, it's not a special clause. Every country has imports and exports.

Italy does seem to import electricity from France (does anybody know how much?) but that's still less bad than having nuclear power plants in Italy, because Italy has earthquakes.

get them generating asap japan needs them generating for the good of the country

Give it a month and we will all be surprised, give it a year or two and the spin will be children with six hands can be much more productive.

Cricky:

" Give it a month and we will all be surprised, give it a year or two and the spin will be children with six hands can be much more productive. "

So will you come back in a month and say sorry I posted nonsense a month ago?

No, it's time for them to get back to work. They've got things under control now. They've learnt their lesson. They've studied the Achilles heal in the cooling systems and taken decisive action. A major purchase of all available Manneken Pis statues in the country to be lined up in case of reactor cooling failure.

Fire those babies up just like I get fired up by nice things.

Yeah, fire those babies up, the escalator at my station is STILL down, lol!

So will you come back in a month and say sorry I posted nonsense a month ago?

WillB -- Don't you ever get tired of defending something that you know was a massive mistake, but Japan is now stuck with it because they have not pursued any alternatives? Even you must admit that the nuclear industry in Japan was an accident waiting to happen, based on the manner in which the governent pushed it beacause it was "cheap", even willing to look the other way at a decades-long history of shoddy management and being slip-shod in regards to safety. But because the government and the industry successfully pulled the wool over the citizens' eyes for decades, everyone must just suck it up and hope for the best. And that is the best Japan can do?

hereforenow:

I am all for "pursuiing alternatives", but politically correct pipedreams are not. Just because you wish it were so, you can not run a modern industrial society on windmills and solar panels.

Reality sucks, I know.

The Fukushima crisis shattered Japan’s confidence in the safety of nuclear energy and prompted anti-nuclear sentime

nt

We all have to eat in order to live, the environment in certain areas have been made inhospitable. Therefore the sentiment in question, once you take away an environment conducive to a healthy population and leave in it's place and environment that is inhospitable to human life. Don't expect the population to be happy about it.

Kaieda said that the rest of the nuclear plants in Japan are safe

nuclear power plants are now prepared for accidents as severe as the one that crippled Fukushima Daiichi.

I'm trying to remember the last time the a government official lied about anything. But I'm coming up empty. Can anyone help me on this?

of 54 nuclear reactors, 35 are out of operation.

So Japan is limping along with only 19 reactors in operation? Are blackouts sweeping the country and companies are barely functioning for the lack of power?

I realize lots of companies need lots of power but I've seen some pretty rational power-reduction schemes being put in place, including one company that is switching to solar. A lot of these power-reduction plans have two results: using less power (with no change in operations) and saving the company money. Maybe Japan can be weaned off the nuclear tit?

So they've all been inspected, and they're all safe now. Phew, that was quick! Nice work, there! Now, just move over and let an independent international panel come in and inspect every single reactor on every single site, one by one, taking all the time they need to really check everything is working perfectly, and all the worst case scenarios they're working from are realistic, not optimistic Only then, perhaps then, people's 'fears' that the people operating these plants are a bunch of incompetent amateurs who don't even know where the manual is, and have to run up the road to another power station for a spare hose or radiation suit might be replaced by an increase in trust. Kaieda ought to be slung out on his ear and banned from office. If this is the shape of the PM to come, maybe it's time to move on before he can cause even more damage.