Nuclear watchdog says two reactors in Kyushu safe to switch back on

This is the same 'watchdog' with hand picked LDP supporters. There was never any doubt that this 'new' handpicked team of "uhum" experts would OK the restart of all the reactors in Japan bar a few of the very old ones. The local prefectural council will be paid off to allow the restart and all will be behind closed doors. That's democracy Japan style!

it is created with the premise that nuclear energy can be made sufficiently safe for use

Thanks for the clarification of the role of the nuclear lapdog. That premise has been robustly tested by seismic forces.

Nuclear energy poses absolutely no threat to shameless, all-consuming croneyism.

Safe?

Oh, that's OK, then.

Put my mind at rest.

Sort of.

Is this the same "watchdog" from which two experts resigned in protest recently?

I guess this was it ,, 3 years is long enough for the public response to fade away after a major disaster. Nothing to see here anymore ,, lets move on ,, until the next disaster .

Prefectural Government: STEP UP.

within 5 years, all the reactors will be back online. it's a fait accompli as long as the LDP is in power.

The new all pro-nuclear staffed "Nuclear watchdog" says it's safe.... hmmmmmmmmmmmm

You have to love how here and in Sendai they are trying to win over the approval of locals, but we all know that if the locals say no, they'll just say, "Well... ummm... I know we absolutely promised that as a condition, but LEGALLY we don't need permission... soooo... ummm..." and they'll turn it on anyway. The NRA? Please! Many were hand-picked by Abe, and while I've applauded them on occasion they're STILL willing to allow NPPs to go back online before safety measures have been completed. They've PROMISED to complete them in the future, but want the NNPs online now. That simply is not safe, and one day we're going to see the same thing happen as in Fukushima, probably worse. Another sad day for Japan.

Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture

... Kagoshima... that would be the prefecture that boasts of an ACTIVE VOLCANO as one of its major tourist attractions?

... I have ceased being surprised at the greed and idiocy of humanity.

No. The local people and the Prefectural Government won't allow it to start generating electricity. Shiga, Niigata, Fukushima et al are setting the benchmark. Plus, why do the media still refer to the melt throughs as down? The containment vessels were breached, corium masses secreted onto the concrete mats.

Let's turn nuclear reactors in earthquake riddled Japan -until the next nuclear disaster then.....

yup.. gogogo.. pretty much it.. The specially "re-selected" agenda filling members say it safe.. Not surprised.. The reality is the current government would rather gamble with earthquakes and other entirely unpredictable phenomena than actually do something about the thing they do have some control over, that being the economy.

"The Japanese model usually is by consensus."

Yeah and we all know how the Japanese get consensus: The nail that sticks out ...

They're safe enough.. Fukushima was safe enough too! Kyshu is fault ridden and an Island with live volcano's. Are we to believe these reactors are equipped to survive when Fukushima didn't!

Thanks Zichi

You are a source of valuable information.

I would be happier if the NRA made it clear to the nuclear industry and the public that some NPPs (ie Hamaoka) will never reach the safety standards set and therefore decommissioning should start.

That would create more faith in the decision to restart other plants.

However, with decommissioning comes the problem of effective waste disposal.

The elephant in the room?

'Japan's nuclear watchdog'... Try 'lapdog'.

They are NOT safe to switch back on. Simple as that.

@Mike O'Brian: Not only were the destroyed reactors at Fukushima BWRs they were BWR Mark I, Mark I being the oldest and weakest in terms of 'containment'. Even before the Fukushima incident, Mark I containment had been criticized as being more likely to fail during a blackout... TEPCO. NRA. The Nuclear Village? DO. NOT. BELIEVE THEM.

zorken Jul. 16, 2014 - 07:33PM JST

I don't see why the NRA should be any less trustworthy than a lot of proshimins armed with megaphones (but rarely facts, or more importantly workable alternatives) pushing an anti-science agenda to populist politicians.

(but rarely facts, or more importantly workable alternatives)

So my friend, please detail the workable alternatives that Abe and his cronies in the LDP have put forth as many in this camp have said Japan should look to alternative energy sources to reduce Japan's dependance on nuclear power generation.

I guess we pushing the so-called anti-science agenda to populist politicians get fed up with the self-professed pro-science agenda propagandists who continue to reassure us that Fukushima was much to do about nothing and just a fluke accident and a similar scenario could never be repeated except for the fact that the same reassurances were made following;

March 1981 INES Level 2 Tsuruga Overexposure of workers June 1999 INES Level 2[3] Shika plant, Ishikawa Control rod malfunction Sept 1999 INES Level 4 Ibaraki Prefecture Accidental criticality March 2011 INES Level 7[14] Fukushima Daiichi Plant Multiple meltdowns, core breaches, explosions, radiation releases, cooling failures

If we seem to lack faith in the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA), it's with MANY damn good reasons and the fact that recently chosen members were specifically selected for their coinciding views with those of Abe really give us doubt in their ability to issue any recommendations that put safety above all else.. The Japanese nuclear energy community brought this mistrust upon themselves by not even implementing the most pressing safety measures because of cost considerations and their continued resistance to putting absolute safety above all else along with the less talked about neutrality issues with the NRA gives them about zero credibility.

The region borders on Fukui Prefecture, host to 13 idled reactors, and where the battle over nuclear power could see its biggest fight.

Insane. One prefecture is home to 13 reactors. Shows how willing to ignore any form of rational thought Japan Inc. was in its rush to pursue "cheap energy".

If this is an Abe appointee or Abe certified, he isn't a watchdog but a lapdog. If you are living in Kyushu better get ready to pack your bags.

@wtfjapan: I know it. Indeed I hate all that. Also, I believe the US are pushing Japan to keep nuclear power. But Japanese people must protest for their and world sake, before we have another Fukushima.

than actually do something about the thing they do have some control over, that being the economy. You don't think the energy crisis and trade deficit have a role in controlling the economy then? I don't see why the NRA should be any less trustworthy than a lot of proshimins armed with megaphones (but rarely facts, or more importantly workable alternatives) pushing an anti-science agenda to populist politicians.

Yeah the fact that the Sendai plants operated for almost 30 years safely without any upgrades means they are now simply not safe.

And Fukushima Daiichi operated since March 1971. Once bitten...

Really good to see protesters out there. Now, everyone who can vote, please vote this rolling disaster called ABE and the LDP out of office. There is so much work to be done here in Japan, but these mostly old men are stopping everything that must happen for the future of Japan. NPPs have no business on this planet as we cannot and will never be able to figure out what to do with the overwhelming waste, much less keep plants safe for decades as most of them seem prone to graft and simple laziness. And, y'know, Japan is a terrifically seismic country. That alone should rule out nuclear power. Yet, here we stand, knee deep in consequences of Daichi/Fukushima npp. Turn them on? No, thank you!

No more nukes from Big Money and Big Power!

Put the radioactive pollution in the headquarters of TEPCO.

Have the managers clean up Fukushima, THEY caused it!!

Shame on Japan if they don't stop this. You can't ruin the world with your nukes.

Wah - ! 

Could this be the same 'nuclear watchdog' packed with govt.-appointed pro-nuclear industry 'experts'?

If they need to agreement of "the locals", what does this mean? Will the NRA simply find the smallest population possible and find out what it takes to bribe them into agreement? I would define locals as anyone who would be evacuating if the npp blows.

Nuclear power plants are not safe and that is the end of the story. No one knows what to do with the waste even if everything goes swimmingly, which it won't.

Patricia Yarrow Jul. 17, 2014 - 06:58AM JST

If they need to agreement of "the locals", what does this mean? Will the NRA simply find the smallest population possible and find out what it takes to bribe them into agreement? I would define locals as anyone who would be evacuating if the npp blows.

I'm fairly sure that it means the blessing from the mayor/s of the village/s or cities the plant is operating in. Okinawa is a great example of how locally elected representatives flip 180 degrees, even when they were elected on a platform vowing to not allow events to happen, after meeting with Abe so something tells me the locals could theoretically be 100% against the restart but it all comes down to that meeting in Nagatacho and whether the sweet deal Abe presents to the mayor/s outweighs his or her political future.

They are PWR reactors, the same type at Fukushima.

The Sendai reactors are PWRs, but the Fukushima reactors were BWR's. They are NOT the same type

and while I've applauded them on occasion they're STILL willing to allow NPPs to go back online before safety measures have been completed

Yeah, when they do things you like they are great guys and experts, but when they make decisions you don't like they are pro-nuclear industry lapdogs.

That simply is not safe

Yeah the fact that the Sendai plants operated for almost 30 years safely without any upgrades means they are now simply not safe.

@Alex80 LMFAO Russia & the US have over 11,000 nuclear warheads and you are stressed over Japans nuclear reactors!? some people are blind to anything thats not in front of them.

Many USA states do not have Nuclear power plants. Refer Solar Power in USA in WikiPedia. If you want to know example of a state, Solar Power in Calif in WikiPedia as Calif. often have earthquakes (trembles -not like in Japan). I usually live in Nevada that has no nuclear powered utility company, but Calif is a good example. Uranium in USA? Isn't Mongolia the top Uranium supplier in the world?

So my friend, please detail the workable alternatives that Abe and his cronies in the LDP have put forth as many in this camp have said Japan should look to alternative energy sources to reduce Japan's dependance on nuclear power generation.

Primarily deregulation of the energy markets - it should have a big effect in opening up renewable enterprise. His trip to Australia had some focus on renewable imports too. I'm no big fan of Abe - put the energy report's goal of baseline nuclear power + growing renewables makes the most compelling case for a sustainable future. I'd be delighted if I heard other plans to take away the need for nuclear - it's just that I haven't.

I guess if people listened to all those pro-science propagandists Fukushima would never happen again. The science is sound - it's the incompetent people and companies that were left to run the power stations that are fault. They are the people that should be paying the price, not nuclear power itself.

Great. I love nuclear power. I love my air conditioner. Hope all of them are restarted

I can see a lot of negative comments here. What people do not seem to get here is that it is a Nuclear Regulatory Agency - it is created with the premise that nuclear energy can be made sufficiently safe for use. It is not there to create an unwinnable game for nuclear power which seems to be what some wish it'd do.

Let's hope TEPCO can get some of theirs turned back on soon and get our monthly bills down!