In light of further nuclear risks, economic growth should not be priority — Mainichi Editorial

[bananas]

http://fukushima.greenaction-japan.org/2012/04/03/in-light-of-further-nuclear-risks-economic-growth-should-not-be-priority-%E2%80%94-mainichi-editorial/

In light of further nuclear risks, economic growth should not be priority — Mainichi Editorial
April 3, 2012

Takao Yamada, Senior Staff Writer, Mainichi Daily News

The government continues to take regressive steps in spite of the torrent of criticism it has received and the lessons that should have been learned since the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster.

This is evidenced in the fact that starting this week, which marks the beginning of a new fiscal year, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan (NSC) have no budget. The new nuclear regulatory agency that was supposed to begin operations on April 1 in NISA’s stead is now floundering amid resistance in the Diet from opposition parties. In other words, government agencies overseeing nuclear power now have an even more diminished presence.

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[kristopher]

1. Typical

The nuclear village will go to any length to protect this dead-end technology. Those who support it show by that support that their priorities for society writ large are wildly skewed from that of most people. At one time, when nuclear was a bright and shiny new toy it is possible to understand and excuse the kind of enthusiasm we see them demonstrate, but now with what we know it is difficult to attribute such dedicated support as the nuclear village is demonstrating to anything other than dark motives.