"scholars who previously denied the possibility of nuclear power accidents should not be in charge of the safety review"
Much more...
http://www.cnic.jp/english/topics/safety/earthquake/fukukk23mar11.htmlStatement by Scientists and Engineers Concerning Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
March 23, 2011
Our Views of the Accidents at the Fukushima Nuclear Plants after the Earthquake
From: The Group of Concerned Scientists and Engineers Calling for the Closure of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant
Toda Building, 4th Floor, 1-21 Yotsuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0004
http://kkheisa.blog117.fc2.com/ Over ten days have passed since the Tohoku Pacific Offshore Earthquake hit the Fukushima Daiichi (No.1) Nuclear Power Plant on March 11, 2011. The progress of cooling the reactor cores is slow. The situation remains serious, and we do not yet know how this catastrophic accident will end.
The current situation clearly demonstrates the high vulnerability of nuclear plants throughout Japan to earthquakes and tsunamis. If a similar scale of earthquake hits other nuclear plants, it is quite possible that one or more accidents of a similar catastrophic scale may occur. Two nuclear plants in Japan are of particular concern to us: the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Plant, which was damaged by the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake, and the Hamaoka Nuclear Plant, which is located on top of the potential source fault of the expected "Tokai Earthquake." We suggest that the possibility of another large-scale accident similar to the one at Fukushima Daiichi should not be underestimated.
We, the members of The Group of Concerned Scientists and Engineers Calling for the Closure of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, have discussed how the current situation should be evaluated, and what kinds of demands need to be made to the electric power companies and the government. The following is the summary of our views.
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3. LESSON FROM THE KASHIWAZAKI-KARIWA NUCLEAR PLANT ACCIDENT WAS WASTED
It is clear that the past accident at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, which narrowly escaped turning into a major accident, was a warning about Japanese nuclear plant policies. For the past four years, we have been making this point. Unfortunately, the Japanese government and TEPCO did not learn the lesson from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa accident. We are angry and extremely disappointed by this.
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4. DEMANDS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE KASHIWAZAKI-KARIWA NUCLEAR PLANTS
Three local groups that are against the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nucelar Plant, as well as the Prefectural Residents' Group to Protect Peoples' Lives and Hometowns from the Nuclear Power Plant (Genpatsu kara Inochi to Furusato o Mamoru Kenmin no Kai) have requested that the governor of Niigata Prefecture, the mayors of Kashiwazaki City and Kariwa Village, and the president of TEPCO listen to their call to immediately stop the four units of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Plant. We strongly support their demand.
We also support their claim that scholars who previously denied the possibility of nuclear power accidents should not be in charge of the safety review as members of the Prefectural Technical Committee. It is necessary to reorganize this committee and appoint new members. The new committee should consist of scholars who have raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants, engineers who are familiar with nuclear plants, and representatives of prefectural residents.
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