Gov’t officials’ role in manipulating nuclear symposiums confirmed
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Central government officials were involved in attempts to manipulate how public opinion on nuclear power is presented at government-sponsored symposiums, a third-party panel investigating the matter said Tuesday.
According to an interim report submitted by the panel to the industry ministry the same day, officials of the government’s nuclear safety agency asked utility firms to encourage people related to the utilities to attend nuclear power symposiums several years ago and to voice opinions supportive of nuclear plants.
The three “pluthermal” nuclear project symposiums were held by Kyushu Electric Power Co. in October 2005 on its Genkai power plant, Shikoku Electric Power Co. in June 2006 on its Ikata plant and Chubu Electric Power Co. in August 2007 on its Hamaoka plant.
Pluthermal power generation uses plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel, which contains plutonium extracted from spent fuel, in existing reactors and is an important pillar of Japan’s nuclear program.
Panel head Takashi Oizumi, a lawyer who once headed the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office, said at a press conference that government officials’ involvement is also suspected in five more cases related to similar events held by Kyushu Electric and Tohoku Electric Power Co., and that the panel will investigate the matter further.
Kyodo, August 31, 2011
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/08/31/20110831p2g00m0dm006000c.html
Hokkaido Electric pressed staff to support ’pluthermal’ nuke plan at symposium: JCP
SAPPORO — The local branch of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) is accusing Hokkaido Electric Power Co. of pressing employees to stage remarks during a 2008 symposium expressing support for a so-called “pluthermal” program at its nuclear power plant.
The revelations come as Kyushu Electric Power Co. has come under fire for asking workers and subsidiaries to make comments during a TV program expressing support for the planned resumption of operations at two reactors at its Genkai Nuclear Power Plant.
“The move was vicious and despicable, and betrayed the trust of Hokkaido residents,” the JCP Hokkaido chapter said.
Hokkaido Electric’s public relations division said it will conduct an in-house probe into the allegations.
Akira Terayama, director for crisis management at the Hokkaido Prefectural Government, also said the prefectural government is investigating the accusation.
The liaison division of Hokkaido Electric’s Tomari Nuclear Power Plant sent an e-mail to 21 of the firm’s divisions, urging employees to express support for the program at the plant’s No. 3 reactor in the village of Tomari during a symposium that the prefectural government held in October 2008, the chapter said.
“In order to ensure that the program progresses smoothly, we hope that as many of you as possible will attend the symposium and express opinions in favor of the pluthermal program,” the e-mail partly reads.
A total of 469 people attended the symposium, held in the neighboring town of Iwanai. An expert delivered a keynote speech on the program and a panel discussion was held during the event.
During a following question-and-answer session, nine of the participants asked questions, but most of them voiced opposition to or raised concerns about the program, while only a few expressed support, according to Tsutomu Ota, a JCP member of the Iwanai Municipal Assembly.
However, over half of the 237 people who responded to the organizer’s survey following the symposium said the event largely cleared up their doubts about the program.
In the poll, 51 percent responded they felt that questions about the program were sufficiently discussed during the symposium, and 55 percent replied it helped deepen their understanding of the pluthermal program.
“The survey results were quite different from the atmosphere at the symposium, so I felt it was strange,” assemblyman Ota said.
In March 2009, Gov. Harumi Takahashi announced that she had approved the program.
In response to an Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry probe conducted following the Kyushu Electric scandal, Hokkaido Electric claimed that there had been no problems involving another symposium that the national government held two months before the prefectural government’s symposium.
Pluthermal refers to the use of plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel in light water nuclear reactors.
Mainichi Shimbun , August 26, 2011
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/08/26/20110826p2a00m0na020000c.html
Hokkaido Electric Power admits asking workers to support ’pluthermal’ plan at symposium
SAPPORO — Hokkaido Electric Power Co. has admitted having urged employees to express support for a so-called “pluthermal” program at its nuclear power station during a local symposium on the plan in 2008.
At a news conference on Aug. 26, Hokkaido Electric Power officials, including nuclear power division manager Ichiro Sakai, admitted that it sent an e-mail to employees urging them to express opinions in favor of the pluthermal program planned at the utility’s Tomari power plant during a prefectural government symposium in 2008.
“We take this situation extremely seriously. We’d like to restore the public’s trust in us,” one of the officials told the news conference.
The move comes as Kyushu Electric Power Co. is under fire for similarly asking workers and subsidiaries to stage questions on the planned resumption of operations at two reactors at its Genkai Nuclear Power Plant.
Hokkaido Gov. Harumi Takahashi, who gave the green light to the pluthermal plan in 2009, urges the utility to conduct a detailed probe into the scandal to get to the bottom of the case.
“It’s extremely regrettable. I’ll demand Hokkaido Electric promptly launch a thorough and detailed in-house probe,” the governor said in a statement. “I’d like to pay close attention to the development of the investigation.”
The Hokkaido chapter of the Japanese Communist Party obtained a copy of the e-mail and released it on Aug. 26.
In response to a preliminary in-house investigation, 11 employees reported that the e-mail remained in their office computers, while two others told their bosses that they remember having received the e-mail.
Mainichi Shimbun , August 27, 2011
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/national/archive/news/2011/08/27/20110827p2a00m0na011000c.html