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Japan Agrees To UN Inspection Of Quake-Hit Nuke Plant
Tokyo (AFP) Jul 23, 2007 Japan has agreed to let UN experts inspect its largest nuclear power plant, which leaked radiation after a powerful earthquake, causing a scare, a report said. Kyodo News said the industry ministry has told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) it will agree to the inspection of the plant some 250 kilometres (155 miles) northwest of Tokyo. No officials could immediately be reached late Sunday to confirm the report, which quoted unnamed government officials. Last Monday's deadly 6.8 Richter-scale earthquake caused a fire for hours at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which automatically shut down. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), later said radiation leaked. The company said the amount was far too small to pose a health hazard but has come under criticism for initially underreporting radiation levels. Earlier Sunday, the governor of Niigata prefecture, where the plant is located, appealed to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to allow an IAEA inspection. "The accident created anxiety among the people and the prefecture has been hit hard by harmful rumours" about the possible impact of the radiation, Governor Hirohiko Izumida told reporters. "We have much to do on the facilities, management and system," the governor said. "In order to deliver accurate information, I think it's good to ask an international organisation to assess the situation." IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei had earlier called for transparency and said the UN watchdog was ready to assist in an inspection. Previous news reports had said Japan had no plans for an inspection by the IAEA, which is best known here for monitoring the nuclear weapons programme of arch-enemy North Korea. The earthquake killed 10 people, injured more than 1,000 and destroyed hundreds of buildings. Despite experiencing 20 percent of the world's strong earthquakes, Japan has been increasingly turning to nuclear power as it has virtually no natural energy resources of its own. The Nikkei business newspaper reported Sunday that TEPCO would suffer extra costs of at least 1.7 billion dollars due to the damage to the plant. It said it would be "extremely difficult" for TEPCO to resume operations at the plant by March next year as it will take time to have its quake-resistance capabilities reinforced. TEPCO, the world's largest private power company, will be forced to compensate clients that expected power from the plant, the Nikkei said. The earthquake has also caused leading automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., to curtail production after damage to a key supplier of car parts.
earlier related report Fires broke out at the plant after the massive 6.8 Richter-scale quake Monday, which also caused minor radioactive leaks. The plant has been shut since the quake and Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator, has faced a storm of criticism for initially under-reporting leaks. "This incident has caused fears among area residents. We hope to confirm the validity of (reports of) what happened and the current status as well as the leaked radiation data," said Tsuyoshi Ohkawa, nuclear safety officer at the Niigata prefecture government. The powerful quake struck just nine kilometres (five miles) from the plant, which automatically shut down. The quake killed 10 people, injured more than 1,000 and destroyed hundreds of buildings. Some 3,100 people left their houses and were staying at 66 shelters, which are mostly school gymnasiums or other public buildings. But about 100 of them Saturday had to leave one shelter, an elementary school gymnasium, due to fears its floor might collapse as a result of quake damage. Meanwhile, the controversy over the power plant has taken on an international dimension with Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), calling for transparency. But Japan has declined an IAEA offer to inspect the power plant, Kyodo News said, citing unnamed sources. Japan could, however, seek IAEA's inspection in the future, Kyodo said. The earthquake has also caused leading automakers to curtail production after damage to a key supplier of car parts. Leading automaker Toyota Motor will continue to suspend production at its domestic plants on Monday due to parts shortages, Kyodo said. Toyota officials could not be reached for immediate comment. Other Japanese car makers have already decided to halt production temporarily.
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Russian Anti-Nuclear Activist Killed In Attack
Moscow (AFP) July 21, 2007A Russian environmental activist died on Saturday after armed attackers raided a protesters' camp outside a nuclear facility in Siberia, officials and activists said. One of some 20 protesters at the tent camp told AFP the attackers were "skinheads" who had used baseball bats, hammers, metal rods and an axe during the raid near the Angarsk uranium enrichment plant. |
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