A blueprint for ending radiation leaks and stabilizing reactors at Japan’s crippled nuclear plant drew a lackluster response yesterday, as polls showed diminishing public support for the government’s handling of the country’s recent disasters.
The plan issued by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) over the weekend, in response to a government order, is meant to be a first step toward letting some of the tens of thousands of evacuees from near the company’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant return to their homes.
Those forced to flee because of radiation leaks after a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami on March 11 knocked out the plant’s power and cooling systems are frustrated that their exile will not end soon and officials acknowledge that unforeseen complications, or even another natural disaster, could set that timetable back even further.
“Well, this year is lost,” said Kenji Matsueda, 49, who is living in an evacuation center in Fukushima after being forced from his home 20km from the plant. “I have no idea what I will do. Nine months is a long time and it could be longer. I don’t think they really know.”
Pressure has been building on the government and TEPCO to resolve Japan’s worst-ever nuclear power accident and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is facing calls for his resignation.
“You should be bowing your head in apology. You clearly have no leadership at all,” Masashi Waki, a lawmaker from the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, shouted during an intense grilling of Kan and members of his Cabinet in parliament yesterday.
“I am sincerely apologizing for what has happened,” Kan said, stressing that the government was doing all it could to handle unprecedented disasters.
TEPCO president Masataka Shimizu looked visibly ill at ease as lawmakers heckled and taunted him.
“I again deeply apologize for causing so much trouble for residents near the complex, people in Fukushima and the public,” Shimizu said.
Polls by several national newspapers released yesterday showed widespread dissatisfaction, with more than two-thirds of Japanese surveyed unhappy with how Kan’s administration has dealt with the country’s nuclear crisis.
“Nothing concrete,” said a headline in the Mainichi Shimbun of the plan.
“The nuclear timetable does not show enough consideration for the residents,” said the Nihon Keizai, a financial newspaper.
A majority of those surveyed in the polls by the Mainichi, Nihon Keizai and Asahi Shimbun expressed support, though, for tax increases to pay for reconstruction of areas devastated by the tsunami.
Goshi Hosono, an adviser to the prime minister and a member of the nuclear crisis management task force, said the government would closely monitor TEPCO’s implementation of its crisis plan and hoped it could be carried out ahead of schedule.
The timetable’s first step focuses on cooling the reactors and spent fuel pools, reducing radiation leaks and decontaminating water that has become radioactive, all within three months. The second step, within six to nine months, is to bring the release of radioactive materials fully under control, achieve a cold shutdown of the reactors and cover the buildings, possibly with a form of industrial cloth.
Nuclear safety officials described the plan as “realistic,” but acknowledged there could be setbacks.
“Given the conditions now, this is best that it could do,” said Hidehiko Nishiyama of the government’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, adding that conditions at the facility remain unstable.
Explosions, fires and other malfunctions have hindered efforts to repair the stricken plant and stem radiation leaks.
“There is no shortcut to resolving these issues. Though it will be difficult, we have to go step by step to resolve these problems,” he said.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese