The Farce to Restart Ooi Nuke Plant Proceeds, All-Clear Expected on June 15

The farcical official ceremony to restart a nuclear power plant that does not have an earthquake-proof building like Fukushima I Nuke Plant and which possibly sits on top of an active fault or two on the coast of Fukui Prefecture continues, in complete disregard for the "small people".

From Jiji Tsushin (6/14/2012), we learn that:

• Fukui Prefectural Assembly met on June 14, and the whole assembly (except for the Japan Communist Party members and unaffiliated members) deferred to the governor of Fukui Issei Nishikawa to make the final decision of the restart.

• Ooi-cho's Mayor Shinobu Tokioka agreed to the restart, and cited 5 (non-)reasons why he was in favor of the restart to the municipal assembly. They were 1) Prime Mnister Noda made a speech to the citizens of Japan about the necessity of the Ooi restart; 2) Experts in the prefecture said it would be safe; 3) There would be a special surveillance system; 4) The Ooi-cho assembly had agreed to the restart; 5) His town had a responsibility to provide electricity to Kansai Region.

According to the same Jiji Tsushin news, the next stage of the ceremony will include:

1. The governor of Fukui will ceremoniously confer with the mayor of Ooi-cho, to confirm the mayor's intention of the plant restart.

2. The governor will then seek further assurance for safety from KEPCO.

3. KEPCO will tell the governor the plant will be safe.

4. The governor will tell the national government that he will agree to the restart.

5. The prime minister will declare the restart. [Remember, he is restarting the plant for the sake of the Japanese citizens.]

So the grand finale will be on Friday, June 15, right before Noda departs for Mexico for the G20 meeting, whether the residents of Japan like it or not.

As a gesture to further placate the unreasonable citizenry who demand no nuclear plant restart, the Diet will pass a legislation, also on June 15, which was concocted behind the closed door by the non-official officials of the leading parties (DPJ, LDP and Komei Party). The legislation will create a new government council on nuclear disaster prevention whose members will include all the cabinet ministers.

Also from Jiji Tsushin (6/14/2012):

「原子力防災会議」創設＝規制組織法案で最終合意－民自公

DPJ, LDP, Komei agreed on the legislation on nuclear regulatory organizations that would newly create "Nuclear Disaster Prevention Council"

民主、自民、公明３党は１４日、原子力安全行政を担う新組織設置の関連法案をめぐる協議で最終合意した。原発事故に関する平時の防災体制として、首相を議長とし全閣僚らで構成する「原子力防災会議」を創設する。最終合意を受け、同法案は議員立法で１５日にも衆院を通過、今国会で成立する見通しだ。

On June 14, DPJ, LDP, Komei came to the final agreement on the legislation to create the new organizations in charge of nuclear safety. As the nuclear disaster prevention organization in peacetime, "Nuclear Disaster Prevention Council" will be newly created, with the prime minister at its head and made up of all the cabinet ministers. Now that the parties have agreed, it will be proposed as "legislation by Diet members" and is expected to pass the Lower House on June 15.

原子力防災会議の創設は、民主党の仙谷由人政調会長代行、自民党の林芳正政調会長代理、公明党の斉藤鉄夫幹事長代行が１４日、国会内で協議して合意した。

Creation of the Council was discussed and agreed on by DPJ's Yoshito Sengoku (Acting chairman of the Policy Research Council), LDP's Yoshimasa Hayashi (Acting chairman of the Policy Research Council), and Komei's Tetsuo Saito (Acting Chief Secretary) inside the Diet building on June 14.

Ummm. The government had a similar committee already at the time of the Fukushima I Nuke Plant accident. It miserably failed. So what do the true-blue politicians do? Do it again of course. Maybe the next time will be different!

If you are in Tokyo or Osaka on June 15, you can join the demonstrations at the Prime Minister's Official Residence (Tokyo) or KEPCO's headquarters (Osaka City) at 6PM. For more, see my previous post.

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