大飯再稼働―これでは不信ぬぐえぬ

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 31
EDITORIAL: Noda’s premature decision to restart Oi reactors
大飯再稼働―これでは不信ぬぐえぬ

The Noda administration has effectively decided to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Oi nuclear power plant.
　野田政権が関西電力大飯原発３、４号機の再稼働を事実上、決めた。

The government concluded that it has obtained the understanding of the Union of Kansai Governments, which has been opposed to the restarts. The association on May 30 called on the government to make an “appropriate judgment” on the assumption that the reactivation is a “limited” response.
再稼働に反対してきた関西広域連合が３０日、「限定的なものとして適切な判断」をするよう求めたことで、理解が得られたと判断した。

We have been opposed to restarting nuclear plants without addressing some important issues. There has been no significant progress in securing the safety of nuclear plants, and we have strong doubts about the Noda administration’s judgment.
　私たちは、見切り発車のように原発を再稼働させることに反対してきた。原発の安全性確保をめぐる状況に、大きな変化があったわけではない。野田政権の判断に強い疑問を抱かざるをえない。

In deciding whether to restart nuclear reactors, we believe it is most important to review safety standards and anti-disaster measures based on lessons from the Fukushima nuclear accident. Crisis management measures need to be established to minimize damage from an unanticipated disaster.
　私たちが再稼働の判断で最も重視したのは、福島の事故を踏まえた安全基準や防災対策の見直しであり、「想定外」のことが起きても減災をはかる危機対応の整備だった。

More than anything, we have asked the government to draw up a road map for moving away from nuclear power and make a clear policy shift. Only a minimum number of nuclear plants required should be in operation.
　なにより、脱原発への道筋を明確にし、「必要な数しか動かさない」政策への転換を示すことが不可欠だと指摘してきた。

However, the Noda administration has decided to restart the Oi reactors based on a political judgment, without evaluation by experts.
What it has done only amounts to a stopgap measure, namely introducing stress tests and having the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency compile provisional safety standards.
　ところが、野田政権が進めたのは、ストレステストの後、付け焼き刃ともいえる暫定的な安全基準を原子力安全・保安院にまとめさせ、専門家の評価なしに政治判断で再稼働に踏み出すことだった。

The government has not produced concrete measures to reduce Japan’s dependence on nuclear power. People remain concerned that the government may be trying to bring nuclear reactors back online without meaningful debate.
　政権から脱原発依存に向けた具体策は示されていない。「なし崩し的に原発を動かそうとしているのではないか」。国民の不信はぬぐえないままだ。

We cannot understand why the Union of Kansai Governments, which has critically pointed out these problems, abruptly changed its stance on May 30.
　こうした問題点を厳しく指摘してきた関西広域連合が３０日になって、姿勢を転換したのにも首をかしげる。

At a meeting of the Union of Kansai Governments, nuclear power policy minister Goshi Hosono said, “We will examine (nuclear plants), including the Oi plant, under new safety standards after a new nuclear regulatory agency is set up.” He noted that the Diet has begun discussions on legislation to create the new agency.
　関西広域連合の会合に出席した細野原発相は、原子力規制庁の設置法案が国会で審議入りしたことを踏まえ、「規制庁発足後、大飯を含め新たな安全基準で再度精査する」と説明した。

If that is the case, the government should clearly state that it would keep the Oi plant running only this summer and shut it down again once power demand falls.
　であれば、大飯を稼働させるにしても、あくまでこの夏に限定した措置とし、電力需要が一段落したところで再度停止することを明言すべきだ。

The government should also announce its policy to decommission aging reactors as well as those vulnerable to major earthquakes. Some examples include the Tsuruga No. 1 reactor and the Mihama No. 1 reactor, both of which started operations more than 40 years ago.
　加えて、運転開始からすでに４０年を超える敦賀１号機や美浜１号機をはじめとした老朽化原発や、大地震などのリスクが大きい原発の廃炉を早期に打ち出す必要がある。

The reactivation of the Oi plant should not slacken efforts to have regional utilities supply power to each other or have companies and households save electricity.
　大飯原発の再稼働で、電力融通や節電対策の手が緩むことがあってはならない。

There are good chances of power stations having problems, and the western part of Japan is expected to have far from enough electricity. It is important to continue experimenting with a wide-area operation of electricity grids and measures to curb power demand, partly for planning the nation’s future electric power policy.
　発電所にトラブルが発生する可能性は十分にあるし、西日本全体では依然として電力は不足気味だ。今後の電力政策を考えるうえでも、送電網の広域運用や需要抑制策の実績を積み重ねていくことが重要である。

The people were preparing themselves for a “summer without nuclear plants” following a third-party review of regional utilities’ electricity demand-supply forecasts. The people’s will should not be defied.
　第三者による電力需給見通しの検証を経て、国民は「原発ゼロの夏」への備えを整えつつあった。その意志を無視してはならない。