2005年06月23日

text by  Martin Frid 

 By Konagaya Minnoru, Stop Hamaoka Network
Special for Japan Offspring Fund, June 2005
Homepage http://tabemono.info/english/index.html

Chubu Electric Power Co. began operating the first Hamaoka nuclear power plant in March, 1976. Only five months later, in August 1976, earthquake experts announced the result of their detailed examination of the region. The experts found that the Tokai region earthquake is a reoccurring event, with the last major earthquake hitting the region about 159 years ago. They predicted that an 8.0 Magnitude earthquake is overdue for the region. This is 10 times more powerful than the earthquake that hit Kobe in 1995.

We are concerned that there are many illegal issues regarding the construction and operation of the Hamaoka reactors.

In August, 2004, cracks in the concrete at Hamaoka 4 were found. This was revealed after a whistle-blower told the truth about faulty inspections. In addition, in April 2005, local media has shown the testimony of a former technician responsible for the safety designs at the Hamaoka nuclear power plants in Shizuoka prefecture. In his testimony, he revealed how test data was manipulated and falsified when the first reactors were built.

Conflicting views about safety

A problem with the official earthquake predictions related to the Hamaoka reactors is that they do not take into consideration the reality of a major earthquake. For example, the “rolling” or horizontal earthquakes are usually not as severe as a “drop” or vertical earthquake. In fact, in the Kobe earthquake, even highways, that the Japanese government had claimed were safe, were destroyed due to the vertical drop.

As for safety concerns, if we apply the radiation data from the Chernobyl accident in the former Soviet Union in 1986, an area from Niigata to Kanto could be contaminated. This means that the entire area would be unsafe to live in. This is a terrifying thought, as one estimate puts cancer rates at above 1,760,000 people. Other estimates are even higher, depending on how many of the five Hamaoka reactors are damaged.

We cannot stop an earthquake, but we can stop the reactors. It is our wish that as many people as possible hear about these risks. We need to make the public aware of the issue, and stop the Hamaoka nuclear reactors, before it is too late.

For more details about the opposition to the Hamaoka nuclear reactors, please see Stop Hamaoka Network's website:

http://www.stop-hamaoka.com/english/english.html

(22:03)

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