Japan govt admits dangers of nuclear power
Date: 28-Mar-01
Country: JAPAN
"The use of nuclear power has many benefits...but at the same time there are potential dangers implicit in its use that call for an unflagging effort to maintain safety," it said in a white paper on nuclear safety.
Japan has 51 reactors and uses nuclear power to meet one-third of its energy needs.
The annual report by the government's Nuclear Safety Commission cited widespread criticism of the industry after Japan's worst nuclear accident at a uranium reprocessing plant in 1999.
The accident at a plant in Tokaimura, 140 km (90 miles) northeast of Tokyo, and a string of lesser mishaps at other nuclear facilities have severely eroded public faith in an industry deemed overconfident about the safety of nuclear power, it said.
The Tokaimura accident - the world's second-worst since Chernobyl in 1986 - occurred in September 1999 when three workers at a plant privately operated by JCO Co Ltd set off an uncontrolled nuclear reaction that took 20 hours to bring under control.
The poorly trained employees used buckets to pour nearly eight times the proper amount of a uranium solution into a tub, causing a self-sustaining nuclear reaction to occur. The resulting radiation killed two of the workers and forced the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents.
Public anger mounted as details emerged of slipshod production methods used at the facility.
Officials initially downplayed the seriousness of the accident, further compounding a deep-seated public mistrust in Japan's nuclear industry.
"The full disclosure of information is a prerequisite to regaining public trust," the white paper said.
