The government has withdrawn from cleaning up the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident…The reason why the government is asking for the evacuation order to be lifted[Interview with the author]Journalist Kosuke Hino talks about the never-ending battle between the nuclear power plant town and its former mayor 1/6) | JBpress

13 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, where the accident occurred, straddles the towns of Futaba and Okuma in Fukushima Prefecture. Many of the townspeople who evacuated to various parts of Japan immediately after the accident have not yet returned, and the former mayor of Futaba continues to complain that the government’s response is strange.

What is he aiming for and why does he continue to fight? We spoke to Kosuke Hino, a journalist who continues to follow the nuclear power issue and published “Futaba Town: Indomitable General Katsutaka Idokawa: Protecting the Silent People from Nuclear Power Plants” (Heibonsha). (Interviewer: Hikaru Nagano, video journalist)

──This book is about Katsutaka Idogawa, who served as the mayor of Futaba Town in Fukushima Prefecture from December 8, 2005 to February 12, 2013. What kind of person is Mr. Idogawa?

Mr. Kosuke Hino (hereinafter referred to as Hino):Mr. Idogawa is the former mayor of Futaba Town, and was first elected as mayor in 2005. The Idogawa family is quite a prominent family in Futaba Town, and when I was shown a map of the land that Mr. Idogawa owns, I was surprised to see how vast it was.

I can’t help but think, “Perhaps the monk just became the mayor,” but as I listen to his story, it turns out that’s not the case.

After graduating from high school, Mr. Idogawa moved to Tokyo, returned to Futaba to take over the Idogawa family, and started a plumbing company. I visited that company once, and it was a fairly large company.

Futaba Town is the town where the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is located, but in reality it was not a financially prosperous town. Mr. Idogawa’s motive for becoming mayor was to rebuild Futaba Town, which was on the verge of bankruptcy.

──When you think of a nuclear power plant town, you get the impression that it is wealthy because of various subsidies, but…

Hino:Areas where nuclear power plants are located have something called the “Electric Power Three Laws Subsidy.” This is a subsidy that is deducted from electricity bills and provided to local governments where nuclear power plants are located. Electric power companies are also making donations.

However, in order to receive subsidies, areas where nuclear power plants are located tend to become box-office administrations, building gymnasiums, libraries, community halls, etc. As a result, the construction companies are temporarily enriched, but the more they are built, the higher the maintenance costs eventually become.

The main source of revenue for nuclear power plants for municipalities is fixed asset taxes, but fixed asset taxes are depreciated over 15 years, so they do not increase. If things continue as they are, we won’t have the financial resources to do so, so we will ask the government to build more nuclear power plants. Futaba Town was in such a state when Mr. Idogawa became mayor.

──The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in such a situation.