TEPCO completed the loading of nuclear fuel into Unit 7 of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant (Niigata Prefecture) on the 26th, and remains positive about its restart. Victims of the Fukushima accident who evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture to Niigata City have voiced strong opposition, saying, “With no sign of decommissioning of the Fukushima reactor in sight, and with frequent earthquakes like the Noto Peninsula earthquake, are we going to restart the reactor?” . (Natsuko Katayama)
◆Flashback of fear due to Noto Peninsula earthquake
Mayumi Takahashi (52), who evacuated from Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture to Niigata City, recalled the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident during the long and violent shaking of the Noto Peninsula earthquake. Nishi Ward, Niigata City, where she evacuated, recorded a seismic intensity of 5+. “Is Kashiwazaki-Kariwa okay?” she asked. Her 17-year-old daughter, who was 4 years old at the time of the disaster, had flashbacks of the horrors of the time and started crying, making it difficult for her to breathe.
The post office near Mr. Takahashi’s house suffered major damage during the Noto Peninsula earthquake, with the road surface dropping more than 30 centimeters in the parking lot and exposing underground pipes. On the 24th in Nishi Ward, Niigata City.
“Run!” The house is 2 km from the sea. I rushed out after hearing the news that a tsunami was coming soon, but I couldn’t get my car out because the ditch in the parking lot had risen about 20 centimeters and there were steps. The family of four managed to lift their car and evacuate.
Thirteen years ago, Takahashi saw the explosion at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 on TV and was horrified. He thought about his children, who were 4 and 7 years old at the time, and decided to evacuate the mother and child. An unfamiliar environment, unstable children, a new job… Three years later, she was able to live with her husband, but her mental and physical fatigue accumulated and she suffered from panic attacks for a time. She has lost so much, including her hometown and relationships, and is still haunted by anxiety as she cannot see her future.
After seeing the damage in Noto, I felt that evacuation would be impossible in the event of an accident. Takahashi feels hopeless, wondering if we will still rely on nuclear power plants even though large earthquakes are occurring frequently in various places. “Nuclear power plants can no longer exist. Not to mention Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which is one of the largest power plants in the world. If an accident were to occur, it would be far from Fukushima. If human life is a priority, restarting operations should not be the answer.”
Amid the fear of the long and violent tremors caused by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, Mayumi Takahashi first worried about the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, about 60 kilometers away, in Nishi Ward, Niigata City.
◆My son cried in the bathroom…I don’t want him to feel the same way.
After the nuclear accident, a 55-year-old woman living in Koriyama City was shocked by the high radiation levels in her home and evacuated to Niigata City with her husband and three young children. The children took time to adjust to their new environment. His heart ached when his eldest son, who had been bullied, cried by himself in the bathroom, saying, “Fukushima was good.” My second son became irritable and unstable, and was often called to school. He is fighting in court to have Kashiwazaki-Kariwa banned from driving because he doesn’t want others to feel the same way they did again.
Both my house in Fukushima and my house in Niigata are about 60 kilometers from the nuclear power plant. “If we restart operations to pay compensation and rebuild business, what will we do if another accident occurs?In the first place, there is no sign that Fukushima will be decommissioned, and there are still many people who have evacuated. Are you qualified to move it?”
Regarding TEPCO’s decision to load nuclear fuel without waiting for the consent of the local government, “I sense a strong will to do whatever it takes.” I hope that Niigata Prefecture’s Governor Hideyo Hanazumi and others will make decisions that will be the focus of the future. “No matter how much the people raise their voices of opposition, the government won’t listen. I hope the governor takes note of the current situation with the Fukushima accident and frequent earthquakes and listens to the voices of anxiety.”
Tags: Nuclear power plants longer Niigata evacuating Fukushima .. Anger TEPCO moving restarting KashiwazakiKariwa Tokyo Shimbun TOKYO Web
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