The ongoing saga of the 2011 meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has cast a long shadow over the nuclear power industry, raising questions about its safety and reliability. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has been unable to locate or remove the highly radioactive molten core or corium from the reactors, and the plants are too radioactive for humans to inspect. Robotic cameras are also zapped by the radiation.
The cleanup is expected to take decades, if it is ever completed. This has caused former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to accuse the current administration of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe of lying to the Olympic committee in 2013 in order to host the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan. Koizumi has become a vocal opponent of nuclear power, advocating for Japan to move towards renewable energy sources.
The city of Minamisoma, located 25 km north of the plant, has declared itself a “Nonnuclear City”, turning to solar and wind power in tandem with energy-saving measures. However, the Abe administration is pushing for the restart of seven nuclear reactors by the end of the fiscal year, with a total of 19 units restarted over the next 12 months.
It is clear that the 2011 meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has had a lasting impact on the nuclear power industry, and the consequences of the disaster will be felt for generations to come. Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has been outspoken in his criticism of the current administration, and has advocated for a shift towards renewable energy sources. The city of Minamisoma has already taken steps to become a “Nonnuclear City”, but the Abe administration is pushing for the restart of several nuclear reactors. It remains to be seen how this story will unfold.
Greenpeace/Japan Discovers Widespread Radioactivity
The Fukushima incident and the upcoming Tokyo Olympics have left many questioning whom to trust. TEPCO has admitted to misleading the public about the status of the nuclear meltdown and Prime Minister Abe has been caught lying to a major international sports tribunal, severely damaging his credibility. Third party sources may be the only reliable source of information; Greenpeace/Japan, which does not have a vested interest in nuclear power, has conducted over 25 extensive surveys for radiation throughout Fukushima Prefecture since 2011.
The Japanese people are pushing back against Prime Minister Abe’s efforts to reopen nuclear plants and repopulate Fukushima ahead of the 2020 Olympics. Greenpeace issued a statement in March 2016 that it is impossible to ‘clean up’ or ‘fix’ radiological disasters, and the Chernobyl disaster has resulted in a permanently closed restricted zone for the past 30 years.
Greenpeace’s recent press release in July 2016 revealed radiation levels along Fukushima rivers were up to 200 times higher than the Pacific Ocean seabed. The Abe administration is attempting to clean up radioactivity throughout Fukushima Prefecture, but the vast expanses of contaminated forests and freshwater systems cannot be decontaminated. The out-of-control radioactive blobs of corium remain a mystery, and the Olympics must go on.
