Protesters gathered outside the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant as Kyushu Electric Power Co. activated the No. 1 reactor on August 11. This was the first reactor to be restarted under new regulations since a tsunami laid waste to three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi site in 2011.⁽¹⁾

The Japanese government claimed that the reactor passed “the world’s strictest safety regulations.” Nevertheless, this has not eased the fears of many Japanese citizens. To make matters worse, the company decided to reactivate the plant, even though the Fukushima power plant continues to reek havoc on the environment.⁽¹⁾

Japanese officials have been eager to restart the reactor since new safety regulations were introduced two years ago. An estimated 48 reactors in Japan are considered too old to invest the time and energy to meet the new safety standards. Only five of the forty-eight units, including the Sendai plant, have claimed to be safe.⁽²⁾

Reactivating reactor triggers public outrage

Some protesters argue that the reactors should not be re-activated until soil contaminated by the Fukushima power plant is restored, whereas others argue that nuclear powers plants are unnecessary to begin with. Sending people back to work is nice. Preserving the environment upon which a flourishing economy depends is better.^(1,3)

The No. 1 reactor was shut down in 2011 for a regulation inspection. Pipes and other equipment have likely corroded since the plant was first shut down. Most reactors are not reactivated after sitting dormant for more than four years.⁽⁴⁾

In addition, the Sendai nuclear power plant is located in a region where volcanic activity is a threat. Many worry that safety protocols for an eruption have not been sufficiently developed. For instance, the development of an evacuation plan for assisted living centers has been postponed.⁽⁵⁾

Uproar between citizens and police

In an effort to prevent authorities from reactivating the plant, many citizens used their cars to block the plant’s front gate entrance. The group consisted of 150 to 200 protesters. The blocked cars sparked a deadlock between police and citizens. The police insisted that the protesters move their vehicles.⁽¹⁾

Despite these protests, officials started removing control rods from the reactor at 10:30 AM, starting the nuclear fission reaction. Authorities  hope to begin power generation and transmission next month.⁽²⁾

Reactivating the plant coincided with Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the Fukushima plant operator, issuing an agreement with local fishermen to release radioactive water into the ocean. The company plans to collect groundwater around the reactors, treat it and then release the water into the ocean early next month.⁽⁶⁾

The fishermen made a written request to TEPCO and the central government, noting the dangers of radioactive water after its been decontaminated. Many fishermen opposed TEPCO’s plan, since processed radioactive water had never been released into the ocean. The Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, therefore, called for strict monitoring of standards for discharged radioactive water.⁽⁶⁾

The massive amounts of radiation bleeding out of the Fukushima plant have had adverse effects on both the sea and land. Conservative estimates suggest that the Fukushima site will take a minimum of 40 years to clean up. It is therefore remarkable that the Japanese government has decided to reactivate the Sendai nuclear power plant a mere four years after the worst nuclear disaster to plague the 21st century.

The Fukushima disaster undermined claims that nuclear powers plants are safe, clean and inexpensive. Given that the Sendai nuclear power plant is located in a region of volcanic activity, let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself.

Sources include:

(1) http://mainichi.jp

(2) http://www.nytimes.com

(3) http://mainichi.jp

(4) http://www.rt.com

(5) http://ajw.asahi.com

(6) http://ajw.asahi.com