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Japan's Quake-Hit Nuke Plant Says Nothing To Hide
Tokyo (AFP) July 25, 2007 The operator of Japan's largest nuclear plant, which was damaged in a powerful earthquake, said Wednesday it had nothing to hide as UN inspectors prepared to visit. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team is set to arrive in Japan in the next few weeks to look at the sprawling Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO). Asked to promise the company would not hide anything, TEPCO vice president Ichiro Takekuro said: "If we did, we would lose the value of our company. It would be a tremendous bill to pay in the future." He dismissed a suggestion the firm would hurry up repairs of the plant to hide the true extent of the damage from the UN nuclear watchdog. "We will be conducting a detailed investigation into the current situation or just be preparing for that" when the IAEA team arrives, Takekuro told reporters. "We will not be in the midst of doing any repair work," he said. The pledge came amid reports that the plant would remain shut for a year, and even longer if major safety problems were detected. "At least one year is needed for operations to resume," Haruki Madarame, an expert in nuclear engineering, was quoted by Kyodo news agency saying late Wednesday. Madarame, a professor at the University of Tokyo, is set to be officially appointed head of a government-backed team to investigate the extent of damage at the plant and other nuclear facilities by last week's quake, Kyodo said. Japan said it invited the IAEA in hopes of easing international concern after the 6.8-magnitude earthquake caused a radiation leak on July 16. The earthquake struck off the coast near the plant, killing 11 people and destroying hundreds of homes. TEPCO said the quake automatically shut down the plant's reactors but triggered 63 problems, including a fire that lasted for hours and a radiation leak into the sea. The company said the radiation amount was far too small to pose a health hazard but has come under criticism for taking hours to report it and then understating the level.
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A Russian View Of The Quake-Hit Japanese Nuclear Plant
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Jul 25, 2007An earthquake hit the city of Kashiwazaki in Honshu last week, causing an estimated $33.3 billion worth of damage. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, one of Japan's largest, was in the earthquake zone. Radioactive substance leakage is reported. Japanese authorities and public are attacking the Tokyo Electric Power Company after it refused to give information on the danger. The alarm was sounded at the other end of the world, in the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. Dr. Mohamed El Baradei, its Director General, says he hopes TEPCO will not withhold any facts from investigation. |
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