"Safe and Steady Decommissioning of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant"
No Change to the 2051 Decommissioning Plan
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated on the 11th at the 14th anniversary memorial ceremony of the Great East Japan Earthquake, "We will do our best to newly establish the Disaster Prevention Agency and make Japan the world's leading disaster prevention nation."
Citizens of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, are observing a moment of silence to commemorate the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Photo by AP Yonhap News
According to Kyodo News, Prime Minister Ishiba attended the memorial ceremony held in Fukushima City, hosted by Fukushima Prefecture, and said, "We will thoroughly utilize the earthquake experience for thorough disaster prevention and strengthening disaster countermeasures."
He paid tribute to the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and expressed condolences to those who are inevitably continuing their evacuation life due to the impact of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.
He emphasized that the five years following the 'Second Phase of Reconstruction and Revitalization Period' starting from April 2021 is a very important period for reconstruction and said, "We will promote stronger reconstruction policies than ever before."
Prime Minister Ishiba stated, "Along with the safe and steady decommissioning of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which is the premise of reconstruction, we will respond to support for industrial and livelihood regeneration," indicating that he does not intend to revise the existing plan to decommission the accident nuclear power plant by 2051.
TEPCO succeeded in removing 0.7 grams of nuclear fuel debris from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant for the first time since the 2011 accident in November last year.
However, it is estimated that about 880 tons of nuclear fuel debris remain at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and since specific removal methods have not yet been decided, concerns have been continuously raised that it will be difficult to decommission the plant by 2051.
On the same day, residents in Miyagi Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture, which were also heavily damaged during the Great East Japan Earthquake, simultaneously commemorated the victims at 2:46 p.m., the time the earthquake occurred 14 years ago.
According to Japanese media, the number of deaths and missing persons from the Great East Japan Earthquake is 22,228, and about 28,000 people are still living in evacuation.
The Japanese government has invested a budget of 32.9 trillion yen (approximately 325.5 trillion won) for the reconstruction of the affected areas.
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