Press Conference by the Chief Cabinet Secretary (Excerpt)

Q&As

• Oi Nuclear Power Station

REPORTER: I have a question concerning the operation of Oi Nuclear Power Station. Recently the city and prefecture of Osaka have made a request concerning Oi Nuclear Power Station that in order to revise the new safety standards, the power station, which was restarted in the summer, should be shut down once again. Today Governor Matsui has stated that there are no other nuclear power stations in the world that are operating on the basis of provisional standards and that he would like the new standards to be revised, noting that the central government does not seem to share this common perception. Can I ask for your views on the governor's statement and what response the Government will be making?

CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY FUJIMURA: I may be repeating myself, but I would note that as I have responded previously the request from Osaka city and prefecture was in the form of a document. When considering the restarting of operations at nuclear power stations it has naturally been the case that the most important prerequisite is to ensure safety, based on expert judgment. The safety of the Unit 3 and 4 reactors at Oi Nuclear Power Station was confirmed according to various standards that have been in place since last year. Therefore, the restarting of operations was not merely for a limited time in order to overcome summer energy supply issues. Recently the Nuclear Regulation Authority was established and from now it is this body that will implement the safety regulations for all nuclear power stations from an independent perspective.

(Abridged)