Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� November, 2003

Nuclear Energy Disaster Prevention Drill Wednesday, November 26, 2003 A Nuclear Energy Disaster Prevention Drill was conducted. This Drill is required under the Special Law on Nuclear Disaster Countermeasures established as a result of lessons learned from the criticality accident at Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture in 1999. This year, it was assumed that an accident had occurred at a nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture and there was a danger that radioactive material could be released from the plant. In response, Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture, and the national government jointly conducted a drill, with a total of 9,000 participants, to ensure the safety of local residents. At the drill, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi received a report of the occurrence of a nuclear energy emergency at the Prime Minister's Official Residence from the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Minister of State for Disaster Management and immediately issued the Declaration of Nuclear Emergency Situation. Prime Minister Koizumi then held a meeting of the Government Countermeasure Headquarters for Nuclear Disaster and a video conference with Mr. Goji Sakamoto, the Senior Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, serving as head of the Local Headquarters for Disaster Control, and Mr. Yasushi Furukawa, the Governor of Saga Prefecture and others, confirming the situation and instructing them to take all possible measures. Relevant ministries then reported on the responses being implemented, and the necessary Government policies were decided. The Drill was carried out on a large scale with participations from the local governments, businesses and residents and included the indoor evacuation of children and students from primary and lower secondary schools near the nuclear power plant in Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture.