Protest Statement by Obama Citizens Against Nuclear Reactor Establishment
June 14 2002
To: President Yosaku Fuji,
Kansai Electric Power Company.
Kansai Electric is attempting to return=export the falsified MOX fuel
to the United Kingdom.
The origin of this falsified MOX fuel if traced back is spent nuclear
fuel which came out of the Takahama nuclear power plant. It was returned
to Takahama in changed form. Fuel that will not be used is nothing more
than "waste" and should be treated as "high-level nuclear waste". Therefore
this export signifies the forcing of our waste onto other countries.
Since it is not permissible to selfishly throw one's waste into other
people's backyards, Kansai Electric should take responsibility for managing
and storing this waste. The basement of the new company headquarters
is the most appropriate place.
Kansai Electric is declaring that it has no contracts to fabricate new
MOX fuel at BNFL. But as the chairman of BNFL states, it is clear that
this "return" will lead to the signing of new contracts. This will also
lead to the acceleration of reprocessing at THORP. Spent nuclear fuel
from Kansai Electric and other Japanese electric utilities is continuously
polluting the Cumbrian region, and the Irish Sea. Hasn't the great antipathy
of the Irish people reached the ears of Kansai Electric?
Shipments of spent nuclear fuel, vitrified high-level waste, and MOX
fuel are provoking anxiety among the people of en route countries. Why
does Kansai Electric refuse to look at this reality? If nuclear waste
was being circulated around the perimeter of your house, would you just
sit and laugh?
Kansai Electric understands more than any other that the pluthermal
program is not economic and that it does not save resources. Now that
the nuclear fuel cycle which was centered around the development of
fast breeder reactors has broken down, Kansai Electric should withdraw
from reprocessing and abandon MOX fuel fabrication.
The other day, the Atomic Energy Commission sent an unprecedented letter
of demands to the Fukushima Governor who has raised objections against
the promotion of the pluthermal program. In addition to the pressure
and stalker actions directed toward Kariwa village, the government has
now begun similar actions against Fukushima. The national government
and the Atomic Energy Commission's oppression and local contempt is
nothing new. But why is a private corporation such as Kansai Electric
so frightened of the national government's power? Kansai Electric is
constantly talking about "social responsibility". In that case, shouldn't
it gracefully withdraw from the broken down nuclear fuel cycle and the
national government's atomic energy policy, and convert itself to become
a more healthy company?
Reprocessing and the pluthermal program result in large quantities of
various radioactive wastes. As long as Kansai Electric is unable to
take responsibility for the disposal of all nuclear waste, we call for
the suspension of this "return" shipment, and withdraw from the pluthermal
program.
