Int’l Workshop on Fukushima Nuclear Accident Held 15 Years On

Futaba, Fukushima Pref., June 27 (Jiji Press)–An international workshop on Japan’s worst nuclear accident 15 years ago was held in the town of Futaba in the eastern prefecture of Fukushima on Saturday. The gathering took place at a hotel that opened this month in Futaba, one of the two municipalities hosting Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, where an unprecedented triple reactor meltdown occurred due to heavy damage caused by the March 2011 tsunami from a massive earthquake. A total of about 140 nuclear regulatory officials and experts, including those from the United States and France, took part in the workshop, sharing the lessons of the nuclear disaster and the outcomes of research on responses to the accident and decommissioning of the crippled power plant. The meeting was held jointly by Japan’s Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation (NDF) and Nuclear Regulation Authorities, and the Nuclear Energy Agency, an affiliate of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. NDF official Toyoshi Fuketa said in an address at the start of the meeting that the decommission work is still in the initial stage, so international cooperation is necessary. NEA Director-General William Magwood stressed the responsibility of not forgetting people of Fukushima, adding that this is an issue for not only Japan but also the international community. He also said people concerned will work on the issue in unity until the last minute. At a joint press conference after the workshop, Magwood said that he is impressed by the progress in Futaba’s postdisaster reconstruction and that he hopes residents will return to the town early. On Sunday, participants will discuss the course of the decommissioning work and how residents should be allowed to join decision-making regarding nuclear policies. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]