――In the early morning of March 12, an earthquake occurred at 2:46 pm on March 11 about the background of visiting the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.Later, with the arrival of the tsunami, TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station fell into a total exchange power supply.In response to this situation, the government has issued a "Nuclear Emergency Declaration" based on the Special Measures for Nuclear Disaster Countermeasures (Original Disaster Law).In the framework of the Original Disaster Law, the overall responsibility was in the Prime Minister, and the responsibility for nuclear power operations was in TEPCO.However, the responsibility for evacuation was by the nuclear disaster countermeasures headquarters set up by the government.It was a law system that the government created a local disaster countermeasures headquarters, gathered local government officials, and took measures.However, the local government officials in the stricken area could not gather due to the earthquake and tsunami, and immediately after the disaster, the local measures did not work at all.
Under these circumstances, TEPCO has complained at midnight on the 11th, saying, "The pressure of Unit 1 is increasing steadily. If this is the case, the containment and pressure containers of the reactor may burst. I want to do a vent."A vent is to eliminate internal pressure to prevent the destruction of the containment.If you do that, a large amount of radioactivity will be released to the outside.Then, there is a question of whether the evacuation range can remain the conventional rule of 3 km or 5 km from the nuclear power plant.With these evacuation areas settings, TEPCO realized that they had sought vent's consent.The government has given the decision to expand the evacuation range at the same time as acknowledging vent.
However, I heard that "Vent can be done in a few hours", but there is no report that the vent has been performed no matter how many hours we wait."Why are you in a hurry, but you're not going," he said, "I don't know."I asked a lot of other things, but I didn't get any clear answers, and the situation on the site was not transmitted at all.So I decided that I had to listen to the story of the site directly, and went to the visiting the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on the morning of the 12th with a helicopter.
―― About interviews with the late Director Masahiro Yoshida I went to a seismic isolation building where TEPCO was a base for TEPCO, where I met Masahiro Yoshida for the first time.When asked why he couldn't vent, he explained very clearly."Bent can only open the valve, so it can be easily done with one switch. However, since all power supply is lost, no matter how much the switch is pressed, the valve does not open.However, the radiation dose is very high, so I have to work on a change of change. So the work is very difficult."Open" -The commentary was above.After hearing that, I was able to understand the situation well, so I encouraged the staff to say, "I want you to do my best."
――After visiting the coastal area of Miyagi Prefecture, we went north from Fukushima Prefecture and saw the coast of Miyagi prefecture, which was severely damaged by the tsunami, from a helicopter.This was also a terrible sight.I can't distinguish between the sea and the land anymore.The coast was all done, and the sea water was in the middle of the land.Looking at this situation from the sky, I deepened my awareness that it was a really tough tsunami, and came back to Tokyo before noon.
―― I was able to find out why the TEPCO head office could not explain accurately about the results of the nuclear power plant and the affected areas.And above all, being able to get acquainted with Director Yoshida was really helpful in responding to accidents afterwards.At the same time, I saw the tsunami situation directly and early, so I realized that the SDF had to be dispatched as much as possible.When the inspection results were shared with the Minister of Defense Toshimi Kitazawa (at that time), the Self -Defense Force capacity of 200,000, half of the 200,000 people, decided to dispatch the earthquake tsunami -affected area.It is based on the decision of Minister Kitazawa that the SDF was able to maximize the SDF to the stricken area as early as the disaster, but I think that it was one of the major factors that the content of the affected area was visited.
――I asked Shunsuke Kondo, Chairman of the Nuclear Service Committee, asked Shunsuke Kondo to consider the “worst scenario” and asked him to make a plan.In the worst case, people within a radius of 250 km, including Tokyo, had to evacuate.At that time, the most worrisome of the simulation was the used fuel pool of Unit 4.Since the period was under regular inspection, all fuel was transferred from the pressure vessel to the fuel pool.I was afraid that the fuel would evaporate the water in the pool and melt down there.The fuel pool is outside the containment container, so when the meltdown starts there, it will be a tremendous amount of radioactivity in the atmosphere.In that case, it was a scenario that would need to evacuate in a radius of 250 km.
According to a recent survey report, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was most worried about the situation.The U.S. Navy and others have been considering evacuation of 200 miles, 320 km, to protect the United States in Japan.In that case, all the US military bases in Yokosuka must withdraw.It has been revealed that there was a debate in the United States to make a very large choice.Under these circumstances, the U.S. Army requested the SDF to drop water into the nuclear power plant.It was confirmed that water remained in the pool of Unit 4, so it was dropped on Unit 3.
However, the dropping of the water was temporary, and it did not reach the stage of stably putting water in the pool.As a result of examining various means, it was determined that water injection by concrete putting machine was the most effective, and Deputy Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama was mainly procured.The layered machine that extends like an elephant's nose reaches the fuel pool and can be able to add water stably.The realistic reason is that the water has been replenished in the pool of Unit 3 and Unit 4, and the worst scenario has been escaped.
One of the factors was that the government and TEPCO's integration countermeasures, which were installed within TEPCO, began to function.On March 15, after I told President Masataka Shimizu that I could not do so to the so -called "withdrawal" request from TEPCO, I went to the TEPCO head office, where I created a joint countermeasure headquarters between the government and TEPCO.I did it.I was the Deputy Director of the Director, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kaieda, and President Shimizu TEPCO, and at the same time, my assistant officer was resident.The relevant ministry and US officials also gathered, and various information was gathered.Recent verification has also analyzed that various operations have begun to work well, affecting the convergence.
―― Regarding the support from the United States, the US government initially suspected that the Japanese administration had little information about the nuclear accident, so it was suspected that it was hiding something.Frankly, for the first week, TEPCO was rarely reported to the official residence.Rather, the United States, which had been monitoring unmanned aircraft to the nuclear power plant, knew the radioactivity leakage from the Prime Minister in Japan.I was concerned about the seriousness of the situation and asked, "What is going on?"
Given the future disaster prevention, in the unlikely event that a nuclear accident occurs, it will, of course, ask the United States for support.However, I think it is necessary to consider the role of monitoring the nuclear power plant for a certain extent in Japan, not just that.This is because the system is not clear whether the monitoring is the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology or the local government.The nuclear accident manual has been created, but it has not been stepped in the way of monitoring.I think the government should think about this.
I think it was not only a large scale, but also a more essential meaning when I had a bird's -eye view of the United States.The United States was very focused on the existence of Japan.Because Japan is the most stable allies in Asia, the home port of the seventh fleet, Yokosuka, and the largest US military base in Asia, Okinawa.From this point, it was very important to have the meaning of Japan in Asia strategies.That's why the United States did not just regard the Fukushima nuclear accident as a Japanese accident.Not only the United States in Japan, but also the U.S. military units, the United States themselves had to evacuate from Japan and provided the maximum support in consideration of subsequent effects.
―― Regarding the problem of emergency evacuation due to the nuclear accident, there was a critical accident of the nuclear power plant in 1999, but the evacuation range was at most hundreds of meters.Although it was a big accident, there was no earthquake or tsunami, so I don't think we needed a wide range of evacuation.
However, in the case of the Fukushima nuclear accident, it was a very serious situation because the nuclear power plant accident occurred due to the earthquake and tsunami.Based on the opinions of the Nuclear Safety and Safety Agency and TEPCO, the evacuation range was initially considering a radius of 3 kilometers or 5 kilometers.However, since we decided to do a vent, we quickly expanded the evacuation range.
As a result, many people who were hospitalized in the elderly and hospitals evacuated by bus.During the evacuation process, I was hit by heavy traffic jams and the acceptance system was not prepared, so as a result, there were people who would be 24 hours, in some cases, two or three days.。When I finally arrived at a place where I could accommodate somehow, it was a harsh situation that about 20 to 30 people had already lost their lives.I think it was the most sorry for me now.
Behind this, I did not assume that the difficult situation of the earthquake tsunami and the nuclear accident would occur at all.We decided to carry out vent, concerned about the effects of radioactive release, and expanded the evacuation range, but there was not enough evacuation system to respond to it.
―― Regarding the responsibilities of the evacuation plan, the safety standards, including evacuation plans caused by the nuclear accident, are part of the Nuclear Safety and Safety Agency, which was part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, a nuclear power plant jurisdiction.It was a framework.However, the plan was completely inadequate.After abolishing the Nuclear Safety and Security Agency in 2012 and launching the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the plan for the evacuation plan was to be responsible for relevant ministries and governments.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been established without any involvement in the evacuation plan.
There is still a problem with the responsibility system for evacuation planning.In fact, the responsibility system is not clear since the administration returned to the LDP.In the Diet deliberations, I have been asking for many confirmation, "Is it a government or a municipality? Who is responsible?"There are no examples of the government and municipalities that have issued an evacuation plan such as "this is okay."
A certain amount of evacuation range is shown, but if more things happen, it is "I can't do anything more.""Isn't it strange to restart nuclear power plants in such evacuation range and evacuation plan?"Regarding the evacuation plan, I think it is a very important problem not to clarify the authority of the government and local governments and not try to make a proper plan.
―― About the background of the establishment of the Nuclear Regulation Committee, this new institution models the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).In the case of Japan, some of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which is the nuclear power plant promotion agency, had undergone regulations.As a result, electric power companies such as TEPCO have a higher level of technical level, so there was a place where the regulation rules were created while listening to TEPCO, which is the subject of regulation.For some time, international organizations have pointed out that "it is strange that there is a regulatory organization inside the promotional agency."The Liberal Democratic Party has never changed it.
In the reflection, our administration has made a bill that completely separates the promotion side and the regulatory side.Fortunately, among the opposition parties and the Liberal Democratic Party at the time, there were quite a few opinions that "this should be firm", and eventually the ruling and opposition agreement was made, and the legislation was established.The current Nuclear Regulatory Commission is a so -called "Sanjo Committee" based on Article 3 of the National Administrative Organization Act, so it is a very independent administrative committee.The Nuclear Regulations Agency's system that supports the committee is not the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, but is responsible for the Ministry of the Environment.In the last decade, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has pointed out that the LDP government has stopped it.As a matter of fact, it cannot be stopped.I think the impact of this reform was very large.
――Are about 20 of the 54 nuclear power plants, about 20 decommissioning on the road to the nuclear power plant have been decided.On average in the past 10 years, only 3 % of all power plants have generated power.So, in effect, the nuclear power plant is almost the same.
However, there is a regular inspection once a year, and each time it is relatively frequently reported to stop the nuclear power plant, stop, and move it, so maybe the people have moved a considerable nuclear power plant.You may be misunderstood.However, in fact, the amount of power generation is very low.
Regarding future restarting, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has continued to conduct a fairly strict screening, so the restart will not increase.Globally, construction costs are about three times the construction cost of the construction of a new nuclear power plant before and after the nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture.Therefore, the cost of power generation is about 15 yen/kwh.The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry also says that it is over 10 yen/kwh.The reason why it's super is probably because I don't know how much.
On the other hand, the renewable energy is about 7..5 yen/kwh.Some countries are less costly.From a economic perspective, it is common sense in the world that nuclear power is no longer compatible.So, if the Constitutional Democratic Party takes the administration, if the Democratic Party states, "I will not make any more nuclear power plants, I will not operate more. I will create a system that can supply 100 % power in other ways," and move it into execution.You can finish the nuclear power plant naturally, not so exaggerated.
――As of the constitutional Democratic Party's policy realization of policy realization, there are quite a few members of the Democratic Democratic Party who have experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear accident in the Democratic Party.I think that the experience in charge of the administration will be a great effect on the future of the government and creating a zero nuclear power society.
Specifically, when the Democratic Party won the general election and the Hatoyama administration was first born, there were probably no 10 among the members of the Diet in the government.。I happened to have the Minister of Health and Welfare in the era of the new party, but one of the few ministers experienced.I think that Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was the first Prime Minister to take office for the first time.In that sense, the Democratic Party had a very weak member of the Diet who had managed the government as a minister.
On the other hand, the constitutional Democratic Party has considerable administration, such as former ministers, vice ministers, and former ministers.I am convinced that if experienced politicians and young people share the roles when they are in charge of the administration in the future, it will be possible to establish a very stable, powerful administration and a highly capable administration.