Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Tokyo's efforts to restore trust in nuclear power hit new snag - Media leaks prevent nomination of..
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/20/japan-nuclear-idUSL4E8IK1BT20120720
Tokyo's efforts to restore trust in nuclear power hit new snag
Fri Jul 20, 2012 4:13am EDT
* Media leaks prevent nomination of five candidates to new regulatory commission
* Limited pool of qualified candidates for positions
* Critics say candidates too close to nuclear industry and promoters
By Tetsushi Kajimoto
TOKYO, July 20 (Reuters) - Japan's government suffered a fresh setback on Friday in its efforts to restore trust in nuclear power, shattered by the Fukushima crisis, when media leaks forced it to delay nominating candidates for a new atomic safety watchdog.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has approved restarts of two reactors shut down for safety checks to avoid a potentially crippling summer power crunch -- all 50 reactors in operation in Japan had been taken off line. Now he faces growing pressure from anti-nuclear protests and deepening public distrust of power utilities and government bureaucrats.
The delay in appointments to the new regulatory commission, to be launched in September, comes days after the government drew fire over its handling of public hearings on energy policy. It also follows an anti-nuclear rally which drew more than 100,000 demonstrators on Monday.
The nomination of five candidates was called off after several newspapers reported the names of the candidates, prompting lawmakers to seek government clarification. The nominees must be approved by parliament.
In principle, lawmakers refuse to consider nominations to key posts if they have been leaked to the media, forcing the delay in presenting the slate to parliament. It was unclear whether the nominations would go ahead, with some media saying an exception to the "no leak" rule was possible, given the limited pool of qualified candidates.
<snip>
Tokyo's efforts to restore trust in nuclear power hit new snag
Fri Jul 20, 2012 4:13am EDT
* Media leaks prevent nomination of five candidates to new regulatory commission
* Limited pool of qualified candidates for positions
* Critics say candidates too close to nuclear industry and promoters
By Tetsushi Kajimoto
TOKYO, July 20 (Reuters) - Japan's government suffered a fresh setback on Friday in its efforts to restore trust in nuclear power, shattered by the Fukushima crisis, when media leaks forced it to delay nominating candidates for a new atomic safety watchdog.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has approved restarts of two reactors shut down for safety checks to avoid a potentially crippling summer power crunch -- all 50 reactors in operation in Japan had been taken off line. Now he faces growing pressure from anti-nuclear protests and deepening public distrust of power utilities and government bureaucrats.
The delay in appointments to the new regulatory commission, to be launched in September, comes days after the government drew fire over its handling of public hearings on energy policy. It also follows an anti-nuclear rally which drew more than 100,000 demonstrators on Monday.
The nomination of five candidates was called off after several newspapers reported the names of the candidates, prompting lawmakers to seek government clarification. The nominees must be approved by parliament.
In principle, lawmakers refuse to consider nominations to key posts if they have been leaked to the media, forcing the delay in presenting the slate to parliament. It was unclear whether the nominations would go ahead, with some media saying an exception to the "no leak" rule was possible, given the limited pool of qualified candidates.
<snip>
