Kariwa villagers reject MOX fuel plan

The majority of villagers have said "no" to a plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel plan in Kariwa Village in Niigata Prefecture.

A plebiscite took place in the village on May 27 on whether to allow MOX fuel to be used in a nuclear reactor of Tokyo Electric Power Company's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant.

Voter turnout was 88.14 percent with 1,925 votes in favor, 1,533 against, and 131 reservations.

The referendum was held after the villagers' strenuous efforts to get their opinion heard on the important issue that will affect the village's future.

When the referendum result was reported in a newsflash, the campaign office of the residents' association beamed with joy. One villager after another dropped into the office to discuss what to do towards winning the withdrawal of the MOX fuel plan.

Ikeda Tsutomu, Japanese Communist Party member of the Kariwa Village Assembly, who has worked with the residents' association, said, "Democracy in the village has been strengthened through the referendum movement. Respecting the outcome, the village head and the central government should cancel the MOX fuel plan." (end)