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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Saga governor approves 'pluthermal' operations

Saga Prefectural Governor Furukawa Yasushi on March 26 gave the green right to the Kyushu Electric Power Co. (Kyuden) plutonium-thermal project at the 3rd reactor of the Genkai nuclear power plant.

Kyuden plans to start operations of the 'pluthermal' reactor by FY 2010, the first of its kind in Japan. 'Pluthermal' operations use plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel together with uranium.

Japanese Communist Party Saga Prefectural Committee issued a statement on the same day in protest against the governor's approval stressing, "Don't turn Saga into a 'pluthermal' testing site." It criticized the governor for abandoning his role to defend residents' lives and safety.

JCP Saga Prefectural Committee Vice Chair Muto Akemi took to the streets calling on residents to raise their voices against the project. She pointed out that similar 'pluthermal' projects by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) have been suspended due to nuclear power plant accidents and fabrications of survey data.
- Akahata, March 27, 2006