Random Citations from the Archives of  <Green Action >　

http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/entop2/

2009-11-5 http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/wordpress0/index.php?p=75
Press Release: Genkai Nuclear Power Plant Starts MOX Fuel Use 460,000 Citizens
Demand Suspension Round-the-Clock Sit-In Begins

“On 28 October Japan’s nuclear regulator NISA (Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency)
admitted that there are no legal grounds for the government's criteria for imported fuel
assembly inspection of MOX fuel. This admission was made to an Upper House Diet office.
Citizens, and national and Saga prefectural legislators demanded that NISA come to Saga
to explain. NISA is yet to do so.・・・・

On 7 October, NISA stated that it couldn’t deny the possibility that the same quality fuel
Kansai Electric rejected in August is in Genkai's MOX fuel. (Kansai Electric rejected
one-quarter of the fuel that had been manufactured for use in its Takahama Unit 3 and
4 reactors.) Both utilities'MOX fuel was fabricated at Areva’s MELOX plant in Marcoule,
France.・・・・・・

Subsequently, Kyushu Electric refused to disclose pertinent information concerning its
self-inspection criteria, stating that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, their principle
contractor for MOX fuel fabrication would not allow the disclosure.
(The same kind of information has been released by Kansai Electric and their principle
contractor Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd.) Kyushu Electric stated that MELOX assured
them that Kyushu's MOX fuel had no problems like the one found in Kansai Electric
MOX fuel, but the utility admitted they were not shown data to confirm this was correct.
The concentration of plutonium in Genkai’s MOX fuel is unprecedented and exceeds
even that used in France.・・・・・

The shipment of MOX fuel for use at Genkai and two other plants which took place this
spring did not meet MLIT (Ministry of Land, Transport and Infrastructure) requirements.
On 26 February, twenty Diet members signed on to an open letter addressing this concern.
One of them includes the current MLIT minister Seiji Maehara, and, two other ministers
in the Hatoyama government. Future shipments can-not meet this requirement (MOX
fuel cask drop test) at this point. In April a report commissioned by 70 nuclear free
local authorities in the UK found that the British-flagged vessels which transport
the MOX fuel from Europe to Japan have serious design flaws. Japan’s program is
dependent on these shipments since there is no commercial MOX fuel plant in Japan
to supply electric utilities. Japanese nuclear transports are protested by dozens of
en route countries.

2009-3-6　http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/wordpress0/index.php?p=66
IAEA’s Response to Green Action’s Joint Open Letter to Director General
Mohamed ElBaradei

―IAEA:“ In carrying outits safeguards verification activities the Agency does not
　differenciate between different isotopic grades of plutonium
　( i.e. the same verification measures apply).”　―

2009-3-2 http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/wordpress0/index.php?p=63
Open Letter to IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei 2 March 2009

“Late last week following an interview with French news agency, AFP,
an industrial source was cited in the article stating that,

　―　To make a bomb out of MOX,you would first need an installation
　　　in order to separate the plutonium from the uranium. And still,
　　　the result would only be plutonium of civil quality and not military
　　　quality,affirmed this source. 　―

These statements are clearly misleading, stating as it does there is
a distinction between civil and military grade plutonium. This, as you
are aware, is not the formal position of the IAEA, which classifies
commercial plutonium MOX fuel as Category 1 nuclear material,
requiring the highest level of security protection.　As the IAEA
safeguards glossary states, conversion of MOX fuel or powder to
finished plutonium (metal) is of the order of 1-3 weeks
.
Greenpeace is long used to Japanese nuclear industry denials that
reactor-grade plutonium is a proliferation threat, and that it cannot
be used to make nuclear weapons.

However, you will be aware that as long ago as 1990 your predecessor
Hans Blix confirmed to the Nuclear Control Institute that the IAEA
does not dispute that reactor-grade plutonium can be used to
manufacture nuclear weapons.

Both you and your predecessor would surely agree that,
the proliferation activities required to obtain weapon-usable
plutonium from fabricated [mixed oxide] fuel assemblies would
be essentially the same, (as for oxide) with addition of a simple
sawing operation.　U.S.Department of Energy,1980.

2008-2-26 http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/wordpress0/index.php?p=56
Earthquakes and Nuclear Power in Japan: Nuclear Power Industry Covers
Up Its Dirty Laundry ? Will the International Community Have Wool Pulled
Over its Eyes?

http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/wordpress0/index.php?p=58
Appeal to G8 Environment Ministers: How can Japan take leadership on
environmental issues when it legalizes massive radioactive pollution of
the Pacific Ocean　and Asian atmosphere?

2007-9-7 http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/wordpress0/index.php?p=55
Press Release: Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake ? Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power
Plant　NGO’s demand IAEA stop misleading international community and
TEPCO improve transparency

“They also criticized Philippe Jamet, head of the Expert Mission, for saying
it would take “months or a year” to put the plant back into operation,
even though a careful reading of the Expert Mission’s 17 August 2007
report shows that there are strong grounds for believing that the plant
can never be operated again.

・・・・Only when sufficient basic data is available in English will
the international community be able to independently analyze the findings
and the lessons learned.“

http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/wordpress0/index.php?p=37
Letter to governor of Aomori　concerning Rokkasho and nuclear proliferation
sent by Edwin S. Lyman, Jungmin Kang, and Frank von Hippel

“It is quite unfortunate that the Japanese government continues to
give this　kind of misinformation to you, your staff, and the people of
Aomori　Prefecture　on such an important issue and refuse to give
any technical justification for the assertion that the MOX mixture is
less of a concern for proliferation than plutonium oxide.

Let us repeat here again: Before authorizing the startup of the RRP,
you should request that the Japanese Government provide a detailed
technical explanation as to why this MOX mixture will be significantly
less useful than pure plutonium oxide for proliferant states or terrorists
seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

If it cannot provide a technically sound explanation, you should not
allow the RRP to begin operation. Otherwise, your decision to start
active testing at the RRP will be based on a highly inaccurate and
dangerously incomplete assessment of its proliferation risk.“

http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/wordpress0/index.php?p=13　　
Tokyo Electric Scandal Updates

http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/wordpress0/index.php?p=20
To Urge Japan Not To Go Forward With Separation Of Massive
Quantities Of Plutonium At The Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

“We are therefore seriously concerned with the current build-up in
nuclear tensions in the Far East- the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
This, more than anything, urges us to write to you today.”