Nuclear Adviser to Japan’s Prime Minister Resigns Amidst Controversy

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TOKYO: A senior nuclear adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan submitted his resignation Friday, saying the government had ignored his advice and failed to follow the law.

Toshiso Kosako, a Tokyo University professor who was named last month as an advisor to Kan, said the government had only taken ad hoc measures to contain the crisis at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

In a tearful press conference, he said the government and its commissions had taken “flexible approaches” to existing laws and regulations, and ignored his advice after he was named an advisor on March 16.

“I cannot help but to think (the prime minister’s office and other agencies) are only taking stopgap measures… and delaying the end” of the nuclear crisis, he told reporters.

Tokyo officials had drafted measures to deal with the accident that were not in strict accordance with the law, and the decision-making process had been unclear, he said.

“There is no point for me to be here,” as the Kan administration had failed to listen to him, said Kosako, an expert on radiation safety.

It was not clear whether the government would accept the resignation, but his letter and comments served as a fresh blow to the embattled Kan, who has been badly criticised for his handling of the nuclear crisis.

The Fukushima Daiichi power plant has been releasing radioactive materials since it was battered by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that left nearly 26,000 people killed or missing.

The nuclear accident and natural disaster have forced the evacuation of more than 150,000 people from their homes.

On Friday, April 29th, 2011, Toshiso Kosako, a Tokyo University Professor resigned his post as Senior Nuclear Adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister stating that the government had failed to heed his advice, and failed to follow the law.   Professor Kosako was recently appointed within the last 30 days, and was upset that the Japanese Government had raised the exposure limit for children to 20mSv/year despite the objections he had raised.  He openly accused SPEEDI of not openly publishing information about the threat to the children of Japan outside of the restricted area.

 

Here is an excerpt  [Global Research, translation from Japanese unverified, requires editing]

The Nuclear Safety Commission, in particular, in a nuclear emergency, it is the core of the organization should do the technical guidance and advice, carry out instructions based on the law, where there appears to be fairly lacking in basic radiation protection decisions based on Mashita.

For example, radiation doses of residents (which was already exposed, those now expected to be exposed) is a network system predicting rapid radiation emergencies (SPEEDI) Dearimasu is what should be done by the law stipulates that not operate as procedures. Laws and regulations, and guidelines based on the assumption that there is a provision that the term is difficult to determine the source of radioactive release, this step is not taken, the result is utilized properly can be used while in the environment no. The situation of public exposure has become SPEEDI can be evaluated more quickly, not quickly released the results.

法令、指針等には放射能放出の線源項の決定が困難であることを前提にした定めがあるが、この手順はとられず、その計算結果は使用できる環境下にありながらきちんと活用され

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1125750/1/.html

Our thanks to www.lucaswhitefieldhixson.com for this news item


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