The Akahata, the Communist Party of Japan's daily, carried an interview with an 85 year-old Chinese nuclear physicist, on 27 July. He was formerly a member of China's Political Consultative Conference, the CPC's united front with other political organizations in China. His comments are full of his valuable experiences, and are worth listening to. The interview was given at Beijing.
He said that the Fukushima nuclear accident of March last year shock China. The policy of the government was influenced by it. Many Chinese, including himself, changed their thinking on the nuclear power generation.
As for himself, he was a part of the study of atomic and hydrogen bombs in China, and thereafter was saying that the nuclear power generation should be developed. At the Three Mile Island's and the Chernobyl's accidents, he thought that they were due to either technical defect or lack of experience.
On hearing the Fukushima accident, however, he thought that the matter was no longer within these limits. He began to think that the humanity is not in full command of the nuclear technology, and therefore should feel more humility. This is the greatest lesson he got from the accident. Accordingly he greatly revised his thinking on the nuclear power development. He is not against such development, but he has come to think that at least its speed should be slowed down.
What China is planning to install is six reactors belonging to the third generation developed in the US. They have not yet been put into practice even there. China has a plan of installing six, and another one of having as many as 30 of them. 30 are too many. It takes a long time to prove the safety of the new reactors by experiments. Mere theoretical 'safety' is not enough.
Another problem is that the government is developing nuclear power inland. I am not in agreement with this either.
China is a country where large-scale droughts often take place. Around the reactors under construction along the Yangtze in Jiangxi(Kiangsi) Provence, there was a drought last year. It takes a large amount of water for cooling the reactors. If the water is not available it would lead to a grave accident. Moreover if an accident occurs upstream, it might affect an enormous population down to Nanjing or Shanghai downstream.
The Fukushima accident has shaken the Japanese government. Naturally I support the non-nuclear power movement in Japan.
I hope that, in China also, the government will listen to the opinions inside and outside the country before reaching its final policies.
He said that the Fukushima nuclear accident of March last year shock China. The policy of the government was influenced by it. Many Chinese, including himself, changed their thinking on the nuclear power generation.
As for himself, he was a part of the study of atomic and hydrogen bombs in China, and thereafter was saying that the nuclear power generation should be developed. At the Three Mile Island's and the Chernobyl's accidents, he thought that they were due to either technical defect or lack of experience.
On hearing the Fukushima accident, however, he thought that the matter was no longer within these limits. He began to think that the humanity is not in full command of the nuclear technology, and therefore should feel more humility. This is the greatest lesson he got from the accident. Accordingly he greatly revised his thinking on the nuclear power development. He is not against such development, but he has come to think that at least its speed should be slowed down.
What China is planning to install is six reactors belonging to the third generation developed in the US. They have not yet been put into practice even there. China has a plan of installing six, and another one of having as many as 30 of them. 30 are too many. It takes a long time to prove the safety of the new reactors by experiments. Mere theoretical 'safety' is not enough.
Another problem is that the government is developing nuclear power inland. I am not in agreement with this either.
China is a country where large-scale droughts often take place. Around the reactors under construction along the Yangtze in Jiangxi(Kiangsi) Provence, there was a drought last year. It takes a large amount of water for cooling the reactors. If the water is not available it would lead to a grave accident. Moreover if an accident occurs upstream, it might affect an enormous population down to Nanjing or Shanghai downstream.
The Fukushima accident has shaken the Japanese government. Naturally I support the non-nuclear power movement in Japan.
I hope that, in China also, the government will listen to the opinions inside and outside the country before reaching its final policies.
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