Edano tries to convince Fukui that it is safe to restart nuclear reactors

You might as well try to convince them that they can fly at the same time!

Edano is the same guy who was on TV 23 hours a day after 3/11 assuring everyone that a meltdown had not taken place and the situation was contained and of no concern.

Of course it rarely gets pointed out that many DPJ politicians (and the hypocritical LDP lookalikes who criticize the DPJ govt.) have been recipients of funding from Tepco and the nuke industry. Here is one report that does mention this:

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201201090001

As with Okinawa and bases, the politicians and bureaucrats use economic blackmail in order to coerce people into accepting the govt's will. They call it incentives, but it is really just blackmail. As with a well known Japanese documentary on the Fukui reactors 15 years ago that showed the power companies enticing farmers to work at the plans, who later died of leukemia, and then using "nuclear gypsies" to do the dirty cleanup work. These people are already hibakusha just from working in the Fukui plants and the power companies and bureaucrats deserve not only their rejection but criminal charges for inflicting this on the residents. But blackmail will win out, as people cannot live without jobs.

Here we go: "Edano told Nishikawa that the reactors have been judged safe and that they need to be restarted in order to avert a power shortage. He promised that an uncompromising level of safety will be maintained, NHK reported." Unsupported generalities and a threat. That used to do the trick before 3/11. What Edano and his crew had better know is that this no longer works. People are not that easily cowed any more.

What is this "uncompromising level of safety" all about? There can be no way that nuclear plants could have been made safer against natural disasters in the year since 3/11, I believe. If I am in error, let's see the facts. No just promises but facts.

And the threat of the summer power shortages is not a fact but blackmail. There are plenty of ways to conserve energy without starting up those reactors. Limit the time vending machines operate. That's save a lot of energy. Limit the time that nonessential lights can be used in cities. That will save more energy. Give schools longer holidays. Even a few weeks longer will save considerable energy. This is just off the top of my head. People in fields related to energy conservation can come up with more ideas.

The government could have used this last year to find ways of conserving energy but they have not. It is easier to simply start up dangerous old nuclear reactors than to think outside the box.

Edano's promises tells us nothing except that he and people like him are in the pockets of power companies.

Perhaps if Edano had been upfront and honest this time LAST year he wouldn't have to "convince" people he isn't lying.

Ah, Edano and his special definition of what's 'safe'. Here's the guy SWEARING the reactors meet safety standards when the standards are unclear and only last week they were saying the requirements have been met 'more or less' and the reactors upgraded over three years.

This guy blew any credibility he had LONG ago.

Edano's got a point - it's whole a lot safer than having to invade Korea or China and set up a shop there

Japan Goverenment must send Edano to learn lessons from German Chancellor,Ms.Angela Merkel on why German experts concluded that nuclear safety is a great Myth in the light of the lessons from Fukushima Explosions.Edano must have been haunted by the devilish onebaba whoinfluences the people by cheating them and make them fall a prey for being eaten by it.Nuclear safety is a Myth,nuclear plants are just silent killers of mankind and nature.so Edano has no business to spread untruths on safety of Nuclear reactors particulaly on the western and eastern coasts of Japan which normally experience crushing earthquakes being located in the neighbourhood of the Pacific ring of fireknown to expderience devastating earth Quakes since times immemorial. people all over the world must oppose the move of Governmentof Japan to restart Oi reactors as it amounts to an undeclared Nuclear war fare against their neighbouring countries like China and korea and distant countries like Soviet states and Mongolia and asian countries.For more detailed scientific reasoning,please see the web sites and the links <>http://tshivajirao.blogspot.in/2012/02/kudankulam-nuclear-bomb-over-tamilnadu.html<> prof.T.Shivaji rao

Will Edano make a clear statement assuming complete responsibility for the nuclear power stations? As far as I can see nothing much has changed since Fukushima exploded, so any assurances of safety are laughable. We need a 100%, no quibble guarantee from the government that they will pay compensation for future accidents.

JP government is now getting it all wrong. It is not people like Edano to convinve others of safety of nuclear energy as their credibility as honest nuclear energy brockers and abitres of truth is long gone. A competent, independent, no-nonsense nuclear safety and security committee set up under the Ministry of environment would may be convince people better. Also, it should be known that the worst case scenario for the Fukushima meltdown would have involved a minimum of 15 prefectures, including Tokyo! Therefore, negotiations with prefectures should be revised such that negotiations should involve prefectures within 100 km, rather than only the prefecture where the nuclear plant is situated. It is therefore a shame to only consider convincing Fukui oipnion leaders and ignore prefectures such as shiga, kyoto, etc that are only 25 km away!!!!!!

Mr. Edano, you have been lying through and through. I think it's best for you to step down your post to save your honor and integrity and to stop the big time lobbyist giving you pressure to tell the people the nuke plants are very safe and should be re-started.