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Tuesday August 21, 5:02 PMScientists call for closure of quake-hit plant in Niigata(Kyodo) _ A group of Japanese scientists and engineers called Tuesday for the closure of the quake-hit Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture, citing the possibility of another huge earthquake in the area."This region is right in the middle of the Uetsu-Shinetsu fold zone, an area of particularly high crustal activity in the Japan Sea Eastern Margin Mobile Belt and has many active faults," the group said in a statement released in Tokyo, referring to the possibility of another powerful earthquake after the prefecture was jolted by a magnitude 6.8 quake on July 16. A detailed investigation of the nuclear plant, beginning with the inside of the pressure vessel, and a scientific examination of the ground of the site should be carried out, the statement said. "However, these should not be carried out on the assumption that the plant will be restarted." "As long as we cannot confirm how badly the plant was damaged, it should remain shut down," Hiromitsu Ino, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, who belongs to the group, told a press conference while releasing the statement. "We have to enable a more open discussion without ruling out the possibility of closing the plant," though there is a belief in Japan that the plant will be restarted, he added. Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report stating there is no significant visible damage to the nuclear power plant, while suggesting that a detailed examination should continue on the power plant's reactor vessel, core and fuel. |
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