エネルギー選択 「原発ゼロ」は戦略に値しない

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 16, 2012)
Responsible govt should never adopt zero nuclear goal
エネルギー選択　「原発ゼロ」は戦略に値しない（9月15日付・読売社説）

　◆経済・雇用への打撃軽視するな◆

It was extremely irresponsible of the government to set out a "zero nuclear power" policy without illustrating the details of how the nation is supposed to secure a stable supply of electricity.
　電力を安定的に確保するための具体策も描かずに、「原子力発電ゼロ」を掲げたのは、極めて無責任である。

The government should retract the zero-nuclear policy and instead propose a feasible energy strategy.
　政府は「原発ゼロ」の方針を撤回し、現実的なエネルギー政策を示すべきだ。

The government's Energy and Environment Council adopted an "innovative energy and environmental strategy" with a target of "zero nuclear power plants operating in the 2030s."
　政府のエネルギー・環境会議が、「２０３０年代に原発稼働ゼロ」を目指す「革新的エネルギー・環境戦略」をまとめた。

Under the strategy, the government will not allow the establishment of any new nuclear power plants and will strictly enforce the rule of decommissioning nuclear reactors after 40 years of operation to achieve the goal, the council said.
　原発の新増設を認めず、運転開始から４０年での廃炉を厳格に適用していくという。

　◆肝心な部分は生煮え◆

At a press conference held Friday, Motohisa Furukawa, state minister for national policy, stressed the importance of the strategy. "We have shown our stance of earnestly tackling the problems associated with nuclear power without shelving them," Furukawa said.
　古川国家戦略相は記者会見で、「原子力に関する問題点を先送りせず、真摯(しんし)に取り組む姿勢を示した」などと意義を強調した。

However, Furukawa failed to provide an overall picture of the future composition of the energy supply, which the government has pledged to drastically review in light of the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
　しかし、東京電力福島第一原発の事故を受けて抜本的に見直すとしていた将来の電源構成については、全体像を示せなかった。

Such a sloppy, immature scheme is totally unworthy of a national energy policy.
　こんな生煮えの“粗案”では、国家のエネルギー戦略に値しないと言えよう。

===

Vital details lacking

The strategy stated a goal of increasing the proportion of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, from the current 10 percent to 30 percent by 2030. However, the council postponed revealing measures to achieve the plan until year-end.
　太陽光や風力など再生可能エネルギーの比率を、現在の約１割から３割に増やすとしているが、肝心の実現策は年末に先送りした。

The government's decision to achieve zero reliance on nuclear energy in about 20 years without working out the details of how to secure viable alternatives looks slipshod.
　原発の代替電源を確保する方策の中身も詰めずに、約２０年先の「原発ゼロ」だけを決めるのは乱暴だ。

Was this the result of a calculated decision that it would help the Democratic Party of Japan if the government clarified its antinuke stance ahead of the next House of Representatives election? It is natural to suspect the government had already reached a conclusion on this matter ahead of discussions.
　次期衆院選を前に「脱原発」の旗印を鮮明にした方が民主党に有利になる、と計算したに過ぎないのではないのか。初めに結論ありきと言われても仕方あるまい。

Another problem of the new strategy is its lack of response to the results of an expert panel tasked with examining this issue, as well as indications from the business community.
　有識者会議による検討結果や経済界からの指摘に対応していないのも問題である。

It is estimated that vast sums of money would be required to achieve zero reliance on nuclear energy--50 trillion yen to increase the amount of renewable energy and another 100 trillion yen for energy-saving measures.
　各種の試算は、「原発ゼロ」にするには、再生エネ拡大に５０兆円、省エネに１００兆円を要するとしていた。

The nation's gross domestic product would likely fall by 50 trillion yen, and the number of jobless people is expected to increase by 2 million.
国内総生産（ＧＤＰ）は５０兆円近く落ち込み、失業者も２００万人増加する見通しだ。

However, the new strategy only stated that the government would "devote all necessary resources possible" to deal with the problems, without stating specific measures.
　だが「戦略」には、「あらゆる政策資源を投入する」とあるだけで、課題の解決策がない。

Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), strongly criticized the zero-nuclear policy. "Industrial circles, which have been doing everything possible to maintain the level of employment, can never approve such a policy. It's a total contradiction to the government's growth strategy," Yonekura said.
　経団連の米倉弘昌会長は、「原発ゼロ」方針について、「雇用の維持に必死に頑張っている産業界としては、とても了承できない。まさに成長戦略に逆行している」などと、厳しく批判した。

Yonekura's remark reflects concerns that the zero-nuclear policy could threaten the people's livelihood by causing electricity shortfalls and driving up production costs, which would likely accelerate companies' moves to shift their production bases abroad.
　電力不足と生産コストの上昇で産業空洞化が加速し、国民生活が脅かされかねないためだ。

===

Policy laden with contradictions
　◆矛盾だらけの内容◆

Currently, 48 of the nation's 50 reactors remain unable to resume operations in spite of the end of their regular safety checkups.
　現在、全原発５０基のうち４８基が定期検査の終了後も再稼働できない状況が続いている。

Fuel costs for thermal power generation have shot up by 3 trillion yen a year compared to their level before the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
　火力発電の燃料費が年３兆円も余計にかかっている。

If things stay as they are, it will be inevitable for other electricity companies to raise their electricity charges, following TEPCO.
このままでは東電以外の電力会社も電力料金の値上げが避けられない。

If the ratio of thermal power generation rises in the nation's energy source mix, Japan's dependence on the politically volatile Middle East for much of its energy sources will continue.
　火力発電の比率が高まれば、政治的に不安定な中東に多くのエネルギーを依存する状況も続く。

The new energy strategy is right in pointing out that the nation should make use of nuclear reactors as important sources of power generation if their safety is guaranteed.
　「戦略」が、安全性を確認できた原発を重要電源として活用する方針を示したのは妥当である。

To ensure stable supplies of electricity, the government must redouble efforts to realize the restart of currently idled reactors.
電力安定供給のため、政府は再稼働の実現に努めねばならない。

However, the government's trumpeting of its "zero nuclear power" policy makes it all the more difficult to obtain local residents' consent to restart nuclear plants in their areas. The government is at cross-purposes with itself.
　それなのに政府は「原発ゼロ」をうたい、わざわざ再稼働に対する地元の理解取り付けを困難にした。ちぐはぐな対応だ。

Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa, who gave the go-ahead to the reactivation of the Oi nuclear power plant of Kansai Electric Power Co. in his prefecture, has understandably expressed a sense of distrust regarding the government's shifting energy policy.
関西電力大飯原発の再稼働を容認した福井県の西川一誠知事も、政府の方針転換に不信感を表明している。

To pursue the goal of reducing reliance on nuclear energy to zero while at the same time preserving Japan's nuclear fuel recycling program cannot be called anything but an obvious contradiction.
　核燃料サイクル政策を継続しながら「原発ゼロ」を目指すというのは、明らかな矛盾である。

Given this situation, nuclear fuel to be produced through the fuel cycle will not serve any purpose.
　これでは、再処理で作った核燃料の使い道がなくなる。

In Aomori Prefecture, which has long cooperated with the central government's nuclear fuel recycling program, some are calling for the prefecture to refuse to accept any new spent nuclear fuel. The anger there over the central government's treacherous handling of nuclear policy is quite understandable.
　国策の核燃サイクルに協力してきた青森県からは、使用済み核燃料の受け入れ拒否を求める声も出ている。不誠実な政府方針に対する青森県の怒りはもっともだ。

If Aomori Prefecture refuses to take in any more used fuel from nuclear complexes around the nation, there would be no place for storage of spent nuclear fuel, meaning nuclear power plants across the country would sooner or later be forced to halt their operations.
　青森県が協力を拒否すれば、使用済み核燃料の保管場所がなくなり、各地の原発は早晩、運転を続けることはできなくなろう。

Furthermore, the newly adopted policy would lead to drastic declines in the number of people pursuing careers as nuclear experts, jeopardizing enhancement of the nation's nuclear safety technologies and the future decommissioning of reactors.
　さらに、原子力の技術者になる人材が激減し、原発の安全性向上や、今後の廃炉作業に支障をきたす恐れもある。

===

Japan-U.S. ties in jeopardy
　◆日米同盟に悪影響も◆

Britain and France, to which Japan has entrusted the task of spent fuel reprocessing, and the United States, which has put high hopes on nuclear technologies held by Japanese companies, have shown strong anxieties over the government's policy switch.
　日本が核燃料の再処理を委託している英仏両国も、日本企業が持つ原発技術に期待する米国も、強い懸念を示している。

The United States has acknowledged Japan's reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel as a special right on the basis of the Japan-U.S. Cooperation Agreement on Nuclear Energy.
　米国は日米原子力協定に基づく特別な権利として、日本に使用済み核燃料の再処理を認めている。

Japan could lose the reprocessing right on the grounds of its new "zero nuclear power" policy.
「原発ゼロ」を理由に、日本は再処理の権利を失いかねない。

There also is concern that the international status of Japan, which the United States has so far deemed as its key partner in pursuing nuclear security policy in the Asian region, may decline.
　米国が、アジアにおける核安全保障政策のパートナーと位置づける日本の地位低下も心配だ。

Should this country break completely away from nuclear power, the stature of China and South Korea, which have both been keen to boost construction of nuclear power plants, would be bolstered in East Asia. Such a development would inevitably damage the Japan-U.S. alliance.
　日本が原発を完全に放棄すれば、引き続き原発増設を図る中国や韓国の存在感が東アジアで高まる。日米の同盟関係にも悪影響は避けられまい。

The government must be well aware of the fact that Japan's energy policy cannot be formulated without paying due attention to its implications in the international community.
　国際社会との関係抜きに、日本のエネルギー政策は成り立たないことを、政府は自覚すべきだ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 15, 2012)
（2012年9月15日02時00分 読売新聞）