JAPAN/FILE: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) signs an agreement with Japan's Fukushima prefecture to help monitor the clean-up at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

Record ID: 275710

  • Title: JAPAN/FILE: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) signs an agreement with Japan's Fukushima prefecture to help monitor the clean-up at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
  • Date: 15th December 2012
  • Summary: FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR PLANT, FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURE, JAPAN (FILE - FEBRUARY 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS IN PROTECTIVE GEAR LOOKED AT DAMAGED BUILDINGS AT FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR PLANT
  • Embargoed: 30th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • City:
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: International Relations,Disasters,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2PX799SWZ45CBPZ78P2I6PMWN
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  • Story Text: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) signed an agreement with Japan's Fukushima prefecture on Saturday(December 15) to work together on the clean-up and monitoring at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
    A Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, held in Koriyama city inside a convention centre which was used to house refugees in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, brought together participants from over 100 countries and organisations.
    IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano signed an agreement to cooperate with Fukushima prefecture on projects ranging from decontamination to monitoring and human health.
    "We want to be the bridge between Fukushima and the world," Amano said.
    "As we have specialist experience with environmental and health monitoring as the IAEA, I believe that we can be helpful to Fukushima prefecture."
    A 9.0 earthquake in March 2011 triggered a tsunami that smashed into the 40-year-old seaside Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, setting off a series of events that caused its reactors to start melting down.
    Hydrogen explosions scattered debris across the complex and sent up a plume of radioactive steam that forced the evacuation of more than 160,000 residents from the area near the plant about 240 km (150 miles) northeast of Tokyo.
    Many residents are still unable to return and Fukushima governor Yuhei Sato welcomed the agreement.
    "I hope this does indeed become one large symbol for Fukushima and I ask for everyone's help to make it so," Sato said.
    The head of the U.S. delegation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane, said there was still a lot of work to do at the plant.
    "They have over 3,000 workers at the site, working daily on the clean-up efforts and they have made significant progress. At the same time, there's still an enormous effort needed in the future to continue."
    Macfarlane also stressed the importance of independent regulators monitoring nuclear power facilities.
    "The United States thanks our Japanese colleagues for taking important steps that will allow all nations to learn from this accident. It is important to never lose sight of the fact that, as regulators, we must be sure regulatory independence is practiced and protected."
    Japanese parliamentary inquiries into the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co, accused the company of "collusion" with industry regulators.
    Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference including one with France's minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Delphine Batho.
    All of Japan's 50 nuclear reactors were shut down for safety checks after the disaster and only two have resumed operating.
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