Incoming Kagoshima governor to request nuclear plant suspension as pledged
(Mainichi Japan)
KAGOSHIMA -- Incoming Kagoshima Gov. Satoshi Mitazono said in an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun on July 21 that he plans to request Kyushu Electric Power Co. to suspend its Sendai Nuclear Power Plant and conduct an inspection of the plant by the end of August at the earliest.
Mitazono pledged to have the only nuclear power station in operation in Japan suspended and undergo inspection during his campaign for the July 10 Kagoshima gubernatorial race. Following his win over incumbent Yuichiro Ito, Mitazono expressed his intention to submit a request for a suspension and inspection to Kyushu Electric.
"I'm planning to inspect the evacuation roads (for a potential nuclear disaster) first, so I think I'll file the request sometime between late August and early September," Mitazono told the Mainichi Shimbun. During his campaign, he raised questions over the evacuation plans in case of a nuclear disaster.
Kyushu Electric, meanwhile, declined to comment on the matter as the request has not yet been filed by the incoming governor.
