“Safe design can’t guarantee nuclear power plant’s safety”

by reporter Nam Jiwon, May 26, 2019. 

Japanese nuclear power plant experts, Goto Masashi & Makita Hiroshi, visited Korea.

“People w/o permit is suspected for reactor operation, No touch, please! 

Japan need not to oppose Korea’s import ban of Fukushima marine food product.” 

Original Article: http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?artid=201905262055005&code=100100#csidx730f23f1aa8c989a4f2090ee898c4b3 

Kyunghyang reporter is interviewing Goto Masashi, nuclear power plant engineer, and writer Makita Hiroshi, ex. lecturer of Gochi College of Engineering. ifwedont@kyunghyang.com

“Though structure of plant is safe, we can’t assert that accident of nuclear power plant would never happen because it was designed safely. Plans do not always go well as we wish. The cars and airplanes were designed safely. But we witness  accidents from time to time.”

I met two Japanese experts in the field of nuclear plower plant at a cafe in Seoul on 24 May. Doctor Goto Masashi (70), an expert of nuclear power plant, said as above when he talked about recent accident of Hanbit No. 1 nuclear power plant located at Youngkwang-gun in Chollanamdo. Doctor Masashi was in charge of hangarage design of nuclear reactor at Toshiba company. He was one of the experts who raised the possibility of reactor meltdown when Fukushima nuclear accident broke out. Makita Hiroshi (53, ex. visiting professor of University of Colorado), is a doctor of nuclear engineering and a renowned writer about nuclear power plant. He emphasized “I heard about the suspicion that person w/o permit is involved in recent nuclear accident. People w/o permit must never touch nuclear reactor.” These two people visited Korea in order to participate in the “Lecture of Experts on polluted water of nuclear power plant accident” which was organized by Environment Committee of Lawyers for a Democratic Society and Founding Preparation Committee of Korea Energy Experts Society for No-Nukes.

Recently, Japanese government is struggling with the problem of treating polluted water which was contaminated with highly radioactive elements. The polluted water is now stored at Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, Japanese government is considering positively the plan to dilute the polluted water in order to make the radioactive material below standards, and discharge polluted water to Pacific Ocean. In 2013, Japanese government officially admitted some discharge of polluted water. Such an admission gave the basis to Korean government’s ban of marine products produced from 8 prefectures near Fukushima. Two Japanese experts stressed that it is possible to store contaminated water safely and economically until it becomes safe. Doctor Goto said, “Since the quantity of polluted water is too much, potential danger of discharging low-polluted water is hard to predict.” Doctor Makita said, “It was revealed in August of last year that Japanese Government concealed the fact by saying there is no other radioactive material except tritium in the polluted water.” He continued, “We must not discharge the polluted water to the ocean for two reasons. Firstly, the proper information regarding radioactivity is not revealed. And secondly, other radioactive materials were found in addition to tritium.”

The two experts proposed an alternative that it is better to make large tanks and store the polluted water for a long time and discharge when the level of radioactivity come down below the standards. Doctor Goto estimated that the period of storing polluted water to be 123 years.  Doctor Makita‘s estimation was 240 years. Doctor Makita added that construction of 15 tanks such as petroleum storage tank would be enough with reasonable expenses.

Regarding the issue of WTO’s decision which approved Korean government’s import ban of Fukushima marine products and following protest of Japanese government, two experts said that Korean government’s import ban of Fukushima marine products depends on Koreans’ option.  There is no reason for Japan to oppose the decision. Doctor Goto presupposed that the level of radioactivity measured in marine products of Japanese market was below standards. He said, however, that Japanese government may tell Korean people “You may eat our products”, but Japanese government must not say “Why don’t you buy our marine products?” Doctor Makita added, “More than half of food value depends on trust. If Koreans do not want to eat Fukushima products, it is very natural for Korean government to represent Korean people and ban the import of Fukushima products. It is absurd for the Japanese government to oppose WTO decision.

Hayano Ryugo, emeritus professor of Tokyo University, was invited by Korean Association of Nuclear Energy Research on 21 April. He insisted that all products of agriculture and fishery near Fukushima were tested and approved to be safe. Regarding Ryugo’s insistence two experts said “His research is controversial in Japan.” Dr. Makita said “His research did not get approval by data suppliers, and there was an error in basic computation. Many Japanese experts indicated that It was difficult for the Japanese academic society to approve his result.”

When he was asked about the issue that pro-nuke supporters in Korea insist “Japan did not choose no-nuke option even after Fukushima nuclear accident,” Dr. Goto said, “After Fukushima accident, Japan did not decide to construct new nuclear power plant. Though Japanese government decided to renew operation of nuclear power plants which were totally stopped right after Fukushima accident, operation of the plants which adopted the same type of design as the plants of Fukushima (BSR type) was not renewed at all. Dr. Makita said, ”I understand the aspiration of the Japanese nuclear power plant company which want to keep profit-making. However I don’t think they need to continue nuclear power generation by saying “The insistence that nuclear power is cheaper than solar or wind power generation is definitely a lie. It was officially proved that solar or wind power generation is cheaper than nuclear power generation.”

原発安全設計で‘事故ない’と大言壮語できず

ナムチウォン記者 (somnia＠kyunghyang.com)

韓国を訪れた日本の原発専門家・後藤政志、牧田寛博士

“無免許者がハンビット1号機原子炉操作疑惑…絶対手を付けてはダメ　

日本は韓国の‘福島食品輸入禁止’に反発する理由なし”

24日ソウル、瑞草洞（ソチョドン）で後藤政志・日本の原発エンジニア(左側)と著述家の牧田寛前高知工大講師が京郷新聞とインタビューをしている。 イ・ジュンホン記者

“原発は安全に設計されているが構造が安全だといって事故が絶対起きないということはできません。 すべてのことが計画どおりなら良いが自動車や飛行機も安全につくったのだが事故がしばしば起きるでしょう。”

去る24日ソウル、瑞草区のあるカフェで会った原発技術者・後藤政志博士(70)は最近、全羅南道の霊光（ヨングァン）郡ハンビット1号機の手動停止事件に対してこのように話した。 東芝で原子炉格納容器の設計を担当した彼は2011年福島原発事故の時、炉心溶融の可能性を最初に提起した日本の専門家のうちの一人だ。 原発関連著述家であり工学博士である牧田寛博士(53・前コロラド対客員教授)も“原子炉操作を無免許者がしたという疑惑があると言ったのだが、資格のない人は絶対に原子炉に手をつけてはいけない”と強調した。 二人はこの日、民主弁護士会環境委員会と韓国脱核エネルギー学会創立準備委員会が共に主催した‘日本原発汚染水関連専門家招請講演会’に参加するために韓国を訪れた。

最近日本政府は福島第1原発に保管している高レベル放射性汚染水・数百万トン処理問題で頭を痛めている。 日本政府は費用が安いという理由で汚染水の放射性物質が基準値以下になるように、薄めて太平洋に流す案を有力に検討している。 日本はすでに2013年に汚染水放流を公式に認めたことがあり、これは韓国が福島近隣八県水産物の輸入を禁止したきっかけにもなった。 二人は“技術的にも経済的にも安全になる時まで汚染水を保管することができる”と強調した。 後藤博士は“汚染水の絶対量がとても多いので放流するならば放射性物質濃度が低くてもどんな被害をもたらすかは不確かだ”と話した。 牧田博士は“日本政府が汚染水にトリチウム(三重水素)の他には他の放射性物質がない、と隠してきたという事実が昨年8月明らかになった”として“情報が透明に公開されることもない上に、他の放射性核種も発見された以上、海洋放出は出来ない”と語った。

二人は大型タンクを建設して汚染水を永く保管して、放射性物質の濃度が非常に低くなった時に排出しなければならない、という代案を提示した。 後藤博士が提案した保管期間は123年、牧田博士の提案は240年だ。 牧田博士は“今石油備蓄基地で使っている大型タンクを15基建設すれば充分で費用問題も大きくない”と語った。

先月、世界貿易機構(WTO)が韓国の福島水産物輸入禁止紛争で韓国の手をあげるや、すぐに日本政府が反発しているのに対し、二人の専門家は共通して“韓国人が福島食品を食べたくないならばそれは韓国の選択で日本が反発する理由はない”と話した。 後藤博士は“市販される食品類の放射能は全量検出限界以下”と前提にしつつも“‘食べてもかまわない’とはできるが‘なぜ私たちの食品を買わないのか’と言ってはいけない”と語った。 牧田博士は“食品の価値は半分以上が信頼”としながら“韓国人が福島食品を信頼しないならば韓国政府がこれを代弁するのは当然のことで、日本政府が反発するのが異常な態度”と語った。

先に去る21日、早野龍五東京大名誉教授が韓国原子力学会の招請で訪韓して“福島産農水産物に対する放射能調査をした結果、全部安全だった”と主張したことに対して二人は“日本でも批判が多い研究結果”と口をそろえた。 牧田博士は“データ提供者の相当数から同意を受けなかったし、基本的な計算を間違え、研究論文として認められにくいという指摘が日本の専門家内でも出ている”と語った。

韓国の原発新規建設賛成論者が“日本は福島事故を体験しても脱原発を選ばなかった”と主張することに対する意見を聞いて、後藤博士は“日本でも福島以後、新しい原発をつくりはしなかったし、稼動を止めた原発を再稼働したりしたが、事故原発に適用された沸騰水型軽水炉(BWR)型原発は一基も再稼働しなかった”と語った。牧田博士は“自分たちの電力資産をずっと使いたい気持ちは理解するが風力と太陽光発電が原子力と石炭発電より安いということが立証された状況で、無理に原子力が、より安いという嘘をついて原発を維持する必要はないと考える”と話した。

原文：http://m.cafe.daum.net/earthlifesilkroad/jGAv/96?svc=cafeapp

Categories: Media Reports