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2011/12/16
PM Noda announces “cold shutdown” has been achieved at Fukushima No. 1
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On the evening of December 16, DPJ President, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held a press conference after a meeting of the government’s nuclear disaster response headquarters. He announced the achievement of Step 2 in the road map for bringing the nuclear accident under control, stating: “We confirmed that the reactors can be judged to have achieved a state of cold shutdown, and that the nuclear accident itself has been brought under control.”
Based on the judgement that the nuclear reactors have been stabilized, the Noda administration will further accelerate recovery efforts in areas such as: (1) implementing thorough decontamination, (2) ensuring residents receive the appropriate healthcare, and (3) ensuring that thorough compensation is made for damages ensued as a result of the nuclear accident. Noda reiterated his intention of making every effort toward the regeneration of Fukushima, stating, “I have not deviated in the slightest from my belief that ‘without the revitalization of Fukushima there can be no revitalization for Japan’.”
Noda went on to say, “Step 2 has been completed, but our battle against the nuclear accident is not yet entirely over.” He said that the process would now move from aiming to stabilize the reactors to working toward their decommissioning. Noda stressed that the government would again confirm the next step in the roadmap, expressing the strong resolve that they would work determinedly until decommissioning is achieved, while ensuring that safety is maintained at the reactors.
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