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On October 7, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visited Fukushima Prefecture and closely observed Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)'s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, decontamination works in Naraha Town, and the inspection laboratory responsible for examining all the bags of rice in Motomiya City. Minister of Environment Hiroyuki Nagahama, Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Isao Matsumiya, Parliamentary Secretary of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiranao Honda accompanied with PM Noda. The tour was also attended by the members of the DPJ Prefectural Headquarters Fukushima: Members of the House of Representatives Izumi Yoshida (Fukushima No. 5 District) and Kazuyuki Yamaguchi (Tohoku PR Bloc), Acting Chair Policy Research Committee Teruhiko Mashiko (Member of the House of Councillors), Parliamentary Secretary of Cabinet Office Emi Kaneko (Member of the House of Councillors), and some members of the local assembly. In addition, the visit to the rice inspection laboratory was also attended by Governor of Fukushima Prefecture Yuhei Sato.
Answering questions from the press after the tour, PM Noda stated “This is the second time I have visited Fukushima. My first visit was last September. Compared with my previous visit, I have seen much progress. For example, the debris has been cleared away so I was able to inspect the upper section of the Unit 4 nuclear reactor building. However, we still have much to do to decommission the reactors.” He also added “We should push forward with a sense of urgency until the decommissioning project is complete, while making sure to monitor the health of the on-site workers.” In addition, PM Noda expressed his recognition that decontamination is the key issue for Fukushima’s restoration. He signified his intention to accelerate decontamination works and listed three principles: 1) transfer of power to Fukushima Office for Environmental Restoration, 2) reinforcement of the cooperation among relevant ministries, 3) provision of information to the local residents, stating “I have asked Minister Nagahama to form a restoration plan that includes these three principles immediately.”
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