11 days will mark 12 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
As the population decline becomes more serious in coastal areas such as Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, how to restore the prosperity of the area for the establishment of the younger generation has become a major issue.
At around 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, a huge earthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred off the coast of Tohoku, and a tsunami exceeding 10 meters in height hit the coast of Tohoku, and a large tsunami surged into Kanto and other areas. I was.
At the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the power supply was lost due to the effects of the huge earthquake and tsunami, and nuclear fuel melted down in three reactors, causing a "meltdown" and releasing a large amount of radioactive material.
According to the National Police Agency
, 15,900 people died in the earthquake and tsunami
, and 2,523 people went missing.
According to the Reconstruction Agency and each prefecture, 3,792 people were certified as so-called "earthquake-related deaths," in which many people were forced to live in evacuation shelters for a long time and died due to deterioration in their physical condition. A total of 6 people have increased in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.
The number of dead and missing people due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, including "earthquake-related deaths," reached 22,215.
Although the number of people forced to live as evacuees continues to decline, the Reconstruction Agency's summary shows that as of last month, it was 30,884.
In the three prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, which were severely damaged, reconstruction of infrastructure such as roads and housing has progressed over the past 12 years, while the population in coastal areas is declining.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, from 2010 to last year, before the Great East Japan Earthquake, the rate of population decline was 1% nationwide, while Iwate and Fukushima prefectures were down by 10%, and Miyagi prefectures by 3%. It is
Under these circumstances, NHK conducted an online survey of 1,000 people in the disaster-stricken areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima. When asked what they think is lacking in order to make the city a place where they can continue to live, with multiple answers, 61% of the respondents answered "work and industry."
It is necessary to create new jobs and revive the local economy in order to keep the younger generation settled and prevent the population from declining.
Decommissioning Work Turning Point for Safe and Steady Progress
At the Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which caused the worst accident in history, investigations and preparations are underway to remove the melted "nuclear fuel debris", while construction work to release the treated water that continues to accumulate has been completed. is approaching.
At the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, power was lost due to the huge earthquake and tsunami, and nuclear fuel melted down in three reactors, causing a "meltdown" and releasing a large amount of radioactive material.
In the reactors and containment vessels of Units 1 to 3, "nuclear fuel debris" remains, which is melted nuclear fuel mixed with structures, and the water used for cooling and groundwater become contaminated water. It continues to increase at a pace of 100 tons per day.
As of March 2, the amount of treated water containing radioactive substances such as tritium that remains after treating this contaminated water has reached approximately 1.33 million tons. I expect the tank to be full.
The government plans to start releasing it into the sea from spring to summer this year after diluting it to 1/40 of the standard, and the construction of the undersea tunnel used for release is expected to be completed in June.
On the other hand, there are deep-rooted voices of opposition, mainly from fishermen and others, and the issue is whether the government and TEPCO can gain the understanding of the parties concerned as the discharge into the ocean is imminent.
In addition, the start of the removal of "nuclear fuel debris", which is considered to be the biggest difficulty in decommissioning, is planned for Unit 2 after October this year.
The initial extraction is positioned as a trial, and the plan is to extract several grams using a robotic arm.
However, the total amount of "nuclear fuel debris" from Units 1 to 3 is estimated to be as high as 880 tons, and it is not possible to foresee a specific route for removing it.
Akira Ono, CEO of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning and Decommissioning Engineering Company, said in an interview on the 1st of this month, "Fuel debris retrieval and treated water issues are unavoidable in advancing decommissioning. 2019 may be a turning point in determining whether future decommissioning work can be carried out safely and steadily."
About 30,900 evacuees
As of February, more than 30,000 people were forced to evacuate due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
According to a summary by the Reconstruction Agency, the number of evacuees, which reached approximately 470,000 immediately after the earthquake, has continued to decline, partly due to progress in improving the living environment, such as the completion of all "disaster public housing."
According to the Reconstruction Agency, as of February 1, 30,884 people were evacuated. Although the number has decreased by 7,255 compared to the same period, many people still live far from their hometowns.
The breakdown is
▽ 19,131 people living in the homes of relatives and acquaintances,
▽ 11,615 people living in so-called "temporary housing", etc.
▽ 138 people spending time in hospitals etc. .
Evacuees live in 871 municipalities in 47 prefectures.
Fukushima Prefecture has the largest number of people who have evacuated because there are areas where there is no prospect of returning residents, reaching 27,394 people, which is about 89% of the total. It is 21,101 people.
In addition, ▽ 1221 people from Miyagi Prefecture and
▽ 578 people from Iwate Prefecture are
evacuating outside the prefecture .
Approximately 31.5 trillion yen will be invested in reconstruction of the affected areas
The government has invested approximately 31.5 trillion yen in the budget for the reconstruction of the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake by FY2021.
Currently, we are positioning it as the "second recovery and revitalization period," and are promoting psychological care for the victims and support for their return and migration to areas where evacuation orders have been lifted due to the nuclear accident.
It is a policy to invest approximately 1.4 trillion yen in the four years from 2022 to 2025.
Funding sources for these reconstruction budgets include reconstruction tax increases and gains from the sale of stocks held by the government.
▽ Corporate tax has been increased by 10% of the tax amount for 2 years until 2013, and ▽ Individual inhabitant tax has been increased by 1000 yen annually for 10 years until the new fiscal year and 2023. increase.
▽ In addition, the "Special Reconstruction Income Tax", which adds 2.1% to the amount of income tax paid, was originally scheduled to end in 2037, but the deadline is expected to be extended.
The reason behind this is the increase in defense spending.
In December last year, the ruling party's Tax Commission announced a policy to extend the tax period after reducing the tax rate of the "Special Reconstruction Income Tax" by 1% as a financial resource to cover the increase in defense spending.
The extension period is defined as "the period necessary to secure the total amount of reconstruction financial resources."
Some protested that it was a misappropriation of financial resources for reconstruction, but the ruling party's tax system research committee said, ``This is a measure to cover the financial resources for the increase in defense spending without increasing the current income tax burden, and it is necessary for reconstruction. We will secure the budget.”
After the new fiscal year, we will discuss the specific framework again.
On the other hand, in the sale of stocks held by the government so far to allocate to reconstruction funds, ▽ Japan Post Holdings stocks were sold for about 4 trillion yen, and ▽ JT = Japan Tobacco Inc. stocks were sold for about 1 trillion yen. bottom.
In addition, the gain on the sale of the shares of Tokyo Metro, which the government holds 53%, will be used for reconstruction funds.
We are currently considering the timing of the sale.
However, regarding Tokyo Metro's shares, a council of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has recommended that the sale should be limited to half for the time being to support the currently planned subway extension project.
Nuclear power policy at a turning point
Twelve years have passed since the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
In order to achieve both a stable supply of energy and the realization of a decarbonized society, the government has launched a policy of maximizing the use of nuclear power generation.
Before the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, nuclear power generation accounted for 25.1% of total power generation in 2010, but after the accident, nuclear power plants were shut down one after another across the country, and in 2014 it was zero. .
Based on the lessons learned from the accident, the Nuclear Regulation Authority conducted a review based on new regulatory standards, and so far 10 of the 33 reactors in Japan have been restarted. It is
On the other hand, after the earthquake, the dependence on thermal power generation has increased, and the ratio of the total power generation has increased to more than 70%. condition continues.
For this reason, in order to achieve both a stable supply of energy and the realization of a decarbonized society, the government last year announced a policy to maximize the use of nuclear power generation with safety as the top priority, aiming to restart seven nuclear power plants after this summer. I decided.
In addition, he announced that he would proceed with the development and construction of next-generation nuclear reactors regarding the construction and expansion of nuclear power plants, which he has consistently said is "not envisioned".
However, there is deep-rooted anxiety among locals about the restart of nuclear power plants, and although the national government says it will take the lead in responding to the situation, it cannot be said that sufficient progress has been made in discussions.
Twelve years after the earthquake, nuclear power policy is at a turning point.