HEADQUARTERS
SYPOSIUM "COMMENTS TO THE 3RD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL BASIC PLAN" HELD
The organizing committee consisting of the JSA and related organizations held the above symposium entitled "How can we cultivate human resources in every working place?" on October 15 in Tokyo, where Dr. Soma (head of the male-female cooperative participation raison conference) gave a commemorative lecture on the theme, which was followed by a number of reports and discussions from the floor.
LOCAL ACTIVITIES IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER
1. OSAKA BRANCH
1) The study group Philosophy organized a meeting on September 28, where Prof. Sugita (Osaka Univ.) gave a lecture entitled "Difficulty in adapting to the ongoing stress ? Thinking of 'kireru (hot-tempered)'."
2) The study group Hegel's 'The Great Logic' held a meeting on October 1, where Prof. Makino (Hannan Univ.) discussed a part of the last volume of "The Great Logic".
3) The Kansai-area's colloquium for scientific workers in private enterprises was organized on October 2, where Dr. Yamaguchi (Osaka branch) gave a seminar on his daily life.
4) In the study group Contemporary capitalism on October 13, Dr. Morii (Osaka branch) gave a lecture on Japanese agriculture basing on his on-spot investigation.
2. MIYAGI BRANCH
On October 1, the branch organized the 2nd research meeting at Tohoku University, Sendai City, where Dr. Ohara (Miyagi branch) gave a talk on the title "Ruminant's digestion and metabolism ? The investigation of chylous function and its application to the lacteal production", and Dr. Honda (Miyagi branch) also gave a lecture entitled "Specially designed 'rice cultivation' ? Present and future".
3. HOKKAIDO BRANCH
The branch organized a colloquium on October 2 at Hokkaido University, where Dr. Sasaki (Hokkaido branch) gave a seminar under the title "The effect of the Isahaya Bay's reclamation on the Ariake Sea's fishery and scientists' role". The reclamation refers to JSANOW (#72).
4. ISHIKAWA BRANCH
The branch organized a regular meeting entitled "Two Ptolemaic theories for economics" on October 3 at Kanazawa University, where Prof. Unno (Kanazawa Univ.) gave a talk on (1) declining birthrate, aging society, and Japanese economy, and (2) colossal deficit financing. He made a basic critique and proposed an economical Copernican theory. The reason why the branch organized the meeting was as follows, according to the branch explanation. Many of the people are anxious about "declining birthrate" and "colossal deficit of financing", which was the greatest reason why the large mass of the people supported the leading Parties at the "postal privatization-campaign election" held in September. Because of their anxiety, they supported the governmental "borderless reform policy in the absence of sanctuary", resulting in independent managed system and postal privatization. Linking to the nation's fear, the above Ptolemaic theory (dogma) became socially common sense, where even nongovernmental Parties and the so-called intellectuals have been discussing the ongoing problems on the basis of the dogma. The Ptolemaic theory tightly connects with the governmental right giving political benefit. A so-called "economical Ptolemaic theory" is steady, since it is supported by the public intuition. However we could not threw it away, since the leading authority utilizes the public feeling with intent to control the public.
5. FUKUOKA BRANCH
The 2nd colloquium was held at Kyushu University, where Dr. Hagishima (Fukuoka branch) gave a seminar on a baroque urban art, which was followed by a branch's council meeting.
6. OKINAWA BRANCH
The branch organized an autumn's research exchange meeting on the theme "Thinking of Okinawan nature and life" on October 11 at Ryukyu University, where Dr. Osada (Okinawa branch) introduced the life of a cabbage butterfly in Okinawa, and Mr. Kobashigawa (photographer, raison head of conserving Awase tidal area in Okinawa) gave a film display "Four seasons of Awase tidal area", which was followed by a get-together meeting and free discussion of Okinawan nature conservation.
7. TOKYO BRANCH
1) The branch held the 2005 autumn exchange meeting on October 23, where the members attended visited a brewery factory to investigate the process of fermentation, which was followed by enjoying its taste.
2) The 14th peace lecture meeting was organized on October 28, where Prof. Kaneko (Rissho Univ.) gave a seminar on the final report of the Lower House's Constitutional Committee, and especially touched upon the legal system and finance.
WE MUST URGE THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO ENLARGE ITS NUCLEAR POLICY, NOT TO BASICALLY DEPEND ON NUCLEAR ENERGY, AND CREATE ENVIRONEMNTALLY FRIENDLY ENERGY-UTLIZATION DEVICES
The government sets the day "October 26" as the day of nuclear power, which is to strongly promote the construction of nuclear power plants in place of fossil ones. Recently, a governmental Atomic Energy Commission panel has drafted an outline of a long-term governmental nuclear energy policy, strongly emphasizing the nuclear fuel cycle system's promotion in order to produce electricity mainly from nuclear reactors. It is a reckless plan that puts Japan's energy policy mainly on a clearly dangerous course in the 21st century. Many countries have given up the nuclear fuel cycle system due to (1) technical difficulties, (2) safety concern, and (3) enormous costs to afford. The nuclear fuel cycle system is a series of industrial processes, in which plutonium extracted by reprocessing spent nuclear fuel is used again as fuel for reactors, for which fast-breeder reactors play the major role. It becomes much more problematic, since plutonium used as fuel has far greater radioactivity than uranium, and sodium violently reacting to water and air must be used as the coolant.
In Japan, major nuclear accidents have occurred at the fast-breeder reactor Monju (December 1995), and the nuclear fuel reprocessing facility Do-nen (March 1997) and JCO (September 1999), which called the so-called "alleged safety" (safety-myth) of nuclear fuel cycle into question. The draft outline proposes introducing fast-breeder reactors and calls on the government to increase its support. It is also confirmed that pluthermal operations using MOX (plutonium-uranium mixed oxide) fuel be promoted. In addition problematic is that the draft outline proposes to put the existing nuclear reactors into operation to an excessive degree. In Japan, there are 53 operating nuclear power plants supplying about 30% of the nation's total electricity. However, the outline calls for raising this rate 40% or more. As a temporary measure, it calls for making the full use of the existing plants by maximizing their power generation output and reducing regular inspection levels with longer interval so that their net operational rates will be increased. The plan aims at prolonging their life span to 60 years, as longer then the originally estimated life span of 30 years. Most of Japanese nuclear power plants were built 20 or 30 years ago. In 2004, a pipe burst at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Mihama nuclear plant, which was caused by the pipe's rage. The company extended pipes' repair cycle in order to prevent the net operational rate from dropping, and to maintain its cost performance in the absence of humanistic discussion. The panel's attempting to use the existing nuclear plants longer and reduce safety standard in total disregard of the possibilities of serious accidents. We must strongly criticize the panel's discussion that these defects could be justified under the pretext that nuclear power plants must greatly contribute to a stable energy supply and countermeasures against global warming.
In Japan, there have occurred a number of huge earthquakes. Any earthquake-resistant construction necessarily poses a doubt on effectiveness. Since there never exist "absolutely perfect or safety" measure for all the things, the technology adopted must be considered to extremely maximize effectiveness. It must give priority to much more safety in the running of the nuclear power plants. Anyway, we must urge the government (1) to review its nuclear power policy by giving top priority to "safety", (2) withdraw the nuclear fuel cycle system, (3) the existing nuclear power plants should be phased out, (4) an inspective organization independent of the government and business circle must be advised, and (5) the stable energy supply as well as measures against global warming should be ensured by means of rapidly developing renewable energy in addition to extreme energy conservation measures, not by depending only on dangerous nuclear power plants. (S. YUASA)