Japanese PM Kan declines salary until nuclear crisis solved

[News_Editor]

Japanese PM Kan declines salary until nuclear crisis solved

2011-05-10 19:26:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday announced that starting June, he will be declining his monthly salary and biannual bonuses until the country's nuclear crisis is brought under control.

Kan, who receives 1,636,000 yen ($20,200) a month as Prime Minister, will still be receiving his salary as a lawmaker, he announced during a televised press conference.

The Japanese Prime Minister apologized to the people, saying that along with the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima nuclear plant, the government bears great responsibility for the country's ongoing nuclear crisis, Kyoto news agency reported.

In addition, Kan said the government would be reviewing the current energy policy, which targets raising its nuclear energy supply until covering 50 percent of Japan's energy by 2030. Currently, the country's nuclear energy supplies around 30 percent.

The Prime Minister said Japan would conduct a review into its energy policy to boost renewable energy, which only targets supplying the country with 20 percent by 2030. Kan underlined that this policy would be reviewed, as better energy safety must be implemented and green energy, such as wind and solar, need to be increased. Kan, however, said Japan would maintain nuclear power.

On Monday, Japan's Chubu Electric Co. agreed to shut down its Hamaoka nuclear power station in Shizuoka Prefecture, two days after Kan had requested to have all operations at the plant's reactors suspended.

The decision was made final after the company held a second extraordinary board meeting following Saturday's, which ended inconclusive, as the company discussed different ways to solve power supply, especially during the summer.

Chubu Electronic Co. President Akihiza Mizuno confirmed that the No. 4 and No. 5 reactors would be shut down, while the restarting of the No. 3 reactor would be postponed.

The plant is located in Shizuoka, less than 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest from Tokyo and serves central Japan and the area around Nagoya.

Last Friday, Kan said Japan's science ministry informed that an 8.0-magnitude earthquake is forecast to hit the Tokai region with an 87 percent probability in the coming 30 years, which could affect the nuclear plant.

The devastating March 11 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami damaged TEPCO's Fukushima nuclear plant, disabling its cooling systems, and radioactive elements leaked into the sea and were later found in water, air and food products in some parts of Japan.

The disaster resulted in the death of at least 14,294 people, while some 13,000 people remain missing. Nearly 120,000 have also been forced to live in temporary shelters. Japanese officials have called it the worst crisis since the end of World War II.

Japan has approved a 4 trillion yen ($48.89 billion) emergency budget to finance the early phase of reconstruction. In addition, the evacuation zone was expanded beyond the initial 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) radius surrounding the damaged plant.

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