The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 23, 2011)
Monju reactor program not appropriate for budget screening
「もんじゅ」 政策仕分けにはなじまない(11月22日付・読売社説)

The Government Revitalization Unit has proposed a drastic review of the Monju program, which aims to develop a next-generation nuclear reactor. The review will include whether the program should be scrapped.
 次世代の原子炉を目指す高速増殖炉「もんじゅ」について、政府の行政刷新会議が、計画存続の是非を含め、抜本的に見直すよう提言した。

During the unit's policy review session that started Sunday, all seven members of the screening committee, which includes Diet members of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, criticized the program. "More than 1 trillion yen has been injected so far, but the program has borne no fruit," one screener said.
 刷新会議が20日に始めた仕分け作業で、与党議員ら7人の仕分け人が、「これまでに1兆円以上の予算をつぎ込んだが、何の成果もない」などと主張した。

However, discussions lasted only for several hours and focused on how to use the program budget efficiently. There was almost no review of technical issues or verification of the program's merits and demerits from the viewpoint of long-term energy policy.
 だが、わずか数時間の議論は事業予算の効率的な使い方が焦点となり、技術的な検討も、長期的なエネルギー政策の観点からの検証も、ほとんどなかった。

We cannot help but call the budget screening session a mere political performance that took advantage of the general atmosphere of "opposition to nuclear power generation" caused by the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
 東京電力福島第一原子力発電所事故後の「脱原発」の風潮を踏まえたパフォーマンスと言われても仕方があるまい。

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Maintenance takes 20 bil. yen a year

The Monju prototype fast breeder reactor has been mostly suspended since operations began in 1994, due to a series of problems including a sodium leak in 1995.
 「もんじゅ」は1994年に運転を開始して以来、「ナトリウム漏れ事故」などで、ほとんど停止している状態だ。

Just maintaining the reactor costs about 20 billion yen a year.
維持費だけでも年に200億円程度を要する。

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency, an independent administrative institution, is responsible for research and development on the Monju project. Budget screeners raised such questions as, "Wasn't there laxity because you're a public research organization?" or "Was there no waste of money?" We think the screeners had sufficient reason to ask such questions.
 研究開発を担うのは、独立行政法人の日本原子力研究開発機構だが、公的な研究組織ゆえに緊張感を欠いてこなかったか。経費の無駄はなかったか。仕分けで、そう指摘されたのは、もっともだ。

However, Japan has been promoting the study of fast breeder reactors in an attempt to more effectively use uranium.
 しかし、日本が高速増殖炉を推進してきたのは、ウラン資源の有効活用を目指しているからだ。

Fast breeder reactors can convert a type of uranium that cannot be burned in conventional nuclear reactors into plutonium that can be used as fuel.
今の原子炉では燃やせないウランを燃料に変えられる。

The program has its eye on the future of Japan, which is a resource-thirsty country.
資源に乏しい日本の将来を見据えている。

Countries such as China and India have also been developing such reactors, and China began experimental power generation this summer.
 中国、インドなども同型の原子炉を開発中で、中国は今夏、実験段階の発電を始めている。

European countries and the United States are giving much attention to whether the stable operation of Monju in Japan, as an international R&D base for fast breeder reactors, is possible.
国際的な研究開発拠点として、欧米からは、日本の「もんじゅ」の安定運転に関心が寄せられている。

It is indeed problematic if the screeners do not take into account these circumstances and international trends.
 こうした経緯や動向を考慮しないのは問題だ。

Organizations such as the government's Energy and Environment Council and the Atomic Energy Commission have been reviewing nuclear power policy, and are scheduled to reach a final conclusion next summer.
 原子力政策については、政府のエネルギー・環境会議や原子力委員会などが、来夏を目途に見直している。

The fate of the Monju program will have to be decided at that time.
「もんじゅ」も、その中で位置づけられるはずだ。

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Optimum energy mix needed

Nuclear power generation needs to be discussed from a long-term point of view, and the best combination of energy sources for the country must be chosen.
 長期的観点で原子力を議論してエネルギーの最良の組み合わせを決める必要がある。

However, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano said during the budget screening session that if all the research funding for nuclear power plants was put into studying renewable energy sources, the nation's power needs could be satisfied.
 だが、枝野経済産業相は、仕分けの場で、原発の全研究費を再生可能エネルギーの研究に投じれば電力はまかない得ると述べた。

This is not an easy task when we consider current technology levels.
今の技術水準からは容易なことではない。

Edano is downright irresponsible.
無責任ではないか。

The ongoing budget screening has been dubbed a "policy proposing type screening." I
 今回の仕分けは「政策提言型仕分け」と銘打たれている。

n addition to the Monju program, the session also discussed an R&D program on nuclear fusion among other nuclear programs.
原子力政策からは、「もんじゅ」のほかに核融合の研究開発なども対象とされた。

However, as in the Monju case, the budget screening members were obsessed with the efficient use of money.
だが、やはり、予算の効率化に終始した。

The nation's important policy measures must be decided through discussions from various angles.
 重要政策は、多面的な論議を経て決められるべきものだ。

In that sense, the budget screening has its limitations.
仕分けには限界がある。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 22, 2011)
(2011年11月22日01時16分  読売新聞)