He maintained extremely inappropriate relations with women. There is no other choice but to say he lacks the qualities to be a governor.
Niigata Gov. Ryuichi Yoneyama has submitted his resignation over the issue.
It was reported by weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun that he had sexual relationships with several women he met via dating websites, and in exchange for money. Yoneyama broadly admitted the allegations.
His relationships with the women are said to have continued even after he became the governor. He cannot evade responsibility.
His offer to resign will officially be approved early next week. A gubernatorial election to choose his successor is likely to be held in early June.
Population decline is serious in Niigata Prefecture. Niigata falls behind neighboring prefectures in attracting tourists. Koshihikari rice, a byword for the prefecture's products, made in the Uonuma area, has slipped from the list of Special A-ranked rice brands. In the wake of this, it is essential for the prefecture to boost its agricultural promotion measures.
A new governor must end the confusion caused by Yoneyama's resignation as early as possible and make arrangements to squarely tackle various issues.
Yoneyama -- a candidate recommended by the Japanese Communist Party, Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party -- was elected to his first term in office in a gubernatorial election held in October 2016. He took a cautious stance toward restarting Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station in the prefecture, and beat the candidate recommended by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito.
The next gubernatorial election is expected to become a paradigm of confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over whether to restart the nuclear power plant. The opposition parties are looking into the possibility of fielding a unified candidate. In the previous gubernatorial poll, the Democratic Party -- out of consideration for one of its support organizations, the Federation of Electric Power Related Industry Workers Unions of Japan -- did not set any restrictions on which candidate to vote for. A new party the DP plans to create with Kibo no To (Party of Hope) will be tested on how it deals with the election.
Restart safe reactors
What differs to a year and a half ago is that the Nuclear Regulation Authority late last December concluded an assessment stating the No. 6 and No. 7 nuclear reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant have passed safety screening tests. This marked a step toward restarting the nuclear plant.
Even after the NRA's conclusion, Yoneyama insisted the restart of the reactors should not be approved without completing an inspection of the causes of the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station. An expert panel has been verifying health damage and evacuation methods, in addition to the causes of that accident.
The Fukushima nuclear accident investigation commissions set up by the central government and the Diet have already finished analyzing the causes of the accident, and the findings have been incorporated into regulation standards. The prefecture's verification could be seen as akin to doing something useless. Reconsideration is called for on the part of the prefectural government.
TEPCO estimates that the two reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, if restarted, will improve its annual earnings by up to 110 billion yen per reactor. The power utility has positioned the restart of the nuclear power plant as the pillar of its plan for making up the costs of decommissioning the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and compensation payments.
The power supply-demand situation became tight in January and February in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant could contribute to a stable power supply.
Nuclear reactors that have been confirmed to be safe must be restarted steadily. TEPCO needs to make continued efforts toward reducing the anxiety of residents near the plant.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 21, 2018)
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
