25 years later, two victims of the critical JCO accident are mourning

Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, September 30 (Jiji Press) – Japan on Monday marked the 25th anniversary of a fatal critical accident that occurred at a plant owned by nuclear fuel processing company JCO Co. in Tokai village in eastern Ibaraki Prefecture.

About 120 Tokai Municipality employees and officials observed a minute’s silence for the two JCO employees who died in the nuclear accident.

“We must never forget the accident,” Tokai Mayor Osamu Yamada told city staff after prayer, reminding them that continued efforts should be made to improve nuclear safety based on the lessons learned from the accident ensure.

Yamada called on the Japanese government and energy companies to fulfill their responsibilities, saying: “Understanding and trust among people are not yet enough.”

Shiho Hashiura, a 32-year-old Tokay native who started working for the village government in April this year, said she was an elementary school student at the time and remembered closing the shutters after the accident. “I felt that as an employee of the village government, I had to protect the lives and livelihoods of residents,” Hashiura said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]