日本關閉最後一座核反應堆

Nearly 14 months after a powerful earthquake and tsunami triggered the most severe nuclear accident since Chernobyl, Japan is shutting down the last of its nuclear reactors. After the accident, the Japanese government imposed safety tests on all nuclear power plants. But public concerns about their safety have slowed down the process to restart the reactors, leaving Japan's nuclear industry with an uncertain future.

將近14個月之前，一次強烈地震和海嘯激起自切爾諾貝利之後最嚴重的核事故。現在，日本開始關閉它的最後一座核反應堆。福島核電站事故之後，日本政府對所有核電站進行了安全測試。可是，公衆對安全的擔心減慢了重啓這些核反應堆的進程，從而使日本的核工業的前景不明朗。

For the first time in 42 years, the portion of nuclear power in Japan’s energy mix is set to reach zero on Saturday night, when the last of the country’s 50 commercial reactors is taken offline at the Tomari plant in Hokkaido.

星期六晚上，日本50座商用核反應堆的最後一座、位於北海道泊核電站的核反應堆停止運行，日本混合能源中核能部分的比例42年來首次降至零點。

After the March, 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the Japanese government imposed inspections known as stress tests on all nuclear reactors. One by one, they were required to shut down to check their resistance to earthquakes and tsunamis.

2011年3月的地震與海嘯導致福島第一核電站融毀，之後日本政府對所有核反應堆實施了壓力測試檢查。這些核反應堆一個個被要求關閉，以檢查它們抗地震與海嘯的性能。

The first reactors to have cleared the process were units 3 and 4 at the Ohi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. In early April, the government decided they were ready to go back online, as explained by the deputy cabinet secretary for public relations Noriyuki Shikata.

首批通過這項檢查的核反應堆是位於日本中部福井縣大飯核電站的3號和4號機。4月初，政府決定它們可以恢復運行。負責公共關係的日本內閣官房副長官四方敬之是這樣解釋的。

"We have learned enough about the cause of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP and also what needs to be done in the case of the Ohi NPP supposing that a severe accident could take place at those locations," said Shikata.

他說：“我們對福島第一核電站的事故原因已有充分了解，我們也知道萬一大飯核電站的核反應堆發生嚴重事故，我們需要採取哪些措施。”

Despite the government seal of approval none of the cleared reactors have been restarted.

儘管得到政府的批准，但是通過檢查的核反應堆中沒有一座重新啓動。

The government argues that without nuclear power, parts of Japan - including the central Kansai region, where the Ohi plant is located - would suffer severe power shortages this summer.

政府爭辯說，如果沒有核電的話，日本部分地區，包括大飯核電站所在的中部關西地區，今年夏天將出現嚴重的電力短缺。

However, local residents are not sure they want to see those reactors back online yet.

然而，當地居民並不確定他們是否願意重啓那些核反應堆。Opinion polls, both in Fukui Prefecture and at the national level, indicate a majority of the public is opposed to an immediate restart of nuclear plants. The governors of neighboring prefectures demand stronger guarantees and safety measures. They also question the idea that the Kansai region needs the reactors to make it through the summer.

在福井縣以及全國範圍所做的民意調查顯示，大多數日本公衆反對立即重啓核電站。與福井縣相鄰的各縣知事要求對核電站做出更強的保證並採取更爲可靠的安全措施。他們還對關西地區需要這些核反應堆度過夏天的觀點提出質疑。

Deputy Cabinet Secretary Shikata says the government hasn’t settled on a definite deadline for restarts. He says Tokyo remains committed to a "very intensive dialogue" with a broad base of stakeholders, including Fukui’s neighboring prefectures.

內閣官房副長官四方敬之說，政府還沒有決定重啓核反應堆的確切日期。他說，東京仍然承諾要與範圍廣泛的利益相關者進行深入細緻的對話，其中包括福井縣的鄰縣。

Shikata admits that failure to restart the Ohi plant before the summer is now among the scenarios considered by the government.

四方敬之承認，在夏天來臨之前未能重啓大飯核電站也是政府考慮的可能出現的情況之一。

"We think it is appropriate and desirable to restart the Ohi NPP," added Shikata. "At the same time, we are assuming that no NPPs will be operating and the hot summer could come. If there continues to be very strong opposition or reservations, we will need to continue to engage the public, and this could be in the longer run reflected in the long-term energy mix for our economy or for our country."

他說：“我們認爲，重啓大飯核電站是適當的和令人滿意的。與此同時，我們也做出這樣一種假設，那就是在可能出現酷暑的時候沒有任何核電站運行。如果公衆繼續對重啓核電站持反對態度或保留意見，我們就需要繼續與公衆接觸，重啓核電站可能是一個較爲長遠的目標，在我們的經濟或我們國家的長期混合能源計劃中也反映出這一點。”

In the meantime, Japan is compensating for the energy shortfall by relying on costly imports of coal, oil and natural gas. A situation that undermines Japan’s energy security, its economy, and the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

與此同時，爲了彌補能源短缺，日本開始依靠進口煤、石油和天然氣。這種局面有損日本的能源安全和經濟，並且會增加溫室氣體排放。