日本关闭最后一座核反应堆

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.

将近14个月之前，一次强烈地震和海啸激起自切尔诺贝利之后最严重的核事故。现在，日本开始关闭它的最后一座核反应堆。福岛核电站事故之后，日本政府对所有核电站进行了安全测试。可是，公众对安全的担心减慢了重启这些核反应堆的进程，从而使日本的核工业的前景不明朗。

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座商用核反应堆的最后一座、位于北海道泊核电站的核反应堆停止运行，日本混合能源中核能部分的比例42年来首次降至零点。

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月的地震与海啸导致福岛第一核电站融毁，之后日本政府对所有核反应堆实施了压力测试检查。这些核反应堆一个个被要求关闭，以检查它们抗地震与海啸的性能。

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.

首批通过这项检查的核反应堆是位于日本中部福井县大饭核电站的3号和4号机。4月初，政府决定它们可以恢复运行。负责公共关系的日本内阁官房副长官四方敬之是这样解释的。

"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.

他说：“我们对福岛第一核电站的事故原因已有充分了解，我们也知道万一大饭核电站的核反应堆发生严重事故，我们需要采取哪些措施。”

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

尽管得到政府的批准，但是通过检查的核反应堆中没有一座重新启动。

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.

政府争辩说，如果没有核电的话，日本部分地区，包括大饭核电站所在的中部关西地区，今年夏天将出现严重的电力短缺。

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

然而，当地居民并不确定他们是否愿意重启那些核反应堆。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.

在福井县以及全国范围所做的民意调查显示，大多数日本公众反对立即重启核电站。与福井县相邻的各县知事要求对核电站做出更强的保证并采取更为可靠的安全措施。他们还对关西地区需要这些核反应堆度过夏天的观点提出质疑。

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.

内阁官房副长官四方敬之说，政府还没有决定重启核反应堆的确切日期。他说，东京仍然承诺要与范围广泛的利益相关者进行深入细致的对话，其中包括福井县的邻县。

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

四方敬之承认，在夏天来临之前未能重启大饭核电站也是政府考虑的可能出现的情况之一。

"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."

他说：“我们认为，重启大饭核电站是适当的和令人满意的。与此同时，我们也做出这样一种假设，那就是在可能出现酷暑的时候没有任何核电站运行。如果公众继续对重启核电站持反对态度或保留意见，我们就需要继续与公众接触，重启核电站可能是一个较为长远的目标，在我们的经济或我们国家的长期混合能源计划中也反映出这一点。”

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.

与此同时，为了弥补能源短缺，日本开始依靠进口煤、石油和天然气。这种局面有损日本的能源安全和经济，并且会增加温室气体排放。