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JCO president to resign in May for nuclear accident
JCO president to resign in May for nuclear accident
MITO, Japan, April 21 (Kyodo) - The president of nuclear fuel
processing company JCO Co. told the mayor of Tokaimura, Ibaraki
Prefecture, on Friday that he will resign in May in response to the
nation's worst nuclear accident, which occurred at the company's
Tokaimura plant last September, village officials said.
Hiroharu Kitani visited Tokaimura Mayor Tatsuya Murakami to tell
him of his plan, according to the officials.
Kitani became JCO president in June last year, resigning a post at
the firm's parent company, Sumitomo Metal Mining Co.
Following the Sept. 30 accident, Kitani said he would step down
after JCO finished compensating residents and companies around
its Tokaimura plant, northeast of Tokyo, and completed cleanup
procedures at the site.
On April 14, JCO finalized cleanup after transporting the remaining
uranium solution at the facility to a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant
at the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute, also in
Tokaimura.
JCO, meanwhile, has settled on compensation to 94% of
claimants, according to sources close to the case.
On March 28, the Science and Technology Agency notified JCO of
its intention to cancel the firm's business license in response to
the accident.
The accident occurred after three JCO employees poured too much
uranium into a tank that was not designed to hold it, resulting in a
nuclear fission chain reaction.
One of the employees, Hisashi Ouchi, died in December as a
result of excessive radiation exposure.
At least 439 people, including 207 local residents, were exposed to
various levels of radiation, mostly minor.
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