菅前首相、福島第１原発視察　補選後見据え、存在感アピール

　自民党の菅義偉前首相は１５日、東京電力福島第１原発を視察した。菅政権で決定した原発処理水海洋放出の進捗（しんちょく）状況を確認するのが目的。１６日に告示される衆院３補欠選挙を見据え、自身の存在感を示す狙いもありそうだ。
　菅氏は、原子炉建屋を見渡せるデッキで廃炉作業を確認。放射性物質トリチウムを含む処理水の希釈放出設備に移動し、東電関係者から作業工程の説明を受けた。
　この後、菅氏は記者団に「処理水は決して先送りできないとの判断の中で、覚悟を持って決めた」と強調。「安全確保の努力に終わりはない。緊張感を持って行うべきだ」と訴えた。
　今回の視察について、自民内には「補選後を見据えた動き」と捉える向きもある。菅氏は記者団に３補選について「島根１区でしか公認できなかったことは大変残念だ」と指摘。裏金事件を受けた政治資金規正法の改正については「透明性の高い、国民が納得する改正を主導して進めていくべきだ」と述べた。（2024/04/15-19:27）

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visited the disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan on Monday to inspect progress on the release of tritium-containing treated water from the plant into the sea.
   The release of the treated water was decided on by the administration of Suga in April 2021.
   "We made the decision with the determination that we cannot push back (the release of) the treated water," Suga told reporters during the visit. "There is no end to efforts to ensure safety," he said, adding that the water release "should be done with a sense of tension."
   On the day, Suga watched reactor decommissioning work from a deck overlooking a reactor building and was briefed on the water release process by TEPCO officials at a facility for diluting the treated water before releasing it into the sea.
   Through the inspection, Suga may have partly intended to demonstrate his presence ahead of three by-elections for the House of Representatives later this month, observers said.