元助役との連絡役配置＝「高浜の実力者」に配慮－関電

　関西電力の幹部らが福井県高浜町の森山栄治元助役（故人）から多額の金品を受け取っていた問題で、関電が元助役と連絡を取ったり、元助役からの問い合わせに答えたりするための専用職員を福井県美浜町の原子力事業本部に配置していたことが１日、関係者の話で分かった。
　森山氏が関電の研修の講師を複数回務め、社内で「先生」「Ｍさん」などと呼ばれていたことも判明した。森山氏は生前、関電高浜原発の誘致などに強い影響力を発揮しており、「高浜の実力者」（関電関係者）に対する配慮が、こうした特別扱いの背景にあったとみられる。
　関係者によると、関電は少なくとも２００６年から１０年までの間、同本部に森山氏との連絡役を担当する職員を配置していた。ただ、担当者は人事異動もあり、同じ職員が長期間務めることはなかったという。
　関電は９月２７日の記者会見で、１１年～１８年にかけ、岩根茂樹社長や八木誠会長ら幹部２０人が森山氏から計３億２０００万円分の金品を受け取っていたことを公表。ただ、他の幹部らの氏名や受け取った金品の内容などは明らかにしておらず、２日午後に再度記者会見し、金品授受のより詳細な内容を公表する。
　八木会長はこれまでの取材で、金品を受け取った理由について「返そうとすると激高される。過剰におびえていた」と話している。（2019/10/01-13:32）

Kansai Electric Power Co. had deployed personnel to serve as a liaison between the company and an influential late former deputy mayor of a nuclear plant host town at the center of a recently revealed money scandal involving executives of the company, it was learned Tuesday.
   Kansai Electric, based in the western Japan city of Osaka, announced on Friday that 20 executives, including President Shigeki Iwane and Chairman Makoto Yagi, received 320 million yen's worth of money and goods in total between 2011 and 2018 from Eiji Moriyama, former deputy mayor of the town of Takahama, Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, who died in March this year. The town hosts Kansai Electric's Takahama nuclear power station.
   According to informed sources, Kansai Electric had the liaison position in place at its nuclear business headquarters in Mihama, another Fukui town, home to the firm's Mihama nuclear plant, at least between 2006 and 2010 for contacting Moriyama and responding to his inquiries. Multiple employees took turns to serve in the position. No single person performed the job for a long period, due to personnel relocations within the company, according to the sources.
   Kansai Electric is believed to have given such special treatment to Moriyama, who led efforts to bring the Takahama nuclear plant to the town by wielding his strong influence within the local community.
   Moriyama lectured at Kansai Electric's training programs several times, and he was known as "sensei," or teacher, or "Mr. M" within the firm. He was "a power broker of Takahama" a Kansai Electric-linked source said.