While Asahi Shimbun buried the approval of a Chinese-funded nuclear project in a barely visible space, Nikkei reported it prominently. This contrast exposes Asahi’s entrenched tendency to conceal inconvenient truths.

2016-09-16
Approval Granted for a New Nuclear Power Plant in the UK with Chinese Investment
On the 15th, the British government announced that it would allow a plan to proceed for the construction of a new nuclear power plant in the United Kingdom funded by a Chinese state-owned enterprise. The May administration, which was inaugurated in July, had been re-examining the plan. Going forward, the British government will be able to intervene in changes to the investment relationships of the operating entities of all nuclear power projects involving foreign investment, and will strengthen monitoring from the perspective of national security. What was approved was a plan to construct two new reactors at the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in Somerset, southwestern England. (London)
This is the manner in which Asahi Shimbun reported on this matter. A truly tiny space at the bottom of page six.
It was quietly placed in a very small space in a location that no one would read except those who read with extreme care.
Upon seeing this manner of reporting, readers should once again recognize that my critique of the Asahi Shimbun is entirely correct.
That is to say, the Asahi Shimbun is a company with a character unworthy of the name of journalism, one that hides inconvenient truths that conflict with the commentaries it has constructed based on its own distorted ideology.
Because this is the reality, readers should keenly realize that the paper has calmly carried out countless fabrications, including the large-scale fabricated reporting on so-called comfort women, the coral reef incident, and the Nanjing Massacre. Like myself, those in leadership positions across various sectors and strata who believed they had been reading carefully for many years without knowing this reality would do well, for the sake of Japan and the Japanese people, to examine whether they have unconsciously become pseudo-moralists.
Meanwhile, today’s Nikkei carried the story in a large space with a large headline that immediately catches the eye of anyone turning to page seven.
Approval of a Nuclear Power Plant with Chinese Investment in the UK
Consideration Given to Security, Measures to Put the Brakes on China
“London = Mariko Kotaki”
On the 15th, the British government announced that it had approved a plan to construct a new nuclear power plant funded by China’s major state-owned nuclear power company, China General Nuclear Power Group. Prime Minister Theresa May had postponed construction approval immediately after taking office in July.
Taking into account concerns that China’s presence had grown excessively and posed security risks, the government imposed conditions such as restricting the buying and selling of shares in the project company, thereby applying certain brakes.
The plan approved by the British government is the nuclear power project at Hinkley Point in southwestern England, aiming to begin operation in 2025.
Two state-of-the-art European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs) by the French nuclear power giant Areva will be constructed, supplying 7 percent of the UK’s electricity demand.
Two-thirds of the total project cost of 18 billion pounds (approximately 2.4 trillion yen) will be funded by EDF, with the remainder funded by Chinese entities including China General Nuclear Power Group. This is the first nuclear power plant construction in the UK in about 20 years.
The Hinkley Point nuclear project was agreed upon last autumn when Xi Jinping visited the UK, with then Prime Minister Cameron and Chinese companies participating.
It had been a flagship project symbolizing close UK–China relations. However, after assuming office, May suddenly announced a postponement of construction approval in late July, prompting strong opposition from China.
On the morning of the 15th, the British government issued a statement saying that “after a careful review of the business plan, we have decided to proceed with construction.”
At the same time, it announced a new mechanism allowing the British government to intervene in key infrastructure such as nuclear power plants.
Regarding Hinkley Point, EDF was prohibited from selling its stake before the completion of the plant without British government approval. Furthermore, for all nuclear power projects constructed in the UK from this point onward, large-scale share transactions by the project companies will not be permitted without government approval.
What concerns May most is said to be the Bradwell nuclear power project in southeastern England, which was approved together with Hinkley Point under the previous administration.
It is a plan to adopt Chinese-made nuclear reactors for the first time in an advanced country, and China intends to use this as a foothold to expand its nuclear power exports.
May has been wary of security risks since her time as Home Secretary.
By introducing a mechanism allowing government intervention in changes of major shareholders, the UK has placed brakes on the concentration of Chinese capital and technology in domestic nuclear power plants.
Behind the British government’s conditional approval of China’s participation in nuclear power lies the reality that UK–China relations cannot be taken lightly.
With the UK preparing to leave the European Union (EU), the economic outlook is highly uncertain, and cooperation with China, the world’s second-largest economy, is indispensable.
When May met Xi at the G20 summit held in China in early September, she also appealed for “continuing the golden era of UK–China relations.”
Existing nuclear power plants in the UK are aging, and a wave of replacement demand is arriving.
Amid fiscal difficulties, it is also necessary to encourage construction by foreign capital.
Japanese companies such as Hitachi and Toshiba have already received orders for nuclear power plant construction.
On the 15th, China General Nuclear Power Group issued a comment stating, “We are pleased that the British government has approved the project. Together with EDF, we would like to sustainably provide environmentally friendly energy to the United Kingdom.”
In addition to this, a table outlining the course of events to date was placed in the column on the right-hand side.