national

TEPCO admits lack of safety, bad habits led to nuclear disaster

30 Comments
By Aaron Sheldrick

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

30 Comments
Login to comment

That's like a murderer finally admitting he's guilty after the jury is shown a video of him committing the murder.

Too little, too late buddy.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Very unfortunately, with the pro-nuclear LDP back in power, the TEPCO top monkeys will be safe and we'll see another electricity price hike so that TEPCO can pay back their compensation. We'll hear less of it as well.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

This is something we knew all along. The amazing thing is that TEPCO is coming clean at all.

Once in power, the LDP will tell TEPCO to stop the mia culpas and blame mother nature or the North Koreans or whatever.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Agree with zichi completely.

TEPCO was and continues to be a pampered pet that in turn has bribed generations of so-called experts to become pampered pets. TEPCO indeed had one "bad habit." It believed it could get away with anything. And it could indeed before the advent of the Internet and social media.

Information about "nuclear gypsies" has been out there for decades. Only it has been denied. It was denied by the Japanese establishment and a few preposterous foreign Japanopiles. But the information was out there and this time it went viral. TEPCO finally had to admit the truth after everyone already knew it.

And this was under the DPJ, whom we will dear miss once it is out of power, for all its faults. Things will get worse under Abe and the LDP. The bad habits will be transmogrified into acceptable habits. If TEPCO is exonerated under the LDP I will not be surprised.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

zichi: "TEPCO should be banned from ever operating a nuclear plant ever again."

This is Japan, zichi. TEPCO is more likely to be rewarded than punished, while we are all asked to 'share the burden'.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

And they'll deny it next incident until proven beyond a shadow of a doubt as well. And so I ask the rhetorical question yet again: what are they going to do about it?? Nothing, it's Japan. This admittance will be enough for the powers that be.

And THIS is the area in which they hope to hold the talks on nuclear energy and crises in the near future?? haha.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

“But (for) most of the investigation of our organization culture, we admit that, and we will try to change,” he said.

Don't try DO!!!!!!!!!

What the heck is organization culture?

You're admitting nothing everyone didn't already know.
4 ( +5 / -1 )

Yeah, I'm with you Zichi. Why hasn't there been a criminal suit brought against them?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

TEPCO has no right to be. They needed to stripped down, pulled apart and rebuilt with all the inputs, approaches and criteria that demonstrate a robust, sincere and professional organisation. THIS COFFEE SURE IS TAKING A LONG TIME TO BE SMELT!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@HNORTHriver: NO, the safety culture was completely lacking. They HAD the historic data for these tsunami events. There are NO excuses but gross criminal negligence on TEPCO's part. They ignored, ignored, ignored and didn't even have batteries on site OR the correct parts to connect cables. Outrageously incompetent.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

TEPCO can admit this because they have been basically granted impunity, which is as unbelievable as the pro-nuclear LDP being elected after Japan suffered 3 core meltdowns. Clearly, democracy here is highly dysfunctional.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

It is not JUST TEPCO, it's right through the industry.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201212130030

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was stricken after a tsunami last year said on Friday its lack of safety and bad habits were behind the nuclear accident, its most forthright admission of culpability.

Twenty-one months to come clean and admit what everyone else has known since Day 1. And the ironic thing is that TEPCO basically refused to particpate in these fact-finding studies, but the truth came out anyway. I'm sure glad it is not my taxes that will be paying for this sort of criminal negligence for decades.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Seeing as they've admitted what we already knew ........ When are we going to see some heads roll ? I think we alreasy know the answer to that too.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

This falls under the No %$#@ Scherlock! category..................

And yeah no one in prision for these crimes against the people of Japan.

This sick incestuous behavior is in ALL INDUSTRY nation wide & is the noose that is around the neck of the nation but change looks no where in sight, in fact its looking to get a whole lot worse with the ldp looking to get back in.

Certainly aint going to be seeing any light at the end of any tunnels in this corrupt, inept, thieving cesspool

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Certainly aint going to be seeing any light at the end of any tunnels in this corrupt, inept, thieving cesspool

GW .. that's because the tunnelsare collapsing from years of negligence and abuse. As you say, this "sick incestous behavior" is in ALL of Japan.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

TEPCO admits lack of safety, bad habits led to nuclear disaster

Then somebody should be taken to court, lose the job or be imprIsoned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Now that TEPCO admitted their stupidity and amoeba brains in lack of safety and bad habits, what will the PUNISHMENTS given to those officials involved, be of Tepco and JGovt in hiding the truth for ALMOST 18 MONTHS now. The Damages have been done and radiation caused illnesses will linger on for years and years from now. IMO I would rather see those officials punished and spend the rest of their lives in jail. No Mercy. It's really sad that the displaced residents can no longer go back and start again living on their land where they grew up and raised a family. Whoever win the coming elections, I hope you will change many of Japan's bad systems of governance.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

After Tokaimura as well, the same conclusion was made about a lack of a culture of safety. But not much happened later as a result. I wonder if this time around things will really change?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I think that was the deliberate action to conceal other solutions when it comes to cheap and safe production of energy, only to nuclear solutions you seem to only cost-effective. Here something that was published in 1960 and, despite a very promising parameter m is not very widespread in public, in sufficient scalable to large investments, funding was for the development of this method.

http://www.new4stroke.com/index_php_3755dfe7.jpg

http://www.new4stroke.com/radioamator.jpg Google translated : "According to information published in one of the writings of English - has been developed by researchers at the concept of electricity generation by passage of ions and electrons with very high speed through a magnetic field The practical implementation of this method that was based on Plasma gas forcing by the strong magnetic field. Electrical power of 1000 KW can be obtained by passing the said plasma at 3 times the speed of sound, the magnetic field of 1 meter long between the poles of a magnet at a distance from each other by about 15 cm. No, you would need the boilers and steam turbines. Previous experiments have generated so far a small amount of electrical energy. Achieving the full effect expected after several years of further intensive tests conducted"..

And my Hi-Fi Wind Amplifier... http://www.new4stroke.com/HiFiwind%20amplifier.jpg

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This a link from the Tokaimura Accident Sentencing. http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/20020/story.htm

Back in 2003, passing sentence, Judge Hideyuki Suzuki said: "The accident gravely shocked society and vastly undermined public confidence in nuclear power."

When somebody hangs the Fukushima NPP, what will the judge say? How can you top the 2003 passing?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Zichi...do you agree increasing your monthly bills aside from your taxes being siphoned by TEPCO for compensation purpose?

@ BernieK.. read the link and the cost of 2 lives from the tragedy was only ¥500,000 and 5 years suspended jail term.... geezzzz.. Japan should change their laws in punishments for crimes like this.

Let's see what punishments will be rendered to guilty TEPCO and JGovt officials involved in the Fukushima melt down that could have been avoided if not for the unsafe and bad habits in handling the safety features of the nuke power plant by the TEPCO management.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The TEPCO executive leaders and the Japanese political leaders that have been bribed or financially influenced by TEPCO will never see one day of jail time. TEPCO and the many government official are responsible for the low safety standards,lack of oversight, and outright disregard for the very foreseeable disaster that had been forecast and yet still acted with total disregard for human life. The best the citizens can do is remove any and all of those that have dirty money stains on there hands. The citizens must vote them out of office and demand a changing laws to require that there is prosecution and imprisonment of corrupt,unethical,or purposely negligent business leaders and politicians You can not change what has already passed but you can control what is yet to be. .

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If, as this article states, TEPCO has finally admitted culpability, why are we all expected to pay higher taxes to pay for the clean up and reconstruction, and why has nobody been charged with negligence? Surely, this company should be forced to pay all its profits into a fund for the clean up and reconstruction until that is accomplished, and then disbanded at least until all the directors have served long prison sentences and forfeited all bonuses, pensions and retirement handouts? By the way, can't it simply be renamed INEPTCO (Indecent Nuclear Electric Power Transmission Company)?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Under pressure from the nuke village, TEPCO has been forced to loose face and tell the world that NPP can be safe if handled properly.

Do not underestimate these kinds of communications. There is a clear objective behind it: restart idled NPP and do not compromise the worldwide nuke business.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Well, GE power plants have a problem in the design like hydrogen gas explosion and everything. I don't think that they were able to solve the problem if the core problem was design

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites