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TEPCO ignored nuclear accident risks, gov't report says

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What else is new? And there is still loads of denial and justification going on...and now, the restart of the Oi plants....when will people learn?!

3 ( +8 / -5 )

TEPCO ignored nuclear accident risks

Yeah, we all knew that! But, the government also let them ignore the risks. TEPCO was warned in 2,000 to get their back up generators off the ground and on to the roofs of the reactor buildings and to install waterproof housings for all backup electrical systems, which they did not do. Furthermore, none of the nuclear power plants in Japan have had this safety standard introduced, meaning the same thing could happen at any plant at any time. Even the offline plants still rely on water cooling systems for the fuel rods and can suffer the same fate as Fukushima Dai-Ichi in the event of another tsunami. The only thing they did was stress tests on the buildings, which means bugger all in a tsunami. The Government is just as much to blame for letting the power companies get away with it. now, they want to point the finger at the power companies? The buck stops at the top!

11 ( +17 / -6 )

Both the government and companies should establish a new philosophy of disaster prevention that requires safety and disaster measures against any massive accident and disaster ... regardless of event probability,

You mean they weren't already?

The government-appointed panel said there was no proof the earthquake was a key factor in the disaster but added that some impact could not be ruled out, contradicting TEPCO’s own findings, which put the blame solely on the tsunami.

So what? They should've planned for the tsunami.

The panel called on the government to immediately take additional steps, including ensuring that off-site nuclear accident management centers are protected against the kind of massive radiation leaks that made the one at Fukushima useless.

Er... you mean nuclear accident management centers weren't ready to cope with nuclear accidents?

The report also blamed Japan’s nuclear regulators for not paying sufficient heed to improvements in nuclear safety standards recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Yes, there are improvements, didn't they get the memo?!

All right, i guess it's not 1% rational opposition and 99% ignorant fear of the unknown when it comes to nuclear energy in Japan, it's morel ike 10% rational opposition and 90% ignorant fear of the unknown. The people living near NPPs oughta have a way to scrutinize their safety, as should the IAEA; and any NPP in operation should obviously adhere to the highest safety standards (of today, now two decades ago).

0 ( +9 / -9 )

TEPCO ignored nuclear accident risks

Yeah we all knew that, regulators new that too.

Now watch the pro-nuclear crowd do their song and dance number to explain it all away.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Now watch the pro-nuclear crowd do their song and dance number to explain it all away.

What's there to explain for the "pro-nuclear crowd"? The ones in charge ignored the risks, any "pro-nuclear groupie" will agree with anyone else who's reasonably sane that this shoudn't have happened. I think you're probably referring to pro-nuclear zealots, but i don't their numbers are great.

1 ( +9 / -8 )

"trained to think for themselves"

Well that just says it all doesn't it......

3 ( +7 / -4 )

So where's the government's part of the blame? Another politically charged report that does nothing to solve the problem and in fact makes things worse.

How about these people get off their thrones and actually do something? Where's comprehensive reforms in industrial safety? Where's comprehensive reform in workers rights? Where's the wall separating elected officials from disaster response teams?

0 ( +11 / -11 )

Vesperto,

The ones in charge ignored the risks, any "pro-nuclear groupie" will agree with anyone else who's reasonably sane that this shoudn't have happened.

There have been many posters on this forum that say that the risk could never have been predicted in the first place. In fact I even believe that you have made comments to that effect. But I could be wrong.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

I want to read the headline that says Tepco past top executives and former govt ministers arrested and charged with collusion, bribery, negilgence and wilful endangerment of public, that would be the only tepco related headline worth reading now.

11 ( +17 / -6 )

Not sure why I got a thumbs down, if anyone has spent anytime working in a Japanese company they could have told you this is and has been the number one issue with Japan since the emergence of a global economy.

People are not empowered to question or challenge from day one, in school, business and politics.

I hope this changes. Japanese people are amazing and I believe they can make Japan the best country in the world, otherwise I wouldn't live here, however relying on old business structures and political institutions will result in the outcome, the people must stand up and think for themselves.

7 ( +12 / -5 )

TEPCO’s own findings, which put the blame solely on the tsunami.

Funny how the very same tsunami hit Onagawa nuclear plant site as well, without as disasterous effects. Even now Tepco cannot admit the obvious.

Anyway, report is somewhat honest, but sounds like a lot of people are scrambling to abandon their sinking drinking buddy Tepco to save their own face.

4 ( +10 / -6 )

that severe accidents do not happen at nuclear plants in our country

I see this all the time, people thinking this is Japan, things like that don't happen here...

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Basically they blamed Kan yet again and nobody else is prosecuted. The heck. Just WHO is going to be taking any responsibilities (other than the scapegoats) in Japan???

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Wow, only took them a year and a quarter to figure that out? I could have told you this long before even the Niigata coverup by TEPCO in 2007 or whenever it was. The better question is if we'll get a "shou ga nai" response or some real action.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

No doubt the TEPCO head Hirose is still wondering where the word 'collusion' came from.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Thomas Anderson: "Basically they blamed Kan yet again and nobody else is prosecuted. The heck. Just WHO is going to be taking any responsibilities (other than the scapegoats) in Japan???"

No one. This is Japan. Crime pays, and life is cheap so long as you are in control of it.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

When you don't have enough radioactive protective suits and gloves for emergencies at a Nuclear Plant. YOU HAVE A DEEP PROBLEM.

When the government & Prime Minster is asking questions during an emergency meeting and your company reps. are dodging or giving vague answers you've got a serious problem.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The report also blamed Japan’s nuclear regulators for not paying sufficient heed to improvements in nuclear safety standards recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

This article quotes the report is talks around the issue, but not mentioning the "amakudari" problem.

Hadn't TEPCO been hiring former regulators?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

SquidBert

In fact I even believe that you have made comments to that effect. But I could be wrong

You are wrong, i'm not a nuclear expert.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Vesperto,

You are wrong,

If that's the case, I apologize

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

It all seems pointless and a waste of tax payers money to conduct these "inquiries" if no one is actually going to be prosecuted.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

MasterBapeJul. 24, 2012 - 06:35PM JST

It all seems pointless and a waste of tax payers money to conduct these "inquiries" if no one is actually going to be prosecuted.

These things are political games played by the same idiots that have run the country (and practically all countries) for the last half century. There is no point in assigning more blame, the only things that can help are actually going forward with implementing what was learned, as well as securing financing for cleanup. The second can be easily done, the first depends on people being proactive without becoming activists.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

I wonder if Naomi Hirose (TEPCO's new Chief Puppet) will be equally "baffled" by this report as he has been with everything else so far.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/tepco-president-baffled-by-criticism-of-utilitys-role-in-nuclear-disaster#comment_1355632

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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