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© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Abe seeks overseas help on Fukushima water leaks
By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
30 Comments
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Disillusioned
So, he is now pleading for international help to stop the leaks? I can buy a tube of silicone sealant at the 100 yen shop that would stop the leaks. The problem is not 'know how'. The problem is letting TEPCO use cheap scab labor pooled from the long term unemployed who don't know the difference between poop and clay. Get some skilled people in there and pay them to do the damn job properly!
Ali Khan
Abe san Are you kidding Sir ?
edojin
Guess Abe's beginning to see the light at last. The local guys surely can't do the job, so now he has to turn to someone else to do it. And going overseas for help is not the usual request from the local national government.
Should be interesting to see what happens now.
One thing for sure, as long as the TEPCO and other local nuclear "experts" are in control, we'll be seeing more leaks ... and more lies ... and more ....
Jimizo
Scandalously overdue but welcome. TEPCO's attempts to do things on the cheap and give out half truths to preserve what little confidence is left in it has been criminal. A problem of this scale needs the best minds with no expense spared.
StormR
The situation is under control they just want help setting up and opening a water bottling plant up that way.
Coincidence a coke machine standing all alone in the middle of the rice paddy in the photo of the day.
Nipporinoel
Hat tip to Mr Abe.
Hidden agenda: a clever tactic to pass-the-buck when the troubles continue to plague Fukushima NPP. Blame the foreigners.
warewarenihonjin
Seeks? He should BEG!!! and apologise. Again and again and again.
Disillusioned
You know, it was just over two weeks ago this wombat was assuring the IOC the situation in Fukushima was under control in a bid to secure the Olympics for Tokyo. This statement coming only a few weeks later clearly means he was lying through his butt to secure the Olympics. What a guy! He is a liar and a cheat! Now, we have this plea for international help. Many international groups are ready to jump in and fix this farce, but nobody is prepared to pay for professionals go in and get this disaster 'under control' as Abe stated it was already. But, the saddest thing is, if they do let international professionals in to take over this crap TEPCO will just increase their electricity tariffs to cover it.
darknuts
Wow. And it only took him two and a half years to do it.
TheDevilsAssistant
What happened to his Olympic Bid speech? Did he lie to the world?
Ebereson
No!,Mr Abe,we don't need any overseas help because it's UNDER CONTROL.
Thunderbird2
He's asking for help so let's be thankful for that. Better late than never.
smithinjapan
Wow, and only more than two and a half years after it's too late! But hey, it's "under control", isn't it? Why the need to ask for help?
Ranger_Miffy2
DFDN: Yeah! Hilarious.
foobaa
But but but... Isn't it "under control"...?
Atari
Can we all remember Abe wasn't under control 2.5 years ago? But yes it still is well overdue.
nath
even though this is way beyond late, it's better late than never at all.
Cos
That's very Kyoto : "Come to home for tea... when you want, I love having visitors as charming as you....". The maiko has not given you her house's address, don't believe you're really invited. Same here :
Exactly. When will gaikoku start to understand Japanese politeness ?
toshiko
Caption is 'seek'/ I don;t know how he said but there are few explanation that could be interpreted as seek which is searxh (sagasu) or request (motomeu(. ...My hunch is that Abe siad, :"Onegai shimau" or "Otanomi shimasu" After all, he is a Japanese using applicable Japanese sentence. He inherited result of TEPCO disaster, Nothing wrong to seek cooperation by other countries, He is not demanding,e is just asking. Any countries can iignore or insult Abe. maybe he couldn't care less how badly he is insulted.
Victory Nippon
Abe I thought you said that it's all under control and no need to worry.
Pukey2
That's what I thought too. Getting desperate now, are we? Or are you still trying to fool everyone?
toshiko:
Yes, but they didn't ask before. In fact, they rebuffed any offers of help from abroad.
Victory Nippon
Abe just please I am just begging you to please stop lying to the people of Japan and also the world about the Fukushima situation. Abe is the the reasons why Japan is falling apart. I guess this is the downfall and the fall of Japan.
mffdvr
Excellent if overseas help comes! Then we might finally get some true numbers about radioactivity in Fukushima and the surrounding prefectures. No more government secrets/lies to the public and world.
chucky3176
I thought he said everything was under control?
They should have done this on March 2011. And they shouldn't have refused international help back then. Now it's way too late.
But now that Japan finally admits it can't handle the disaster, the international community should step up and help contain something that's now much harder to contain due to wasted time. Nevertheless, it's in best interest of all nations to help as much as they can, because this is an epic ecological disaster for the globe that will effect us all negatively.
SA Kiteman
I notice that many commented about TEPCO doing things "on the cheap". Well, when the Japanese Gov shut off one of their main sources of revenue, there is not much left to do things top notch. Seems they have done what they could all on their own.
Does Japan have the equivalent of the Price-Anderson Act that makes the entire industry liable for the acts of any plant? If not, might I suggest that is the next step?
globalwatcher
Are you seeking overseas help while contemplating to re-start all nuke energy? I just do not get it what you guys are thinking. The nuke energy is a bad idea on "tofu" islands.
balu57
Beyond trying to control the media information on the problems at Fukushima ..... No one ever talks about the lack of research and development on what to do with contaminated water from Nuclear Plants ..... It seems that we have throughout the world these vats/tanks with contaminated water / spent fuel . Remember the US quake 2 years ago ... It moved ( 3 or 4 inches ) large tanks of Nuclear Spent Fuel on an open storage area not too far from Washington DC in VA ..... I never read anything about what kind of research is being done on this subject matter. Some are discontent with some drawing comparisons between Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Fukushima ..... It seems that we have the knowledge to get energy but have no clue on what to do with the leftovers . THE QUESTION ? Should we in this continuing shrinking world , with all kinds of Natural events going on as we have never seen ...... be messing with something like Nuclear Energy ?
Mike45
I like what Im seeing from PM Abe: engaging the world and making efforts to reach out. Part of Japans problem is its own internal "uniquely" Japan solution to everything. Japan doesnt have the expertise to deal with the Fukushima disaster; it requires out of the box thinking and logical solutions. From the Helihose to the storage tank solution, so far its been ridiculous.
Alejandro S. Arashi
Additional reading: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/09/fukushima_disaster_new_information_about_worst_case_scenarios.html