Fukushima was 'man-made' disaster: Diet report

What he said.

Don't blame TEPCO for ignoring advice for decades, not training the staff enough not having an emergency manual let alone drills, don't blame the corrupt over site from Government departments, don't blame the lack of communication between emergency response agencies. And good lord certainly not the collusion between business and Governence. Let's blame the Last PM, he knows just how close things were to an even greater catastrophe and has turned his back on the village seeing it for the danger it is. Now it's the villages turn for pay back.

So Kan is the fall guy for years in corruption and lack of transparency with TEPCO? Oh christ. Yep, blame the one guy that demanded answers from a crippled, corrupt company. Unreal. Why isn't TEPCO being blamed for this because clearly, it is THEIR fault.

marcelitoJul. 05, 2012 - 08:18AM JST

BS report , Kan was forced out by the nuclear village and the LDP

No need for bogus conspiracy theories now. Kan broke the law by overstepping his bounds as PM, and directed people he should have never even talked to until the issue was resolved. Pretty much every agency has reported on the fact he went against disaster management plans and made the problem worse.

Noda would probably have tried to restart the reactors as they were melting down. "We must not let the livlihoods of our citizens be jeopardized!"

The Kan government’s initial response was slow and inadequate because it was unprepared, the commission has said in the past.

Well, to be honest, who would be prepared for a triple disaster on that scale?

“Frequent telephone calls were placed to the power plant from the prime minister’s office and the government,” the commission said in a statement issued last month. “At times, very elementary questions were asked, forcing the work crew to direct their efforts to accommodate them,” it said, adding that men at the site should have been left to tackle the crisis.

As I said on a similar article a while ago: Didn't TEPCO have a liaison or someone to deal directly with the government? If calls were going straight through to the workers onsite, that is TEPCO's fault.

His administration was also lambasted for providing inadequate or confusing information to the public and was later found to have withheld computer models that showed how radiation from the busted reactors might spread.

Yeah, and TEPCO didn't?? They've been the textbook example of efficient and transparent?

I still think this is a deflection tactic- arranged by TEPCO and the government though the brown envelope system- to try and get people to think that it wasn't all TEPCO's fault, so let's let them hike up the electricity charges.

Well, Kan was where the buck stopped and he paid the price for TEPCO's kaffufle. Now, Noda's head is on the same block trying to clean up all the rubbish. This report is only trying to lay the blame on some one person, but there are many parties at fault. They should be starting with the party in control of nuclear power for them not enforcing the safety warnings that were given to TEPCO over a decade ago about getting their generators off the ground and installing waterproof switches. If that was done there is a high probability that there would not have been a meltdown and people would still be living in the 20k dead zone. Really, the whole population of Japan should be sharing the blame for sticking their heads in the sand and letting the country's politicians create this situation. They are protesting nuclear power now, but it is too little too late. These protesters' parent and grandparents should have been protesting 40 odd years ago when this debacle was started by the cronies from years ago.

In those desperate days TEPCO were withholding information from the government, denying any reactor core breach when we could detect the radiation even in Tokyo, and their CEO went AWOL and made comments at least suggesting he was considering abandoning the plant.

Darn right Kan got on their backs for it, and a good thing too.

As it happens, the plant manager (not the CEO!) was a hero too, staying with the reactor, with his team, struggling to bring it all under control. Kan made a few mistakes, but just accepting the official statements from TEPCO at the time would have been culpable negligence.

Yeah, he 'fanned the flames' but asking TEPCO to do its job and demanding to know what was happening while they were engaged in trying to cover up the extent of the damage and release of radiation. Kan is simply a scapegoat here because his job is done and he cannot really be held responsible. If they found that TEPCO was responsible then TEPCO could still be held accountable. And anyway what's really going to be in the published report? no minutes were kept of meetings, TEPCO had imaginary meetings and 'lost' the documents, etc. Sounds like it's just going to be a lot of hearsay.

ProbieJul. 05, 2012 - 09:02AM JST

Well, to be honest, who would be prepared for a triple disaster on that scale?

Interestingly enough, the Japanese government had contingency plans for a major earthquake. Most of the plans are centered around more populated areas though.

As I said on a similar article a while ago: Didn't TEPCO have a liaison or someone to deal directly with the government? If calls were going straight through to the workers onsite, that is TEPCO's fault.

They did, and the PM is supposed to talk to him through others in his office. The PM apparently bullied his way through like so many high level Japanese government officials do. Then the PM went to Fukushima when all his advisers, TEPCO, and international groups said to stay the hell away until it was safe. He may have mistakenly thought it was for his safety rather than because he was unwelcome because people had more pressing matters.

dragsbyJul. 05, 2012 - 09:33AM JST

In those desperate days TEPCO were withholding information from the government, denying any reactor core breach

Still no evidence for a reactor core breach. That doesn't mean radiation can't be vented out, but sure does limit the type of radioactive materials to worry about.

smithinjapanJul. 05, 2012 - 09:40AM JST

Yeah, he 'fanned the flames' but asking TEPCO to do its job and demanding to know what was happening while they were engaged in trying to cover up the extent of the damage and release of radiation.

But articles before have stated that he was sitting on information given to him by TEPCO and others, effectively covering everything up when he could have released parts of the information. TEPCO has no requirement to tell the people every little thing, and they had far larger things to worry about than some angry citizens.

As for "do its job" part, how do you like people standing over your shoulders micromanaging. The engineers on site were doing their jobs, nobody needed to tell them to do it. Micromanagement only works when you have the ability to take over the job if needed. I wouldn't trust Kan with a lighter, let alone the controls of a nuclear power plant.

The best report for the nuclear village that money can buy.....

At times, very elementary questions were asked, forcing the work crew to direct their efforts to accommodate them.

Very elementary questions should not have taken long to answer, and it is hardly likely that work crew were answering them. Trouble was, the suits in Tokyo did not have a clue, as they had hardly any knowledge of the NPPS, as the nuclear division within TEPCO was a very separate element, ignored as long as the profits came rolling in...

The article says "Giant waves crippled cooling equipment at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, triggering meltdowns that spewed radioactivity and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee."

Just for clarification. What's the difference between a core leak and a core breach? Is it simply that corium leaks out of the reactor vessel, around and out of the fuel rod slots, without breaching any final external containment vessel?

Ahhh yes, blame the guy that has already left the building, the report should replace the word "PM" with government because there is the fault

@Basroil

Kan broke the law by overstepping his bounds as PM

I think being assertive in a time that was very much of National Crisis would be absolutely under the PM's remit. If ever there was a time for not following protocol, that was it.

Same with the guy (who's name I forget, but was some kind of manager at TEPCO) who disobeyed orders to stop pumping seawater into the reactors.

Rules & laws have their place, but on rare, extraordinary occasions, when circumstances dictate, they must be ignored for the sake of the greater good.

Interestingly enough, the Japanese government had contingency plans for a major earthquake. Most of the plans are centered around more populated areas though.

I said:

Well, to be honest, who would be prepared for a triple disaster on that scale?

Massive earthquake, large tsunami, and nuclear disaster. Did they have a contingency plan for the event of all 3 happening at once?

Probie

It turns out they didn't have a plan for any of them, that was workable. Thus the meeting to study setting up meeting to make plans for a Volcanic event, their report is due in a year or two.

Kan was getting no information, so he ( the PM ) was reduced to calling directly. As a leader I would expect him/her to do everything in his power to make decisions on real time, actual events. Now it turns out this "Regrtable" action that caused "confusion" places him at blame. It's a transparent report, transparently dictated by the industry.

TEPCO and the current administration continue to blame their scapegoat ex-PM Kan. That should have been the headline. I wonder how much that 'independent' study group got paid. We shall see from the report just how much the inmates have taken over the asylum...

This is just more Pantomine.

Edano et al new from the start that a full meltdown had occurred and they decided to obfuscate the issue and withhold the truth as long as possible.

The radiation meters were off the scale and they knew it.

Great post Zichi, 2 natural disasters 1man made. There are still carved stones warning about this area. Experts had warned for years. Kan was not an expert but rose to the challenge, mistakes included. Previous Administrations are to blame, he was on the spot and did a good job under the circumstances. Other countries News sources reported facts, while local news reported press releases from TEPCO. To do anything required stepping on toes, I'm not happy about this report as it means nothing, smoke and mirrors that misinforms the public and does not address the issues at all.

zichiJul. 05, 2012 - 11:19AM JST

PM Kan rapidly responded to the mega earthquake and tsunami disasters, quickly putting 100,000 SDF troops on ground zero. The U.S. military were also very quick to give assistance.

Doubt that, guys stationed in Fukui were itching to go yet sidelined a month. US also wanted to help, but were stuck doing useless jobs that one with an hour of training can do. No supply runs like Katrina, no hospital evacs, nothing. And they sure could have used the help in relocating patients, who the hell puts critical patients on a bus for four hours? Probably just Kan

@zichi - excellent post - one that the nuclear village apologists here should read and try to understand.

I too am not sure that Kan himself was personally responsible for not releasing the Speedi data - I believe it was Ministry (from NISA) advice to him that the data was possibly unreliable, as they had to input estimates rather than hard results - he did have a makeshift team working with/ advising him, though they only thing that they seemed to have success doing was information mismanagement.

I remember too that the NISA inspectors abandoned the plant, and totally failed to carry out their assigned roles. The back-up data line from the TEPCO control centre had also been down for 2~3 months, another of the utilities responsibilities.

kaminarioyajiJul. 05, 2012 - 10:22AM JST

I think being assertive in a time that was very much of National Crisis would be absolutely under the PM's remit.

I guess you think that cops looking for copyrighted material falls under terrorist management too?

If ever there was a time for not following protocol, that was it.

No, that's how things get out of hand. There are only two times to break protocol in a disaster:

1) You have information stating that your current protocol WILL make things worse, i.e. pouring water on a cooking oil fire.

2) The situation has progressed so differently from any scenario that you are willing to take responsibility for the outcome.

Clearly 1 was not met, as Kan didn't even look at the protocol, and if 2 was met, Kan is responsible for the mess anyway.

He was in no way qualified to go anywhere near a nuclear disaster, yet he tried to pull a Carter (who actually just let plant personnel do their jobs, and was qualified by his experiences as a nuclear submarine development member and both nuclear accident assessment and failed reactor decommissioning experience) and failed miserably.

Read the following excerprt form the NYT. How is this Kan's fault?

"According to Japanese officials, the United States government shared the data with Japan’s Foreign Ministry through its embassy in Tokyo on March 18, a day after helicopters frantically dropped water on a blown-out reactor building to keep spent fuel rods there from overheating.

The Foreign Ministry immediately alerted the nuclear safety agency to the radiation readings, according to Masaru Sato, director of the ministry’s international press division.

But it is unclear what happened next. There is no indication that the nuclear safety agency shared that data with Naoto Kan, the prime minister at the time, or other high-ranking officials, or that it used the maps to guide evacuations.

The Foreign Ministry also shared the data on March 20 with Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which is responsible for monitoring radiation levels. But instead of using and publicizing the data, the technology ministry asked the Foreign Ministry to confirm that the United States approved of the data being made public, Mr. Sato said. "

wanderlustJul. 05, 2012 - 09:59AM JST

Very elementary questions should not have taken long to answer, and it is hardly likely that work crew were answering them. Trouble was, the suits in Tokyo did not have a clue, as they had hardly any knowledge of the NPPS, as the nuclear division within TEPCO was a very separate element, ignored as long as the profits came rolling in...

Yes, even Kan should know about a little thing called wikipedia and google. Any questions you can't answer from that are either not elementary or not even related to nuclear. Sad thing is that the working crews did have to deal with him, and that's like trying to play operation while a little kid is grabbing your arm and shaking it violently.

SPEEDI, it was not!

basroil: "But articles before have stated that he was sitting on information given to him by TEPCO and others, effectively covering everything up when he could have released parts of the information."

I didn't say Kan was completely innocent in all this, and know he takes part of the blame, but I distinctly recall him getting extremely upset at one point after not being notified of critical information from TEPCO until three days after the fact, which is unbelievable. I have absolutely no doubt the government itself also sat on information while promising the world 'transparency'.

"As for "do its job" part, how do you like people standing over your shoulders micromanaging."

In a nuclear crisis I'd say it's justifiable. I agree with you that Kan may not have the skills to be micromanaging enginees on the floor, but lest we forget he was also demanding people like Shimizu not flee the plant, but stay and do their jobs. Shimizu fled anyway, of course, with a tummy ache. The only people I really respect in this whole fiasco are the Fukushima 50 (or whatever number), who stayed and kept things from getting worse while a lot of other people were leaving.

What I don't understand is why Kan, Noda.. all turn around and basically tell the opposition to the the heck up as THEY are the ones that created this mess. THEY are the ones that tanked the economy, brought in the culture of amakudari, THEY are the ones that stuffed their pockets and laughed all the way to their private bank accounts... The public here seems to forget that Koizumi and his little pack of monkeys created all of these issues. Why Kan is the scapegoat is beyond me.

zichiJul. 05, 2012 - 12:07PM JST

you do a grave disservice to the U.S. military. It was they who cleared the Sendai airport of tsunami debris and got it functioning again so that flights could arrive carrying much needed emergency supplies.

I'm simply saying that they were capable of and prepared to do much more than they were authorized to by Kan and his subordinates.

Would not think the report is BS as suggested by others earlier as I assume some serious hard work must have been put in place to clarify the background details behind all that has happened, but do agree that the conclusion should not be to have Kan take much of the blame (which I dont believe will be the case). If so, it will not reflect the sentiments of many that, while Kan may have been able to do a better job in numerous aspects, he did what he could do in the best interests of the people and took all his political risks for that. His biggest achievement (don't care if it turns out to be the only achievement) as others have noted earlier is that he used his utmost authoritative power as PM and all his human activist nature-driven energy in him to make sure that TEPCO, as big and politically influential of a company as it is, did not run away from anything, which was something only he with his power could have done. Even his personal visit immediately after the breakout which many continue to criticize may have been necessary to show his degree of seriousness in ensuring that his intentions are known to them. Don't think he took any advice from anyone (at least anyone outside his tem) on this, and believe for this sole achievement his name should go down in history, alongside his achievement during his tenure as MHW minister in destroying the industry/doctor/MHW political triangle when that blood products/HIV scandal broke out decades back.

The Kan government's initial response was slow and inadequate because it was unprepared, ....

That's a premptive strike to ex PM Kan by TEPCO. I'm sure Kan's report will say 'TEPCO's initial response was slow and inadequate because it was unprepared'.

The NPP, run by TEPCO, put its own interest before NPP safety. The reason why the accident occurred and literally blew up out of proportion was insufficient safety and risk management by TEPCO

We're all talking about Corporate Governance, Accountability & Control.

Who do you believe?

Basroil, lot of assumptions there. I see you're still at it. One of the main reasons for the accident as stated in the final report linked above. Hint: facts are found, not invented.

There was no disaster plan, so Kan couldn't have ignored one. Anybody in his position would have wanted answers, and since Tepco nor Nisa weren't available as they were supposed to, it's just natural to call those who wouldn't try to obfuscate things (ring a bell?). Kan understood that top Tepco/Nisa would have lied to him to protect their own asse(t)s had they been men enough to be present.

I'm simply saying that they were capable of and prepared to do much more than they were authorized to by Kan and his subordinates.

You're denouncing "secret consipracies" of others while concocting your own. Transparent much? Anyway, it's hardly a "secret conspiracy" when the corporate corruption, back room deals and croynism (illegal in many advanced countries because they are really bad ways of dealing with things) is so evident.

Quadruple disaster, right? Earthquake, tsunami, Tepco and Nisa.

The politicians in this country are paid by China to undermine the country. Smart move.

Kan did his best and is/has vocalized his opposition to the village. It's sad that this report complied by (paid) nobodys changes nothing and it's business as usual. They just don't understand or refuse to accept how close we all came to a national/ international DISASTER, that continues to be precarious at the moment.

To me, this 'inquiry' seems as if the crisis is over and that they have done everything they can. As far as I can see the crisis is far from over and there are quite a lot of incompetent people to point fingers at (both now and in the past). So fix the damn problem first before continuing on with your stupid games.

Kaieda said that Shimizu told him on the phone that TEPCO would evacuate from the plant. Shimizu said 退避. Kaieda thought he meant 撤退. So Kaieda told Kan that the workers will 撤退. Then Kan thought 撤退 meant 全面撤退(total withdrawal). Kaieda said it was “as if they were playing a broken telephone game,” referring to the children’s game that shows how information can change the more times it is passed on.

The Commission interviewed Masao Yoshida in the hospital what was going on then, and concluded that TEPCO never considered a total withdrawal.

http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXDASGG08018_Y2A600C1EA2001/

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201205180080

Blair: Total withdrawal considered or not, the management left the building, while the heroes on the ground stayed back. Whether Kan got some miscommunication or not, him showing up and demanding they stay would have certainly organized things a little better where there was previously panic and uncertainty. Beyond that, he may well have caused some problems through micromanaging, but I believe a lot of those problems were already in the works and he had a right to know about them. My only problem with him is the refusal of foreign help until the problem was going out of control and Obama threatened to pull out all Americans, and with his refusal to let out information more quickly.

We really needed a third report to confirm that it was a man-made disaster? The big question I what impact, if any at all, will these findings have on TEPCO and the government? Sadly, my guess is that this report will be simply brushed aside and shelved to collect cobwebs. Nothing will be learned from this and the government and TEPCO will continue to take advantage of the complacency of the Japanese people.

This article has changed since this morning so comments above this are really no longer valid.

It also said that had the company had its way, its staff would have been evacuated from the crippled plant and the catastrophe could have spiralled even further out of control.

I am glad this came out, Kan saved lives.

Ted Barrera: "The big question I what impact, if any at all, will these findings have on TEPCO and the government?"

In any other country I'd say at the VERY least it would serve as a manual of what NOT to do again... ever... but given where we are you're probably right nothing will come of it. In fact, when it happens again the electric company that bungles things up THAT will probably go so far as to say they had no past incidents to base things on. When reminded of Fukushima they'll go 'dear in headlights' and not answer questions.

zichiJul. 05, 2012 - 02:03PM JST

He does have a degree in physics, and being the top elected political leader and prime minister, qualifies him to visit all the disaster ground zero's to find out for himself what was going on.

Yes, he does have a pretty good background compared to most. But that was forty years ago, and while not much changed at Fukushima plant in that time, he is certain to have forgotten a lot of things (as anyone would, though problem solving ability should be top notch. While he is qualified to talk to company officials immediately and visit the scene once the problem is solved, he should not be in the way while it is still unstable. If Bush did one thing right in the aftermath of 9/11, it was that he only visited on the 14th, once the situation had stabilized enough that his presence would not seriously hinder the work going on. Kan should have followed everything closely, sending only trusted aids to gather information and make sure people used it, and then do the political wrangling bit. Would have spared him from a needless speech, and perhaps he would still be in office (though between tax increases and other things, not sure how much longer he would have lasted even if 3/11 had not occurred )

I guess because ex PM Kan is against the further use of nuclear energy, and was the leader of the 100 DPJ lawmakes which opposed the starting of the Oi reactors, would be enough for you to be anti Kan.

No, I actually could care less if he is for or against reactors, since these guys are just politicians and will change their minds in 2-3 months if summer is hot enough, or 2-3 years otherwise. Reasons for not liking the guy are mainly tax based, both feed-in-tariff and increase to 10% consumption tax are going to make my cost of living go up a large amount, perhaps up to 10k-20k yen/month.

Noda, on the other hand, I don't know his personal qualifications, but are probably seriuosly lacking on anything nuclear, dave his permission to start the Oi reactors, even against the advice of the Nuclear Safety Commission, which I believe is illegal in itself?

NISA gave the reactors the OK, so he didn't overstep the bounds there. He has no qualifications to prove or disprove the safety of reactors, but does have the qualifications to say whether or not they make economic sense (they do). I don't like him any more than Kan though, he's pushing forward the same economic policies for the same political reasons, but at least he understands the need for nuclear even after Fukushima.

Okay, so it was man made. Knew that early on. But now that we are in agreement, who are the men who made it? I want their names. I want them to be given little huts right next to the damaged plants. I want them to have a chain and shackles on their ankles to ensure they don't go far. Who are they, exactly? When can we expect justice?

Mr Kan has committed a crime of 'criminally negligences' that was avoidable in his duty as being the PM of Japan. he was lucky enough for having a free walk under the Japanese breaucracy ! Good for him!

I see the article has been updated to point the finger at those parties that are directly to blame. However, what will come of it remains to be seen. A few public apologies and deep bows maybe? Most people have known it was always man-made disaster that was completely avoidable. The fuel containment vessels may have cracked in the quake which would have only resulted in a small leak of radioactive coolant, but it was the failing generators and electrical system set to back up the cooling system that failed cos of the sea water getting in and caused the meltdown. as I have said before, TEPCO was warned in 2002 to get the generators off ground level and to install waterproof switching in the cooling system in dai-Ichi and all other nuclear power plants along the coast of Japan. They didn't do it and they still haven't done it to the other plants. Therefore, these stress tests they keep touting mean bugger all if they haven't addressed the tsunami susceptibility of these plants. It can and will happen again if there is another major tsunami.

lol man made?

“The TEPCO Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident was the result of collusion between the government, the regulators and (plant operator) TEPCO, and the lack of governance by said parties,” said the report by the Diet’s Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission.

Ok great that its been publicised now and we all knew this was the case, now lets see some heads roll !

To me, it sounds like some people should be going to jail. Nah...that won`t happen right?

The report is incredible. Read it all. Some extracts:

Tepco did not fulfil its responsibilities as a private corporation, instead obeying and relying upon the government bureaucracy of Meti, the government agency driving nuclear policy. At the same time... it manipulated the cosy relationship with the regulators to take the teeth out of regulations.

Shortcomings in laws and regulations

Laws and regulations related to nuclear energy have only been revised as stopgap measures, based on actual accidents. They have not been seriously and comprehensively reviewed in line with the accident response and safeguarding measures of an international standard. As a result, predictable risks have not been addressed.

The existing regulations primarily are biased toward the promotion of a nuclear energy policy, and not to public safety, health and welfare. The unambiguous responsibility that operators should bear for a nuclear disaster was not specified. There was also no clear guidance about the responsibilities of the related parties in the case of an emergency.

“The TEPCO Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident was the result of collusion between the government, the regulators and (plant operator) TEPCO, and the lack of governance by said parties,”

Yup, Japan Inc. at its evil best. And all the people will do is shrug and say "shoganai" because they have willingly ceded control of their lives over to this three-headed monster in return for prosperity/security. So no meaningful change will come of this.

I think Kan did better than any other PM would have done. People criticize him for wanting to know what was going on at the plant but - so did the rest of us! And he probably got sick of just hearing "Leave it to us".

I for one am glad he didn't just leave it to them.

"We believe that the root causes were the organisational and regulatory systems that supported faulty rationales for decisions and actions, rather than issues relating to the competency of any specific individual."

That's the statement I find so problematic. Once again, it was nobodies fault. Japan is great at coming up with conclusions like that.

Why aren't the heads of NISA and TEPCO responsible for the systems, and lack of preparation getting punished.

In any other country, Kan would be seen as a national hero, and the heads of NISA and Tepco would be in jail for negligence. LDP, what were you doing all those years?

Shimizu and co who spent years on expensive business trips and entertaining, buying real estate and university professors, instead of ensuring the safety of the nuclear plants should have their faces on the walls of every koban in Japan.

JT can you please start NEW threads when you change stories?

**In June of last year, he and about 20 other executive directors resigned with a $25 million golden handshake. When he faced the Diet Commission he refused to accept any responsibility, instead blaming the earthquake, tsunami and PM Kan.

Last month June, he must have been feeling a whole load better when he was named as an outside board member of Fuji Oil Co., owned by AOC holdings Inc., a company with 8.7% of its stake held by TEPCO.

All the other TEPCO executive directors who resigned have also been offered other lucrative jobs in companies owned by TEPCO or TEPCO owns a stake in them.**

Nothing less than disgusting. Why that man isn't rotting behind bars is beyond me.

Oh and man made... I am oh so shocked. When it TEPCO going to repay the public for all the tax money given to them?

From reading other reports, the report is clear that Japanese culture is also to blame...obedience, failure to challenge etc, and that it would have been the same with any Japanese in charge. A rather honest finding, accepting of the faults of Japanese culture in dealing with a situation like this.

Absolute and utter sham of a report.

The report is a breath of fresh air and is due, in part, to how the U.S. dealt with the Three Island incident. This lead to this independent enquiry. It has nothing to do with politics. On the contrary, it is an encouraging sign.

"US also wanted to help, but were stuck doing useless jobs that one with an hour of training can do. "

basroil, that statement is less than nonsense. US military wanted to appear to be helping, perhaps, and was willing to provide the data it had, but as far as putting skin in the game, it's overriding concern was to protect its personnel and dependants from the high and rising radiation levels in the Tokyo area at the time. Many were given impromptu vacations in Thailand. A nuclear incident response team was sent to Yokota but all they did was take some measurements in situ. At no time was it willing to risk exposing its personnel to radiation levels higher than its regulations allow. From the US Navy: "The U.S. 7th Fleet has temporarily repositioned its ships and aircraft away from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant after detecting low level contamination in the air and on its aircraft operating in the area." But the U.S. military, while getting the hell out of here, did offer this comment: "We remain committed to our mission of providing assistance to the people of Japan." http://www.cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/000320

The US furthermore urged its civilians to evacuate at least as far as 50 miles and offered citizens space available flights on planes it used to evacuate its diplomatic staff from Tokyo. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42124586/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/us-charter-flights-begin-leave-japan/#.T_WQlhypMeo

I'm not faulting the American posture, it was the safest call in that situation.

While the report is highly critical of all the key parties, it digs even deeper. The panel called the disaster "Made in Japan", because the mindset that allowed the accident to happen can be found across the country.

The same thing happening in every sector of life in japan, lets take the example of population decline the very same mind set is working here and no one has the courage to speak out against them and every childish idea from these mind sets are being accepted with hey hey means yes sir yes sir.

Nothing will be changed and no lessen will be learned from these blunders, Japanese culture and japanese people will be fading from the earth as an export said , According to the population clock, there will be no japanese on the earth after 1100 years

Zichi wrote:

Last month June, he must have been feeling a whole load better when he was named as an outside board member of Fuji Oil Co., owned by AOC holdings Inc., a company with 8.7% of its stake held by TEPCO. All the other TEPCO executive directors who resigned have also been offered other lucrative jobs in companies owned by TEPCO or TEPCO owns a stake in them

I want these guys who profited the most and some government workers to live just 20Km away from the Fukushima NPP and I want them to work in agriculture, fishery, and the sightseeing industry.

The TV are stations having a field day with this report this evening. Just watched an in-depth interview with Mr Kurokawa, Chairman of the Diet panel that produced the report.

If as it suggests the back-up diesel generators failed before the tsunami struck, then the earthquake may have played a considerable role in the destruction at Fukushima, suggesting TEPCO have therefore been obstructively dismissive of this possibility. The report asks for a proper and dispassionate evaluation of the damage inside, but it admits radiation levels are so high as to make such an investigation difficult. At least now the air is clear, all possibilities are open, and nothing will now be dismissed out of hand.

The report has been partly translated into English and is to some extent available on-line, apparently.

how can you imagine that a nuclear plant at the edge of the sea will remain expose in such a way in this natural disaster zone, no emergency plan, no equipments and no team. That the officials did was just reaction to that situation and it went wrong as it was bound to be because there was actually no plan even thinking before tsunami

Zichi, Thank you for all of your helpful information. You are one of the few commenters on this website who have a good head on their shoulders. Basroil... shakes head

Fukushima was 'man-made' disaster

Damn right! This could have been well avoided, Japan.

1) Why don't you set up a "Whistleblower Protection" law, so workers and citizens can come out from closet to speak up to prevent more disasters. This is a good start.

2)Why don't you set up more practical federal/municipal risk management team. I do not think there were any. .We have a reverse 911 (in Japan, reverse 110) system media, government, and individuals are all playing together for :SAFETY.

3)Tighten the building code and zone from what it is.

I have found some condos and explosive materials are built right next to oil refineries. There are expensive condos built only 10 inches above water. I took a "Tokyo Bay Cruise" when I was in Tokyo this year, and I was shocked to see how people can possibly escape from tsunami and fire. They will be trapped.

4)Create more open space (parks) in metropolitan cities with clean drinking water "WELL" facilities always available..

5)Build more hospitals setting generators on the top floor, not in the basement just in case of tsunami..

6)Repair and widen the "Koosoku" and the road. in Tokyo. The shoulder should be saved for ambulance.

7) Upgrading .utility cable to go underground in Tokyo. Especially around "Kagurazaka", Tokyo looks like a web town and it is not safe to live there.There will be disagreement on this, but it has been proven to be safer during evacuation time..They could be blocking traffic.

8).Computerize all medical prescription and hospital care hstory, and these information should be shared effectively in case of emergency. When I was there, most seniors run out medications, but they had no idea a name of medication and dose. We could not help them as much as we wanted to.

9)Create more tax insentives for Green Energy and earthquake preventive technology for long term objectives.

10) In time of crisis, it is okay to put your pride and Samurai spirit in pocket. You need to think about a safety of people first before thinking about sovereignty.It is THE first role of government to do so. Nothing else. We were willing to help but rejected. But overall, "Tomodachi Operation" was very successful in rescue mission and opening up Sendai Airport within 30 days..

iI believe Japanese are preparing for emergency and they are doing the best they can. It is time for the government to take ownership of risk management to protect them.. Japan has been complaining about sluggish economy in the past 2 decades, but if you do just these things I listed above, it will stimulate economy and create jobs. Japan has not been spending enough over their own people. It is time to change.

Thank you for listening. I always try to make it short, but I have too much to say on this particular topic.

Pray for Japan

The conclusion was painfully obvious but I'm impressed that the report actually called out a lot of what people here have been posting. I guess, when pushed, Japanese bureaucrats are able to get the job done. Pity the job wasn't done before the earthquake but here we are.

The TEPCO Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident was the result of collusion between the government, the regulators and (plant operator) TEPCO, and the lack of governance by said parties,”

Can you imagine your government allowing in independent investigatory committee to reach that conclusion?

Me neither.

Will you please stop blaming game ,.and stay away from old Japanese mindset being trapped and .wasting too much energy on what had happend in the past for your future? You cannot change the past. The damage was already done.

What you can do is to use these mistakes for learning experience for the future. Learn all mistakes and weakness and change them into opportunity. I see this as a great opportunity for Japan. Let them all to speak up the truth. Two heads are better than one. 10,000 heads are better than 100 heads. We are all in this together. We need to come up with solutions, not a scapegoat. Again, we are all in this together, once we realize this truth, Japan can start moving forward to true nation rebuilding.

The Japanese government is a man made disaster.

@zichi, for some reason I am having trouble to access to the website you have provided. Would you please try and see if you can? I sure would like to read official report (summary of findings). Please let me know. Thanks.

It would be a mistake to pin all the blame on ex PM Kan, when clearly TEPCO is the main rogue, but also the entire structure of the nuclear industry failed. We never got much out of the LDP on their responsibilities leading up to the LEVEL 7 nuclear disaster, the worse since Chernobyl. The urban myth of nuclear energy being cheap, clean and safe, is BUSTED!

no the urban myth of safe Japanese nuclear energy is busted. Other countries are doing just fine, France included. Whether of not the culture is this country can safely run nuc generators remains to be seen...from the report

"What must be admitted -- very painfully -- is that this was a disaster 'Made in Japan,' " the report said. "Its fundamental causes are to be found in the ingrained conventions of Japanese culture: our reflexive obedience; our reluctance to question authority; our devotion to 'sticking with the program.' "

@zichi, Never mind. I guess it was a temporary system problem. I can now read the summary of official report.

only a fool would think that another nuclear disaster won't happen in another country

and only a hysterical fool would throw out the nuclear baby with the Fukushima bath water, considering the future energy needs for the planet, the growing economies of China and India, the destruction of climate with fossil fuels and peak oil. You are ubiquitous on Fukushima related threads with an obvious anti-nuclear stance but you always bring mostly credible links and info that encourages debate with some less than stellar science at times. But declaring all nuclear power out of the question because the Japanese gov't and nuclear industry mis-handled Fukushima is a bridge too far Zichi.

just like at Chernobyl and TMI? The MIT have predicted 5 major nuclear events by 2050.

really Zichi? Chernobyl and Three Mile Island are on the same level of severity? Really? And then to try and cover it with a fig leaf quote without context from MIT?

here's another view for you Zichi

http://bravenewclimate.com/2012/06/17/time-for-reckoning/

and only a hysterical fool would throw out the nuclear baby

And the nuclear baby isn't even worth it. Too expensive, too dangerous, no way to deal with the waste, makes zero sense. Throw the damn baby away!

Well, to be honest, who would be prepared for a triple disaster on that scale?

Sorry? When you devise a disaster management plan, the first thing you do is to identify the causes of the disaster and the damages which might have occured in parallel at other places or objects. When you think about a nuclear accident, you have to take into account natural disasters as the cause of the accident. The other way around, when you think about natural disasters, you have to take into account a nuclear disaster as a consequence. Just the same way that you can't make a disaster management plan for flooding without considering reavy rains, winds, landslides, broken communication and traffic lines etc etc. These things are strongly related to each other statistically and everybody knows it.

If a suitable disaster management plan didn't exist the only explanation is it was by intention.

Greed, anger and stupidity, these 3 poisons have not only ruined FUKUSHIMA but many, many parts of our world! IMHO.

The MIT have predicted 5 major nuclear events by 2050.

@zichi, The source from MIT and Cal Tech are always trustworthy and objective. Would you please provide the weblink for me? Thank you very much, zichi. I will read it. I believe that nuke energy all boil down to one issue: is it safe to build on volcanic islands of Japan.

globalwatcherJul. 07, 2012 - 02:01AM JST

The source from MIT and Cal Tech are always trustworthy and objective. Would you please provide the weblink for me?

They would be more trustworthy if people stopped misquoting them. MIT only claims 4 core incidents, which is not the same as saying four fukushimas. You can find it at http://web.mit.edu/nuclearpower/pdf/nuclearpower-full.pdf , and it will tell you that the statistics are only for USA (off-topic), and the world statistics are closer to a single core accident in that timeframe. At the same time they say that other reactor technologies can increase safety several fold and reduce accidents to negligible levels.

zichi,

I have stated many times on this forum the need to start and operate the reactors until alternatives are available.

When do you think alternatives will be available?

What kind of alternatives?

Why do you think the reactors need to start and operate? Economic reasons? Environmental issues? Or something else?

I have also said, no reactors should be started until the new atomic safety agency is functioning, probably after Sept., and the safest reactors should be operated and the unsafe ones decommissioned.

Which reactors in Japan should be operated? Which ones shouldn’t?

I have stated many times on this forum the need to start and operate the reactors until alternatives are available. Germany shut down 9 of it's reactors but will operate it's remaining 8 until about 2022.

I have also said, no reactors should be started until the new atomic safety agency is functioning, probably after Sept., and the safest reactors should be operated and the unsafe ones decommissioned. The Oi reactors has ranked by ex PM Kan and 9 other lawmakers, which ranked all the reactors, are not in the top ten of safest reactors.

@zaichi, I have been following your posts on this matter. Yes, your point always has been TOTALLY understood by me. I agree with you.