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Subscribe to RSSJapan's prime minister ordered workers to remain at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant last March as fears mounted of a "devil's chain reaction" that would force tens of millions of people to flee Tokyo, a new investigative report shows.
Then-Premier Naoto Kan and his staff began referring to a worst-case scenario that could threaten Japan's existence as a nation around three days after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to the report by a panel set up by a private think-tank.
AP
View side-by-side the progress that Japan has made since the tsunami and earthquake in March 2011.
That was when fears mounted that thousands of spent fuel rods stored at a damaged reactor would melt and spew radiation after a hydrogen explosion at an adjacent reactor building, according to the panel report.
Yukio Edano, then Japan's top government spokesman, told the panel that at the height of tension he feared a "devil's chain reaction" in which the Fukushima Daiichi plant and the nearby Fukushima Daini facility, as well as the Tokai nuclear plant, spiraled out of control, putting the capital at risk.
Kan, who stepped down last September, came under fire for his handling of the crisis, including flying over the plant by helicopter the morning after the disasters hit -- a move some critics said contributed to a delay in the operator's response.
Kan, 65, has spoken of how he was haunted by the specter of a crisis spiraling out of control and forcing the evacuation of the Tokyo greater metropolitan area, 150 miles away and home to some 35 million people.
The private Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation report also said Japan's government withheld information about the full danger of last year's nuclear disaster from its own people and from the United States, putting U.S.-Japan relations at risk in the first days after the accident.
The report, compiled from interviews with more than 300 people, delivers a scathing view of how leaders played down the risks of the meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant that followed a massive March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
It paints a picture of confusion during the days immediately after the accident and says the U.S. government was frustrated by the scattered information provided by Japan and was skeptical whether it was true.
The U.S. advised Americans to leave an area within 50 miles of the plant, far bigger than the 12-mile Japanese evacuation area, because of concerns that the accident was worse than Japan was reporting.
The misunderstandings were gradually cleared up after a bilateral committee was set up on March 22 and began regular meetings, according to the 400-page report.
The report, compiled by scholars, lawyers and other experts, credits then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan for ordering Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility running the plant, not to withdraw its staff and to keep fighting to bring it under control.
TEPCO's president at the time, Masataka Shimizu, called Kan on March 15 and said he wanted to abandon the plant and have all 600 TEPCO staff flee, the report said. That would have allowed the situation to spiral out of control, resulting in a much larger release of radiation.
A group of about 50 workers was eventually able to bring the plant under control.
TEPCO, which declined to take part in the investigation, has denied it planned to abandon Fukushima Dai-ichi. The report notes the denial, but says Kan and other officials had the clear understanding that TEPCO had asked to leave.
But the report criticizes Kan for attempting to micromanage the disaster and for not releasing critical information on radiation leaks, thereby creating widespread distrust of the authorities among Japanese.
Kan's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.
Kan acknowledged in a recent interview with The Associated Press that the release of information was sometimes slow and at times wrong. He blamed a lack of reliable data at the time and denied the government hid such information from the public.
It will take decades to fully decommission Fukushima Dai-ichi. Although one of the damaged reactor buildings has been repaired, others remain in shambles. A group of journalists, including a reporter from The Associated Press, were given a tour of the plant on Tuesday.
Workers have used tape to mend cracks caused by freezing weather in plastic hoses on temporary equipment installed to cool the hobbled reactors.
"I have to acknowledge that they are still rather fragile," plant chief Takeshi Takahashi said of the safety measures.
The area is still contaminated with radiation, complicating the work. It already has involved hundreds of thousands of workers, who have to quit when they reach the maximum allowed radiation exposure of 100 millisieverts a year.
The report includes a document describing a worst-case scenario that Kan and the chief of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission secretly discussed two weeks after the disaster.
That scenario involved the possibility of more nuclear fuel rods burning, causing the release of more radiation and requiring the evacuation of a much wider region, including Tokyo.
The report also concludes that government oversight of nuclear plant safety had been inadequate, ignoring the risk of tsunami and the need for plant design renovations, and instead clinging to a "myth of safety."
"The idea of upgrading a plant was taboo," said Koichi Kitazawa, a scholar who heads the commission that prepared the report. "We were just lucky that Japan was able to avoid the worst-case scenario. But there is no guarantee this kind of luck will prevail next time."
After the quake and tsunami struck, three reactors melted down and radiation spewed widely through eastern Japan, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate from the area around the plant.
TEPCO managed to avert the worst scenario by pumping water, much of it from the sea, into Dai-ichi's damaged reactors and spent fuel pools. The reactors were stabilized by December.
A year after the disaster, however, Fukushima Dai-ichi still resembles a vast wasteland. High radiation levels hamper a cleanup that is expected to take decades.
The damaged 125-foot-tall No. 2 reactor building stands like a bird's nest of twisted steel beams. A TEPCO official who accompanied foreign media to the plant on Tuesday said metal debris was being painstakingly removed by giant cranes and other equipment as radiation doses were too high for workers.
Another challenge is keeping a new cooling system, built from a myriad of technologies and prone to breaking down, running without major glitches.
"An earthquake or tsunami like the ones seen a year ago could be a source of trouble for these (cooling) systems. But we are currently reinforcing the spent fuel pool and making the sea walls higher against tsunamis," Takeshi Takahashi, the Dai-ichi plant's manager, told reporters. "A series of backup systems is also being put in place in case one fails."
Edano on Tuesday acknowledged he had feared the worst around March 14-15. "I was working with a strong sense of crisis that under various circumstances, such a thing may be possible," he told a news conference in Tokyo.
But he defended his silence as government spokesman.
"I shared all information. Back then, I was not in a position where I, as someone who is not an expert, could irresponsibly speak about my own personal impressions and my sense of crisis," he told a news conference.
"I conveyed assessments and decisions of the government, government agencies and experts," he added.
The panel report said some of Kan's seemingly inexplicable behavior stemmed from his belief that TEPCO was going to abandon the plant and the accident would spiral out of control.
An irate Kan blasted TEPCO on March 15, yelling: "What the hell is going on" in an outburst overheard by a Kyodo News reporter and quickly reported around the globe. "I want you all to be determined," he was quoted as telling utility executives.
The utility ultimately left a corps of workers who were dubbed the "Fukushima Fifty" by media and won admiration at home and abroad as they risked their lives to contain the crisis, although their names were never formally made public.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Kan was in a no win situation. I think in retrospect his decision to not give up may have been the right one. It may very well cost the lives of some of the workers, but it most likely saved many more lives.
We forget sometimes that world leaders get thrust into these situations and are faced with making terrible choices. We can look back and say that sometimes the predicament they are in may have something to do with previous actions or inaction, but ultimately, there is no changing the past. You have to play with the cards you are dealt. I am sure that Kan knew very early on that he would ultimately be faced with resigning because there just was no option for a pleasant outcome. I have to give him credit for doing what he felt was best with limited information. I think that is what we ask of our leaders and we hope they will make the right decisions.
I'll just only add that the real heroes in all this were the workers who stayed there and did their best too, trying to prevent what could have been a far worse disaster. I am sure that most of them clearly knew the risks involved, but they didn't give up. The entire country of Japan owes a debt of thanks to these workers. And very possibly, many outside of Japan owe them some thanks too, as the potential for this to have presented global issues was a very real possibility.
Well said, hindsight is indeed 20/20. Many would reluctantly agree that it would make tragic sense to send the plant workers to their deaths to save thousands or more. Fortunately it has not come that that though.
And they may have saved even millions, as there was consideration of evacuating Tokyo!
And I agree with you, newday. It is easy to say Kan should have done this or that. Kan was thrust into a nightmare scenario, and he was probably not even given all the information as things unfolded; the electric company was probably trying to cover their behinds, plus there is the Japanese tendency to not want to communicate bad news.
SHOCK! Did you know the government of EVERY nation that has had a nuclear plant disaster has under-talked the problem? Yes, including all your favorite 'transparent democracies.'
If something happens to a nuclear plant near you, you calmly take your family, and everything important to you, and you pack it in your car(s) and you leave. You start this the moment you hear the news. Because if you are wrong, you'll be fine.
In Japan, if residents had heeded that advice, and left the day of the disaster, they wouldn't either be trapped indoors, exposed to the radiation nearly as much, and could have gotten their important belongings out.
I presume it is standard policy because there is nothing the government can do but cross their fingers and tell you to remain calm while you die quietly. When it comes to nuclear disasters, any government is not your friend.
It's "under-talked" (sic) because only a person is reasonable. The public, especially when inflamed by the media and other self-serving interests, is an irrational congregation of idiots. When you screw up, I'm certain the first thing you'll want to do is a full mea culpa and gush out all kinds of facts that can be taken and twisted into the noose that hangs you.
It's one of the basic principles behind the right to keep your mouth shut when charged with a crime. The prosecutors are skilled at twisting anything you say into an appearance of guilt. Ask anyone convicted of a crime they actually didn't commit and had their own words send them to prison how that worked out for them.
You might think that the best course is immediate openness, honesty, and the truth as you know it... but in fact, virtually ever legal expert on this planet will agree it's the dumbest move you can make.
They are smart people. I wonder why they'd say that?
I agree.
Can you imagine how many people would be killed if 35-million civilians had to be evacuated in a hurry? Even in a country with a disciplined populace, such as Japan, would have many casualties evacuating Tokyo.
I think that it was a hard choice to make, but I would have probably made the workers stay. It was the only way to stop the situation from getting soo much worse. I think that the workers should have had a better attitude about the situation. I know that no one wants to die, but if we must die I would like it to be for a good cause. Saving family, friends, and my country is a pretty good thing to lay my life down for wouldn't you all think. Their government should have been clearer about what could happen and what their fears were, and maybe the rest of the world could have helped. Them not letting anyone in makes me wounder what they really had going on in there that they needed to keep under raps?
Glad someone agrees on me about this...and remember all the workers who stayed did so voluntarily...they could have left if they wanted to and there were even workers from other plantswho came to help out either for pride or profit or both...
Every life is precious. I say that because I don't want to make this sound callous but, far more was probably saved than the thousands, or even tens of thousands who could have been exposed to significant radiation. Had Tokyo been evacuated, Japan's economy would have collapsed. Considering the state of the world's economy, Japan's failure, being a major economic power, would have started a chain reaction with many other economies failing, probably to the extent as to make 1929 look like a little correction. Besides anyone irradiated in Japan, millions more would have likely starved and military actions caused by the unrest may have taken millions more.
The workers who stayed at the plant are real heroes. They knew what staying at the plant meant, but they stayed anyway. They aren't just heroes to Japan; the entire world is in their debt.
Kan is also a hero. It would have been far easier to evacuate and say that there was nothing that could have been done. He knew that even the best case scenario in ordering the workers to stay, meant the end of his political career. In worst case, had any of the workers died, he would have been a murderer.
Having worked at a nuclear power plant, here in the U.S., and having considerable NBC training in the military, I understand the effects of nuclear radiation on the human body. I don't know how much radiation the workers were exposed to, but I don't think is was an insignificant amount. I am afraid that many of these workers will develop cancers and several will die over the next 20 years.
But....it didn't happen. So where's the news?
Here's my thoughts on that headline: ''No, you think"!?
Don't kid yourself. US authorities knew full well the situation primcipally because those were US designed reactors and their liabilities were well known. And it was a good idea to withold the worst case scenarios as it would have led to panic. You simply cannot evacuate 35 million people without some sort of tragedy ensuing. In this case "you can't handle the truth" was the best course.
Hey, you know what? YOU stay if you want. I know most of the 35 million love the dose of radiation they got and are just thinking boy they are better off because wow, if they left, the THEORY that they couldn't evacuate would have been much worse!
That didn't stop the US gov from telling US citizens that there was no need to take potassium iodide. And according to this article, the US gov had no clue what was going on.
It's absolutely correct that NO gov will share actual radiation dangers with the public. The Soviets didn't, the US gov didn't and the Japanese gov didn't. It's poor politics, all the way around.
2 things:
Pretty good PBS "Frontline" on the topic that aired last night. Not quite as in depth as I would have liked, but pretty good nonetheless. More detail on their website too: www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/japans-nuclear-meltdown/
You can probably catch the show on your local PBS or watch it online.
I would not want to be on the Japanese Islands now.... Who knows how many will have cancer develop because of this disaster and the cancer is not just confined to the Japanese Islands, but is now Global... . We may never know the extent of the damage. Radiation is still pouring from the plant. Makes me wonder why any Reporter would go there.
And I still do not trust or believe the Japanese Government... or for that matter, the MSM.
Take a look at this. Even with all of the massive and extensive nuclear weapons testing in the 50s and 60's, the background radiation from man-made nuclear power/weapons is still 1%. I think we'll be OK even with the terrible release of radiation which occurred in Japan.
But then... Those plants are still spewing Radiation... Makes me wonder where exactly did those reporters go or if the actually went to those plants did they realize they were being irradiated.
Also, you should check out this story From Veterans Today Military affairs journal. They are calling for the US Government to evacuate everyone from Japan. I would give the link but I am told thats against policy.
Actually I will post this to my Blog go to my profile to get the URL to the Blog. May take a bit to get the story posted but it will be there.
I was in Japan for a month last year. Talk to me in 20 years.
aw i was hoping for a replay of godzilla vs mothra vs rodan.screaming japs running in all directions
@ johnQcitizen you are not even slighly funny! This isnt some comic strip were talking about. This is about real live people, and not just Japans people, but people from all around the world. And Japs??? what year are you living in? You must not interact with the real world often huh?
Magnum, you show the total ignorance of most people about nuclear power and what radiation is. Educate yourself before you try and scare people into thinking like you. Sounds to me like there is still a lot of work for us radiation workers over in Japan... could make some big bucks in a short amount of time...
It has been reported that high levels of radiation from the "leak" have drifted as far as 400 miles from Japan. Maybe you need to be educated. Remember leaders or politicians always lie !!
Nukes are dangerous and will kill many as they age. No Nukes No Nukes NO NUKES !!!
Hannah
Food can also be dangerous when people eat too much, should we outlaw food? The sad fact is that this disaster was caused by nature and exacerbated by man and its decisions for plant location. You say no nukes but will likely not be able to offer any reasonable alternatives to our current predicament.
What would you propose?
Hannah, aka another person with NO nuclear knowledge except what they get form TV shows.
First off, radiation doesn't 'leak'. If radiation levels radiated from the plant that were actually detected 400 miles away, LOL, the entire island of Japan would be a ghost town right now. You have already brainwashed yourself into thinking nuclear energy is evil even though you show us you really know nothing about it. Do you even know what the dose rates are at the plant March 12? You even know what a dose rate is? The dose rate was 1.02 mSv. Just so you have an idea what level that is I'll give you two things that are compared to that level. A breast x-ray (aka Mammogram) give you about .40 mSv. A spine x-ray runs about 1.5 mSv. So the dose rate ON SITE at the time of the accident where the same you'd get from an examine at a hospital. An airlines pilot picks about about 9.0 mSv a year. A radiation worker in the US is capped at roughly 100 mSv per year. The residents that lived around Chernobyl picked up about 350 mSv and those people as they have aged have seen an increased chance of cancer obviously but that is and was the worst that has ever happened. Last year I picked up a total of 800 mrem working at nuclear sites and you know what my increased chance of cancer are? FAR less than inhalation of second hand smoke.
So do yourself a favor and look into what you think is dangerous and you may find out, that it really isn't. Like I said before, the people that are scared of nuclear power are the ones theat know the least about it.
If radiation levels radiated from the plant that were actually detected 400 miles away, LOL, the entire island of Japan would be a ghost town right now.
Scientists say differently. LOL.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57382127/radiation-detected-400-miles-off-japanese-coast/
Radioactive contamination from the Fukushima power plant disaster has been detected as far as almost 400 miles off Japan in the Pacific Ocean, with water showing readings of up to 1,000 times more than prior levels, scientists reported Tuesday.
Ooopsy.
Just so we're clear, the 1000x increase was in the element cesium, however,
"But those results for the substance cesium-137 are far below the levels that are generally considered harmful, either to marine animals or people who eat seafood, said Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts."
From the same article.
NOPE. NO OOOPSY.
Read the comment made by the moron. THEN read the first sentence of the article you linked. ANOTHER person who has no idea WHAT they are talkign about. I do not even need to read the story.
My only question is what happened to the 50 brave souls who stayed behind? No one ever says if they are alive or dead from radiation poisioning. Where are they, who are they? The entire nation of Japan owes it's existance to these individuals and yet we hear nothing about them.
If this little story were true, you would have heard about it. Japanese culture ALWAYS honors sacrifice.
One more thing... "The entire nation of Japan owes its existence to them." Huh? While bad, it certainly was not an apocalyptic event as the media would have you believe. Remember, the scarier the news, the more money the news media organizations make. They are not in the business of providing news that doesn't make money, so they make news where they can, invent news where they can, and exaggerate nothing into something as often as they can. Because it makes money. Get your head out of the sand... everything is about money.
They did not want ANYONE else in that area, and we were already in talks about how the nuclear movements going on and they were thought to be hiding facts. These fifty brave people were in the middle of it and seen everything, and now we see nor hear nothing about them. Doesn't sound right to me. I do hope that they are in good health, and that their family's are being well taken care of.
crashnmary- Are you kidding me? Those poor workers were dead as soon as they entered the facility. Maybe the lying government is taking care of their families.
The Japanese government lied to everyone. Our government would have done the same.
Nukes kill.... solar and wind do not.
Hannah - ignorance must truly be bliss. Zero deaths related to Fukushima radiation, and holding steady. 5 workers died when the tsunami hit ... you know, the tsunami that has accounted for ALL of the deaths. Try google or even bing sometime (try "fukushima death toll"). You might be surprised, unless of course you only belief the drivel you want to.
Hannah, You are one ignorant little Biatch!! Solar & Wind will not kill? Try reading up on the statistics of solar panel installers falling off roofs and being either seriously maimed or killed. How about solar flares that interrupt and decimate power grids... You hear about the thousands that suffer due to the power outages (i.e. BROWNOUTS) and die due to heat stroke every year!!
More people die in "Hybrid" or "electric" cars nowadays because they aren't built as strong structurally as a regular car is...
Let's see, on the nuclear side.... Chernobyl: Yes, they purposely were operating without the proper shielding. and many died.
3 Mile island: No deaths, but was "Hyped" with the movie "The China syndrome" and put the majority of the population on the negative about nuclear energy and power plants.
France and Germany: Nearly 100% of their energy is now generated with nuclear energy and there have been no accidents...
Now we come to Fukushima: Nuclear accident caused not only by a major earthquake, but mainly by the back-up generators being flooded by the ensuing tsunami.
Before you start spewing fear and innuendo, look at the facts of the past.
Nuclear energy is probably safer than flying in an airplane, which is safer than driving a car.....
Hannah, you really, really need to educate yourself on the affects of radiation on the human body. Taking into effect distance, exposure time, shielding, and a few other factors, one can calculate a time frame that can be used for a maximum and minimum exposure rate.
Hannah-2721721.
We should INVEST in solar energy with TAX DOLLARS. I heard about this company called Solyndra...oops...nevermind
The workers who stayed at the plant at great risk to themselves (they still don't know if their health has been adversely affected) are true heroes. As the report points out, the president of the company wanted to abandon the plant and the situation could have then been terribly disastrous. These men worked round the clock in intense brief shifts to limit exposure and they succeeded in stabilizing the reactor.
Kudos to these selfless men, the Fukushima Fifty.
Japan has finally figured out what the monster is. It's not a 400 foot tall T-Rex breathing fire. I have a suggestion for a name " Nukezilla " !
Honored heroes don't belong to any particular country, ideology, skin color, religion ... or war.
I shall never forget watching the courageous men at Chernobyl knowingly risk their lives to bring that disaster under control. 31 plant and fire & rescue workers died horrible, painful radiation deaths within 3 months; 237 suffered acute radiation sickness and those still alive continue to endure significant impacts today.
Fukushima Dai-ichi workers and volunteers deserve to be revered for their unselfish acts of courage in the face of certain fear and potential complete disaster.
Remarkable bravery at both disasters.
Susan; The workers were ordered in by the totalitarian government. They had no choice. Many (most?) had no idea what radiation was and what it could do. Workers were bussed in. Video surveillance cameras monitored areas. At least one camera was destroyed by workers (don't recall exactly where and why) but the news report said the action(s) saved quite a few lives.
Higher-ups wanted pictures and a photographer was sent up in a helicopter. The photographer either opened a window, or a door, was held by the ankles as he poked his head outside to take pictures. He survived, but has permanent health problems and multiple surgeries.
Some of the people who were evacuated from the area have returned as they have no reason to believe what they were told by authorities. I think it was 400 who returned. Their numbers have been vastly depleted. I understand its a race dying from old age versus their bones softening from the radiation. They get food, water, cooking oil, medicine, and the like-issued once or twice a month. Some have gone back to tending vegetable gardens.
Masses of helicopters, trucks, vans, cars, and other machinery were set in neat rows behind fencing. They're all too radioactive to be used. The ranks are sobering and I can't help but wonder how many of the people crewing them as well as using those teams of humans using hand tools, or brute labor lived but a short time after.
Japan is a democracy. And please, cite your sources if you wish to be taken seriously.
deberginct - I believe stoney was referring to the Chernobyl incident.
Stoney is replying to another comment about Chernobyl, understand the comments before judging. Stoney is 100% accurate in his statement.
Is this really news to anyone? I thought it was obvious from the beginning that the dangers were being downplayed.
Of course the same deception has been carried out here in the USA, where a number of reactors of the same model are presently in operation.
Don't worry the peasants with unnecessary facts! The smart people in charge will handle everything! Of course nobody ever thought anything like this could happen. Riight.
I don't think people ask anymore because we wont get the truth anyhow. Besides we are not as free as we think we are here in the good old USA. I am not a crazy government cover-up nut, but lets look at the facts. We have studies done on us that they don't let us know about until a whole county comes down with cancer, and then surprise it wasn't crop dusting they were dropping it was agent orange if I an correct. Happened in northern Indiana. what else do we not know for our own good of course! If you believe that.
You could also mention they turned the ocean into a nuclear cesspool.
Our earth is a nuclear cesspool. Much of the heat production from the core out is from nuclear fission. Read this. "Roughly 20 terawatts of heat—or nearly twice as much energy as used by all of humanity at present" is created from nuclear fission.
You cannot tell these people anything...they all seem to think that Oil, Natural Gas, Nuclear Energy and Red Meat was created in some Evil Scientists Lab...Just plant a tree in front of it and they will all bow down and pray to the "Green God" and admire how the tree seems to glow
Sort of like what they did to the peasants during the last world war -- hide the gory details and the facts from them in hopes a miracle would happen so the officials could save face. Are those officials still in office?
the devil's chain reaction will destroy the world after it has happened all around the world.
Not one worker from the plant or any civilian near or far from the plant has died or will die from nuclear radiation. This is more scare tactics by liberals and eco - "warriors" just trying to put the kabash on "scary" nuclear energy production...
BUT DON'T YOU WORRY! US MEDIA FOLK WILL GIVE YOU ENOUGH INFORMATION, TRUE, FALSE, OR UNSUBSTANTIATED, TO CRAP YOUR PANTS.
Because it's what the media does best... Excitable news makes MONEY!!
For crying out loud... it's over. Let it go. A nuke plant got waxed and it caused less deaths than the flu. Let them rebuild it, hopefully they learn from any mistakes, and we'll all get on with our lives.
The world calls us Americans selfish, and ignorant because we don't know whats happening outside of our own city's much less in other countrys. We cannot keep putting our heads in the sand and pretend nothing matters except US. I don't think this artical was ment to scare us, it was ment to teach us. What if something does happen and we didnt know? Then we would all be walking around mad cause nobody told us what was going on. We can and should learn from the tragities that others face. We cannot say, " it happened so what, life goes on."
I would have to think the Japanese people have had their fair share of radiation exposure, one generation after another exposed from one source or another - be it friendly or otherwise. Sad . . .
No surprise and I don't blame them. You must think of the greater good here. Downplaying it prevented a massive and unnecessary evacuation where people would most likely have been trampling each other to get away...right after a massive tsunami ravaged the coast. Sometimes the medicine tastes bad, but it's what's in your best interest.
"the greater good"
less.invasions.more.equations
To your point, read this. Or this. Sometimes the evacuation can cause more harm than the incident depending on the scenario.
"The greater good" another of the most frightening words in the English language, particularly when applied to anything the government is doing. It's right up there with, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you". Personally, I am of the opinion if it calls itself politician, (party and/or country of origin notwithstanding), it is inherently a self serving thief, liar and scoundrel. But, maybe I'm just cynical,,,,,,,,,,,, Naaaaaaaah.
Nicodemus I do usually agree, but hindsight is 20/20 and their actions have been shown to have been prudent. They no doubt saved lives and quite possibly their economy too. People can be dumb panicky animals and sometimes a cool head is just what we need. That probably makes ME sound cynical, but there you go.
I have tremendous respect for the Japanese people and their response to this disaster. Can you imagine the mob violence and chaos in just about any other nation on earth? To second guess the leadership and the people's reaction is just arrogant.
I've spent time in Japan in their industrial faculties and for the most part their workers have a very good work ethic. They are dedicated to what they do and those with specialized talents are very professional.
Likewise, I have seen similar dedication in US industrial environments too. The average person might be surprised at how potentially dangerous many industrial processes can be. When something goes wrong, there are often potentially far reaching consequences to neighboring communities as well as the workers themselves. But the true professionals realize it is up to them to do what is necessary to bring things under control. Often these people take risks to their lives in order to get the job done and prevent serious consequences that go far beyond their own safety. Things like chemicals, electricity, fuels and many high energy components of a variety of industrial processes can kill you just as dead as radiation. People who work with these things and understand the potential dangers also understand that the skill and knowledge required to effectively deal with a crisis lies only with the relative few who understand these things.
We all have enough knowledge to fear the potential threat from nuclear energy gone out of control, but in reality there are many energy forms used every day in a variety of environments that pose serious hazards to the workers and beyond. When it is your job to keep these things under control, you assume the risk to yourself and others. There are a lot of heroes every day who keep the lights on, keep making fuel for your cars, make the steel we use in everyday products and many other things that people take for granted. Most don't fully understand the dangers that these workers face every day and many have no idea how many potential disasters get averted by the efforts of these workers.
No doubt the Fukushima 50 are heroes. But keep in mind that many men and women who wear the hard hats, work boots and get dirty on their jobs, to keep the wheels of society turning are often heroes too. We just don't hear about it. These are the people who don't take off running when the stuff hits the fan, but instead charge ahead to do what needs to be done to control a situation out of control. These kinds of jobs aren't for everybody, but for many that do them, they take their jobs seriously and do what it takes. Kudos to the Fukushima 50 and kudos to the many unsung heroes that work behind the scenes to keep our modern existence working.
Mmm ......... Nuke Plants , gotta get me some. They are very very good for you.
So, does the person writing this article think the leaders of Japan should have been running around like Scotty on the Enterprise yelling: "It's gonna blow!" Come on. The panic from this would have create havoc like never seen before if you got 35,000,000 people trying to get supplies and leave town. And exactly where would they have gone. Are there 35,000,000 empty hotels in Japan or perhaps hostels?
Given how people are prone to go nuts and create even bigger problems, governments generally have to downplay something like this. And in this case, they were correct and they deserve some credit for it.
Go Japan!! That's a job well done in containing the disaster. As for the Fukushima Fifty, you guys stayed behind when no one else would. I'm sure you're also the type of people who don't require recognition for acts of extreme valor and courage. That makes you great. But just know, you've saved so many lives by containing the situation. That makes you even greater.
As if we needed confirmation, this simply demonstrates that authorities will always put their own interests above the lives of others, and lie. In any disaster you must always remember to look out for yourself, trust your instincts and and be skeptical of officials.
"The idea of upgrading a plant was taboo," ?
Korean Flight 007 ?
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR DESPITE HOW MANY IT KILLS!
Hell! All they had to do was to figure out a way to put the emergency generators for the cooling systems on high ground, say maybe in a boat like structure on the roofs, with enough fuel to keep them running for a week. They would have been able to shut down the reactors safely and completely. How do you build a Nuclear power Complex right next to the ocean and not anticipate an occasional Tsunami? IDIOCY REIGNS.
This & Reflection of cherbynole, Love Island, etc. should wake up humanity to the fact that the sun it where it is and doesn't belong in our front yard. Stop playing with matches in the linen closet you'll burned down the house and everybody in it. Daaahhhhh Stupid moves for profit and gain, does not garrentee your survival in the end. Their exists tech. on the shelves that is purposely being repressed so the corp. can continue to oppress through their scarcity law management. Those At The Top do bleed, they are not Gods. Demand your leaders to do their job they are expected to do. or be replaced period.
Funny how they use the word "Devils" when less than 4% believe in the Christian/Jewish God. Otherwise, there is no such thing as the Devil with the belief in any other god.
Sorry Carl, the Devil exists in the Shinto religion as he does in all other religions...all believe in the embodiment of evil. Your last sentence has no logic. Any other god in which you believe is the devil.
The Japanese just followed the old adage that they should hope for the best but expecting the worse. And who can blame them for this?