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Report slams Japan nuke response
Source: Agencies |
December 27, 2011, Tuesday
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JAPAN'S response to the nuclear crisis that followed the March 11 tsunami was confused and riddled with problems, including an erroneous assumption an emergency cooling system was working and a delay in disclosing dangerous radiation leaks, a report revealed yesterday.
The picture of harried and bumbling workers and government officials scrambling to respond to the problems at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant was depicted in the report detailing a government investigation.
The 507-page interim report, compiled by interviewing more than 400 people, found authorities had grossly underestimated tsunami risks, assuming the highest wave would be 6 meters. The tsunami struck at more than double those levels.
The report criticized the use of the term "soteigai," meaning "outside our imagination," which it said implied authorities were shirking responsibility for what had happened. It said by labeling the events as beyond what could have been expected, officials had invited public distrust.
"This accident has taught us an important lesson on how we must be ready for soteigai," it said.
The report, set to be finished by mid-2012, found workers at Tokyo Electric Power Co, the utility that ran Fukushima Dai-ichi, were untrained to handle emergencies such as the power shutdown that struck when the tsunami destroyed backup generators - setting off the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
There was no clear manual to follow, and workers failed to communicate, not only with the government but also among themselves, it said.
Finding alternative ways to bring water to the reactors was delayed for hours because of the mishandling of an emergency cooling system, the report said. Workers assumed the system was working, despite warning signs it had failed and was sending the nuclear core into meltdown.
The report acknowledged that even if the system had kicked in properly, the tsunami damage may have been so great that meltdowns would have happened anyway.
But a better response may have reduced core damage, radiation leaks and the hydrogen explosions at two reactors, according to the report.
Sadder still was how the government dallied in relaying information to the public, such as using evasive language to avoid admitting serious meltdowns, the report said.
The government also delayed disclosure of radiation data in the area, unnecessarily exposing entire towns to radiation, the report found.
The government recommended changes so utilities will respond properly to serious accidents.
It recommended separating the nuclear regulators from the unit that promotes atomic energy, echoing criticism since the disaster.
Japan's nuclear regulators were in the same ministry that promotes the industry, but they are being moved to the environment ministry next year to ensure more independence.
The report did not advocate a move away from nuclear power but recommended adding more knowledgeable experts and laying out a better emergency response plan.
It acknowledged people were still living in fear. "The nuclear disaster is far from over," the report said.
The earthquake and tsunami left 20,000 people dead or missing.
The picture of harried and bumbling workers and government officials scrambling to respond to the problems at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant was depicted in the report detailing a government investigation.
The 507-page interim report, compiled by interviewing more than 400 people, found authorities had grossly underestimated tsunami risks, assuming the highest wave would be 6 meters. The tsunami struck at more than double those levels.
The report criticized the use of the term "soteigai," meaning "outside our imagination," which it said implied authorities were shirking responsibility for what had happened. It said by labeling the events as beyond what could have been expected, officials had invited public distrust.
"This accident has taught us an important lesson on how we must be ready for soteigai," it said.
The report, set to be finished by mid-2012, found workers at Tokyo Electric Power Co, the utility that ran Fukushima Dai-ichi, were untrained to handle emergencies such as the power shutdown that struck when the tsunami destroyed backup generators - setting off the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
There was no clear manual to follow, and workers failed to communicate, not only with the government but also among themselves, it said.
Finding alternative ways to bring water to the reactors was delayed for hours because of the mishandling of an emergency cooling system, the report said. Workers assumed the system was working, despite warning signs it had failed and was sending the nuclear core into meltdown.
The report acknowledged that even if the system had kicked in properly, the tsunami damage may have been so great that meltdowns would have happened anyway.
But a better response may have reduced core damage, radiation leaks and the hydrogen explosions at two reactors, according to the report.
Sadder still was how the government dallied in relaying information to the public, such as using evasive language to avoid admitting serious meltdowns, the report said.
The government also delayed disclosure of radiation data in the area, unnecessarily exposing entire towns to radiation, the report found.
The government recommended changes so utilities will respond properly to serious accidents.
It recommended separating the nuclear regulators from the unit that promotes atomic energy, echoing criticism since the disaster.
Japan's nuclear regulators were in the same ministry that promotes the industry, but they are being moved to the environment ministry next year to ensure more independence.
The report did not advocate a move away from nuclear power but recommended adding more knowledgeable experts and laying out a better emergency response plan.
It acknowledged people were still living in fear. "The nuclear disaster is far from over," the report said.
The earthquake and tsunami left 20,000 people dead or missing.
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