September 11, 2014

Sep 11, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Ex-F. Daiichi boss Masao Yoshida testified that he was incredulous about the nuke accident getting more attention than the tsunami disaster. His full testimony was released by Tokyo today. Most of the Press reports out of Japan are attacking the earlier Asahi Shimbun posting that more than 600 workers fled to F. Daini on March 15th, disobeying site manager Yoshida’s orders. (see below) There are also a number of re-hashed issues, including the site abandonment debate, Yoshida’s criticism of Tepco executives and the Tokyo government, and the precious little support F. Daiichi received during the height of the crisis. One news report (Japan Times) cites the following statement made by Yoshida, which could be the most important of all, “I want to raise a loud voice to say this. This time, (the tsunami-quake disasters) killed 23,000 people. This is not just about issues regarding the safety of a nuclear power plant. If you (criticize) us, why didn’t you take measures to prevent those people from dying? . . . People just discuss the design of a nuclear power plant.” Clearly, Yoshida was not only upset with the paucity of men and materials to mitigate the accident and the inept orders coming from Tokyo, but he was confounded by the way the nation’s focus was on the nuke accident rather than the real horrors caused by the natural disaster. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/09/11/national/yoshida-transcripts-on-fukushima-nuclear-crisis-released/#.VBGfBaN0wdV (Comment – The failed sea-wall at F. Daiichi was but one of more than 200 instances of tsunami protection failures along the Tohoku coastline on 3/11/11. More than 21,000 died (the most recent official figures) due to these technological failures, but only two workmen drowned in an F. Daiichi basement were killed during the nuke accident. This reporter has written on this repeatedly over the last three-plus years. Now, we find that M. Yoshida was of the very same opinion.)
  • A panel member of the NAIIC (Diet investigation) calls the release of the Yoshida testimony significant. Non-fiction writer Kunio Yanagida says the numerous testimonies, including Yoshida’s, were given under the condition they would not be publicly disclosed. Yanagida said the disclosure could impact investigations if a similar accident occurred, and the government needs to give the public a full explanation as to why it released the documents. He added that Tokyo has not made a sufficient effort to control accident recovery, alleging that the cause of the calamity remains unclear. Yanagida hopes the document releases will give experts an opportunity to assess the accident from their own perspectives by pouring over the accounts given by engineers and operators. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140911_28.html
  • The Asahi Shimbun has admitted its error in its earlier reporting on the Yoshida testimony. Earlier this summer, The Asahi posted that more than 600 workers fled to F. Daini on March 15th, disobeying site manager Yoshida’s orders. But the actual testimony indicates the staff retreat was due miscommunications. In fact, Yoshida said the move to F. Daini was “even more reasonable” than what he had suggested to his staff. The Asahi’s report has been cited by much of the foreign news media, making it one of the most controversial points in hindsight criticism of the crisis. Asahi President Tadakazu Kimura said, “We have judged the report was incorrect. We have significantly hurt our readers’ trust. We will withdraw the expression ‘the retreat in violation of an order’ [issued by Yoshida]. We deeply apologize to our readers and those related to TEPCO.” In addition, executive editor Nobuyuki Sugiura has been fired because he was ultimately responsible for the erroneous publication. Kimura stated that he was also considering resignation. He also apologized for other erroneous Asahi articles about the WWII’s Korean “comfort women” issue. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001562117 — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140911p2g00m0dm042000c.html
  • Tokyo’s nuclear watchdog (NRA) says the Sendai nukes meet regulatory mandates for safety. The NRA has unanimously approved the Kyushu Electric Company’s submittal that their post-Fukushima upgrades meet all new national standards. The NRA’s new assessment of the upgrades includes responses to the more than 17,000 public comments received since the draft assessment was released in July. Many comments said the NRA’s regulations are “unconvincing” and do not sufficiently address the potential for volcanic eruptions. The authority says these objections do not affect their conclusion that the Sendai units meet their safety regulations. Before sanction to restart can be issued, approvals must be gained from host community Satsumasendai, other local municipalities, and the prefectural government. Most Japanese and international Press reports say that the NRA decision gives approval for restarting the two Sendai units, but this seems to be a questionable assumption given what the NRA has publicly posted. Only NHK World seems to have reported in line with the NRA News Release. http://www.nsr.go.jp/english/newsrelease/data/20140910.pdf — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140910_21.html