Japan Press Weekly

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2012 July 18 - 24 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Gov’t panel blames safety myth for nuclear disaster

The government’s investigation panel on the Fukushima nuclear accident on July 23 concluded that the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) had been ill-prepared for an emergency due to the myth of nuclear safety.

The panel’s final report basically follows the Diet-commissioned panel’s report published earlier this month which concluded that the nuclear accident was “man-made.”

The latest report says, “Because the government, TEPCO, and other electric power companies were biased by the safety myth, they could not imagine that a nuclear crisis could occur in reality.”

Commenting on the report on the same day, Fukushima Governor Sato Yuhei stated, “Based on the report and other investigative conclusions, the government should make its utmost effort to set up an anti-disaster system and implement safety regulations on nuclear power generation which will prioritize residents’ safety and meet the prefecture’s actual conditions.”