- Title: JAPAN: Atomic disaster caused by "collusion" - panel report
- Date: 5th July 2012
- Summary: FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR PLANT (FILE - FEBRUARY 2012) (REUTERS) FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR PLANT JOURNALISTS IN PROTECTIVE GEAR LOOKING AT DAMAGED BUILDINGS AT FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR PLANT
- Embargoed: 20th July 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Disasters
- Reuters ID: LVAAL0QRKKFSZSKQZ6DW7UF9RRWP
- Story Text: A commission specially appointed by Japan's parliament submitted their final report to the country's parliament on Thursday (July 5) that said that the country's nuclear disaster was "man-made".
The report said that the crisis was a preventable disaster resulting from "collusion" among the government, regulators and the plant operator, adding damage from the huge earthquake, not just the ensuing tsunami, could not be ruled out as a cause.
The report underscored the cosy ties among utilities, regulators and the government that critics have blamed for turning a natural disaster into a man-made crisis, the worst since Chernobyl.
Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission Head Kiyoshi Kurokawa presented the report at the panel's final meeting.
"This report will be given to your representatives to be debated, but it will also be necessary for the people of the country to have knowledge of the matter and so I urge you to look through the report," he said.
The report by the experts appointed by parliament - one of three panels looking into Fukushima disaster - wraps up a six-month probe involving over 900 hours of hearings and interviews with more than 1,100 people, the first such probe of its kind.
The report pointed to numerous missed opportunities to take steps to prevent the disaster, citing lobbying by the nuclear power companies as well as a "safety myth" mindset that permeated the industry and the regulatory regime as among the reasons for the failure to be prepared.
Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) came under heavy criticism in the report, including for putting cost-cutting steps ahead of safety as nuclear power became less profitable over the years. "While giving lip service to a policy of 'safety first,' in actuality, safety suffered at the expense of other management priorities," the report said.
The panel also pointed to problems in the response to then-prime minister Naoto Kan, who resigned last year after harsh criticism of his handling of the crisis.
The report said it had found no evidence to back up Kan's allegation that Tepco had planned to abandon the tsunami-ravaged plant as the crisis risked spinning out of control. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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