Thu Jul 5, 2012, 09:35 AM

kpete (38,900 posts)

Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis was preventable-Result Of 'Collusion', Panel Says

Last edited Thu Jul 5, 2012, 09:38 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

Source: Huffington Post

By Risa Maeda and Linda Sieg

TOKYO, July 5 (Reuters) - Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis was a preventable disaster resulting from "collusion" among the government, regulators and the plant operator, an expert panel said on Thursday, wrapping up an inquiry into the worst nuclear accident in 25 years.

Damage from the huge March 11, 2011, earthquake, and not just the ensuing tsunami, could not be ruled out as a cause of the accident, the panel added, a finding with serious potential implications as Japan seeks to bring idled reactors on line.

The panel criticised the response of Fukushima Daiichi plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co, regulators and then Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who quit last year after criticism of his handling of a natural disaster that became a man-made crisis.

"The ... Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident was the result of collusion between the government, the regulators and Tepco, and the lack of governance by said parties," the panel said in an English summary of a 641-page Japanese document.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/05/japan-nuclear-disaster_n_1650264.html?1341493871

9 replies, 1949 views

Reply to this thread

Always highlight: 10 newest replies | Replies posted after I mark a forum

Replies to this discussion thread

9 replies	Author	Time	Post
Japan's Fukushima nuclear crisis was preventable-Result Of 'Collusion', Panel Says (Original post)	kpete	Jul 2012	OP
Keyword: "LACK OF GOVERNANCE"	loudsue	Jul 2012	#1
Also see 'regulatory capture.'	appal_jack	Jul 2012	#2
Good to know! Thanks. n/t	loudsue	Jul 2012	#6
Sounds like exactly what happened in BP's Deep Water Horizin	denvine	Jul 2012	#3
Collusion between the government and a huge corporation.	fasttense	Jul 2012	#4
Greg Palast has some good writing on this in "Vultures Picnic".	Fuddnik	Jul 2012	#5
Thankfully, we don't have that kind of problem here.	AnotherMcIntosh	Jul 2012	#7
Building nuclear plants on the most active fault zone in the world is not smart	diane in sf	Jul 2012	#8
The earthquake by itself may have caused the meltdowns, not just the tsunami	bananas	Jul 2012	#9

Response to kpete (Original post)

Thu Jul 5, 2012, 09:39 AM

loudsue (12,383 posts)

1. Keyword: "LACK OF GOVERNANCE"

Regulation is there for a really good reason. Regulation can be streamlined so that it is not oppressive to industry, but it is essential to keep peace so that people can TRUST the world that they are being sold.

Reply to this post

Response to loudsue (Reply #1)

Thu Jul 5, 2012, 09:52 AM

appal_jack (1,808 posts)

2. Also see 'regulatory capture.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture

-app

Reply to this post

Response to appal_jack (Reply #2)

Thu Jul 5, 2012, 12:44 PM

loudsue (12,383 posts)

6. Good to know! Thanks. n/t

Reply to this post

Response to kpete (Original post)

Thu Jul 5, 2012, 11:32 AM

denvine (115 posts)

3. Sounds like exactly what happened in BP's Deep Water Horizin

spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Sure Mitt, let's do away with regulations so companies can grow, unrestricted, and create unsafe jobs for the workers and the environment.

Reply to this post

Response to kpete (Original post)

Thu Jul 5, 2012, 11:58 AM

fasttense (14,445 posts)

4. Collusion between the government and a huge corporation.

Last edited Thu Jul 5, 2012, 12:01 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

Regulators are part of the government so, it was simply collusion between government officials and a multi national corporation. Now why would government officials ignore regulations and allow a corporation to set up dangerous systems that endanger citizen's lives and poison the country with radiation? Someone made money off of this and the disaster was the result of someone making money by ignoring regulations. So, whoever made money off of this should be unidentified and all their money taken away to pay for those citizens who are suffering.

But of course that wont happen. Japan is as controlled by corporations as much as America and the UK.

This supposed "free" trade and neoliberalism is a disease that is infecting every nation and is killing the host planet.

We need an antibiotic to kill it before the host planet and every living thing on it dies.

Reply to this post

Response to kpete (Original post)

Thu Jul 5, 2012, 12:10 PM

Fuddnik (4,454 posts)

5. Greg Palast has some good writing on this in "Vultures Picnic".

Reply to this post

Response to kpete (Original post)

Thu Jul 5, 2012, 02:39 PM

AnotherMcIntosh (7,589 posts)

7. Thankfully, we don't have that kind of problem here.

No collusion at all.

Not only does the money paid by big-money contributors not have an effect upon "our" politicians, but "our" politicians and regulators do their jobs without concurrently auditioning for future jobs with the big-money people.

Reply to this post

Response to kpete (Original post)

Thu Jul 5, 2012, 03:52 PM

diane in sf (2,840 posts)

8. Building nuclear plants on the most active fault zone in the world is not smart

Reply to this post

Response to kpete (Original post)

Thu Jul 5, 2012, 04:09 PM

bananas (20,175 posts)

9. The earthquake by itself may have caused the meltdowns, not just the tsunami

Damage from the huge March 11, 2011, earthquake, and not just the ensuing tsunami, could not be ruled out as a cause of the accident, the panel added, a finding with serious potential implications as Japan seeks to bring idled reactors on line.

Reply to this post

Latest Breaking News (Forum)