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Tepco controls information release on Fukushima radiation: is this right?

It is easy to see why controlling radiation readings and reports of leakage of radioactive water in to the sea is to TEPCO’s advantage

Report From Tokyo: How Long Should TEPCO Call the Shots? THE HUFFINGTON POST, David Wagner: 4 June 11 Since the tragic March 11th earthquake in Japan, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) has been allowed to manage information flow related to the nuclear crisis at Fukushima. And ever since that date, there have been multiple examples of inaccurate information being released to the public.

So one has to wonder how long TEPCO should call the shots. There is something inherently wrong with allowing the hen to rule the hen house. Yet that is what is happening……..

It is easy to see why controlling radiation readings and reports of leakage of radioactive water in to the sea is to TEPCO’s advantage. In the same way, being in charge of the timetable for bringing the crisis under control allows for flexibility in moving the goal post. On May 30th, TEPCO announced that stabilizing the reactors at their Daiichi Fukushima nuclear power plant by the end of this year (although previously promised) would be difficult to achieve, noting that “there will be a major delay.” Who knows how many more of those will be announced in the future.

One result of all this debacle is reflected in the general lack of trust of TEPCO. A whopping 86% of the Japanese public say that TEPCO has done a poor job at managing the crisis. Given that reality, it is not surprising to see more and more members of the public taking matters of safety into their own hands……..

The New York Times wrote an interesting piece in April on a “Culture of Complicity” in Japan in which “collusive ties that bind the nation’s nuclear power companies, regulators and politicians” made the Daiichi facility vulnerable to natural disaster.

That was followed by another worthwhile read this past week which details how support for nuclear plant is built in surrounding communities by “showering them with generous subsidies, payouts and jobs.”

Again, TEPCO is not alone but one does have to ask if it makes sense to continue to let TEPCO call the shots.

David Wagner: Report From Tokyo: How Long Should TEPCO Call the Shots?

June 4, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | - Fukushima 2011