Warnings of nuclear disaster not heeded, claims former governor

[bananas]

Source: The Independent

The former governor of Fukushima province has spoken of his frustration at the failure of the Japanese authorities to heed his warnings over the safety of the power plant that was stricken by the country's recent earthquake.

The story of Japan's epic disaster comes with a generous cast of Cassandra figures, the seismologists, conservationists and whistle-blowers ignored by the national nuclear planners. But 71-year-old Eisako Sato may be pre-eminent among them.

As governor of Fukushima Prefecture from 1988-2006 – "roughly half the life of the plant", he told journalists at Tokyo's Foreign Correspondents' Club earlier this week – he was initially an enthusiastic supporter of nuclear power, swayed like his predecessors after the government and utility giant Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) brought his prefecture jobs, subsidies and a chance to contribute to the national good.

<snip>

In 2006, he was forced to step down and was prosecuted and convicted in 2008 on bribery charges that he claims were politically motivated. Embittered, he wrote a biography called Annihilating a Governor explaining his concerns about nuclear power and how he was set up and wrongfully convicted by the prosecution. Largely ignored until March 11, the book is now at the top of the sales list. "Unfortunately, it took this tragedy to make it a bestseller," he laments.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/warnings-of-nuclear-disaster-not-heeded-claims-former-governor-2273764.html

---

It's good he's being vindicated; truedelphi told us about it: "the slimeballs at GE who went over to Japan with Bush officials in 2006"
"Then and there they saw to it that the popular mayor of Fukushima was removed from office, and his goal of de-commissioning the plant was no longer attainable. Then they installed a pro-nuke industry guy as the new mayor, and made sure that this poorly designed plant kept on a-running."

[snagglepuss]

1. His book would be fascinating to read. THanks for posting. nt

[AndyTiedye]

2. Very Much Kicked and Recommended

The nuke industry tends to crush those who get in its way.

[Overseas]

3. K&R.

[wordpix]

4. meanwhile, O is killing his re-election with his $36 billion nuke subsidy proposal

I'll be voting for anyone in the primary who challenges him on this and other stupid stuff he's doing for the corporatists

[No Elephants]

7. I doubt he will see a primary challenge.

[DeSwiss]

5. K&R

*snip*

And the lesson? Replacing Tepco's management won't solve anything, he says, because the logic of Japan's energy policies is that nuclear power generation is absolutely necessary. "So nuclear power must be seen as absolutely safe." Ordinary people must "take democracy into their own hands", he added. "If they do not, in 10 years time we will see another disaster. It's almost as though we are in a fascist country where information is hidden from the public. This is time for Japan to wake up and see what the situation is."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/warnings-of-nuclear-disaster-not-heeded-claims-former-governor-2273764.html">link

[JohnyCanuck]

6. Warnings not heeded...

Well who are you going to listen to? A bunch of chicken-little, luddite, environmentalist rabble-rousers who are in favor of us all going back to live in caves, or the scientifically minded, rigorously trained experts in technology and nuclear physics in charge of nuclear power programs who have all the answers? (Except the one on how to make nuclear generated electricity too cheap to meter. That one they are still working on.)