Government inspectors fled Fukushima Daiichi early in the crisis, according to a recently publicized government interview, more of which may come to light as Tokyo Electric Power Co. shareholders demand further disclosure.
Developments in Japan this week related to the TEPCO nuclear plant severely damaged in 2011 include:
NISA Employees Retreated
Quoting a transcript it obtained of an interview with former plant manager Masao Yoshida, the Asahi Shimbun reported this week that regulatory officials were among the first to evacuate the plant. All officials from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency retreated to a makeshift headquarters five kilometers away and moved their operations to Fukushima City four days later, according to the newspaper's account. Without regulatory personnel on site, the Japanese government relied entirely on information provided by TEPCO during the early days of the crisis. Frustrated with that communication, the Japanese prime minister went directly to TEPCO's head office in Tokyo and later set up a joint emergency center with the company in the capital. Revamped rules under the new Nuclear Regulation Authority now dictate that inspectors must remain on site during an emergency.
More Interviews to be Disclosed
The government on Thursday agreed to release more transcripts from the 772 interviews conducted as part of its investigation into the accidents, the Japan Times reported. It will only release them, though, with the permission of the interviewees, and the documents may still be redacted under Japanese law. The Asahi also reported that shareholders pursuing a lawsuit against TEPCO threatened to take legal steps to compel the release of the transcripts. Previously the government refused such requests, saying that investigators had promised those interviewed that their testimony would not be made public.