INSIGHT: ‘Troika of irresponsibility’ behind Fukushima water crisis

Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s shortcomings, the Finance Ministry’s stubbornness and the industry ministry’s need for a scapegoat combined to create the radioactive water crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

And while the three key players refuse to be held accountable for Japan’s worst nuclear disaster, this “troika of irresponsibility” is still bickering over the cleanup process as contaminated water continues to leak into the plant ground and the ocean.

The risks of radioactive water leaks were known months after the plant was rocked by the Great East Japan Earthquake and swamped by the ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011.

Plans to contain the potential water problem were drawn up at the time. But TEPCO was unwilling to spend money on such measures, some of which were adopted two years later by the government.

The utility has, in fact, shown little sense that the Fukushima accident is its problem.

The Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, meanwhile, have been busy fighting over who should pay for cleaning up communities contaminated by radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
[link to ajw.asahi.com]
.