InfoAnda - Japan's atomic disaster due to collusion : panel report |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Malawi government backs Madonna adoption attempt | Entertainment | | 2 April 2009
Myanmar elephant camp empty as tourists stay away | 8 March 2009
Korea Hot Stocks | 15 June 2009

Sarkozy vows revenge after Al-Qaeda kills French hostage | 27 July 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Japan's atomic disaster due to collusion : panel report |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Campaign Polling Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Anatole Kaletsky Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Frederick Kempe Christopher Papagianis Mark Leonard Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (1) Full Focus Editor's choice A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. See more Images of June Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Mormons quit church in mass resignation ceremony 30 Jun 2012 In California, immigration bill designed as the "anti-Arizona" 04 Jul 2012 Hopeful signs emerge for struggling U.S. jobs market 11:51am EDT Trio of top central banks leap into action in sign of alarm 11:11am EDT Dow, S&P fall despite global central bank action 12:29pm EDT Discussed 174 In California, immigration bill designed as the ”anti-Arizona” 113 Insight: ”Green Fleet” sails, meets stiff headwinds in Congress 97 Scientists to unveil milestone in Higgs boson hunt Watched Super Junior releases new music Tue, Jul 3 2012 Syrian rebels appear to shoot at helicopter Wed, Jul 4 2012 Raf Simons' floral Dior debut Tue, Jul 3 2012 Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Bangladesh floods Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced as floods spread across Bangladesh. Slideshow Hot dog warriors A look at the stars of competitive eating as they square off in Nathan's Famous hot dog competition. Slideshow Japan's atomic disaster due to "collusion" : panel report Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Japan's atomic disaster caused by "collusion": panel report 3:50am EDT Reactor restarts, but Japan's energy policy in flux Wed, Jul 4 2012 Revolt in Japan ruling party, but government keeps majority Mon, Jul 2 2012 Japan restarts first reactor since Fukushima crisis Sun, Jul 1 2012 Japanese protesters fill streets as nuclear re-start looms Fri, Jun 29 2012 Analysis & Opinion The next crisis â€“ and the decline of ‘safe assets’ How to make New York’s cyclists safer Related Topics World » Japan » Nuclear Power » Members of the media and Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) employees, wearing protective suits and masks, walk in front of the No. 4 reactor building at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima prefecture May 26, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool By Risa Maeda and Linda Sieg TOKYO | Thu Jul 5, 2012 12:22pm EDT TOKYO (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 criticized 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. The report - issued hours after a reactor began supplying electricity to the grid for the first time in two months - put an official imprimatur on criticism of the cozy ties that have bound a powerful nexus of interests known as the "nuclear village". Regulators, it said, had been reluctant to adopt global safety standards that could have helped prevent the disaster in which reactors melted down, spewing radiation and forcing about 150,000 people from their homes, many of whom will never return. "Across the board, the Commission found ignorance and arrogance unforgivable for anyone or any organization that deals with nuclear power. We found a disregard for global trends and a disregard for public safety," the panel said. The panel's finding that seismic damage may well have played a role could affect the restart of reactors that were taken offline, mostly for maintenance and safety checks, in the months since Fukushima. Japan is one of the world's most quake-prone countries. "We have proved that it cannot be said that there would have been no crisis without the tsunami," Katsuhiko Ishibashi, a seismologist and panel member, said in the report. The panel urged strict checks on all reactors against guidelines set in 2006, and said Japan's 21 oldest reactors, whose construction was approved before guidelines were set in 1981, may be at similar risk from a big quake as Fukushima Daiichi. Experts have said that an active fault may lie under Kansai Electric Power Co's Ohi plant in western Japan, whose No. 3 unit began supplying electricity to the grid early on Thursday. Ohi's No. 4 unit will come on line later this month after the government approved the restarts to avoid a power shortage. "This means that all of Japan's reactors are vulnerable and require retro-fitting, calling into question the hasty decision of the (Prime Minister Yoshihiko) Noda cabinet to restart reactors before getting the lessons of Fukushima," said Jeffrey Kingston, Asia studies director at Temple University in Tokyo. The report by the experts - one of three panels looking into the Fukushima disaster - follows a six-month investigation involving more than 900 hours of hearings and interviews with more than 1,100 people, the first such inquiry of its kind. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES Many of the shocking details of the disaster, including operator Tokyo Electric Power Co's (Tepco) failure to prepare for a big tsunami and the chaotic response by the utility and government, have already been made public. In an effort to repair tattered public trust in the regulatory regime, the government will in a few months set up a more independent nuclear watchdog that will then draft new safety rules. The report pointed to numerous missed opportunities to take steps to prevent the disaster, citing lobbying by the nuclear power companies as well as a "safety myth" mindset that permeated the industry and the regulatory regime as among the reasons for the failure to be prepared. Resource-poor Japan has for decades promoted nuclear power as safe, cheap and clean. Atomic energy supplied nearly 30 percent of electricity needs before the disaster. "As a result of inadequate oversight, the SA (Severe Accident) countermeasures implemented in Japan were practically ineffective compared to the countermeasures in place abroad, and actions were significantly delayed as a result," it said. Tepco came under heavy criticism in the report, partly for putting cost-cutting steps ahead of safety as nuclear power became less profitable over the years. "While giving lip service to a policy of 'safety first', in actuality, safety suffered at the expense of other management priorities," the team said. In a report on its internal investigation issued last month, Tepco denied responsibility, saying the big "unforeseen" tsunami was to blame - though it admitted that in hindsight it was insufficiently prepared. Tepco, struggling under huge costs for compensation, cleanup and decommissioning, was effectively nationalized last month with a 1 trillion yen ($12.53 billion) injection of public funds. The panel also said it had found no evidence to back up Kan's allegation that Tepco had planned to abandon the tsunami-ravaged plant as the crisis risked spinning out of control. But fans of Kan, a former civic activist who angered the powerful nuclear industry when he became a harsh critic of atomic power after the disaster, questioned that finding. "I think the crisis would have been far worse if Kan hadn't intervened," Temple University's Kingston said. (Editing by Robert Birsel) World Japan Nuclear Power Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (1) Lashrito wrote: Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Thursday, 5 July 2012
Mexico recounts votes from over half of polling booths |
Fate of detainees is early test for Egyptian leader |
Provincial cash crunch triggers strike in Argentina |
Sudan opposition calls for strikes, protests |
Advancing radical Islamists lay waste to religious heritage |
Insight: Local wars blur al Qaeda's threat to West |
Greece presses case to change bailout terms |
U.S. crop worry to fuel world food prices in July: U.N. |
South Korean dictator's daughter to launch presidential bid |
Japan regains nuclear power as first reactor resumes operations |
Mexico recounts votes from over half of polling booths |
Kuwait picks outgoing PM to form new Cabinet |
Syria pummels rebels as battered city collects bodies |
U.S. judge rejects Samsung request to lift stay on Nexus sales |
Lana Del Rey in National Anthem tribute on 4th of July |
Actor Matthew McConaughey and wife expecting third child |
Claire Danes pregnant with first child |
Rap singer Frank Ocean says his first love was a man |
Japan's atomic disaster due to collusion : panel report |
Egypt army salutes Mursi, both strive for control |
Europe's A400M troop plane hits new engine glitch |
Training flaws exposed in Rio-Paris crash report |
Honduran moonshine kills 10 people |
Clinton to visit Egypt, Israel after Asia swing |
UAE offers to free American hunger striker on bail |
Nervous Libyans ready for first taste of democracy |
Superjet crash to overshadow Russia's Farnborough |
Judge who shelved Apple trial says patent system out of sync |
Ramtron rejects Cypress' raised offer |
Yelp rises on reports of integration with Apple maps |
Apple's Jobs tapped France 3615 for pre-internet ideas |
Netflix shares rise after usage spikes in June |
Fashion, fast cars: show eyes Bond film style legacy |
Brazil a booming market for Mixed Martial Arts |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01