13 Feb (NucNet): There was “much confusion, distrust and doubt” following the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan because the government and regulator failed to communicate problems at the plant in a clear and concise way, a conference heard today.
Takuya Hattori, president of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) told the PME 2012 communications conference in Warsaw, Poland, that information about the March 2011 accident was often “late, insufficient and unclear”.
He said much of the information was too technical, fragmentary and difficult to understand. “Tepco released two short statements on March 11, but it was not clear what the statements meant,” Mr Hattori said.
He added that the first government briefing was two days after the accident on March 13 and there was no information in English from the chief cabinet secretary until the end of March.
Recent opinion polls have shown that about 70 percent of the Japanese public are against nuclear energy, Mr Hattori said.
Japan is planning to release a new energy strategy in the summer which is likely to call for q reduction in the amount of nuclear generation.
But Mr Hattori said he expects the general global trend to be towards a key role for nuclear energy, with countries such as China, India, Russia and South Korea going ahead with plans for new build.
