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"They effectively betrayed the nation's right to be safe from nuclear accidents," the panel's report said. "Therefore, we conclude that the accident was clearly 'man-made'."
The panel, called the Diet's Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, rejected claims by the plant's owner that the earthquake and tsunami 'could not have been foreseen' by saying: "Despite having a number of opportunities to take measures, regulatory agencies and TEPCO management deliberately postponed decisions, did not take action or took decisions that were convenient for themselves."
The report did not target individuals for blame, but rather the institutions that govern nuclear safety as a whole. "We believe that the root causes were the organisational and regulatory systems that supported faulty rationales for decisions and actions, rather than issues relating to the competency of any specific individual," said the report.
"They effectively betrayed the nation's right to be safe from nuclear accidents."
"Governments, regulatory authorities and Tokyo Electric Power [TEPCO] lacked a sense of responsibility to protect people's lives and society," it said.
In one damning section reviewed by Al-Jazeera, the report highlights that if TEPCO had their way, its staff would have been evacuated from the crippled plant and the catastrophe could have spiraled even further out of control.
According to the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, the report makes seven proposals for improvement: "Have the Diet monitor regulatory authorities; review the government's crisis management system; enhance government measures for residents who suffered damages from the disasters; improve monitoring of electric power companies; detail the requirements of the new nuclear regulatory organization; review laws that regulate nuclear power; and make use of independent investigation committees."
The report was submitted to the heads of both chambers of the Diet on July 5. It can be read in Japanese on the NAIIC's website (https://www.naiic.jp/).
"We plan to make an English version of the final report to show it to the world," said head of the commission, Kiyoshi Kurokawa.
# # #
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

"They effectively betrayed the nation's right to be safe from nuclear accidents," the panel's report said. "Therefore, we conclude that the accident was clearly 'man-made'."
The panel, called the Diet's Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, rejected claims by the plant's owner that the earthquake and tsunami 'could not have been foreseen' by saying: "Despite having a number of opportunities to take measures, regulatory agencies and TEPCO management deliberately postponed decisions, did not take action or took decisions that were convenient for themselves."
The report did not target individuals for blame, but rather the institutions that govern nuclear safety as a whole. "We believe that the root causes were the organisational and regulatory systems that supported faulty rationales for decisions and actions, rather than issues relating to the competency of any specific individual," said the report.
"They effectively betrayed the nation's right to be safe from nuclear accidents."
"Governments, regulatory authorities and Tokyo Electric Power [TEPCO] lacked a sense of responsibility to protect people's lives and society," it said.
In one damning section reviewed by Al-Jazeera, the report highlights that if TEPCO had their way, its staff would have been evacuated from the crippled plant and the catastrophe could have spiraled even further out of control.
According to the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, the report makes seven proposals for improvement: "Have the Diet monitor regulatory authorities; review the government's crisis management system; enhance government measures for residents who suffered damages from the disasters; improve monitoring of electric power companies; detail the requirements of the new nuclear regulatory organization; review laws that regulate nuclear power; and make use of independent investigation committees."
The report was submitted to the heads of both chambers of the Diet on July 5. It can be read in Japanese on the NAIIC's website (https://www.naiic.jp/).
"We plan to make an English version of the final report to show it to the world," said head of the commission, Kiyoshi Kurokawa.
# # #

"They effectively betrayed the nation's right to be safe from nuclear accidents," the panel's report said. "Therefore, we conclude that the accident was clearly 'man-made'."
The panel, called the Diet's Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, rejected claims by the plant's owner that the earthquake and tsunami 'could not have been foreseen' by saying: "Despite having a number of opportunities to take measures, regulatory agencies and TEPCO management deliberately postponed decisions, did not take action or took decisions that were convenient for themselves."
The report did not target individuals for blame, but rather the institutions that govern nuclear safety as a whole. "We believe that the root causes were the organisational and regulatory systems that supported faulty rationales for decisions and actions, rather than issues relating to the competency of any specific individual," said the report.
"They effectively betrayed the nation's right to be safe from nuclear accidents."
"Governments, regulatory authorities and Tokyo Electric Power [TEPCO] lacked a sense of responsibility to protect people's lives and society," it said.
In one damning section reviewed by Al-Jazeera, the report highlights that if TEPCO had their way, its staff would have been evacuated from the crippled plant and the catastrophe could have spiraled even further out of control.
According to the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, the report makes seven proposals for improvement: "Have the Diet monitor regulatory authorities; review the government's crisis management system; enhance government measures for residents who suffered damages from the disasters; improve monitoring of electric power companies; detail the requirements of the new nuclear regulatory organization; review laws that regulate nuclear power; and make use of independent investigation committees."
The report was submitted to the heads of both chambers of the Diet on July 5. It can be read in Japanese on the NAIIC's website (https://www.naiic.jp/).
"We plan to make an English version of the final report to show it to the world," said head of the commission, Kiyoshi Kurokawa.
# # #