President Kneels To Apologize

Kneeling to apologize to Fukushima victims hardly seems to be enough.
By: Lynthomas
 
May 12, 2011 - PRLog -- When some of the staff and president of Tokyo Electric Power Co visited Fukushima nuclear evacuated residents, he made a kneeling apology.

Namie’s town Mayor Tamotsu Baba soundly criticized TEPCO, telling Shimizu the utility "did not promptly tell us about the nuclear accident after it happened," among other things.

When he visited the Adatara Gymnasium, where approximately 100 nuclear crisis refugees from Namie are now living, Shimizu was again bombarded with demands and criticism, "Get us back to our normal lives quickly," and "You told us nuclear power was safe. Was that a lie?"

Shimizu also visited the Adatara Gymnasium, where around 100 nuclear crisis refugees from Namie are now living. He was again showered with criticism and demands, including, "Get us back to our normal lives quickly," and "You told us nuclear power was safe. Was that a lie?"

Shimizu quickly told those around him, "From my heart I apologize to you for betraying your trust."

However, Shimizu did not say anything concerning the cover up when the walls were found to have warped during the strengthening process of the $250 million steel pressure vessel in 1975. A computer model was used to create a method to reshape the vessel so that no one would detect it had been damaged. The vessel holds the fuel rods in the core of the No 4 reactor.

The law clearly states the damaged vessel should have been replaced but this would have bankrupted the company. Rather than sacrificing years of work the company chose to cover the incident up.

Shimizu remained silent about the extra fuel rods stored at the plant, way beyond the amount of uranium that was originally designed to be held at Fukushima, instead of spending money on safer storage options.

Shimizu did not say that for a decade there had been repeatedly missed mandatory safety checks, or that the back-up generators, which would have prevented the partial meltdown, had been improperly protected in the basement.

The President never spoke about the fact that the company could have used sea water earlier, but instead clung to the false hope of saving the reactors. Nor did he talk about the radioactive sea water in the nearby ocean.

Last of all Shimizu did not mention compensation for the victims who have been driven from their homes. Many still living in temporary shelters, with little hope of being allowed to return home until somewhere in 2012, if ever.

About "President Kneels To Apologize", visit website http://www.tropicpost.com/kneeling-apology/

About the author,
Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO's and founders of YouMe Support Foundation, providing high school education grants for children who are without hope. You can help in this really great project by taking a few minutes to check out the Sponsor a Student program at (http://youmesupport.org). It will change the life of some really needy kids in the South Pacific.
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