Fukushima deemed manmade disaster by Japanese panel

BBC : The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was “profoundly manmade” and “could and should have been foreseen and prevented,” according to a Japanese parliamentary panel. Following an investigation that lasted six months and included 900 hours of hearings and interviews with more than 1000 people, the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission issued its report, which cites serious deficiencies in both the government’s and plant operator Tepco’s responses in the wake of the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. For example, the commission believes that Tepco was “too quick to cite the tsunami as the cause of the nuclear accident” and ignored the damage done by the earthquake, according to the report. Although all of Japan’s nuclear plants were subsequently shut down, the government has been assessing whether any are safe to restart. Its decision Sunday to reopen the reactor in the town of Ohi in Fukui prefecture sparked protests.