Fukushima Update

{
  "authors": [
    "James M. Acton"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "NPP",
  "programs": [
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "East Asia",
    "Japan"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Nuclear Policy",
    "Nuclear Energy"
  ]
}

In The Media

Fukushima Update

Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is likely stable unless there is another large earthquake or tsunami.

By James M. Acton

Published on Feb 28, 2012

Source: BBC World News America

Appearing on BBC World News America, Carnegie’s James Acton said that Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is stable unless there is another large earthquake or tsunami. A new report on the March 11, 2011 nuclear accident shows that the Japanese government withheld vital information at the time, but the impact of that report remains to be seen, Acton said. He reiterated that the key risk now for the plant is another freak earthquake or tsunami.

About the Author

James M. Acton

Jessica T. Mathews Chair, Co-director, Nuclear Policy Program

Acton holds the Jessica T. Mathews Chair and is co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Recent Work

Paper
Nuclear Weapons and the Future of American Power
- James M. Acton, Ankit Panda
Commentary
The Latest Iran Deal Ignores the Lessons of the Past
- James M. Acton

Nuclear Policy Nuclear Energy East Asia Japan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

Commentary
Caught in the Middle: Chinese Biotech Firms’ Divergent Responses to U.S. Sanctions
Chinese biotech companies have been on the receiving end of U.S. economic coercion. Yet their responses have differed significantly because firm and state interests are not uniformly aligned. For Washington, treating all Chinese tech firms the same, irrespective of their actual interests, risks pushing them farther into Beijing’s corner.
Xue Gong
Commentary
China’s Energy Security Doesn’t Run Through Hormuz but Through the Electrification of Everything
Across Asia, China is better positioned to withstand energy shocks from the fallout of the Iran war. Its abundant coal capacity can ensure stability in the near term. Yet at the same time, the country’s energy transition away from coal will make it even less vulnerable during the next shock.

Damien Ma
Commentary
How to Predict China’s Economic Performance for 2025: A Sectoral Approach
GDP growth means something fundamentally different in China than in most countries.
Michael Pettis
Article
How Southeast Asia Sees Xi Jinping’s Regional Push Amid U.S.-China Tensions
The Trump administration’s effort to reshape the global trading system and reset overseas security commitments is creating an historic inflection point. Less clear is how far China will be able to capitalize on these dynamics.
+1
Li Mingjiang, Le Hong Hiep, Ngeow Chow Bing, …
Article
Northeast Asia Is for Deterrence and Southeast Asia Is (Mostly) for Freeriding: Appreciating Divergent East Asian Approaches to Order, Uncertainty, and Contestation
Most Southeast Asian states behave as if the actions of their Northeast Asian neighbors and the Philippines will be sufficient to maintain a regional status quo from which they can benefit.
Chong Ja Ian

More Work from Carnegie China

Robot arm with disposable test tube virus sampling in laboratory

Commentary

Caught in the Middle: Chinese Biotech Firms’ Divergent Responses to U.S. Sanctions

Chinese biotech companies have been on the receiving end of U.S. economic coercion. Yet their responses have differed significantly because firm and state interests are not uniformly aligned. For Washington, treating all Chinese tech firms the same, irrespective of their actual interests, risks pushing them farther into Beijing’s corner.

Xue Gong

Commentary

China’s Energy Security Doesn’t Run Through Hormuz but Through the Electrification of Everything

Across Asia, China is better positioned to withstand energy shocks from the fallout of the Iran war. Its abundant coal capacity can ensure stability in the near term. Yet at the same time, the country’s energy transition away from coal will make it even less vulnerable during the next shock.

Damien Ma

An aerial view shows containers stacked at a port in Taicang, in eastern China's Jiangsu province on May 18, 2025.

Commentary

How to Predict China’s Economic Performance for 2025: A Sectoral Approach

GDP growth means something fundamentally different in China than in most countries.

Michael Pettis

People wave Chinese flags as the plane carrying Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for a two-day state visit at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on April 14, 2025

Article

How Southeast Asia Sees Xi Jinping’s Regional Push Amid U.S.-China Tensions

The Trump administration’s effort to reshape the global trading system and reset overseas security commitments is creating an historic inflection point. Less clear is how far China will be able to capitalize on these dynamics.

- +1
Li Mingjiang, Le Hong Hiep, Ngeow Chow Bing, …

Article

Northeast Asia Is for Deterrence and Southeast Asia Is (Mostly) for Freeriding: Appreciating Divergent East Asian Approaches to Order, Uncertainty, and Contestation

Most Southeast Asian states behave as if the actions of their Northeast Asian neighbors and the Philippines will be sufficient to maintain a regional status quo from which they can benefit.

Chong Ja Ian