Paper
James M. Acton, Ankit Panda
{
"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"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
Are Japan's Efforts in Vain?
Japan has evacuated its citizens from the area within nineteen miles of the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactors, but there are concerns that the country might not be able to feed or shelter more evacuees if the region in danger grows.
Published on Mar 17, 2011
Source: CBS
While the Japanese government has called for its citizens to evacuate the area within twelve miles of the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactors, the United States is evacuating U.S. citizens if they are within 50 miles of the plants. Carnegie’s James Acton explained to Erica Hill of CBS’ Early Show that there is a good reason for this discrepancy. Japan has already evacuated more than half a million people. If they were to extend the evacuation, they risk being unable to feed or shelter evacuees, who would then be in graver danger than if they remained at home. Acton added that houses actually provide better radiation protection than would ordinarily be assumed.
Turning to the damaged reactors themselves, Acton said that conflicting perspectives and widespread uncertainty surround the spent fuel pools. A Department of Energy report and a study from the National Academy of the Sciences offer contradictory opinions on whether exposed spent fuel rods could catch fire – a matter of great concern at Fukushima, as water is depleted in multiple spent fuel pools.
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.
- Nuclear Weapons and the Future of American Power
- The Latest Iran Deal Ignores the Lessons of the PastCommentary
James M. Acton
Recent Work
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 Endowment for International Peace
- What We Know About the U.S.-Saudi Nuclear DealCommentary
Despite the agreement’s uncertainty, it’s still a significant development in regional and nuclear policy.
Andrew Leber, Jane Darby Menton
- Demystifying the Nuclear ThresholdPaper
The nuclear weapons threshold is increasingly important for proliferation strategy and policy. Policymakers should better understand the implications of the threshold phenomenon in the current international security environment and plausible strategies to deal with the growing challenge that it presents.
Ariel (Eli) Levite, Toby Dalton
- Nuclear Weapons and the Future of American PowerPaper
It seems likely that, no matter what, the power of the U.S. nuclear arsenal will face erosion, not least in the credibility of its commitments to defend allies and the political durability of those alliances.
James M. Acton, Ankit Panda
- President Lee Jae Myung: A Year in PowerCommentary
President Lee marked his first year in office after one of the most tumultuous periods in South Korean politics. Though Lee has enjoyed a high approval rating, a large majority in the National Assembly, and foreign policy victories, Lee and his party’s political fortunes depend on generating economic growth, learning the right lessons from the recent local elections, and managing contentious factional strife within his political base.
Chung Min Lee
- The Latest Iran Deal Ignores the Lessons of the PastCommentary
By burying disagreements in imprecision, the new deal risks same fate as its predecessors.
James M. Acton
