The Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP: The World Ponders

{
  "authors": [
    "Mark Hibbs"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "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

The Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP: The World Ponders

A lack of preparation, defenses and confusion about who held responsibility contributed to the seriousness of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

By Mark Hibbs

Published on Mar 23, 2012

Source: NHK

Speaking to NHK's "Project Wisdom," Carnegie's Mark Hibbs discussed a number of questions sparked by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, official reactions to that accident, and the challenges of decommissining the plant.

Hibbs pointed out that on March 11, 2011, there was no defense against the tsunami, which destroyed the seawater pumps, leaving no cooling capacity for the Fukushima Daiichi reactors or the emergency power supplies which started up after the earthquake. In the end, said Hibbs, "there was no cooling capacity in the reactors."

"The bottom line is that TEPCO was basically unprepared for this accident," added Hibbs. "There was unnecessary debate in Japan and elsewhere about whether the event was level five or level seven, but the event scale was designed as a public relations tool to show the world that most of these events are level zero; anything above level two means that a nuclear reactor is in big trouble."

Furthermore, said Hibbs, there was no understanding between the government and TEPCO about who was actually responsible for managing the accident. "In Japan there was a micromanagement of the events on the ground from Tokyo and it led to a lot of wasted time," he argued.

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 Endowment for International Peace

Paper
Escalation Dynamics Under the Nuclear Shadow—India’s Approach
An exploration into how India and Pakistan have perceived each other’s manipulations, or lack thereof, of their nuclear arsenals.
Rakesh Sood
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
For Putin, Increasing Russia’s Nuclear Threat Matters More Than the Triad’s Modernization
For Putin, upgrading Russia’s nuclear forces was a secondary goal. The main aim was to gain an advantage over the West, including by strengthening the nuclear threat on all fronts. That made growth in missile arsenals and a new arms race inevitable.
Maxim Starchak
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Japan’s “Militarist Turn” and What It Means for Russia
For a real example of political forces engaged in the militarization of society, the Russian leadership might consider looking closer to home.
James D.J. Brown
Paper
A Quarter Century of Nuclear South Asia: Nuclear Noise, Signalling, and the Risk of Escalation in India-Pakistan Crises
A close study of five crises makes clear that Cold War logic doesn’t apply to the South Asia nuclear powers.
Moeed Yusuf, Rizwan Zeb
Research
A New Era of Nuclear-Powered Submarines Is Making Waves in Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones
As states without nuclear weapons develop nuclear-powered submarines, can NWFZ regimes adapt to manage new technical, legal, procedural, and normative challenges?
Jamie Kwong, ed., Toby Dalton, ed., Celia McDowall, ed.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Paper

Escalation Dynamics Under the Nuclear Shadow—India’s Approach

An exploration into how India and Pakistan have perceived each other’s manipulations, or lack thereof, of their nuclear arsenals.

Rakesh Sood

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

For Putin, Increasing Russia’s Nuclear Threat Matters More Than the Triad’s Modernization

For Putin, upgrading Russia’s nuclear forces was a secondary goal. The main aim was to gain an advantage over the West, including by strengthening the nuclear threat on all fronts. That made growth in missile arsenals and a new arms race inevitable.

Maxim Starchak

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Japan’s “Militarist Turn” and What It Means for Russia

For a real example of political forces engaged in the militarization of society, the Russian leadership might consider looking closer to home.

James D.J. Brown

Paper

A Quarter Century of Nuclear South Asia: Nuclear Noise, Signalling, and the Risk of Escalation in India-Pakistan Crises

A close study of five crises makes clear that Cold War logic doesn’t apply to the South Asia nuclear powers.

Moeed Yusuf, Rizwan Zeb

Research

A New Era of Nuclear-Powered Submarines Is Making Waves in Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones

As states without nuclear weapons develop nuclear-powered submarines, can NWFZ regimes adapt to manage new technical, legal, procedural, and normative challenges?

Jamie Kwong, ed., Toby Dalton, ed., Celia McDowall, ed.