Japan engineers knew nuke plant vulnerable to tsunami

[James48]

Source: Reuters

TOKYO — Over the past two weeks, Japanese government officials and Tokyo Electric Power executives have repeatedly described the deadly combination of the most powerful quake in Japan's history and the massive tsunami that followed as "soteigai," or beyond expectations.

When Tokyo Electric President Masataka Shimizu apologized to the people of Japan for the continuing crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant he called the double disaster "marvels of nature that we have never experienced before". But a review of company and regulatory records shows that Japan and its largest utility repeatedly downplayed dangers and ignored warnings — including a 2007 tsunami study from Tokyo Electric Power Co's senior safety engineer.

"We still have the possibilities that the tsunami height exceeds the determined design height due to the uncertainties regarding the tsunami phenomenon," Tokyo Electric researchers said in a report reviewed by Reuters.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42325085/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

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Sheesh. How many OTHER reactors around the world are within, say, 100 feet of sea level?

One ought to ask....

[abqmufc]

1. Ed Abbey's view on nuclear power, in a photo...

[Massacure]

3. Isn't that a coal conveyor in front of the plant in that photo?

[JohnyCanuck]

6. Thats no conveyor chute...

That's the take-off ramp for the emergency, escape, rocket plane (piloted by Mr. Smithers) in which Mr. Burns plans to evacuate the plant in event of an unexpected meltdown. Homer, Lenny and Karl will just have to make a run for it as best they can.

[Journeyman]

2. When the backup generators are in the basement, the tsunami doesn't have to be too high. . .

Freakin' morons in the nuclear garbage industry. If ever there was a waste of university resources, it was in educating these fools.

Time we demand all reactor executives & engineers move their families on-site. Let their kith and kin be the "canary," they believe its so safe and benign. Let 'em prove the value of their knowledge with their blood on the line.

[w4rma]

4. After listening to the wide eyed and ignorant defence of "safe" nuclear power by it's proponents

I absolutely believe that they ignored warnings after warnings. These people do not take criticism well.

[RC]

7. After listening to the wide eyed and ignorant irrationality of "unsafe" nuclear power by

it's antagonists?

The problem isn't so much the nuclear power itself, but the double whammy of an earthquake and tsunami. You know the events that caused the problem in the first place? The same events that actuality killed all those people?

[marions ghost]

5. criminal negligence

and we have just as much of that going on in the nuclear business here in America. We protect people from unstable ladders more than we protect them from nuclear disaster and release of radiation. The industry insiders depend on the fact that the subject is too complex for most people.

[JDPriestly]

8. And here in the US, we know a couple of our nuclear reactors are

vulnerable to tsunamis. Time to shut them down.