Japan Panel Report: Fukushima nuclear disaster declared 'man-made'

A Japanese parliamentary panel set up to investigate the Fukushima incident has published its report, declaring the Fukushima nuclear havoc a "man-made disaster" and criticizing the government’s flaws and the response of plant operator Tepco, which failed to respond effectively despite its claim that it would stable the reactors by December 2011.

According to a news report by the BBC, the panel's report says, "Although triggered by these cataclysmic events, the subsequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant cannot be regarded as a natural disaster," adding that the disaster "could and should have been foreseen and prevented" and its effects "mitigated by a more effective human response."

The panel's report declares the disaster a product of conflict between government, regulators and Tepco marked by complete negligence of government agencies.

The report specifies, "Japan's regulators need to shed the insular attitude of ignoring international safety standards and transform themselves into a globally trusted entity."

It also highlights communication failures between Tepco and the office of then Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose visit to the site in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake "diverted" staff.

The investigation was conducted by members of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, which took 900 hours to investigate 1000 people.

Japan’s six-reactor Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was mostly damaged after last year’s earthquake and following tsunami. The catastrophe knocked out the plants and cooling systems to the reactors, leading to meltdowns and the release of radioactivity.

Soon after the massive earthquake and tsunami, all nuclear plants were shut down in Japan. The Japanese people even demanded the permanent ban on the working of these nuclear plants. However, recently the first reactor was restarted in the town of Ohi in Fukui prefecture. The resumption of the nuclear plant resulted in a lot of arguments and protests throughout the country, but the Japanese government did not pay any heed to the objections. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda explained that the return to nuclear power was essential for the economy.