Japanese Find: “Existing regulations biased toward promotion of nuclear energy, and not to protecting public safety, health and welfare.”

NJ Gov. Christie’s Lax Regulatory Policy Mimics Japanese Failure

The Japanese Government just issued a scathing Report on the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

My guess is that any US media coverage will suggest that these problems are cultural and limited to Japan, where an unhealthy respect for authority is a cultural reality.

That “it can’t happen here where we have independent and vigorous regulatory oversight” view contrasts with how the NY Times investigative stories covered the nuclear industry in Japan.

In critical stories written shortly after the disaster, The Times exposed scandalous industry corruption, bribery, propaganda, myths, and improper industry influence that they would never write about in the US:

Over several decades, Japan’s nuclear establishment has devoted vast resources to persuade the Japanese public of the safety and necessity of nuclear power. Plant operators built lavish, fantasy-filled public relations buildings that became tourist attractions. Bureaucrats spun elaborate advertising campaigns through a multitude of organizations established solely to advertise the safety of nuclear plants. Politicians pushed through the adoption of government-mandated school textbooks with friendly views of nuclear ...

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WolfeNotes will focus on important stories that are being ignored or misrepresented by the media. I’ll do traditional muckraking to hold the bad guys accountable; expose the lies and self serving spin of government officials and politicians; and explore how the failures of government, media, AND well meaning environmental organizations contribute to the problems we face.