20/03 Foreign governments frustrated with Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun


With concern growing over radiation leaks at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, some foreign countries are increasingly frustrated with what they say is the Japanese government's handling of the crisis and the insufficient information it has provided.

Some countries have urged their citizens to leave areas farther from the plant than those recommended by Japan, an apparent overreaction that may be caused by distrust of the Japanese government's determination and ability to resolve the situation.

Cooperation from the international community, particularly the United States, is essential to handle the crisis. Japan therefore must gain foreign countries' trust by providing accurate information.

The U.S. government apparently has been frustrated by the lack of detailed facts about the damaged reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s nuclear power plant.

Japanese government sources said Friday the United States offered technical help through several channels, including the State and Defense departments. Washington could help, it reportedly said, based on its experience with the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident, if it was given accurate data.

However, the Japanese government has not behaved as the United States hoped.

"We've heard some U.S. officials have been frustrated with insufficient information," one source close to the Japanese government said.

One reason for this situation is the lack of reliable diplomatic channels to allow smooth communication between Japan and the United States under the Democratic Party of Japan-led government, which has damaged the alliance between the two countries.

When the No. 1 reactor at the nuclear plant experienced a hydrogen explosion last Saturday, the Japanese government failed to make it public for several hours. That raised doubt among foreign countries about Japan's handling of the incident, prompting them to take their own measures against possible radiation hazards.

The United States, for example, has advised its citizens to leave areas within 50 miles, or about 80 kilometers, of the Fukushima plant. The Japanese government has told people to evacuate from within a 20-kilometer radius and stay indoors between a 20-to-30-kilometer radius.

Skepticism over the Japanese government's capabilities may have led foreign countries to impose such expanded exclusion zones.

European countries, Australia and others appear to have followed the United States' lead in setting wider evacuation areas for their nationals.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has described the situation in Japan as unstable with no prospects of improving, and uncertainty has driven foreign governments to increase their efforts to evacuate their citizens from affected areas.

Britain has advised its people to stay outside a 80- kilometer radius from the nuclear plant as a precaution, although it has recommended them to primarily follow the advice of the Japanese government.

South Korea's Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, meanwhile, said Friday it had relocated two-thirds of the country's 107 rescue workers to Niigata Prefecture.

But Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Friday, "[The Japanese government] has decided what measures should be taken based on experts' analysis and available data."

On the same day, Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Japan's actions have been in line with IAEA standards. This seems to indicate some foreign governments have been overly cautious regarding the Japanese nuclear crisis.

Amano has set up a special IAEA team for the crisis and plans to have it measure radiation levels in eastern Japan in an apparent move to ease fears regarding radiation.

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Japan ill-prepared to accept aid

Besides providing insufficient information, Japan's inadequate preparations to receive relief aid have exacerbated frustration among foreign countries.

According to the Interfax news agency and other sources, the Russian government has had two Ilyushin 76 cargo aircraft on standby at airports in Khabarovsk and Blagovescensk since Wednesday. Moscow planned to use the aircraft to transport emergency aid supplies, such as medicines and blankets, for disaster victims as well as fuel and food for Russian rescue workers in the disaster-hit area, and evacuate its people from Japan on a return trip.

However, permission was not granted quickly by Japanese aviation authorities and local airports. Not until Friday morning (Friday evening Japan time) could one of the aircraft leave for Narita Airport. Two days were wasted when emergency aid was desperately needed.

Diplomatic sources cited overcrowded arrival and departure slots at the airports for the delay in authorizing the Russian aircraft to land at the airports. But Niigata Airport, at which Russia requested to have its aircraft land, allowed China's commercial chartered jets to use the airport for extra flights.

To most effectively utilize aid from the international community, the Japanese government needs to keep in close contact with donating countries and explain the situation to them accurately. It then must accept swiftly aid if necessary.

Concerned bodies--the Prime Minister's Office; the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry; TEPCO; the Self-Defense Forces; the Fire and Disaster Management Agency; and the National Police Agency--have been urged to exchange as much, and as transparent, information as possible.

Reports from Hajime Furukawa, a staff writer based in Tokyo, and Yomiuri correspondents Tetsuro Yamada in Washington, Takashi Sadahiro in Moscow, Tetsu Okazaki in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Junpei Monma in Seoul

(Mar. 20, 2011)