Japanese Arrogance for Nuclear Power Plants
Mr. Kevin Maher wrote a book on Japan The Japan That Can't Decide, since he was an expert on Japan in the State Department of the United States.
Mr. Maher was about to leave the State Department due to some complicated trouble before the 3/11 Earthquake/Tusnami hit Japan on March 11, 2011. But as the disaster shook Japan so badly and the US, as the biggest ally to Japan, had to get prepared in case, Mr. Maher continued his function till the situation was settled down. So, he was in the vanguard of the US efforts to help and support Japan immediately after the occurrence of the great tsunamis and the subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.
Mr. Maher claimed that Japan was a little arrogant assuming that it had more advanced unclear power generation technology than the US, since Japan built more nuclear reactors in these decades than the US that stopped most of construction projects of nuclear power generation facilities after the Three Mile Island Accident that occurred in 1979. For this reason, probably, the Kan Cabinet would not try to ask help of the US in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi accident on March 11, 2011. Prime Minister Mr. Kan and his aids were said to have turned down an US offer of support and assistance.
But, on March 15, the situation changed. PM Mr. Kan and his aids started to be afraid of the accident as three of the four reactor units underwent hydrogen explosions and the rest got fire in the Fukushima Daiichi Plant. A small explosion of the No. 2 Reactor Unit in the morning of March 15 led to a large-scale discharge of radioactive material around the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which made Fukushima Daiichi as destructive as Chernobyl. The radioactive influence was measured even around Tokyo, though the doses in Tokyo were not at a dangerous level. Accordingly, PM Mr. Kan and his aids started to invite American experts to Tokyo and hold meetings and consultation with Americans the US Government dispatched almost everyday in the governmental office in Tokyo.
Though Mr. Maher's counterparts in Japan had been always politicians of the conservative and pro-American Liberal Democratic Party before 2009, the regime change that occurred through a general election in September of the year paved the way for administration by the liberal or socialistic Democratic Party of Japan. So, communications between the ruling DPJ of Japan and the US Government were not so smooth as symbolized by frictions over the Futenma Base, Okinawa Prefecture, used by the US Marines.
But, even in the era of the LDP administration, Mr. Maher found unbelievable attitudes in Japanese high-ranking officers. In one meeting with a Japanese elite-track officer, an American official who came from Washington pointed at poor security around Japanese nuclear power plants. As it was the era of the Bush Administration, the US official voiced concerns about a possible terror attack. Then the Japanese ranking officer said, "There is no need to post armed guards around a nuclear power plant in Japan, because no citizens are allowed by law to possess guns in Japan." So, the American high officer, in an undertone, asked Mr. Maher sitting with him whether he should laugh at this joke. Mr. Maher advised not to do so, since the Japanese was serious.
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Mar 2:23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
Mar 2:24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
Mar 2:25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?