Once again Wikileaks shows the value of transparency, and the cost of hiding information from the general public. In this case it comes too late for Japan:
A US embassy cable obtained by the WikiLeaks website and seen by The Daily Telegraph quoted an unnamed expert who expressed concern that guidance on how to protect nuclear power stations from earthquakes had only been updated three times in the past 35 years.
The document states: "He [the IAEA official] explained that safety guides for seismic safety have only been revised three times in the last 35 years and that the IAEA is now re-examining them.
"Also, the presenter noted recent earthquakes in some cases have exceeded the design basis for some nuclear plants, and that this is a serious problem that is now driving seismic safety work."
The cables also disclose how the Japanese government opposed a court order to shut down another nuclear power plant in western Japan because of concerns it could not withstand powerful earthquakes....
The warnings cited in the cable came during a meeting of the G8's Nuclear Safety and Security Group in Tokyo in 2008.
more...
Another cable reported to Washington that the nuclear power stations in Japan that recycled nuclear fuel were not safe, and that the government was covering up the dangers and obscuring true costs that would make alternative forms of energy generation more economically competitive:
The cables also disclose how Taro Kono, a high-profile member of Japan's lower house, told US diplomats in October 2008 that the government was "covering up" nuclear accidents.
He alleged that the government was ignoring alternative forms of energy, such as wind power.
The cable states: "He also accused METI [the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry] of covering up nuclear accidents, and obscuring the true costs and problems associated with the nuclear industry." He added that the Japan's "extensive seismic" activity raised safety concerns about storing nuclear material.
Hopefully, other governments around the world will learn from the lessons of Fukushima and pursue both transparency and alternative energy before it's too late. (/snark)