The Tepco fuzzy world
Notorious Masataka SHIMIZU ex-Tepco president
National Diet of Japan, my brief comments on Tepco and the 19 meetings of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC)【国会事故調】
After hearing ex-Tepco president Shimizu at the Diet investigation panel, Shimizu was in charge of the Fukushima Dai I nuclear power plant, I simply would say that he is an example of what Japan produced the worst as servile protector of his business, his bureaucratic career and his Japan nuclear village, Shimizu stated in front of the panel and the audience, that he did not remember much of what he did during the March 2011 days of international emergency! How awkward.
I have to say a few things about the Japanese press and the Fukushima Diet Naiic investigation panel and first impression is that actually this panel has a method and it is a first for such panel to investigate, and it is hard. The witnesses (Kan, Edano, Shimizu, Sato etc.) are not under oath as this was not decided by Parliament. They do not have this practice they say according to Dr. Kurokawa. The project is here to let Japanese and foreign public to draw their own conclusions on what happened during this Fukushima accident and since March 11. So the panel seems to exist as a tool that is set between, say, a Congress investigation and the South African reconciliation process, but it is still vague.
Maybe it fails of not having a possibility to bring the result of testimonies in front of the Justice. This would eventually happen as people have sued Tepco already. Indeed we are here in Japan in a democracy with strict separation of powers Executive Legislative and Justice in what I observed in the practice of these three powers.
The second thing I observed during these 19 meetings and hearings of the Diet Fukushima investigation is the great work or Mr. Nomura who was in charge of asking questions to witnesses (as a Prosecutor could do), Nomura-san is a quiet, remarkable in the method, the logic and the grilling of a person testifying, impressive.
Last comment is about the Japanese media. Japanese reporters ask very tough questions during press conferences opened to all journalists from all around the world, especially the Japanese free lance journalists (many have a regular basis collaboration with media actually) but the sad thing is that the Japanese big media (5 big TV and in particular the 5 big newspapers group: 朝、毎、読、日経、産経 ) do not publish all they reported and were told. Why?
Last but not least, as my fellow colleague from Reuters newswire (ex Bloomberg) Aaron Sheldrick writes: "... in a sign of the close ties that bind corporate Japan, Shimizu will later this month become an outside board member of Fuji Oil Co., which is owned by AOC Holdings Inc., a firm in which Tepco has an 8.7 percent stake." Is Japan rewarding those who ruin and bring shame on the nation? 日本は、国を破滅させ国家の恥を晒す人たちに報いるのですか？