Japan’s Prime Minister Criticizes Tepco’s Tsunami Defenses
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Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that a damaged nuclear plant’s tsunami defenses were inadequate, while reassuring the public that radiation leaks pose no health threat beyond an evacuation zone.
Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s sea wall, designed to withstand a 5.5-meter (18-foot) wave, was breached by a surge estimated by the government to be almost three times higher following a magnitude-9 earthquake on March 11. Back-up diesel generators for cooling systems, which might have prevented the nuclear disaster, were positioned in a basement swamped by the wave.