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Ultimate Insider: Prime Minister contemplated evacuating 30 million from Tokyo, didn’t because fear of mass panic and chaos — Said eastern Japan might collapse (AUDIO)

Published: September 28th, 2011 at 11:36 am ET
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SOURCE: Wikipedia

Japanese PM considered evacuation of Tokyo. ABC Australia, September 28, 2011:

Listen to the report here.

Transcript

MARK COLVIN: [...] Kenichi Matsumoto is the ultimate insider. As special advisor to Japan’s prime minister and cabinet he witnessed both the government’s and the plant operator’s responses to the worst nuclear accident in a quarter of a century. And when it comes to the meltdowns, Professor Matsumoto paints a picture of cover-ups, incompetence and communication breakdown. [...]

MARK WILLACY: He’s been described as the prime minister’s ‘brains trust’ but Kenichi Matsumoto isn’t a nuclear physicist or a scientific genius. The history professor and author was a special advisor to the Japanese cabinet when a tsunami slammed into the Fukushima nuclear plant. So he would become a witness to history and he’s given the ABC an ultimate insider’s account of what happened in the hours and days after March 11 [...]

Japan ‘scared’ of telling truth to Fukushima evacuees, ABC Australia, September 28, 2011:

[...] Matsumoto confirms the prime minister at the time – Naoto Kan – also contemplated evacuating tens of millions of people from in and around Tokyo. [...]

“There was no clue about the amount of radiation coming from the Fukushima plant or if it was spreading over 100 or 200 kilometres.

“If that was the case, Tokyo would be in danger. And prime minister Kan actually said that eastern Japan might not be able to keep functioning; that it might collapse.”

Professor Matsumoto says in the end, talk of tens of millions ["30 million people"] being evacuated was dismissed, with fears it would cause mass panic and chaos worse than the nuclear crisis itself. [...]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpUf3Ppn414

Published: September 28th, 2011 at 11:36 am ET
By
Email Article Email Article
42 comments

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  3. ABC: Prime Minister Kan still worries about what would happen if area where people couldn’t live spread to 200 or 300 km — Leaked memo shows fears of radioactive cloud reaching Tokyo (AUDIO) March 5, 2012
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September 28th, 2011 | Tags: | Category: Tokyo Area
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42 comments to Ultimate Insider: Prime Minister contemplated evacuating 30 million from Tokyo, didn’t because fear of mass panic and chaos — Said eastern Japan might collapse (AUDIO)

  • xdrfox
    September 28, 2011 at 11:44 am

    Oh yes, It’s coming and many are noticing the well to do are no longer their neighbors !


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  • oscar419
    September 28, 2011 at 11:46 am

    I am under the impression that they had months to evacuate needed areas while maintaining some level of control. I think it is going to be a stampede out the door as people start to see the truth.

    On another note, I just laughed my ass off at my doctor. They want to inject Thorium into me for a test at the hospital. I have zero desire to have anything radioactive voluntarily injected in me regardless of how small an amount it is


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  • Steven Steven
    September 28, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    “prime minister Kan was outraged because he wasn’t getting proper information or the truth.”

    Poor guy. I bet that was terrible. Lucky for us he got to the bottom of it and brought everyone else up to speed.

    But wait – there’s more:

    “information should have been shared with the whole cabinet. But it wasn’t.”

    sigh


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  • Lacsap Lacsap
    September 28, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    The government people of Japan suffer from cognitive dysfunction. Not evacuating and hiding the truth from the public is a violation against humanity.


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    • xdrfox
      September 28, 2011 at 12:28 pm

      This will lead to the availability to have many scape goats, but the leader with basic knowledge of radiation and China Syndrome should have yelled FIRE in the very beginning to allow people to be warned of total disaster approaching !


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  • pure water
    September 28, 2011 at 12:22 pm

    This audio confirms the information from the interviews of the former prime minister with some new tips. Thanks!
    Oscar, I am happy for your ability to lough! Really!


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  • TheWorldIsBlind
    September 28, 2011 at 12:23 pm

    -Question-

    what happens when this whole thing explodes?

    100% hydrogen + air (that has enough oxygen to cause explosion without spark) = ???

    what happens??


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  • pure water
    September 28, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    Thanks Tuni! These people were properly informed, they have the best of the democratic rules – the result could be predicted! What about the rest of us?! And, are they save in their highlands with a lot of snow and rain? I do not think so.


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  • shaktasna999
    September 28, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    Tokyo is going to burn…Enjoy all of this “shut down the nukes” drama while you can.

    Will you be able to: stop the earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and human f*cking stupidity that will forever ensure that these things keep happening?

    Of course not.

    Let the cities burn. Let them explode. Maybe then attention will be paid. Maybe people will spend their time on things that are USEFUL in the immediate future.

    The winds are blowing and the rains are coming…
    try and stop them.

    Oh right the leaks cannot even be stopped.


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    • Whoopie Whoopie
      September 28, 2011 at 2:18 pm

      We know it’s bad in Japan shakta. No matter how many times we yell “Shut them all down”, it won’t help anybody there now. It’s HORRIFIC! I don’t know what else to say except DAMN THEM!!! for getting away with running these plants for so long, with WARNINGS since 2006 if not before. Damn them all. :(


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  • red red wine red red wine
    September 28, 2011 at 2:17 pm

    Unfortunately World War is inevitable.

    …Japanese Govt needs a diversion for their responsibility of Fukushima, so will embrace their 100 million citizens into World War.

    …Party like its 1999…

    red red wine


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  • alasanon
    September 28, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    Any new test results from the EPA for the U.S.???

    hmmmmmm???… 300 Million here need to know!


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  • xdrfox
    September 28, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    Jcast Radiation Readings 25 Times Lower Than Actual Level

    Sept 28th, 2011

    The ministry in charge of the Jcast radiation data has stated that their initial readings in July and June were incorrect due to errors on their part. Actual readings in Fukushima Prefecture by Jcast system were 25 times higher. The announcement doesn’t clarify if it was all …
    http://houseoffoust.com/group/?p=3371


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  • Hemisfear311 Hemisfear311
    September 28, 2011 at 3:31 pm

    They evacuated a lot of people (about 1 million?) at the last typhoon. Organized it and did it in a couple of days.

    If they really wanted to save the population, they could probably have done a lot more in the many months that have now passed.


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    • many moons
      September 28, 2011 at 6:01 pm

      What would be the loong term costs to undertake evacuating and supporting (food, water, shelter, clothes) per day….let’s say it’s 10 dollars, they would have to spend 10 million a day. If this were a war and the goverment spent 10 million a day that would be OK cause there are a lot of benefits to war. This would not be a winning to solution for folks who run a goverment where money is more valuable than lives.
      They will never evacuate…the good peoplle of Japan have to do it for themselves…befroe it’s too late.


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  • Anthony Anthony
    September 28, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    Nuclear power after Fukushima: Facts and figures

    Dave Elliott

    28 September 2011 | EN | ES

    Nuclear power promises clean energy for developing countries. Dave Elliott charts its progress and prospects after the accident at Fukushima.

    For 60 years, using uranium to generate electricity in nuclear power plants has been promoted as a way to provide cheap, clean energy for a prosperous new world.

    http://www.scidev.net/en/china/features/nuclear-power-after-fukushima-facts-and-figures-1.html?utm_source=link&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=en_china


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  • Anthony Anthony
    September 28, 2011 at 6:33 pm

    Lady Gaga, Fukushima Hula Girls given Japan Tourism Agency awards

    Entertainment Sep. 28, 2011 – 03:00AM JST ( 17 )
    Lady Gaga, Fukushima Hula Girls given Japan Tourism Agency awards Lady Gaga

    TOKYO —

    The Japan Tourism Agency this week announced the winners of its annual awards for the best tourist draws in Japan. Prizes went to American singer Lady Gaga and the Hula Girls, a group of Hawaiian-style dancers from the Fukushima onsen resort of Iwaki.

    The agency said that Lady Gaga was honored for performing a live show in Japan in July to raise money for tsunami survivors and for helping to drum up interest in Japanese culture. The Hula Girl team was praised for helping tourism by continuing to perform in Fukushima despite the risk of radiation.
    17 Comments Login to comment

    smithinjapanSep. 28, 2011 – 08:50AM JST

    Do the people of Japan know that Lady Gaga only donated a portion of the proceeds she claimed were to be given to Japan in terms of aid? Better than nothing, true, but still.

    0

    Pukey2Sep. 28, 2011 – 08:54AM JST

    D#mn, I thought Arashi were going to get the award.

    0

    YubaruSep. 28, 2011 – 09:51AM JST

    Do the people of Japan know that Lady Gaga only donated a portion of the proceeds she claimed were to be given to Japan in terms of aid? Better than nothing, true, but still.

    And she’s not even Japanese. (Rolling eyes sarcasm here)

    Why is it that some people just love to complain about the efforts of a foreign star to assist the victims here when “native” groups like SMAP over advertise and loudly proclaim that THEY are donating a whopping 10% from the proceeds of their album? Better than nothing, true, but still…….

    Welfare or assistance starts at home.

    ModeratorSep. 28, 2011 – 10:17AM JST

    Readers, please stay on topic. The tourism award has nothing to do with who donates how much to charity.

    1

    YubaruSep. 28, 2011 – 10:04AM JST

    It’s me…the point though isn’t about how much really but who is doing the donating. It’s expected I guess that Japanese artists and people with money will donate, but expecting it from foreign stars is something else in my opinion.

    -1

    beangrySep. 28, 2011 – 10:21AM JST

    Surprise, surprise. It went to fukushima. Only an idiot would go there for tourism. Why not just book a hotel in Chernobyl? Corruption.

    1

    edojinSep. 28, 2011 – 11:09AM JST

    Hey Japan Tourism Agency people … How about those of us who stayed here … and told our friends and others not to worry … Japan is still a safe place … so come on over and enjoy the country? Are we eligible for your tourist awards, too?

    3

    ApsaraSep. 28, 2011 – 11:17AM JST

    Surprise, surprise. It went to fukushima. Only an idiot would go there for tourism. Why not just book a hotel in Chernobyl? Corruption.

    The prize has gone to a group of people, not a region.

    …


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  • many moons
    September 28, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    I think Chernobyl is a tourist hotspot…a venue called “dark tourism” maybe Fuku could get in on that…
    Very sad!
    I always wanted to go to Japan, but I would never go now….even if you can’t see or taste or hear radiation….it can usually be found around run away nuclear plants where the fuel rods have melted into the ground or been shot out in every direction-everything at low levels obviously..that should go without saying….well they always say that but they shouldn’t have to by now, cuse they aren’t going to say anything else.


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    • Anthony Anthony
      September 29, 2011 at 12:56 am

      ****A former special adviser to Japan’s then prime minister Naota Kan has gone public with what he describes as ‘mind-boggling’ reports of the government’s behaviour as the Fukushima crisis unfolded.
      Transcript
      ALI MOORE, PRESENTER: Isolated, out of his depth and scared of telling the public the truth – that’s the withering verdict on the performance of Japan’s then prime minister Naota Kan as the country’s Fukushima nuclear crisis unfolded.

      Kenichi Matsumoto had a front row seat as a special adviser to Mr Kan’s cabinet. Now, he’s gone public, describing what he saw as “mind-boggling”.

      He’s accused the operator of the nuclear plant, TEPCO, of trying to play down the disaster. And he says the Japanese government knew right from the start that areas around the plant would be uninhabitable for 10 or even 20 years.

      North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy reports from Tokyo.

      MARK WILLACY, REPORTER: It was the moment Japan’s natural disaster went nuclear. 25 hours after being hit by the tsunami, Fukushima’s reactor building number one exploded.

      Back in Tokyo, the then prime minister Naoto Kan and his cabinet was scrambling for scraps of information from the operator, TEPCO, about what was going on at the stricken plant.

      KENICHI MATSUMOTO, FORMER SPECIAL ADVISOR TO CABINET (voiceover translation): TEPCO wanted to make the disaster look small, so it didn’t properly convey the truth to the government.****


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  • jake.williams1989 jake.williams1989
    September 29, 2011 at 6:29 am

    ” Sir, should we begin the evacuation of Tokyo?”

    “Nah I don’t need THAT drama”


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