Regulators Ignored Warning Signs at Fukushima

Government regulators were concerned about the oldest reactor at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant—but still approved a 10-year extension for reactor No. 1, just a month before the devastating earthquake and tsunami that landed the country in its current nuclear crisis. A report from the regulatory committee noted that stress cracks caused the engines to be vulnerable to corrosion from seawater, and weeks after getting the extension, the Tokyo Electric Power Company admitted it did not inspect 33 pieces of cooling system equipment.

Inspectors spent only three days inspecting the unit, which experts say is not enough time to assess earthquake risk, the New York Times reports. Critics are concerned that expert panelists—like those who recommended this reactor’s extension—do not often challenge plant operators. And plant operators are lobbying to use reactors beyond the 40-year limit, even though safety records are spotty and cover-ups common. But building new power plants is difficult and Tokyo prefers nuclear energy to fossil fuels, so government officials are often sympathetic. (More Japan earthquake stories.)