Fukushima nuclear accident a 'man-made' disaster: probe

The nuclear accident at Fukushima last year was a "man-made disaster" and not only due to the tsunami, a Japanese parliamentary panel said Thursday in its final report on the catastrophe.

"Governments, regulatory authorities and Tokyo Electric Power lacked a sense of responsibility to protect people's lives and society," said a summary of the report by the Diet's Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission.

"It is clear that this accident was a man-made disaster.

"According to this commission's study, on March 11, it is believed that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was in a vulnerable condition with no guarantee it could withstand earthquakes and tsunamis," it said.

"Despite having a number of opportunities to take measures, regulatory agencies and TEPCO management deliberately postponed decisions, did not take action or took decisions that were convenient for themselves."

Loading...

Comments on Yahoo! pages are subject to our link to Comments Guidelines. You are responsible for any content that you post. Yahoo! is not responsible or liable in any way for comments posted by its users. Yahoo! does not in any way endorse or support comments made by its users.