Japanese operator in most frank admission over nuclear disaster

Source: Reuters

The operator of a Japanese nuclear power plant that blew up after a tsunami last year said on Friday its lack of safety and bad habits were behind the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years, its most forthright admission of culpability.

The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, said it accepted the findings of a parliamentary inquiry into the Fukushima nuclear disaster that accused the company of "collusion" with industry regulators.

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Takefumi Anegawa, the head of a company reform task force, told a news conference the report by a parliamentary committee contained "so many descriptions about the lack of a safety culture and our bad habits".

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Tepco President Naomi Hirose said several months ago he was baffled by criticism of the company, which until recently has denied it could have foreseen the scale the tsunami and earthquake that knocked out cooling and power at the plant, despite warnings from scientists.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/14/us-japan-nuclear-idUSBRE8BD08320121214