Before the Fukushima nuclear crisis, there were also worries about nuclear power. But those worries were mostly focused on the non-proliferation problems and nuclear terrorism threats accompanying the revival of nuclear power. Usually, previous reactor problems and nuclear accidents were neglected or forgotten.

The Fukushima nuclear crisis was caused by natural disasters compounded by human factors. The tsunami that followed the magnitude-9.0 earthquake damaged many of the buildings and reactor equipment at the plant. The emergency power system was severely damaged, and the reactors' cooling system stopped working, triggering the ensuing nuclear crisis.

Before the nuclear crisis, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) had detected some safety problems with the Fukushima nuclear power plant, but it neither reported them to regulatory agencies nor made a timely overhaul.

In 2002, TEPCO admitted that it covered up and falsified safety inspection reports a dozen times. A study by a senior TEPCO engineer in 2007 showed that the Fukushima plant might not be able to withstand tsunamis. But the company neither paid adequate attention to this study nor took measures to close the loopholes. In 2008, the company even admitted that it hired minors to make safety checks.

If the operator failed to make timely corrections due to economic concerns, it is still understandable. But it is really incomprehensible that Japan's nuclear power regulatory agencies let those problems go on.

The Fukushima nuclear crisis has affected local residents' lives and contaminated the country's water, air and food. Surrounding countries have also been affected. Since the 1979 nuclear accident at the Three Mile Island Plant in the United States, no new nuclear power plant has been approved for development in the U.S. The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident remains a shock to the world. The 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis may not stop the revival of nuclear power, but it has issued a warning to countries that want to develop nuclear power to learn lessons and make further considerations before deciding to build new nuclear power plants. 

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.h5a3.com/opinion/node_7075398.htm

(This article was written in Chinese and translated by Zhang Ming'ai.)

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.