In the previous report, “the disaster which occurred at the TEPCO (Tokyo Electronic Power, Co.) Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant, was simply brought about by human errors on the side of the technology management, and not by disaster or coincidence. This accident was 100% predictable.”, pointed, Professor Eiichi Yamaguchi Doshisha University, Deputy Director of Institution of Technology Enterprise and Competitiveness (ITEC), who is the Project General Manager of “FUKUSHIMA Project”, which tries to analyze the disaster from a 3rd party stance.
In this report, I would like to interview Associate Professor Iio, Nuclear Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, who joined this project as an expert of nuclear power and energy. Associate Professor Iio showed his views as “the result would be different if the assembled wisdoms from over the world would have been applied from the very beginning stage”, as well as the defect of counter measures against tsunami. From FUKUSHIMA Project, he is going to clarify the issues of the nuclear disaster, and to present how energy should be in future, departing from the hypothesis that global warming is mostly caused by the increase of carbon dioxide.

Interview with: Shunji Iio, Associate Professor, Nuclear Reactor Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Prof. Iio : Yes. It is an extremely significant problem that no sufficient preparation could be executed even though experts had pointed out giant tsunami.

TEPCO assumed that the highest level of tsunami reach at 5.7 meter. The premises of the nuclear power plants locates 10 meters high from the see level, thus, TEPCO would underestimate that the any tsunami above the assumption level a bit would not cause any floods, and did not take any countermeasures. The tsunami in March 11 was approximately 15 meters beyond the twice or more larger as they had assumed. That was why TEPCO claimed that this level of tsunami was “unpredictable”.

However, Mr. Masanori Anakura, Team Leader of Subduction Zone Paleoearthquake Research Team, Active Fault Line and Earthquake Research Center, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and his team has being pointing the possibility of gigantic tsunami based on the research of “Jougan Earthquake” in 869 in Japan. In 2009, Yukinobu Okamura, Center Manager, Active Fault Line and Earthquake Research Center, AIST, had pointed it in a commission of inquiry held by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, where persons in charge from TEPCO attended.

In brief, TEPCO did not take any countermeasures against the anticipated disastrous tsunami at all even though they knew the possibility of its occurrence.

Prof. Iio : First of all, a tide embankment. The tsunami, this time, destroyed “the fist robust embankment in Japan” in Miyako, in Japan. Thus, it would be difficult to prepare for the perfect protection with it; however, we should have it better one.

Measures for electric source is more important. Electric panel boards and diesel electric generators for Reactors No. 1 and No. 2 were located in the lower place in the Turbine Buildings, which were on seaside from the reactors. The buildings for nuclear power plants were oriented to the guideline of earthquake-resistant design, and the Turbine Building was set to be Class B for the evaluation level for earthquake-proof safety. If the electric panel boards and generators would have be located inside the reactor buildings (where the level of the earthquake-proof safety is highest) and they would be kept water-proofed inside, then, there was a high possibility that the loss of electricity would be avoided.