Government paralysis and crippling mistrust

The key to understanding Japan's nuclear policy crisis is clearly grasped in a New York Times article by Norimitsu Onishi and Martin Fackler. The article, "In Nuclear Crisis, Crippling Mistrust," incisively details how mistrust of the bureaucracy he heads and the companies it oversees crippled Prime Minister Naoto Kan's ability to deal with the unfolding triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daichi power plant.

Events since that June 12 article make it clear that mistrust is paralyzing Japan's nuclear energy industry and policy, and hampering its handling of earthquake and tsunami recovery unrelated to nuclear energy.

Three debacles since June 12 have exacerbated mistrust and helped drop the cabinet's approval rating 9 points to 16% in just one month..

Restart of reactors in Saga Prefecture

The first battleground for Japan's nuclear future is taking shape in Saga Prefecture, home to Kyushu Electric Power's Genkai and Sendai nuclear power plants.