Video of Kan's "rage" to be made public

July 13, 2012-07-13

Tepco told to air footage of Kan's nuke crisis rage

Kyodo, Jiji

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120713a3.html#.UAASlJFIwpU

Tepco said Thursday it will disclose in-house video footage captured during the start of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, including then Prime Minister Naoto Kan ripping into the utility's officials at its headquarters.

The footage was recorded through Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s teleconference system, which connected its head office in Tokyo and the shattered Fukushima No. 1 nuclear complex, the utility said.

Some of the footage shows an enraged Kan lashing out at Tepco officials over what he believed was a request by the utility to pull out all personnel from the stricken plant in March last year, a senior Tepco official said.

Tepco has been reluctant to make the footage public, citing privacy concerns, but has apparently bowed to pressure from Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano, who has repeatedly called for the videos to be disclosed.

"We have no alternative but to make the footage public," the Tepco official said.

Tepco's top executives were to visit Niigata Prefecture on Friday in order to discuss safety measures at its now-idle Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.

July 12, 2012

TEPCO to disclose footage of Kan scolding officials in nuclear crisis

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120712p2g00m0dm038000c.html

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to disclose in-house video footage recorded during the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, including footage of then Prime Minister Naoto Kan fiercely scolding utility officials at its head office in Tokyo, a senior utility official said Wednesday.

The footage was recorded through the company's teleconference system that connected the head office and the nuclear complex in Fukushima Prefecture. The scene with Kan shows exchanges over what he believed was a request by the utility to withdraw all its workers from the plant at the height of the crisis.

The utility known as TEPCO has been reluctant to make the footage public, citing privacy concerns. But it has apparently now bowed to pressure from Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano, who has repeatedly called for the video footage to be disclosed.

"We have no way but to make it public," the senior TEPCO official said.