Scary Tweets from Japanese Government Concerning Safety Around Fukushima Nuclear Plants

Readers of the blog know that I’ve been tweeting information about the situation in Tohoku whenever I’ve been available and had something to add or emphasize from the conversation.

One of the important ongoing discussions between the media, Japanese government, foreign embassies, and people of Kanto and Tohoku is just how far away is far enough, how much radiation is dangerous, and whom I should believe about what’s going on.

I am really worried about friends and fellow bloggers in the affected and surrounding regions because of the amount of misinformation, correct information, and incomplete information floating around – not to mention how difficult it is to tell which is which.

With the U.S. government telling citizens to be as far as 80 or 90km away from the reactors, here are some English language tweets from the Japanese government addressing that:

Now, one way to take this is that the US and other governments that are making statements like this, or even asking citizens to come home if possible are being overprotective or overly conservative.

On the other hand, is the Japanese government being careless, flippant, or worried about what a large scale evacuation of Kanto would do to the Tokyo and Tohoku area?

I want to believe that when it comes down to it Japan will do what’s best for its citizens, but I also remember how companies in Japan handle food poisoning issues, troubles with car brakes, and other life endangering problems with a kind of flippancy during the problem and furtive apologies after the fact.

My sincere hope is that when all is said and done and the rebuilding begins, all people and governments involved won’t have anything to apologize for (or cover up).