Nuclear Crisis in Japan

To interview FAS President Dr. Charles D. Ferguson, please contact Katie Colten at TEL 202-454-4694 or kcolten@fas.org.

On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced its worst earthquake in the 140 years of recorded history of earthquake measurements and is experiencing its worst—to date—nuclear incident. The worst-case accident involved a reactor meltdown and substantial release of radioactive materials to the environment.

There are still many questions one year after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan and devastated Northern Honshu. One crucial question to Japan's long-term economic growth is what to do about nuclear power?

On March 11, 2012, FAS President Charles D. Ferguson recorded a podcast and spoke about the Fukushima disaster and the future of nuclear power. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB)

On March 9, 2012, Dr. Ferguson was interviewed by Toni Johnson of the Council on Foreign Relations on Japan's Nuclear Dilemma.

"As a result, the Japanese economy is taking a hit, says nuclear expert Charles D. Ferguson, due to loss of significant power generation and high imported energy costs. Yet, he adds, Japan is not open to renewable energy as an alternative."There's a lot of resistance institutionally in Japan to using renewable energies, wind and solar in particular, and also geothermal," he says, and the government is trying to figure out if they can "get any public support to start bringing these nuclear power plants back into operation." On lessons the nuclear industry can learn from Fukushima, Ferguson says there needs to be better accountability to the public and improvements in nuclear safety procedures."

2012 March 8: ScienceWonk - Fukushima: A Year Later

Anniversaries are important dates. They mark the return of the Earth to its previous position against the firmament – the completion of a year – they give us the opportunity to reflect on events that were important in our lives, on their significance, and how these events have affected us. March 11 – this Sunday – will mark the first anniversary of the great earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan, setting into motion the events that culminated in multiple reactor meltdowns. These events are chiseled into the consciousness of virtually everyone who follows the news and these events have served to engrave even more deeply the fears that so many have of nuclear power.

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The U.S. - Japan Nuclear Working Group

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation has partnered with the Federation of American Scientistsand the Sasakawa Peace Foundation to convene a group of approximately 15 American and Japanese experts and officials that represent the two countries' nuclear energy initiatives. Between March 2012 and April 2013 the working group will meet four times to highlight the shared strategic concerns at stake amidst the shifting political landscape for nuclear energy in Japan and the United States.

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For more information, please read:

2012 March 7: Potential Implications of Fukushima Accident for Nuclear Power
2012 February 8: The Future of Nuclear Power in the United States

2011 May: Nuclear Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, May 2011).

Publications:

2012 February 29, Nieman Watchdog: "So Many Questions About Nuclear Power"
2011 November, Foreign Policy: "Think Again: Nuclear Power"

2011 July 1, U.S. News & World Report: "U.S. Must Learn From Japan Nuclear Crisis"
2011 April 15, Guatemala Times: "Pools of Danger"
2011 March 23, Nature: "Do Not Phase Out Nuclear Power Yet"
2011 March 16, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: The Need For a Resilient Energy Policy in Japan
2011 March 15, Kyodo News: OPINION: Future of Nuclear Power in Japan - Advice from American Friend
2011 March 11, Foreign Policy: A Radioactive Situation, Japan's earthquake could shake public trust in the safety of nuclear power.

Video:
2012 January 17: PBS Frontline, "Nuclear Aftershocks"
2011 March 23: PBS NewsHour, "After Japan Crisis, What's Next for U.S. Nuclear Policy?"
2011 March 21: Washington and Lee University, "Japanese Disaster Impact on the Nuclear Power Industry"
2011 March 17: BBC News, "Crisis in Japan"
2011 March 16: NBC News - Nightly News with Brian Williams, "Concern Over Nuke Design Not New"
2011 March 14: MSNBC Hardball with Chris Matthews, "Japan Confronts Grim Reality"

Radio Clips:

2011 March 18, NPR - Talk of the Nation Science Friday: "Update on Japan's Nuclear Reactors"
2011 March 17, NPR - The Diane Rehm Show:"Japan's Nuclear Crisis and Its Impact on the Nuclear Industry"

2011 March 14, KQED's Forum with Michael Krasny: Japan Earthquake Update

2011 March 11, PRI's The World: Japan quake prompts nuclear emergency

In the News:
2012 March 9, Council on Foreign Relations: "Japan's Nuclear Dilemma"
2011 April 28, The Asahi Shimbun: "Nuclear Plants Must Not Turn Into Radiological Weapons"
2011 March 23, Los Angeles Times: "A Nuclear Renaissance in U.S. Was Unlikely Even Before Japan Disaster"
2011 March 21, U.S. News & World Report: "Japan's Nuclear Crisis Reignites Safety Debate"
2011 March 20, Newsweek: "How Prepared Are We for Nuclear Disaster?"
2011 March 20, The Daily Beast: "How to Save California"
2011 March 20, Chicago Tribune: "Nuclear Energy's Unchanging Plight"
2011 March 18, FOX News: "Interview with Charles Ferguson" (transcript)
2011 March 17, MSNBC: "MSNBC Live with Cenk Uygur" (transcript)
2011 March 17, Science - Insider: "The Worst Case: What if the Water Ran Dry in the Japanese Reactors?"
2011 March 17, Council on Foreign Relations - Analysis Brief: "Clouds Over Japan's Nuclear Response"
2011 March 16, The New Republic: "Do We Really Need Nuclear Power?"
2011 March 15, PBS - NewsHour: "Mechanics of a Nuclear Meltdown Explained"
2011 March 15, Council on Foreign Relations:"Japan's Crisis for Nuclear Power"
2011 March 14, Huffington Post: "Japan's Nuclear Tremors After Quake"

Testimony:
2010 May 19: House Committee on Science and Technology:Charting the Course for American Nuclear Technology and the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap

Multimedia:

2012 March 9: Nuclear Energy Guide