ID :
169272
Fri, 03/18/2011 - 18:21
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/169272
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Japan's nuclear crisis still doesn't warrant optimism: Kan
TOKYO, March 19 Kyodo - Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Friday that Japan's nuclear crisis still does not warrant optimism, but he believes the problems at the Fukushima Daiichi power station following last week's calamitous earthquake and tsunami will be resolved soon.
In a nationally televised address a week after the magnitude 9.0 quake, Kan thanked the public for acting calmly, despite the unprecedented scale of the twin natural disasters and great concern over the crippled nuclear plant.
Kan said he is confident that Japan will overcome what he called its worst crisis since World War II, calling for further cooperation to help rebuild the country.
He said, ''Today's situation is a great test'' for all of the people of Japan, so it is a time for everyone to stand united and work hard together as in the past.
''We should not be discouraged,'' he said, noting that Japan had achieved a miraculous economic recovery after the war.
Kan admitted that the problems at the nuclear plant, including explosions and radiation leaks, are very serious. But he said, ''In the not-so-distant future, we will thoroughly control the whole thing.''
''I'd like to tell the people that we are making utmost efforts to overcome this kind of (unpredictable) situation,'' he said, adding that the government has committed to providing all information about the nuclear crisis to the people and the international community.
While there is growing distrust over information provided by the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., Kan said he and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano have ''disclosed all the facts as we received them.''
On relief efforts, Kan said he knows there has been ''a lot of confusion and difficulty.'' He said the government is now redoubling its efforts to ''do everything in its power'' not only to supply food, water, blankets and other basic needs, but also to create an environment in which people can live without anxiety.
He said the government is exploring the possibility of moving some of the hundreds of thousands of evacuees living in shelters in northeastern Japan to different regions of the country for some months until housing for them is built.
After giving the address in the evening, Kan moved back to his official residence, located adjacent to the premier's office, for the first time since March 11, when the quake and ensuing tsunami devastated the country's northeast coast.
Kan had stayed the whole week in his office, addressing the emergency situation around the clock and only taking naps, according to government officials close to him.
As of Friday, the death toll of the largest natural catastrophe in postwar Japan reached nearly 7,000, and more than 10,000 remain missing, according to the National Police Agency.
In a nationally televised address a week after the magnitude 9.0 quake, Kan thanked the public for acting calmly, despite the unprecedented scale of the twin natural disasters and great concern over the crippled nuclear plant.
Kan said he is confident that Japan will overcome what he called its worst crisis since World War II, calling for further cooperation to help rebuild the country.
He said, ''Today's situation is a great test'' for all of the people of Japan, so it is a time for everyone to stand united and work hard together as in the past.
''We should not be discouraged,'' he said, noting that Japan had achieved a miraculous economic recovery after the war.
Kan admitted that the problems at the nuclear plant, including explosions and radiation leaks, are very serious. But he said, ''In the not-so-distant future, we will thoroughly control the whole thing.''
''I'd like to tell the people that we are making utmost efforts to overcome this kind of (unpredictable) situation,'' he said, adding that the government has committed to providing all information about the nuclear crisis to the people and the international community.
While there is growing distrust over information provided by the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., Kan said he and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano have ''disclosed all the facts as we received them.''
On relief efforts, Kan said he knows there has been ''a lot of confusion and difficulty.'' He said the government is now redoubling its efforts to ''do everything in its power'' not only to supply food, water, blankets and other basic needs, but also to create an environment in which people can live without anxiety.
He said the government is exploring the possibility of moving some of the hundreds of thousands of evacuees living in shelters in northeastern Japan to different regions of the country for some months until housing for them is built.
After giving the address in the evening, Kan moved back to his official residence, located adjacent to the premier's office, for the first time since March 11, when the quake and ensuing tsunami devastated the country's northeast coast.
Kan had stayed the whole week in his office, addressing the emergency situation around the clock and only taking naps, according to government officials close to him.
As of Friday, the death toll of the largest natural catastrophe in postwar Japan reached nearly 7,000, and more than 10,000 remain missing, according to the National Police Agency.
