Fukushima: We finally know the truth!

Only since yesterday—a month later, in fact—do we know the full extent of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Despite the fact that the severity of the accident was known to Japanese authorities from the outset, they reportedly preferred not to reveal the true facts earlier for financial reasons and to avoid triggering panic among the population. At least, that's what La Liberté and Le Courrier explain.

The facts

While Japanese media reported the disaster as a level 5, scientific data submitted to authorities (from the outset) indicated a level 7 on the nuclear hazard scale. Meanwhile, residents living near and around the hazardous area were exposed to contaminated food containing radioactivity levels 500 times higher than the permitted limit. Japan's neighbors (China and South Korea) are increasingly concerned about radioactive releases from the severely damaged plant, not to mention that radioactive leaks continue.

For comparison, the world's first major nuclear accident occurred in the United States, at the Three Mile Island plant, in 1979; it was a level 5 accident. Level 7 represents the highest level of nuclear accidents; this was the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986. In contrast, the amount of radiation released by Fukushima a month ago represents about one-tenth of what was released during the Russian nuclear accident.