According to this NYTimes article, he was a manager at the Japanese nuclear reactor site hit by the tsunami. The article reports on a set of videos just released which document the chaos at the site over some days. But, if I read it correctly, Yoshida was onsite, doing his best to direct workers, getting bad advice and orders from big shots who were ignorant, and generally being a good bureaucrat by this definition: when the environment the bureaucracy was designed to handle goes berserk, a good bureaucrat does her best. Two paragraphs:
At one point in the videos, as conditions at Reactor No. 3 are deteriorating, raising fears of an explosion, Mr. Yoshida sends a team of workers out from the bunker with this message: “I’m truly sorry. Please proceed with the utmost care.”He later suggests that if the situation does not improve soon, he and some older workers will consider “a suicide mission” to pump water into the reactor, a decision officials at headquarters said they would leave to him.
1 comment:
Thank you very much for bringing the name of Mr Yoshida to greater attention in the worldwide online media. Who is this Mr Yoshida is a very good question. As the crisis manager of TEPCO's ongoing Dai-Ichi NPP facility nuclear meltdowns disaster on the coast of Fukushima Prefecture. as he is deeply respected and appreciated throughout Japan as a very brave, courageous and steadfast man who - by directly disobeying the TEPCO big shots panic orders from Tokyo HQ to completely abandon the entire plant of all 6 reactors at Dai-Ichi - he and the team he lead of engineers, firemen, japan self-defense personnel and other distaster first responders prevented an even worse nuclear catastrophe that threatened the health of not only the people of Japan but all over the world. Although TEPCO's mismanagement, deliberate suppression of information to the general public and denial of all moral and legal responsibility for the release of dangerous radiation into the 'eastern coastal area' ('Hamadori') of the Great Prefecture of Fukushima has caused great anger and nationwide opposition to restarting any more of the 48 remaining nuclear reactors nationwide among ordinary members of the public both here in Tokyo and throughout the country as a whole, nevertheless Mr Yoshida is a man of honour who kept his head under extremely dangerous stressful weeks and months following Japan's 3.11 'Tri-dimensional Disaster' of earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns.
Mr Masao Yoshida is highly respected and deeply appreciated by the people of Japan for his sense of duty and service to his nation and the people of Japan. Sadly he had to step down from his duties and resign at the end of last year due to illness as he is now fighting his own personal defensive battle with a pre-existing form of terminal cancer. Throughout the middle and lower ranks of employees still working around the clock at TEPCO's Dai-Ichi plant there are many such brave and honest family men like Mr Yoshida. TEPCO's directors have imposed a ban on these workers from telling their stories and speaking out about what is going on still at Dai-Ichi, at risk of losing their jobs. However like Mr Yoshida they dedicated their lives to provide safety and serve their country and are now risking their lives daily to keep the 3 reactors in meltdown under control as well as shore up and attempt the delicate dangerous task of removing over 1,500 spent fuel rods at risk within the damages Number 4 reactor building. Thank you for remembering Mr Yoshida
Thank you for so kindly remembering and honouring the work of Mr Yoshida in your blog sir. Sincere regards to from Tokyo.
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