The recent problems faced by the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan have not been its only problems. The power plant has had a history of safety violations as well as nuclear scares. “With such strong government support and a culture that ordinarily frowns upon dissent, regulators tend not to push for rigorous safety” (Sakurai et al.). Due to these factors, the nuclear power industry in Japan is often looked at as very opaque.

Location of the Fukushima Power Plant. Source: Digital World Portal

Tepco, the company that owns the Fukushima plant, has been later found out to have breached several safety measures. During one instance in 1978, control rods at one of their plants came out of place, but it was never reported to the government as they were not required to.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. President Masataka Shimizu (C) and company executives bow to evacuees to apologize for the accident at their company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant at a shelter at Koriyama in Fukushima prefecture on April 22. Source: STR/AFP/Getty Images

Due to the fear of job security, many executives do not report problems that happen within a plant. This is a major problem as cutting corners and secrecy may be more profitable, it is a shocking ethical dilemma and negligence of public safety. It is one thing to maximize profit, but to put the public at risk is truly unacceptable.

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