International Support Is Needed in Conquering the Nuclear Power Plant Crisis

The support of various countries was soon offered to Japan after the disaster at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant. Both developed countries and developing countries are strongly reliant on nuclear energy and thus, cannot just sit back and watch while Fukushima struggles with radiation leakage.

Due to the tsunami, serious accidents occurred at four nuclear power plant units, but no plans for restoration are to be made. The country offering the most support is America. Forty energy conservation experts came to Japan and are putting the final touches on a plan to stop the radiation that is leaking from the Japanese side.

The American government sent remote-control robots to Japan, which can perform tasks even inside the contaminated nuclear facilities. The robots can photograph the state of things, and if they measure a large quantity of radiation, America will help Japan with the repair work. Hopefully, they will be able to send them into the site as soon as possible to join the Japanese robots that have already been sent over by the Tokyo Electric Power Company. Approximately 140 people will be dispatched near the area from the American Army’s radioactive damage-control specialist unit.

France, another major power country, is also actively involved. President Sarkozy came to Japan on the 31st, after his visit to China, promising to give his full support to Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The chief executive officer and five experts from AREVA — the company that produces the mixed plutonium and uranium oxide fuel utilized at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant — have come to Japan with the technology to deal with the contaminated water resulting from the radioactive material.

America has experienced its own nuclear power plant disaster, which occurred at Three Mile Island in 1979. France and many countries throughout Europe also suffered from radioactive contamination of their air and soil for a long time because of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the former Soviet Union in 1986.

In generating nuclear power, there are things that are of a highly confidential matter to the state; the reality seems to be that we are no longer only dealing with radiation on the Japanese front. Even though they have sought the technology of America and France to help, Japan needs to find a breakthrough solution itself.

Ships and transport aircraft of the American Army are being sent in under the name of operation “tomodachi” (friend) to assist with the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami. The Obama administration wants this rescue operation to fully mend the relationship between Japan and America. Now is the time to move toward establishing peace, working together using as much brainpower as possible.

There is also support from the neighboring countries of Asia. A Chinese machine construction company has sent a 62-meter-high concrete pump that can be used to pump water into the nuclear reactor to Japan, which will begin using it near the Fukushima site. South Korea has said that they will provide boric acid, a neutron absorber.

Securing the nuclear reactors has surpassed being a problem that is just in the interest of Japan to contend with and has become a problem for the entire world. If this Japanese recession goes on any longer, Europe, America, Korea and China will all suffer the effects of it.

I want this international cooperation to become even stronger and to do whatever it takes to clear the road ahead to conquering the crisis at Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant.