Monday, January 30, 2012

NHK Mistranslates IAEA Remarks and Says "NISA's Stress Test Evaluation Conforms to International Standard"

NHK reports on the findings of the IAEA during the visit this time to evaluate whether the "stress test" carried out by electric power companies and overseen by Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency was appropriate, particularly in the case of Ooi Nuclear Power Plant.

This is what the IAEA mission chief said, as you can see and hear in the accompanying video to the news:

We found that the NISA's approach is generally consistent with the IAEA's safety standards, and the international practice.
NHK translated the remark as:
ストレステストの評価方法はIAEAおよび国際基準に適合している
which would translate back into English as:
The way [NISA] evaluate the result of the stress test conforms to the IAEA and international standards.

As if there are international standards for stress test evaluation. (Or are there?)

Japanese Twitterers who understand English immediately tweeted the incorrect translation by NHK. NHK has quickly added a paragraph to supposedly "clarify" but it is still wrong. It now translates the remark by the IAEA mission chief Lyons as:

原子力安全・保安院の審査の過程は、IAEAのルールに適合していて、ヨーロッパなどでの国際的な活動にも即している
which is:
NISA's evaluation process conforms to the IAEA rules, and in line with the international activities in Europe and other places.

Ummm. Nowhere the IAEA chief said anything about Europe. What activities? And he said "standards" not rules.

(Now I'm suddenly flooded with the memory of just atrocious translation that NHK did in the early days of the nuclear crisis in March last year. All these simultaneous translators that NHK World paid a fortune who didn't have a clue what they were translating. Ugghhh.)

I copied and pasted the NHK News for the record. Nothing much in it other than NHK's mistranslation. It basically says the IAEA rubber-stamped what the Japanese government did, again, with a friendly advice to make it as if the IAEA actually did something. What's the advice you ask? "You'd better learn how to explain to the local residents better."

Now the illusion must be totally expelled from the minds of Japanese people who cling to the idea that an "international" organization is somehow "neutral" and therefore will scold their government into the right direction.

NHK News (1/31/2012 12:07PM):

IAEA 評価方法は国際基準適合

原子力発電所の運転再開の判断の前提となる「ストレステスト」について検証してきたIAEA=国際原子力機関の調査団は、国の原子力安全・保安院に報告書を提出し、「評価の方法は国際的な基準に適合している」とした一方で、原発の地元自治体などにさらに説明をすべきだといった改善点を指摘しました。

IAEAの調査団のジェームズ・ライオンズ団長は、東京の原子力安全・保安院を訪れ、深野弘行院長に報告書を手渡しました。調査団の10人は、今月22日に来日し、電力会社が行った「ストレステスト」に対し、保安院が国の規制機関として適切に評価をしているかを検証するため、保安院の聞き取りや、福井県にある関西電力の大飯原発で視察をしてきました。報告書では、保安院が原発の現地調査をしたり、評価の過程を公開したりしている点を挙げて、「評価の方法は、国際的な基準に適合している」と結論づけました。その一方で、原発の地元自治体などにさらに説明をすべきだといった11の改善点を指摘しました。保安院は、大飯原発の3号機と4号機について、「テストの方法は妥当だ」と評価していて、IAEAの報告書を踏まえ、来月、最終評価を取りまとめることにしていますが、原発の運転再開は地元に慎重な意見が少なくなく、具体的な見通しは立っていません。

(The audiovisual news that accompanies the article ends there.)

記者会見をしたIAEAの調査団のジェームズ・ライオンズ団長は、「原子力安全・保安院の審査の過程は、IAEAのルールに適合していて、ヨーロッパなどでの国際的な活動にも即している」と述べたうえで、「保安院の電力会社などへの指示は、もっと具体的にするべきだ」と指摘しました。

And then, strangely, NHK has another paragraph of the pugnacious mayor of Osaka who looks like a kindergarten bully and acts like one commenting on the NISA's stress test and the IAEA mission.

What does he have to do with anything? The only thing I can think of is that somehow this Osaka mayor, who was the governor of Osaka, full of ambition for the national politics, managed to butt himself in on the news to give an impression that he was some politician for everyone in Japan to pay attention and listen to.

大阪市の橋下市長は、原発の施設の安全性については専門家しか判断できないとする一方で、「今、何が問題かと言えば、施設だけではなく、政府や電力会社の『組織』が問題となっている。ストレステストをやるのなら、施設だけではなく、組織が本当に機能しているのかどうかをテストすべきだ。SPEEDIのデータをすぐに出すという決断をできないのが今の政府だ。施設が安全でも、それを扱う側の政府や電力会社の組織が、非常時に機能するのかどうかについて、ストレステストをやらないと全然納得できない」と述べ、政府や電力会社の組織としての在り方を検証すべきだという考えを示しました。

4 comments:

Dr. Bob said...

組織?組織がいくらでもめちゃくちゃになっていっても、放射能を散らかすことはないだろう。橋下は単なる「政治屋」にすぎない。公益なんかは考えていない。

Anonymous said...

Both you and NHK seem to have insufficient understanding on IAEA nuclear safety standards and their status in international law. Just google it!

Anonymous said...

To the Anonymous just below Dr. Bob, ex-skf was simply pointing out the mistranslation, and therefore misinformation, that NHK broadcast and then again re-broadcast with additional incorrect information which they made it up and did not exist in the original material they said they're reporting.

Since NHK is in the business of reporting news, in this case one related to IAEA standards and rules, NHK should have checked the IAEA fact before hand as any good journalist would do, not the ex-skf (although ex-skf often does much better job investigating and reporting than most Japanse journalists and media).

The current head of IAEA, Mr. Amano, is a caree Japanese bureaucrat. He is made of the same cloth as the present Japanese government officials and TEPCO. He did not even show up to address Fukushima incident until many days after it happened. He provided no leadership especially at the onset of the accident when numerous gross negligence and incompetency of TEPCO and the government made the disaster worse, while experts in other countries held breath knowing the meltdown was happening and they were questioning about the no-show of IAEA head in important media reports.

Amano basically works for the Japanese government interest. It is a public knowledge among nuclear watchdogs that Amano and other Japanese in IAEA pulled legs for many years when other country members wanted better safety standards. It was also reported in wiki leak. In fact, in summer of 2011 the Japanese government was rather worried that other countries were trying to oust Amano for incompetency. They were worried about it more than the Fukushima situation going worse....

Anonymous said...

To the second Anonymous:
I do understand what you say. The problem is NHK's poor translation which potentially misinform people. But what I wrote before seems to have remained true, as IAEA standards are international standards which Contracting Parties use to demonstrate their compliance with rules and obligations under nuclear safety related conventions.

Don't worry, I am on your side.

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