Jiji Tsushin: NISA Ordered TEPCO Not To Talk About Rising Pressure in Reactor 3 on March 14, 2011 Because NISA Official Couldn't Reach His Supervisor

That, according to Jiji Tsushin, is captured in the video TEPCO released and has been allowing the media to view at TEPCO's Headquarters in Tokyo. The company has made 1.5-hour video for the public consumption, but the media has been reporting new findings in the video only they are allowed to view, and this is one of the latest.

TEPCO was ready to hold a press conference immediately after it learned of the rising pressure in Reactor 3 in the early morning on March 14, 2011. But an elite bureaucrat at the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency at an elite ministry (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) needed to find his boss to decide whether TEPCO could hold a press conference to tell the general public of such a terrible news. This bureaucrat told TEPCO, "Absolutely not", because he couldn't find his supervisor and he didn't want to be the one in charge at NISA when this bad news was disclosed.

Fit for an agency whose Director General, being a liberal arts major as he claimed as an excuse, went home from the Disaster Response Headquarters at Prime Minister's Official Residence in the evening of March 11, 2011 and never returned.

I suppose this official knew, as a matter of fact, what had happened to the NISA official who had talked about a possible core melt in Reactor 1 at the noon press conference on March 12, 2011. He was dismissed immediately after, by the Kan administration.

From Jiji Tsushin (8/13/2012; emphasis is mine):

保安院指示で公表遅れ＝水素爆発直前、３号機の圧力上昇－「上司と連絡取れなかった」

Delay in disclosure because of NISA's order - rising pressure in Reactor 3 right before the hydrogen explosion because [NISA official] "couldn't locate my supervisor".

東京電力福島第１原発３号機が水素爆発を起こす直前の昨年３月１４日朝、同機格納容器の圧力を示す数値が急上昇したことを受け、東電が記者発表しようとしたところ、経済産業省原子力安全・保安院から公表を待つよう指示されていたことが、同社のテレビ会議映像などで１３日、分かった。

On the morning of March 14 last year right before the hydrogen explosion at Reactor 3 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, TEPCO was about to give a press conference on the news that the parameters that monitored the pressure inside the Reactor 3 Containment Vessel indicated a sudden spike in pressure but the company was ordered to wait by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, [we learned] on August 13 [after viewing] TEPCO's teleconference video.

同映像によると、３号機では１４日午前６時ごろ、格納容器の圧力の値が異常に上昇したことを把握。吉田昌郎所長（当時）は水素爆発が起きるかもしれないとして、現場にいる作業員を一時的に退避させたが、この情報を保安院が公表したのは同日午前９時すぎ、同機原子炉建屋が水素爆発を起こす約２時間前だった。

According to the video, [TEPCO] learned of the abnormal rise in pressure inside the Containment Vessel of Reactor 3 at about 6AM on March 14, 2011. Plant Manager Masao Yoshida feared for a hydrogen explosion and instructed the workers at the scene [near Reactor 3?] to take shelter. However, it was not until after 9AM that day when NISA finally made the announcement of this information, about 2 hours before the hydrogen explosion at the Reactor 2 building.

福島第１原発の東電広報班はこれに先立ち、報道向け広報文を準備したが、本社とのやりとりの中で担当者は「国から止められ、プレス発表を行わずに待っている状況」と発言。本社の社員とみられる人物も「この事象に関しては、保安院の方もプレスへの情報を全て止めていると。事業者からの公表もやめろということです」と話した。

TEPCO's press relation team at Fukushima I Nuke Plant had prepared the press release, but the person in charge at the plant said during the exchange with TEPCO Headquarters, "The national government has ordered us not to, and we are waiting, without giving any press conference." A person at TEPCO Headquarters was heard saying, "About this event, NISA has stopped all communication to the press, and we as the plant operator are told not to disclose anything."

さらに、本社では「先ほどのプレスに関する情報です。保安院に確認しましたら、絶対に駄目だというのが向こうの見解で、このプレスは行うなという強い要請、指示だそうです」との声も録音されていた。

Further, at TEPCO's Headquarters, someone was recorded saying "[Additional] information about the press release. I've confirmed it with NISA, and their opinion is "absolutely not", this press release must not be made, it's a strong demand and order."

保安院は公表が遅れたことについて、「上司と連絡が取れず、東電にも発表を待ってもらっていた」などと説明している。

On this delay in disclosure, NISA [official] explains, "[I] couldn't get hold of my supervisor, so I asked TEPCO to delay the release of information."

国会の事故調査委員会も７月に公表した最終報告で、この問題について「（保安院の発表まで）危機的状況が（少なくとも）２時間以上も国民に知らされなかった」などと指摘していた。

In the final report by the National Diet Fukushima Accident Independent Investigation Commission released in July, the Commission pointed out "(Until the announcement by NISA) citizens were not informed of this critical situation for (at least) more than 2 hours."

Reactor 3 building would still have blown up regardless of whether TEPCO or NISA held a press conference, but it might have made a tremendous difference in alerting the residents in the surrounding areas and evacuate them sooner. After all, from last year's articles and my own posts, Reactor 3's explosion was so downplayed by the government that residents were given conflicting information about whether there was an explosion at all, several hours after the explosion took place.

There were many people still remaining in Namie-machi, Minami Soma City, and people even in Futaba-machi and Okuma-machi (whose residents should have been evacuated by then), looking for survivors of the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.

We would never know, but I always wonder. What would have happened if TEPCO had said "NO" to NISA's order and held a press conference? What could NISA do? Fire TEPCO? Fine the company for not following orders? Sue the company for fanning "baseless rumors" and create panic?

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