Comments on: On Watching the News in Japan

By: owwls

owwls — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 06:13:21 +0000

Any sources or we just supposed to trust the opinion of an anonymous Internet troll?

It’s not just Japanese officials, by the way. Have you even read the World Health Organization report? Go Google it so you can pretend you did.

Everything you are saying is absolute nonsense.

By: Skeptic to Everyone

Skeptic to Everyone — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 06:07:21 +0000

Radiation is invisible. In 20 to 30 years people across a large section of Japan will have cancer from Fukushima radiation. Actually leaving Tokyo was a good idea up to a year after the nuclear catastrophe started because that’s when most of the radiation was released. We’ve seen with Chernobyl that oustside of the nuclear facilities everything can look normal even though radiation levels are very high. That is what it’s like around Fukushima. The radiation estimates Japanese officials released were inaccurate, too low and only covered two nuclear particles, which happened to be the ones with the shortest half-lives, out of the many particles released. My two points are the Japanese purposefully put out wrong information and you are not critical of what Japanese officials and media put out.

By: owwls

owwls — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 03:07:01 +0000

Fukushima didn’t “explode” and the low-level radiation estimates were more or less accurate; the disaster was contained and there have been no injuries or deaths related to contamination in the region (yet). There was no floating mushroom cloud over Japan, no need to “GET OUT OF TOKYO NOW!!!”

I wonder what your agenda is- anti-nuclear fearmongering? Anonymity and hostility, how brave.

By: Skeptic to Everyone

Skeptic to Everyone — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 02:53:17 +0000

This article as well as the other Fukushima articles you wrote clearly show that you believed the Japanese account that the catastrophe wasn’t that bad. And I’m telling you that belief is far off. The Japanese had a big interest in downplaying the Fukushima catastrophe. Japanese society doesn’t take well to those that state terrible truths that would make Japan and Japanese look bad. Not reporting on facts or actively downplaying them is not proper reporting it’s propaganda. That Japanese reporter wouldn’t have said that if it wasn’t for Western media already being skeptical of the incredible claims made by Japanese officials. The world saw with it’s own eyes three nuclear facilities blow up. How could you not be skeptical of the very low-ball claims of nuclear radiation released? Using the word idiot might have been too harsh. If you talk to anyone thinking about going to Japan I hope you caution them about the Fukushima area.

By: owwls

owwls — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 07:54:51 +0000

No, my point is that the two media philosophies were determined by different cultural standards: The American media overreacts, and the Japanese government is much more cautious. Indeed, most of the information being presented at the outset of the disaster (“quadrupled millirems”) were useless and careless explained by the media. And at the end of the post, I specifically call out a reporter for challenging the official line of the TEPCO officials by demanding more information.

So, I agree with your point. But there was no need to call me an idiot. I really don’t understand you people with agendas who feel you have to insult the writers you want to comment on – you could have made your point without being a dick, especially since you completely misread my post.

By: Skeptic to Everyone

Skeptic to Everyone — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 06:37:34 +0000

I read your post and I’ve been following the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe since the beginning. Your point is Western media blew the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe out of proportion while Japanese media were sensible. In reality, the nuclear catastrophe was even bigger than what Western media reported. TEPCO, the Japanese government and Japanese media knew the situation was worse than they publicly stated early on. They did that because Western media was in the country and they didn’t want the rap for being the worst nuclear disaster in history and the consequences that would have. Only after Western media outlets left did we start hearing this slow trickle of worse and worse news. By that time the world had turned their attention to other things. Japanese continue to downplay the catastrophe, how big it was and how big it still is. Fukushima is an ongoing crisis, nuclear material is still being released. I doubt you would give Western media and Western nuclear companies the benefit of the doubt if a similar incident occurred in the West. My point is you should be skeptical of everyone, no Japanese exceptions.

By: owwls

owwls — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 06:52:23 +0000

Do you feel like an idiot for commenting on shit you clearly don’t read?

By: Skeptic to Everyone

Skeptic to Everyone — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 06:16:28 +0000

Don’t you feel like an idiot now that it is known Fukushima is worse than Chernobyl? Fukushima is the worst nuclear catastrophe in world history. Japanese news is connected to the government. They have an interest in downplaying disasters. It’s best if you are skeptical of everyone.

By: My Five Most Popular Posts of the Rabbit Year H.23 | This Japanese Life. | 生命を外面九天です

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:51:55 +0000

[...] 3. On Watching the News (March 18, 2011) “Watching the western media explain Japan is kind of like watching a caveman explain the future.” [Read it] [...]

By: A look at Western vs. Japanese Media « Brandon's Blog

A look at Western vs. Japanese Media « Brandon's Blog — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:51:54 +0000

[...] is another great article on this topic done by the JapaneseLife.org which shows the largest Japanese publication with the headline “Containment Vessel failure [...]