Here’s my favorite quote today, after earthquakes in Niigata caused fires at a nuclear power plant:

Drums with low-level nuclear waste fell over during the tremors, and some of their lids were found open. Water containing radioactive material is already known to have leaked from the plant into the sea, but officials say it will not harm the environment.

Well, they would say that wouldn’t they? That’s what officials say. “Everything is alright! Trust me! I’m an official!” Pardon me if I detect a whiff of radioactive bullsh*t. For me the question is; why does Japan, being super earthquake prone as it is, subject also to typhoons and tsunamis and every other possible natural disaster, why does Japan want to litter itself with nuclear power plants? Is this not ENTIRELY MAD? Am I hopelessly naive in thinking that positioning a nuclear power plant over a major fault line is just a teensy bit careless? There are 53 of them you know, 53 operational nuclear power plants in Japan. Is this not quite a few?

Ah well, I’m sure the officials will take care of it. I’m sure they are in Niigata right now, personally sorting out those tipped-over barrels. So we can all rest easy in our beds.

There’s a fresh posting up on Deep Kyoto tonight for those who need to drown their sorrows in an ambient atmosphere: The Flying Keg

(Update: There’s a good overview of Japan’s nuclear power industry up here: Japanese Fears Over Nuclear Power Industry)