Japan underestimated the hazard posed by tsunamis to nuclear plants, the UN atomic watchdog said today, while praising Tokyo's response to the March 11 disaster as "exemplary".
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also stressed the importance of "regulatory independence and clarity of roles", touching on the fact that Japan's nuclear watchdog is part of the ministry of trade and industry, which promotes atomic power.
Japan's magnitude 9.0 seabed quake and tsunami caused the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl 25 years ago at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which has since leaked radiation into the air, ground and sea.
The IAEA sent an 18-member team of its own experts and specialists from 12 countries, including the United States, China, Russia and South Korea, on a fact-finding mission to Japan. AFP
