TEPCO chairman apologizes

The chairman of the Tokyo Electric Power Company has apologized for trouble and anxiety caused by radiation leaks from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Tsunehisa Katsumata on Wednesday was speaking to reporters in Tokyo for the first time since problems at the plant surfaced. The firm's president, Masataka Shimizu, was hospitalized for hypertension and dizziness on Tuesday night. Katsumata said he feels particularly sorry for local residents who've had to evacuate or refrain from going outside while coping with the impact of the quake and aftershocks.
Katsumata admitted that the company has not been able to cool the reactors, and pledged maximum efforts to stabilize them. He added that the No.1 through 4 reactors would eventually have to be shut down for good. Katsumata also said his company is preparing to compensate in accordance with the law for damage caused by the radiation leaks. The chairman apologized for the inconvenience caused by the company's rolling blackouts to cope with chronic power shortages since the March 11th quake and tsunami.He said the company will do its best and work closely with the government to minimize or even avoid rolling blackouts this summer.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 16:37 +0900 (JST)

Myanmar launches new civilian government

Myanmar's military government has made way for a new civilian administration after 23 years in power. The international community remains skeptical. The military government's prime minister Thein Sein was sworn in as the country's president on Wednesday.The new president then appointed members of his Cabinet. The international community sees the reversion to civilian rule as a sham, as most of the key administrative posts are held by senior officials from the military government.
It's also wary of the fact that the move is based on the results of last November's general elections, which excluded pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Japan has given limited praise to the fact that Myanmar held the vote as scheduled and released Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest after 7 and a half years.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 20:32 +0900 (JST)