Grim Search and Recovery in Japan, Urgent Fight Against Radiation Danger
In Japan, the number of dead and missing rose to 12,920 on Wednesday evening, but is likely much higher as tens of thousands are still unaccounted for as a result of Friday's earthquake and tsunami. The Journal describes Japan's approach to the careful recovery process:
Japanese officials say they have always handled disaster tolls this way, with painstakingly precise tallies rather than grand estimates that are honed later.
"We value each and every life," said Noriyuki Shikata, deputy Cabinet secretary for public relations. "Estimates are so rough. We don't take that approach."
The final mortality figure from the Kobe earthquake— 6,434—was logged in December 2005, a decade after the quake hit. Most of those dead were found within a year, since Kobe's population was more compact and bodies tended to be buried under their houses when they collapsed.
The tally this time could go more slowly, because the uncountable are so many and so hard to find. The tsunami swept many victims out to sea, and they will be counted as they wash ashore.
The island's other crisis, cooling nuclear-fuel rods in its Fukushima Daiichi power plant, continues with urgency, as workers struggle to prevent radiation release into the environment. Claire posted on Chuck Devore's insights about these dangers yesterday, which drew an informative treatise by member CoolHand in the comments.
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Jul '10
Re: Grim Search and Recovery in Japan, Urgent Fight Against Radiation Danger
Mr. Shikata is a former client, a personal friend and a truly dedicated public servant. It has been my experience that he attacks his job with an even hand and a fairness that belies the bias, prejudice and cynicism that can come with a career in Japan's bureaucracy . If there is any man more suited for the job of accurately reporting the number of dead and missing, I haven't met him yet.
My heart goes out to him and the army of Japanese working everyday to make sense of and recover from last week's tragedy.
Edited on Mar 17, 2011 at 9:00amSep '10
Re: Grim Search and Recovery in Japan, Urgent Fight Against Radiation Danger
It does seem gauche for reporters to demand specific numbers, when that is the least of the first responders' priorities.