Another investigation faulting Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the Japanese government, along with an ongoing fight over company records from early in the crisis, highlighted the news from Japan this week.

Recent developments related to the reactors damaged following last year’s earthquake and tsunami include:

Report Faults TEPCO, Government Crisis Management

Workers at an emergency nitrogen gas separator July 5. Source: TEPCOAn investigation commissioned by the Japanese parliament has once again laid the blame for the accidents squarely at feet of TEPCO and the Japanese government, going so far as to call the station blackout resulting from last year's massive tsunami a “man-made disaster.” The Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, convened by the Diet in December, interviewed 1,167 people for the report, including former prime minister Naoto Kan and former TEPCO Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata. It found that TEPCO had organizational problems that hampered its effectiveness in the crisis, and that the company could have been better prepared in issuing instructions to workers. It also said the crisis management system of Japan's government agencies handling the accidents did not function, Japanese media reported. The commission's recommendations included legislative oversight of nuclear regulators, tighter scrutiny of power companies and a review of the government's crisis management system.

Industry Minister Presses for TEPCO Records

In an interview with the Asahi Shimbun published Saturday, Industry Minister Yukio Edano criticized TEPCO for withholding videos of company teleconferences and other communication records from early in the crisis. His statements followed a court motion by TEPCO shareholders last week to force the company to preserve the content, which it has refused to release citing privacy concerns. The company will formally come under government control later this month, but its executives have still said they do not plan to release the footage.

Alarm at Unit 4 Spent Fuel Pool

On Saturday morning, workers responded to an alarm in the alternative cooling system for the unit 4 spent fuel pool. According to a TEPCO release, the water temperature increased from 31 C to 42.9 C on Sunday afternoon while the cooling system was shut down. The problem was believed to be in the uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The electrical system in question was bypassed, and the UPS will be replaced, TEPCO said.