"The nationalization of TEPCO is a possible option," said Koichiro Gemba today, Japanese Minister of National Strategy. This was reported by the Kyodo news agency. "The government could acquire a majority stake of the company that operates the plant in Fukushima and appoint new managers," wrote the Yomiuri, the most popular Japanese newspaper, citing government sources.
The output of Koichiro Gemba was promptly contradicted by other official sources. A Japanese government spokesman said that "no government organization would be thinking of a nationalization." TEPCO has confirmed that it is not aware of any such plan. The alarm, however, continues to be high and, as reported today by the German financial newspaper Handelsblatt, behind the rumors about a possible government control of TEPCO, there would be concerns for "damages to the victims of nuclear catastrophe, which could become very high and impossible to pay for the company that operates the reactors.
The output of Koichiro Gemba was promptly contradicted by other official sources. A Japanese government spokesman said that "no government organization would be thinking of a nationalization." TEPCO has confirmed that it is not aware of any such plan. The alarm, however, continues to be high and, as reported today by the German financial newspaper Handelsblatt, behind the rumors about a possible government control of TEPCO, there would be concerns for "damages to the victims of nuclear catastrophe, which could become very high and impossible to pay for the company that operates the reactors.
