LONDON: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned Japan two years ago that a strong earthquake could pose a "serious problem" for its nuclear power stations, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported. …→ なお，けん
An IAEA expert expressed concern that the Japanese reactors were only designed to withstand magnitude 7.0 tremors, according to a December 2008 US diplomatic cable obtained by the WikiLeaks website, Telegraph reported. …→ あっけー
The IAEA official told a meeting of the G8's Nuclear Safety and Security Group in Tokyo in 2008 that Japan's safety guidelines were outdated, the cable said. …→ こう
"He (the IAEA official) explained that safety guides for seismic safety have only been revised three times in the last 35 years and that the IAEA is now re-examining them," it added. …→ よーへー
"Also, the presenter noted recent earthquakes in some cases have exceeded the design basis for some nuclear plants, and that this is a serious problem that is now driving seismic safety work," it added. …→ ヨシ
The government responded by building an emergency response centre at the Fukushima site, but the plant was still only designed to withstand a 7.0 quake. …→ つっちー
Engineers Wednesday battled to restore the cooling system at the Fukushima No. 1 plant which was knocked out by last Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami, making a meltdown possible. …→ なっち
Another cable sent in March 2006 showed that the Japanese government had opposed a court order to close a plant in the country's west over doubts about its ability to withstand an earthquake. …→ わっしょい
According to the cable, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency believed the reactor was "safe" and that "all safety analyses were appropriately conducted." …→ りお
-AFP/ac
出典： http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1117031/1/.html
NISHIMURA, Kazuo (nishimura@komazawa-u.ac.jp)