"Revealed: British Government's Plan To Play Down Fukushima"

"British government officials approached nuclear companies to draw up a co-ordinated public relations strategy to play down the Fukushima nuclear accident just two days after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and before the extent of the radiation leak was known.

Internal emails seen by the Guardian show how the business and energy departments worked closely behind the scenes with the multinational companies EDF Energy, Areva and Westinghouse to try to ensure the accident did not derail their plans for a new generation of nuclear stations in the UK.

'This has the potential to set the nuclear industry back globally,' wrote one official at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), whose name has been redacted. 'We need to ensure the anti-nuclear chaps and chapesses do not gain ground on this. We need to occupy the territory and hold it. We really need to show the safety of nuclear.'

Officials stressed the importance of preventing the incident from undermining public support for nuclear power."

Rob Edwards reports for the Guardian June 30, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

"Fukushima Children Test Positive for Internal Radiation Exposure' (Guardian)

'Design Flaw Fueled Nuclear Disaster" (Wall St. Journal)

"Japan Names More Fukushima Evacuation Areas" (AFP)

"A Revolution for Renewables: Germany Approves End to the Nuclear Era" (Spiegel)

Japan Sweats, Switches Off AC To Eke Out Power (IOL)

"Saga Prefecture Set To Restart Reactors at Genkai Nuclear Plant" (Asahi Shimbun)