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发表于 2011-12-6 15:11:56
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VOX POPULI: The solitary battle of the nuclear plant's chief
Allow me to quote a verse from the poem "Hoshi" (Star) by Hiroshi Yoshino: "A salaryman/ Who has no choice but to be competent/ Hides his heart/ His useless heart/ At work/ Like a star in daylight/ And endures each day."
Company employees, particularly those in managerial posts, must be struggling with their "useless hearts" day in day out. Masao Yoshida, 56, who headed Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, was hospitalized. According to the company, his illness was found in an annual health check. I can only imagine how exhausted he must have been after being left in charge of dealing with the worst nuclear accident the country has faced.
In the face of the catastrophe, Yoshida was required to shoulder a burden that far outweighed his company's interests. That is tens of thousands of lives, including those of his subordinates. While the burden was too heavy for a company employee to bear, he could not turn his back. What is most noteworthy is his decision to continue injecting seawater to cool the reactors a day after the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in defiance of TEPCO's orders to stop it.
The decision won him fame as a commander who can be counted on. Still, he cannot escape his responsibility for neglecting to fill holes in safety measures. If he had exerted himself to make up for his failure, perhaps he felt uncomfortable for being called a hero. Yoshida was transferred after having endured the unendurable and hiding, like stars in daylight, many "useless" matters, such as his in-house reputation, his own safety and the anguish of his family.
Inevitably, nuclear accidents force company employees to stand at the front line. TEPCO employees who work at the accident site as well as workers of related companies and subcontractors must all be making sacrifices. By contrast, TEPCO's interim report only lists excuses to defend itself without showing a sense of guilt for those who have to work at the front line. I cannot help but feel the impudence of the company organization.
Although the company says Yoshida's illness has nothing to do with radiation exposure, I don't think it is totally unrelated to the extreme stress he experienced. While praying for his recovery, I hope he can return to his command post in the not-too-distant future. I also hope his fight won't become merely a touching story.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 5 |
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