Humbled Japan vows improvements on nukes
(TIME) People signal contrition in a lot of ways, and few countries are better at it than the Japanese -- a culture rich in the art of social protocols and interpersonal gesturing. It was not for nothing, then, that when Prime Minister Naoto Kan spoke before parliament this week about the country's ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. He wore a durable, light blue work jacket -- the kind bureaucrats all over Tokyo have been wearing since the emergency began. We're on it, the jacket telegraphs; we're making things right. One other thing it says too: We're sorry.
Japanese nisonbutsu: bodhisattvas for wisdom (left) and mercy (Pictabelle)
LONDON (Reuters, March 29) - Japan asked importers not to impose any "unfair" import bans on its goods as a result of the nuclear accident that resulted from an earthquake and tsunami in the country on March 11. A Japanese diplomat speaking at a meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Tuesday said it was a matter of "regret" that there was unease among importers over the damage done to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on the country's northeast coast and subsequent radiation leaks. "We request members not to impose unfair restrictions on Japanese exports," he told delegates. Several countries have banned milk and produce from the areas near Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear plant because of contamination fears. Food makes up 1 percent of Japan's exports.
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