Gomiyuri wrote:Kenzo Miya, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, an expert on nuclear engineering, said the prime minister's inspection delayed TEPCO's original plans to vent the pressure vessel. "Because of the prime minister's [impending] inspection, the start of the 'vent' was delayed. The possibility that the subsequent actions all fell behind can't be denied," Miya said. Haruki Madarame, chairman of the Cabinet Office's Nuclear Safety Commission, also noted the time-loss disadvantage. "Work [to conduct the 'vent'] took time to get under way. As a result, several hours were lost before starting to inject seawater [to cool the reactor]. It was a painful incident," Madarame said, when recalling the situation on the night of March 23.
- Did TEPCO inform the PM that they were going to vent Reactor 1?