Misconceptions

WHO and IAEA are indeed bound by an agreement dating back to 1959. However, it does not indicate subordination of either of the organizations to the other, as it places them on strictly equal footing. While this agreement has been subject to a number of controversies, WHO indicated in 2001 that this agreement did not threaten its independence.

Before the Fukushima nuclear accident, Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency was ineffective and not very independent from the government or actors of the energy industry. These officials were unable to impose the simple improvements that the operator, Tepco, would have needed to avoid the disaster. This situation cannot be extrapolated to other countries that operate nuclear power plants.

The Chernobyl accident had a considerable negative impact on the adoption of nuclear energy in Europe.

Public reactions to the Chernobyl accident halted the development of nuclear energy in several countries for 15-20 years or more, increasing the use of polluting fossil fuels.

The analysis and feedback from this accident, which we must not underestimate and which was preventable, made it possible to improve the level of safety of nuclear reactors, in Japan and worldwide, with the active and immediate participation of the global nuclear industry.