Kan Naoto during his term as Prime Minister of Japan.
Last week, the Japanese media reported that former Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto intends to sue current Prime Minister Abe for defamation over statements made in relation to the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster in 2011, claiming they had “wounded his honour”.
Kan insists that it was his decision to inject seawater into the reactor, and that he made no orders for such an operation to be stopped. Tweets about the article, however, did not support Kan’s plan to restore his dignity, with many remarking that he was only doing it now that Yoshida Masao has died. Yoshida is largely credited with saving the plant from total meltdown.
From MSN Sankei:
Former Prime Minister Kan To Sue Prime Minister Abe For “Slanderous Online Article” About Nuclear Disaster
On July 16, former Prime Minister Kan Naoto of the Democratic Party of Japan, held a press conference in the Diet, announcing that regarding the TEPCO Fukushima power plant No. 1 nuclear disaster, he is suing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his online newsletter entitled “Prime Minister Kan’s instructions to pour water into the nuclear power plant are made up”, still available even now on the net. Kan is suing Prime Minister Abe for defamation, and demanding for the article to be removed and for an apology.
Prime Minister Abe’s newsletter is dated May 20 2011. The Prime Minister wrote “After the fresh water TEPCO was using got cut, they came up with the idea of pouring sea water in, and carried out that plan. However, after they started pouring sea water in, they were stopped; by none other than Prime Minister Kan”. It was also said that “Prime Minister Kan’s decision to pour sea water in was a lie told by his staff to the newspapers and television”.
Mr Kan stated “the contents of the article are based completely on false information. This is a defamatory article that has wounded my honour”
Comments from Twitter:
駄菓子菓子@看取るスレ（二代目）：
What an idiot! w
KENZi:
The boomerang will come back!(笑)
坂上空：
Who’s honour are you talking about? Certainly isn’t your honour, is it Mr Kan?
大島栄二 （キラキラレコード）:
Although I don’t have even 1% of support for Abe Shinzo, I think there are more citizens and politicians who want to sue Kan Naoto. Kan has 85% of the responsibility of trying to eradicate the DPJ.
佐藤モリユキ：
It’s too late to sue.
十三式：
Two years have passed… Now it seems really terrible that Yoshida, who rescued us from the great disaster, has passed away. Dead men tell no tales. This is the worst.
西日本悟空髙速度電氣鐵道™@日本国保守!：
He should tell us everything about that day.
田野まり子／私はヒロシマ原爆二世です：
Prime Minister Abe immediately following the disaster in May 2011. Kan got angry and sued on 16 July 2013 for that online article. It’s not a coincidence that he has decided to sue now, when the person who knows best about what happened at the power plant has passed away.
華月龍也@3日目東Y-48a：
First, apologize for the foreign donations, then you can sue.
[This commenter is referring to Kan’s acceptance of donations for his political campaign from a South Korean resident of Japan in 2011. Accepting such donations from foreigners is illegal.]
保守の風を待つ：
Even if Prime Minister Abe doesn’t say so, everyone thinks that after Naoto Kan intervened, the radioactive contamination expanded. When is he going to acknowledge that?
なかのだ＠縫製業修行中:
Even though Abe’s article was published in 2011, it seems these things are happening now, after chief Yoshida has died. Before his death, things could have been different. More than defamation, I wonder if this is an error of fact?
Noisy Minority:
Immediately after Chief Yoshida died and can no longer explain his story, Kan sues. We understand where this is going.
Renya:
I’m dumbfounded and have no words. However, former Prime Minister Kan’s stupidity being revealed at a court is good.
SHINJI:
I want a thorough investigation of the truth of what happened at that time. Kan will apologise.
抹茶:
Without doing his job honestly, to go to the trouble of saying this kind of trivial thing, will only expose the smallness of his ability… From here it’s an election wwww
蝸牛 @kagyu0624:
This is just as chief Yoshida has died. With the peace of mind of knowing a dead man won’t tell the truth, he’s suing. What a load of crap.
666@規制垢:
Eurgh! This behaviour is far too disgraceful!
ノリ爺ちゃん:
I’m shocked at Kan Naoto’s extreme absurdness!! And what’s more, this is during an election term!!
