The courageous contributions of Yoshida Masao, the general manager of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, made global news today as his death was announced in Japan with much sadness.
It was Yoshida’s decision to ignore instructions from TEPCO to stop injecting seawater into the plant at the time of the nuclear incident that many experts credit with having averted a catastrophic nuclear accident.
And tributes flooded in from Japanese netizens, who praised his leadership and mourned his passing. But there were also questions raised about his responsibility for the incident having occurred in the first place, as well as doubts as to whether his death from esophageal cancer really was unrelated to the radiation he was exposed to at the time of the incident.
From Mainichi Shimbun:
Yoshida Masao, Former General Manager Of “Fukushima Daiichi Plant”, Dies; Handled The Nuclear Accident At The Scene
Yoshida Masao (TEPCO executive officer), Former General Manager who orchestrated efforts at the time of the nuclear incident at the TEPCO Fukushima No. 1 Plant, died in a Tokyo hospital on July 9 from esophageal cancer. He was 58. Funeral plans have yet to be decided.
Yoshida originated from Osaka prefecture. He specialised in nuclear engineering at the graduate school of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and joined TEPCO in 1979. In the past he had served as the chief of the nuclear facilities division at TEPCO’s headquarters. His career was devoted entirely to nuclear power, and in June 2006 he took up the post as General Manager of the Fukushima No. 1 Plant.
In mid-November 2011, it was discovered during a check-up that Yoshida was suffering from esophageal cancer, and he retired from his post as general manager on December 1, 2011. He later expressed an interest to those around him in resuming his post when his health recovered; however in July 2012 he collapsed following a stroke and continued to be cared for at home. During the incident at the Fukushima No. 1 Plant, Yoshida had been exposed to around 70 millisieverts of radiation. A spokesperson for TEPCO’s public relations department stated that “The results of the attending physician’s diagnosis show that Yoshida’s death was not directly related to the radiation exposure”.
On the evening directly following the nuclear incident, March 3, 2011, Yoshida continued to inject seawater into the reactor based on his own judgement of the situation, despite having been ordered to stop seawater injection into the No. 1 reactor by TEPCO executives. Had he not refused orders, then it is possible that the fuel meltdown would have progressed further, and Yoshida has been praised for his judgement. Former Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto, who headed to the scene of the incident from the Prime Minister’s Residence in Tokyo, revealed in his own writing that when work on a vent to lower pressure in the containment vessel hit difficulties, it was Yoshida who stated his determination, saying “I’ll form a suicide corps if I have to”.
On July 9, TEPCO CEO Hirose Naomi published the following comment: “I looked forward to seeing him taking command with that energetic, booming voice of his; I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing”.
Comments from Twitter:
白虎:
May he rest in peace.
manbo_pon:
I’d still like to ask both TEPCO and the government how they know that there was no influence on his health from the radiation.
Yuuiti Iwasaki:
Yoshida Masao, former general manager of the TEPCO Fukushima No. 1 plant, has passed away. In the past there have been several incidents of misinformation about his death, but this time it appears to be true. I offer my sincere condolences. He really was a “war buddy” together with Aoyama Shigeharu. Who on earth would make this up?
まみゆふ:
) I guess that the anxiety would have made his cancer progress more quickly than the exposure to radiation would have. Thank you so much for everything you did. Rest in peace.
野武士＠愛国無罪:
This makes me want to cry ><
佐藤 裕二:
I wonder if this really did have nothing to do with radiation
exposure.
ふくいち:
A lot of people are calling him a hero, but this guy was also an employee of TEPCO. As the manager of the nuclear plant where the incident occurred, he just did what he was supposed to have done. The only thing that I’d praise him for is that he ignored the executives’ order and didn’t stop injecting seawater into the reactor.
ながれおとや（流音弥）:
Was his death really unrelated to the radiation exposure? (；ﾟ◇ﾟ)/ It makes my blood run cold just thinking how things would be now if Yoshida not been the manager. Rest in peace. （ー人ー）
㍉ ㍍:
In Japan we have a culture of respecting the dead. I don’t want the company to try and pin the responsibility on someone who has passed away.
阿川 武史:
It’s because of this man that we can live as we do today. Thank you so much. Rest in peace.
Hayato Okamoto:
He did all he could to supply us with electricity, and grappled with the situation until he damaged his own health. I pray for him.
にょっき:
My deepest condolences.
なす:
Thank you for everything you did for us. It was thanks to you that so many people were saved. Rest in peace.
bab_in_cyo:
Yoshida is one of the people I respect. Had it not been for this man’s courage and leadership, then people probably wouldn’t be able to live in eastern Japan right now. My deepest sympathies. I’m praying for you.
Yoshiyuki,T:
Really feels like those people you wish would live the longest die the youngest (>_<)
テンペスト:
As the manager he is responsible for the fact that the accident was not avoided in the first place, but putting that aside, this man was still, without a doubt, a superhero. Rest in peace.
ぶっちゃー
Rest in peace.
Thank you so much for risking your own life to save Japan.
