Lies at Fukushima

Often times during a time of disaster, the government will cover up a horrible situation with lies. These lies are used with the intent to create a perception that the disaster isn't as serious and will calm the public and media down. A perfect example of this is the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan as a result from the 2011 Tohuku earthquake and tsunami. There were only minor injuries caused by the earthquake but when the tsunami hit about 50 minutes later, the water flooded the low-lying rooms which contained the emergency generators. When the flooded diesel generators failed soon after, the power to the pumps that circulated coolant water to keep the fuel rods from melting was cut off. Therefore the next day, the rods overheated causing the nuclear plants to begin exploding and leaking massive amounts of radiation.

This is when the lying started. The TEPCO executives came in and said they had the situation under control and said that the level of radiation released was a manageable amount. The lying soon became obvious when scientists all around the world and the independent press began to investigate. Released readings weren't matching up and the Japanese government's cover ups were beginning to be exposed as false.

So why didn't the Japanese government and TEPCO just tell the truth? They didn't want to be embarrassed and didn't want to deal with all the troubles that are a result of the disaster.
Quite simply they lied because executives will be punished, stock prices will fall, it is bad for business, they receive horrible publicity, and they wanted to avoid legal troubles. All of these reasons were self centered and didn't take into account the lives that were being affected due to the radioactive substances released into the air, soil, and water which people depend on to live. Sadly, even two years later the problem still isn't solved nor does there seem to be any end in sight.