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December 21, 2011

U.S. Nuclear Safety Chief Visits Fukushima Plant 
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The top U.S. nuclear safety official is backing Japan's claim to have
stabilized the earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power
facility and brought the crisis under control. Speaking after a visit to
the plant, Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, rejected suspicions raised by experts that the plant is not
ready for the next stage of cleanup. Jaczko also said he had learned
from seeing the plant first-hand.

Gregory Jaczko: "A humbling experience for me to go to Fukushima Daiichi
and see the damage to the reactors and to see the damages to the
facilities, but it was also a very inspiring visit because I really got
to see in experience first hand the kind of conditions and efforts that
were made by many of the workers immediately after the accident. Seeing
both the sites, I think, left me two very different impressions, but
both of them really, I think, a recognition of the positives and things
we can learn going forward about how to ultimately reduce the likelihood
of an event like this in the future."



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