Alas, this very important subject gets short shrift in this misleadingly titled, hastily cobbled together assessment of the causes and consequences of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. Less than one-third of the entire book deals with events since last March 11, and it is far better on the political economy of Japan's bureaucratic institutions than on the nuclear crisis. She concludes that prospects for scaling back nuclear energy are dim, but has hopes for institutional renovation.
The nuclear crisis seems grafted on to the author's main focus and previous books on Japan's dysfunctional bureaucracy and the collusive and corrosive ties between business, politicians and the bureaucracy.
Her two previous books examine why Japan can't reform and how the bureaucracy and practice of amakudari — "descent from heaven" (former government officials' finding employment in the private sector) — impede and distort such efforts. Amakudari refers to bureaucrats landing post-retirement lavish sinecures at firms they previously supervised in their official capacity, a clear conflict of interest that comes at the expense of the public interest they are meant to serve. It is argued that bureaucrats tend to exercise their authority to curry favor with potential future employers, meaning lax supervision.