Kazuo Hizumi was almost unique among reporters who flocked to Tepco news conferences to cover the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Doubting whether Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the government were disclosing enough information about how the catastrophe was unfolding, The Tokyo-based lawyer attended around 100 briefings at the utility through December and continued to put questions to company officials.
"I could take part in the press conferences by presenting my business card, and I continued attending because they did not provide criticial information," Hizumi, 49, said. "I sometimes sought advice from nuclear experts and explored overseas documents about low-dose exposure so I could throw in detailed questions, as I myself am not an expert in these fields."