Forcing Tokyo Electric Power Co. into bankruptcy so the battered utility can get a fresh start is a notion that has been floated by critics and lawmakers, but it's a bad idea, says Barbara Judge, deputy chairwoman of Tepco's nuclear reform monitoring committee.
Facing huge compensation payments for the public havoc wreaked by the Fukushima No. 1 meltdowns and exorbitant bills for the decontamination and decommissioning work, Tepco has been unable to function as a normal company. This, critics and lawmakers say, could negatively affect morale and performance.
They say that the government should place Tepco into bankruptcy, take charge of the compensation problem and spin off the decommissioning work so a new Tepco can focus on it's core job: providing electricity.