The Fukushima nuclear disaster reflects a failure by the government to learn from Japan's first deadly nuclear accident 15 years ago in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, according to the village's former mayor.
Speaking to around 350 people at a public meeting there Sunday, Tatsuya Murakami said the nation glossed over the Tokai disaster and upheld a "myth" about the safety of nuclear power.
"Japan was caught up in a safety myth, that a serious nuclear accident would not happen in this country," he said.