Japanese accidents - remarkable media bias

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@aecl.ca>]

Compared to the Tokaimura nuclear fuel fabrication plant accident last year,
the Ojima chemical plant explosion last Saturday received very limited media
coverage - and it seems to have ended completely by Monday of this week. 
BBC News in particular had a long running series of feature articles on the
former, but for some reason needed only four sentences to completely cover
the latter event...
Will there be calls to scale back the Japanese chemical industry etc. ?
Industry & regulatory authority bosses' resignations ? Criminal charges ?
....don't hold your breath.

Jaro
frantaj@aecl.ca

http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia%2Dpacific/newsid%5F785000/
785362.stm
Sunday, 11 June, 2000, 08:33 GMT 09:33 UK 
Investigation begins into Japanese chemical explosion
An investigation has began into an explosion at a chemical plant in Japan on
Saturday which killed four people and injured twenty eight others. 
The explosion happened at the Nisshim Chemical Company in Ojima, sixty two
miles north of Tokyo. 
Firefighters are sifting through the wreckage after a huge blaze. 
Police they're also questioning the management of the plant, where there was
a similar explosion two years ago. 

http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/asia/cna/article.html?s=asia/headl
ines/000611/asia/cna/Four_dead__27_injured_in_Japan_s_chemical_plant_explosi
on_.html
Sunday, June 11 12:00 PM SGT 
Four dead, 27 injured in Japan's chemical plant explosion
A chemical plant exploded on Saturday north of Tokyo, killing four workers
and injuring at least 27 people and shattering the windows of nearby homes. 
The four workers killed were inside the plant run by Nisshin Chemical Co.,
but it was unclear what kind of work they were doing, police said. 
Four other workers in the plant at the time of the blast were hospitalised. 
One person lost an ear from the blast in Gunma Prefecture, about 100
kilometres north of Tokyo. Many of the others were cut by flying pieces of
glass. 
The chemical that exploded was hydroxylamine mixed in a water solution,
Ojima city official Eichi Kanai said. Hydroxylamine is used to remove oxygen
from another substance. 
NHK TV said the plant made medical and agricultural chemicals. 

http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/asia/afp/article.html?s=asia/headl
ines/000610/asia/afp/Explosion_rips_through_chemical_plant__killing_three__i
njuring_25.html
Saturday, June 10 8:54 PM SGT 
Explosion rips through chemical plant, killing three, injuring 25
TOKYO, June 10 (AFP) - 
A powerful explosion ripped through a chemical plant in Japan Saturday,
killing at least three people, injuring 25 others and leaving two missing,
police said.
The explosion in Gunma, 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Tokyo, took place
at Nisshin Chemical Co. Ltd. around 6:10 pm (0910 GMT), and local
firefighters were struggling to rescue people, a police spokesman said.
"Fire completely engulfed the plant and it spread to a nearby convenience
store," the spokesman said.
Around 9:30 p.m. (1330 GMT) the fire was still raging and the explosion
"completely gutted the plant," he said.
The blast caused power failures at more than 200 households and shattered
many shop and car windows, the spokesman said.
No toxic gas was released from the explosion, he added.

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