The Tokai nuclear accident was caused and mishandled by the central government, which has propagated a "nuclear safety myth" and failed to build up adequate emergency measures, Tokai Mayor Tatsuya Murakami said Friday.
At a Tokyo news conference, Murakami, 56, said the government's negligence and failure to educate people of the possible danger of nuclear facilities is the main cause of the accident and subsequent turmoil in the village.
The government and operators of nuclear-related facilities have tried to create a myth that nuclear power generation is safe in response to criticism of the nation's nuclear policy, especially since a series of accidents and related scandals beginning in 1995, Murakami said.