When I contemplate China's plan to build as many as 135 nuclear reactors, I'm transported back to that harrowing March 2011 week when Fukushima No. 1 was melting down.

At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, a magnitude-9 earthquake struck 278 km northeast of Tokyo. Within hours, rumors of radiation-leakage began spreading. Word was that the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant had been hit hard by the trembler and resulting tsunami. Around 8:15 that evening, the government confirmed our worst fears, declaring an emergency 217 km north of the capital. Two hours later we learned the plant's cooling system had failed; authorities admitting they, too, were "bracing for the worst." The word "Chernobyl" quickly began trending in Japanese cyberspace.

And then, the spin machine kicked into action. Aside from the odd press report — and admission by Tokyo Electric Power Co. that radioactive substances "may" have leaked out — Japanese officialdom and its compliant media agreed on a script: our nuclear facilities are state-of-the-art and safe, and the public needn't worry. NHK put on a parade of academics, armed with charts and scientific jargon, to say all's well. Even though explosions at Fukushima No. 1 were aired live on television, the media message was don't panic.