Fukushima nuclear power plant director steps down suddenly due to ‘illness’
The director of Japan's damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant is stepping down due to illness, with officials refusing to confirm whether his condition is radiation related.
By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo
10:10AM GMT 28 Nov 2011
Masao Yoshida, 56, has been hospitalised for "treatment of illness" and will relinquish his director post at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeast Japan from Thursday.
His sudden departure without a specific medical explanation is likely to prompt speculation surrounding the possible connection between his medical condition and exposure to high radiation levels at the plant.
However, officials at Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), operators of the plant, declined to comment on whether Mr Yoshida's illness was connected to radiation exposure.
"We cannot give you details of his illness because they are private matters," said Chie Hosoda, a spokeswoman for TEPCO. "He is hospitalised where he is able to take time in his convalescence."
Mr Yoshida has been on site at Fukushima Daiichi plant for more than eight months, ever since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out crucial cooling systems and sparked the ongoing crisis.
The power plant is continuing to leak radiation although officials are optimistic that it will be possible to achieve cold shutdown in the reactors on schedule by the end of the year.
Mr Yoshida's sudden illness has come to light only weeks after he addressed journalists allowed into the plant for the first time since the disaster on Nov 12 and revealed his fears in the aftermath of the disaster.
"In my first week immediately after the incident, I thought a few times 'I'm going to die,'" he said at the time.
Referring to the hydrogen explosion hitting buildings around reactors 1 and 3, he added: "I thought it was all over."
Following the recent discovery of his medical condition, Mr Yoshida reportedly sent a message to workers and officials at the plant to explain why he was leaving, according to the Sankei Shimbun paper.
"A condition was discovered during a regular medical check the other day," he said, according to an online Sankei Shimbun report. "I had no choice but to be hospitalised at very short notice for treatment under doctors' advice." His replacement as director is Takeshi Takahashi, who has been in charge of nuclear power plant operations at TEPCO's Tokyo office, located around 140 miles southwest of Fukushima.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8919991/Fukushima-nuclear-power-plant-director-steps-down-suddenly-due-to-illness.html
福島核電廠廠長突因病入院
商業電台 –
5小時前
日本福島第一核電廠三月出現核洩漏以來，一直在前線指揮救災工作的廠長吉田昌郎，突然入院治療。東京電力公司以私隱為理由，拒絕公布他患了甚麼病及他所受的輻射量。共同社引述消息說，相信病情與輻射無關。
吉田被外界稱為「福島死士的指揮官」，他早前透露，在核事故發生後的一星期，曾經有幾次擔心會死亡，但他堅持在現場指揮。
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/%E7%A6%8F%E5%B3%B6%E6%A0%B8%E9%9B%BB%E5%BB%A0%E5%BB%A0%E9%95%B7%E7%AA%81%E5%9B%A0%E7%97%85%E5%85%A5%E9%99%A2-103400534.html
福島一廠廠長住院 病因保密
2011/11/28 21:40
中央社
（中央社記者曹姮東京28日專電）東京電力公司今天宣布，負責處理福島第一核電廠災害善後工作的廠長吉田昌郎因病住院，自12月1日起卸下廠長職位，但是對於他的病因，東京電力公司高度保密。
東電表示，吉田一直到本月14日都在福島核一廠工作，中旬進行健康檢查時發現身體有異狀，21日他向社長報告後，24日住院，東電以「維護個人隱私」為由，拒絕公布吉田的病因與輻射汙染量。
東電幹部松本純一在今天的記者會上表示，「目前還沒有得到最後的確定，但是主治醫師說他的病和輻射汙染並沒有因果關係」。
被問及吉田的離職是否影響核災處理工作時，松本強調，這對現場工作人員來說當然是1大打擊，但是對在今年內達到降溫停止運轉的善後目標不會有影響。
東電今天同時公開了吉田留給核電廠工作人員的話，「由於醫師的診斷，我不得不立刻住院治療，無法繼續擔任廠長職務，必須在這個重要的時期離去」，他還說，「要和從震災以來一直在一起工作的各位告別，真的非常難過，抱歉給大家添麻煩」。
吉田1979年進入東電工作，一直從事核能相關職務，去年6月起擔任福島第一核電廠廠長，311震災發生後，一直在現場帶頭指揮善後處理作業。
本月12日，福島核一廠首度公開震災後廠內災情並接受媒體採訪，當時吉田曾回憶震災後的情景表示，「能做的都做了，但是曾經有好幾次以為自己『活不了了』」。
吉田的職位將由東電原子能經營管理部長高橋毅接替。1001128。
http://news.cts.com.tw/cna/international/201111/201111280879226.html
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