Tokyo, July 9: Masao Yoshida, the man who risked his life at Japan's crippled nuclear power plant when it was spiralling into meltdowns, has died of cancer of the esophagus. He was 58.
Officials at Tokyo Electric Power Co. however claimed Mr Yoshida's illness was not related to radioactive exposure.
Mr Yoshida led efforts to stabilize the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami knocked out its power and cooling systems, causing triple meltdowns and massive radiation leaks.
Recalling the first few days when the three reactors suffered meltdowns in succession, Mr Yoshida later said, “There were several instances when I thought we were all going to die here. I feared the plant was getting out of control and we would be finished.”
Mr Yoshida was a tall, outspoken man with a loud voice, who wasn't afraid of standing up to authorities, but also known as a caring figure to his workers. Even then Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who was extremely frustrated by TEPCO's initial lack of information and slow handling, said after meeting him that Mr Yoshida could be trusted.
Mr Yoshida stepped down as plant chief in December 2011, citing the cancer, after workers had begun to bring it under control. TEPCO spokesman Yoshimi Hitosugi said he died on Tuesday morning at a Tokyo hospital.
Mr Yoshida brought workers together and kept their spirits up to survive the crisis, and had expressed hopes of returning to work for Fukushima's recovery even after falling ill, TEPCO President Naomi Hirose said.
“He literally put his life at risk in dealing with the accident,” Hirose said in a statement. “We keep his wishes to our heart and do utmost for the reconstruction of Fukushima, which he tried to save at all cost.”
