Russian official questions Fukushima disaster

Japan’s freak-out over the nuclear disaster at Fukushima might simply be an insurance scam, according to Russia’s top nuclear official.

“It is hard for me to assess why the Japanese colleagues have taken this decision,” Sergei Kiriyenko said, commenting on Japan’s decision to upgrade the severity of the Fukushima disaster this week, according to Reuters. “I suspect this is more of a financial issue than a nuclear one,” he told reporters during a visit to China.

“I guess that maybe it could be linked to the definition of force-majeure with regard to insurance,” said Kiriyenko, the head of state nuclear corporation Rosatom. “I would pay attention to that. It is a bit strange.”

Japan upgraded the severity of the Fukushima disaster to a seven this week, putting it on the same level as the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, the worst the world has ever seen.

It is unclear what data prompted Kiriyenko’s comments. Japanese officials have come under criticism for a lack of transparency in reporting events at Fukushima, which was severely damaged in last month’s tsunami.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that the increased rating does not mean the disaster poses a greater danger, simply that more information has become available.