The Atomic Energy Council (AEC) yesterday pledged to cover all medical expenses incurred during the hospitalization of You Kato, as associate professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University’s Division of Radiological Science, who was in a car accident on Sunday after the conclusion of a radioactivity inspection of Lanyu (蘭嶼), also known as Orchid Island.
“According to the hospital where professor Kato is being treated, the surgery went smoothly and he is making a good recovery and could be discharged within a week. Medical expenses are estimated to be more than NT$100,000,” Fuel Cycle and Materials Administration deputy director Shao Yao-tsu (邵耀祖) said yesterday.
Kato and another Japanese academic, J.F. Oberlin University professor Katsumi Nakao, visited Taiwan at the invitation of the council to join five Taiwanese nuclear specialists and personnel from the council-affiliated Radiation Monitoring Center to conduct a two-day survey of the island’s radiation levels on Saturday and Sunday.
Kato and Nakao made the trip following a three-day radioactive survey they carried out on the island, which is home to the nation’s only nuclear waste storage facility, at the invitation of environmentalists from Taitung County in early September, after the island was severely battered by Typhoon Tembin.
The academics were scheduled to first carry out an on-the-spot survey on Saturday, before presenting their findings at Langdao Elementary School on Sunday to Lanyu residents who have become increasingly unhappy about possible radioactive pollution on the island.
Shao said after the academics explained their findings to Lanyu residents as planned on Sunday morning, they headed to the Lanyu Airport for a flight to Taitung, where they were due to attend a press conference.
“Unfortunately, professor Kato got into an accident on his way to the airport, but was rushed to the Mackay Memorial Hospital’s Taitung Branch for emergency treatment,” Shao said.
In response to criticism of the council for being indifferent to Kato’s injuries, Shao said the council immediately requested Taiwan Power Co Taitung division chief Chiu Ching-hui (邱慶輝) to visit Kato at the hospital upon learning about the crash.
“The council also offered NT$6,000 in consolation money to professor Kato and pledged to cover all medical expenses,” Shao said.
Turning to the radioactivity inspection, Shao said a high-precision high purity germanium detector was employed during the two-day survey of the island and that radiation levels on the island were found to be normal.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday lauded the council’s move to solicit funds for Kato’s medical bills, adding he wished Kato a speedy recovery.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS