日本核危机恐将持续多年

Japan is breathing a slight sigh of relief after official word the crippled reactors at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant are now in a "cold shutdown" state. That means the water used to cool the damaged nuclear fuel rods is remaining below the boiling point, preventing the highly radioactive fuel from re-heating. But with a massive radioactive cleanup job unfinished - and possibly lasting decades - few have much reason to celebrate as 2011 comes to an end.

在日本官方称福岛1号核电厂受损的核反应堆目前处于“冷却关闭”的状态后，日本稍微松了一口气。这代表用来冷却受损核燃料棒的水温低于沸点，以免辐射性高的燃料重新燃起。虽然大批辐射清理工作都还没完成，而且可能得花上几十年才能完成，但在2011年年终之际还是有一些值得庆祝的。

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami killed 20,000 people in northeastern Japan. Not only did the disaster trigger the meltdown of three reactors at the coastal Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, it also reignited debate about the risks of atomic energy.

3月11日的地震和海啸在日本东北部夺走了2万生命。这场灾难不仅导致靠海的福岛1号核电厂3个核反应堆熔毁，也再度引发了使用原子能源的风险。

Although no one died of radiation exposure from the Fukushima accident, communities were evacuated. Even those hundreds of kilometers away from the nuclear plant are worried about long-term effects of the higher than normal radiation levels, especially on the health of children.

虽然没有人死于福岛核外泄事件，但当地社区都被疏散。即使远在核电厂数百公里外的居民也担心，高于正常的辐射量带来的长期影响，特别是对孩童健康的影响。

That anxiety is compounded by the detection of radiation levels above the legal limit in Japanese crops, fish and even milk.

这种焦虑因为日本农作物、鱼甚至牛奶的辐射量被验出高于日本法定上限而雪上加霜。

Public confidence has been shaken since the first days of the crisis when the Fukushima plant operator and the government appeared to understate the severity of the disaster.

福岛1号核电厂厂方和政府从第一天似乎就低估灾难的严重性，因而重创了民众的信心。

Roger Cashmore is chairman of Britain's Atomic Energy Authority. The nuclear physicist says the slow flow of information from Tokyo and the apparent withholding of important data during the height of the crisis undermined trust.

卡什摩尔是英国原子能局主席。这位核物理学家说，东京在灾难高峰时期信息流通缓慢，也明显隐藏重要数据，这都破坏了公众信任。

"Transparency is the word. One has got to be completely open about all of this and make sure that shortcuts and things like this can't be taken," said Cashmore. "People, I think, in retrospect have become very concerned about the regulatory system that existed in Japan."

卡什摩尔说：“透明是重点所在。政府对所有这些都必须完全公开，确保没有人走捷径或发生这样的事情。我想大家回溯过去会对日本现存的法规系统忧心忡忡。”

The concern has led to scrutiny of what is dubbed the Japanese "nuclear village" - a cozy community of industry and government regulators as well as a complacent domestic media and powerful politicians.

这种担忧导致大家开始审视日本这个所谓“核村庄”。这个核村庄住着自在的工业和政府规范者，以及安逸的国内媒体和强有力的政治人物。Former U.N. Undersecretary Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs, Nobuyasu Abe (a director at the Japan Institute of International Affairs), says nuclear industry supporters have hampered oversight.

联合国负责武器控制事务的前副秘书长阿部信泰，也是日本国际问题研究所的主任。他说，核工业的支持者阻挠政府监管。

"In Japan, a great number of Japanese politicians receive political contributions from power companies," said Abe. "They may be influenced or they may be hesitant to be critical."

阿部信泰说：“在日本，有些政治人物收到电力公司的政治献金。他们可能因而不愿太批判。”

A former foreign minister and environment minister of Japan is criticizing the official response to the crisis over the past nine months. But Yoriko Kawaguchi, of the opposition conservatives, says the government must not let Tokyo Electric Power Company, known as TEPCO, go under at a time of crisis.

日本一位前外务大臣和环境大臣批评官方过去9个月来对灾难的反应。不过，保守派反对党自民党议员川口顺子说，民主党政府必须阻止东京电力公司在危机时刻破产。

"There is no question, ultimately, that we will survive. We will manage the situation," Kawaguchi said. "TEPCO is almost bankrupt and the government is helping, financial institutions are helping. We have no other choice but to let TEPCO survive and do the work, no matter how long it's going to take."

川口顺子说：“我们最终会生存下来是无庸置疑的。我们将掌控住局面。东京电力公司就快破产，政府在帮忙、金融机构也在帮忙。除了让东京电力公司生存下来并完成工作以外，我们都别无选择，无论这必须花上多久的时间。”

About 80 percent of Japan's nuclear reactors are now offline, mainly for safety inspections.

日本现在大约80%核反应堆都停止运作，大多是因为接受安全检查。

That, along with increasing generation costs and a slowing demand for electricity (with China being the notable exception), has led to nuclear power production globally falling this year, according to the Worldwatch Institute.

But Kawaguchi says Japan, an island nation with scant natural resources, cannot follow Germany, which has decided to shut down all of its nuclear power plants.

但川口顺子说，日本是个资源稀少的岛国，无法跟随德国的脚步。德国已经决定关闭所有的核电厂。

"Without nuclear power generation, it will be difficult for us to keep our economy growing, probably for some years - 10, 20, 30 years to come. Japan is isolated," Kawaguchi said. "We are not like Germany where you can import energy from France where electricity is produced using nuclear power."

川口顺子说：“没有核发电就很难维持未来或许10 年、20年、30年的经济增长。日本是孤立无援的。我们不像德国能从法国进口能源，而法国就是用核发电。”

To maintain economic growth, she says the Japanese government must restore public confidence, which vaporized after the reactor meltdowns. That could turn out to be a task that takes decades to accomplish.

为了维持经济增长，她说，日本政府必须重拾公众的信心。公众的信心在核反应堆熔毁后瞬间消失。结果可能要花上几十年才能完成这个任务。