Officials with Shiga Prefecture have extended their nuclear disaster preparedness zone, around local nuclear power plants, beyond the 30 kilometer (18.64 miles) radius recommended by the central government.

They made their decision after meeting with officials from Japan’s Self Defense Forces.  The JSDF is actually the best trained for nuclear accidents, because of their NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) warfare training.

In the days immediately following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the JSDF were brought in because it became clear they were the only ones who had the specific training to get close enough to the GE designed disaster reactors.

They were the ones that said Fukushima Daiichi was a Chernobyl level disaster, especially after one of the reactors blew up as the JSDF NBC teams moved in.  One of their vehicles was destroyed, luckily the crew got out.

They then tried dropping water by helicopter, but the radiation levels blasting straight up into the sky was too much, and they called off the water drops. The JSDF had learned from the Chernobyl disaster, and tried bolting extra metal plates to the bottom of their helicopters, but it wasn’t enough.

It was then the firefighters were sent in, essentially as suicide teams, to get water pouring onto the exposed spent fuel pools.

So, when Shiga prefectural leaders talked to the JSDF about how big a nuclear disaster zone should be, they were talking to people who know first hand.  Not like those BS artist corporate officials.

Their disaster zone is now 43 km (26.7 miles) radius.  They’ve also changed their policy regarding the distribution of iodine. Before, it was to be distributed to people within 50 km (31 miles) of the nuclear reactors.  Now it will be distributed to the entire Prefecture!