Japan committees keep no records of disasters

TOKYO (AFP) - Five government teams dealing with Japan's tsunami and nuclear catastrophes kept no detailed records, an official said on Friday, adding to a growing picture of chaos in Tokyo's disaster response.

Earlier this week, the government said the nuclear disaster task force that ordered tens of thousands of evacuations had no written record of its decision-making process - an essential component of disaster management.

Now the government has admitted having no minutes from a further four emergency committees, an admission likely to worsen the view of Tokyo's response to the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

The five emergency bodies include the main disaster headquarters and the disaster victims assistance team, as well as the nuclear disaster task force, which was headed by then Prime Minister Naoto Kan and included all of his ministers.