Asian Insider Sept 19: Fukushima disaster - 3 nuclear executives acquitted of negligence

Hi,

In today's bulletin: A highly-anticipated Court verdict in Japan raises eyebrows; what will Saudi Arabia and the US do if Iran is behind the oil attack?; Hong Kong's Carrie Lam proposes a meeting with the public; and more.

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Some eight years since a tsunami that struck Fukushima triggered a major disaster at the Tepco nuclear plant, three executives of the power company running the plant have been cleared of wrong-doing. The defendants successfully argued that they did not ignore internal studies warning of the damage a tsunami could cause the plant, saying the reports were unreliable and they could not have foreseen the disaster. The highly-anticipated verdict sent shockwaves through the country. After all, this was the only criminal prosecution to emerge after the disaster and Japan has a very high rate of conviction for cases that make it to trial.

Get up to speed: Fukushima criminal case: A timeline of a nuclear disaster

See also: A special report on how Fukushima was coping five years after the disaster

As Saudi Arabia and the US doubled down on assertions that Iran was behind the strike on the world's biggest crude oil processing facility, focus is starting to turn on what both countries should do about it. Saudi Arabia today showed drone and missile debris that it said amounted to undeniable evidence of Iran's involvement. And if concrete evidence emerges that the strikes were launched from Iran, Riyadh and Washington will feel even more pressure to act. US President Donald Trump's remarks today indicate that he is reluctant to respond with military aggression, saying there were many options short of the the "ultimate" one - going to war with Iran.

What was said today: Trump says there are many options short of war with Iran after attack on Saudi oil plant

Today, we take a quick look at key numbers in the ongoing haze crisis.

230: Number of people arrested today, suspected of starting fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

10 years: The maximum jail term for someone convicted of setting fires to clear land.

42: The number of companies who have had plantations sealed off by the Indonesian government.

14,000: The number of officers fighting fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

328,724ha: The amount of rainforest in Indonesia consumed by fires. That is land equivalent to 4.5 times the size of Singapore.

See also: What's with all the different air quality readings?

For the first time since mass unrests started nearly 4 months ago, Hong Kong's embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam will attempt a community dialogue. In a statement, she said the dialogue on Sept 26 is aimed at reaching out, to allow the public to express their views to the government. The session is limited to 150 people, who will be chosen by ballot if those who want to attend exceed the number of spaces. Given the current acrimony between protesters and authorities, it will take some doing to prevent this session from being disrupted.

Recycling and bringing your own bags to the supermarket too much effort? Researchers have a new idea: blow up an asteroid to create a dust cloud to block the sun. "It is analogous to standing in the middle of your living room and smashing a vacuum cleaner bag, only at a much larger scale," one researcher explained.

Panda death controversy: Chinese experts arrived in Thailand to investigate the death of a beloved giant panda, zoo officials said on Thursday (Sept 19), as millions of netizens in China questioned the cause of the male bear's sudden demise.

Unity government in Israel?: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (Sept 19) called on his main rival, former general Benny Gantz, to join him in a broad, governing coalition after Israel's election that threw up no clear winner.

WTO: Singapore is committed to working with like-minded partners to strengthen the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said in a statement on Wednesday (Sept 18). It also stressed that Singapore has not sought special and differential treatment in WTO negotiations, and will not seek such treatment in future talks.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow.

Jeremy