Imagine if there were news bulletins one day last year that a global terrorist group such as ISIS had pulled off an attack in Asia that has claimed more than 1,200 lives, sickened thousands more, and displaced even more people from their homes. Can you imagine the breathless, non-stop coverage on cable news channels such as CNN or the Fox News Channel? All the interviews with devastated family members, anguished refugees and concerned officials? But such a tragedy did take place in Japan, where the death toll from the March 11, 2011, nuclear accident caused by a massive earthquake and tsunami continues to rise. Of course, radiation is a silent killer and it often works slowly -- which in a way makes it even more terrifying than a fiery attack by armed humans. As the world observes the 4th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe -- one of the two worst in human history -- the numbers provide a sense of perspective:
A fresh report in Japan shows the number of deaths by radiation from the country’s Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in 2011 increased by 18 percent last year.
The report published on Tuesday by the Japanese newspaper ...
