This is an interesting, well written book that describes what happened when a tsunami hit the Fukushima nuclear plant area following an earthquake and outlines the repercussions which might occur when another large earthquake strikes Tokyo, also has many insights into Japanese culture and government

The book is bundled with researched stats. It discusses and diagnoses the 2011 reactor explosion in great detail The writing style is quite straightforward where Mr Smyth introduces the Japanese culture, the technological advancement Japan has made in seismological study and the ways it has devised to curb the impacts. The book revolves around two focal points - the Fukushima & a pending Tokyo earthquake and the impacts of nuclear reactor explosions that can be triggered by these earthquakes.
Mr Smyth discusses the severe drawbacks of harnessing nuclear energy - not just in terms of catastrophes that it can trigger (or has triggered in case of Fukushima) during uncontrollable chain reaction when all cooling systems fail, but also in terms of actual ROI when compared to actual investment required for its construction & uranium enrichment and how much energy it finally ends up producing. Fukushima acts as a prime example of all that can go wrong with nuclear reactors. Fukushima, by Mr Smyth's estimation', is world's most expensive natural disaster.
Tokyo is probably world's densest metropolitan city in the world and is also home to good chunk of Fortune 500 company headquarters. Since, Japan's economy and political environment is quite hierarchical and bureaucratic, an economic crash in Tokyo can trigger a world-wide slowdown as Japan, (specifically Tokyo) controls a huge chunk of supply chain management. The pending, possibly the most disastrous, earthquake in Tokyo can send the world economy to a wild spin with its impact leading to huge amounts of debts incurred by affected governments.
There is a subtle undertone of global warming and climate change throughout the book. The book voices the general sentiment that we need to be very cautious about how we produce and use the energy with the least amount of environmental impact and how some of the big corporations are forgetting that what are they doing to the environment to make some short-term gains, instead of thinking for the long-term solutions.
Overall, with the amount of information the book reflects upon would be a good candidate for a 2 hour documentary with visual presentations, which would make the points the book ponders upon, more impactful.

This book touches on subjects that I do not come across when dealing with the Japanese culture - its dark side and how it contributes to a national disaster that is the Fukushima meltdown... and through it all, how inaction will bring about a painful future.
While the title may lead you to think of simply a disaster befalling just Japan alone, the author links the concept of nuclear power with the whole world. As Japan grasps at the weak support for nuclear power, so do the rest of the world, in thinking that nuclear power is indeed a green power. However, who thinks of the powers behind the structure (being focused on power), or of what nature can provide us as we are depleting our resources quicker than the replacing power.
In all, this book is about corruption and tunnel vision. With Fukushima as an example, we are all reminded that when we do things, we should cast our sights further than with simply money and power as the sole motivator.

I'm glad the author wrote this book. Nuclear energy is not without it's issues. I have wondered since the beginning just how safe these power plants actually are. Well, we know now. Scary days on the planet. Yes, a couple good big quakes take these things out and we will ALL have a very big problem. I am sure it will cause major issues with world economies as they do seem frightfully fragile at this time. Great read. Points out a lot of heart stopping man made flaws on the planet. Yeah, us.

Tony Smyth has done his research. This book is full of facts and figures, with a good deal of opinion thrown in as well. His writing style is not too fussy, so I got into the cadence of words quickly while remaining interested throughout the litany of numbers. First off, I learned a good deal about seismic activity and how the buildings in Japan are created to withstand earthquakes. Some structures have fluid filled “shock absorbers” or sliding walls while others have complex structural cross-bracing which is designed to buckle while absorbing seismic energy.

Despite these measures, nothing could prevent the nuclear meltdown that occurred at the Fukushima power plant because there was no way to protect against the tsunami that devastated the area post-quake. Thousands of lives were lost, towns were washed away, and the land was (and still is) overrun with radioactive isotopes.

The author notes that the total costs of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns of 2011 make those events the world’s most expensive natural disaster. There are a lot of absolutes in this book, yet the author remains fairly neutral about nuclear power. There are plenty of reasons (global warming, cost of disposal, impact on the planet) to seek out alternatives, yet Smyth balances his words well and merely uses them as a warning, not a condemnation. More concerning are the politics of how the reactors came to be, regardless of the fact that many of them are superfluous.

The author speaks from experience; he lives in Japan and is familiar with the socio-economic climate and Japanese culture. Despite the business-heavy title, each facet of the country and the disaster is discussed in plain language that cannot help but affect the reader. Smyth heavily includes the human element, with heart-wrenching stories of parents waiting in vain for their children to get home or children worried about their elderly parents in the flood zone.

My main takeaway from this book was not fear for the future of Japanese business; instead, it was fear for the future of mankind and our planet. The section of the book concerning global warming was extremely edifying, and as a result, I will personally make an effort to reduce my global footprint.

I feel this is an important book to read on so many levels. Please pick up your copy here.