To the editor - Letter to the Editor

Japan, Inc., August, 2003 by Oliver Wood

Dear Mr. Kelts,

I greatly enjoyed your "Energy Issue" and was delighted (at long last) to read a full explanation of the many issues surrounding Sakhalin.

I do, however, disagree with your piece on Tepco and the threats of a possible blackout in Tokyo. Your assertion that Tepco's warnings are motivated by a profit motive and the need to switch nuclear power stations back on is probably correct. But this should not distract from the truth of the matter: Tokyo is at serious risk of a blackout. After your article came out, Tepco itself has started to issue daily "power forecasts" on all the major TV channels. It has also spent many hours of precious management time talking to big manufacturing companies and discussing how to get through possible outages.

These efforts all cost Tepco plenty of cash, and unless Tepco is being exceptionally devious, they are not the actions of a company that secretly knows that everything will be all right.

Regards,

--Oliver Wood