The reactors inside the No. 1 plant are full of unknown challenges. We have no choice but to use our available knowledge to create robots that can deal with these problems.

The quote is a non-sequitur. It is hyperbole.

I can think of a lot of worse things for a government to spend money on, but making an appeal this way is just wrong. Let's parse it, shall we?

"full of unknown challenges" How would we know that? It is unknown, right? And if they are unknown... let's just do everything to be sure.

"We have no choice" Well, yes we do. The reason you are on an ADVISORY committee is because people have choices to make based on your opinions. Of course we have choices.

"robots... deal with" Oh. Right. Let's let THE ROBOTS deal with the problems. The robots can't do jack. People have to deal with the problems.

Ugh. This is an academic. Pandering. The worst kind. Tell you what. Let's just keep doing what we are doing because there are plenty of technologies coming down the pike. The more we use panic to ask for money, the worse off technology will be. I propose that the stance of Japan's leaders should be to SHOW people that technology is useful and that people are competent. That might not be best for budgets or headlines, but Japan does best when it relies upon itself.

I am fully confident that Japan has all the resources it needs to solve the technical problems with Fukushima Daiichi. Unfortunately, Japan's PR machine cannot compete with hysterical housewives. Whipping up the housewives with hyperbole is not helping matters.

5speed, it wasn't "hysterical housewives" who caused these disasters.

And your decision to ridicule the author seems to be based on much, of which you are unaware. The radiation is at 540 Sieverts. You will get a lethal dose in less than one minute. We have to use robots.

They have not gotten very far as of yet.

The conditions inside the three severely-damaged reactors are unknown, and what is known is surprising. Therefore, the challenges we will face are still unknown.

The reactors inside the No. 1 plant are full of unknown challenges.

When then maybe you ought to not turn on the nukes at all and go for solar instead, hm?

Saw in another article where, if attacked, the North Koreans might take aim at Japan's nuclear facilities ... either by missiles or on-the-ground terrorist-like attacks. There's enough trouble here with the Fukushima fiasco ... and if the North Koreans do retaliate against a yet-to-happen attack on them, there could be even more nuclear problems to deal with down the road. So ... just shut down all the nuclear reactors ... get rid of them entirely ... and try safer forms of generating electrical power.