日本2011核危机恐将持续多年

Japan is breathing a slight sigh of relief after official word the crippled reactors at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant are now in a "cold shutdown" state. That means the water used to cool the damaged nuclear fuel rods is remaining below the boiling point, preventing the highly radioactive fuel from re-heating. But with a massive radioactive cleanup job unfinished - and possibly lasting decades - few have much reason to celebrate as 2011 comes to an end.

在日本官方称福岛1号核电厂受损的核反应堆目前处于“冷却关闭”的状态后，日本稍微松了一口气。这代表用来冷却受损核燃料棒的水温低于沸点，以免辐射性高的燃料重新燃起。虽然大批辐射清理工作都还没完成，而且可能得花上几十年才能完成，但在2011年年终之际还是有一些值得庆祝的。

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami killed 20,000 people in northeastern Japan. Not only did the disaster trigger the meltdown of three reactors at the coastal Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, it also reignited debate about the risks of atomic energy.

3月11日的地震和海啸在日本东北部夺走了2万生命。这场灾难不仅导致靠海的福岛1号核电厂3个核反应堆熔毁，也再度引发了使用原子能源的风险。

Although no one died of radiation exposure from the Fukushima accident, communities were evacuated. Even those hundreds of kilometers away from the nuclear plant are worried about long-term effects of the higher than normal radiation levels, especially on the health of children.

虽然没有人死于福岛核外泄事件，但当地社区都被疏散。即使远在核电厂数百公里外的居民也担心，高于正常的辐射量带来的长期影响，特别是对孩童健康的影响。

That anxiety is compounded by the detection of radiation levels above the legal limit in Japanese crops, fish and even milk.

这种焦虑因为日本农作物、鱼甚至牛奶的辐射量被验出高于日本法定上限而雪上加霜。

Public confidence has been shaken since the first days of the crisis when the Fukushima plant operator and the government appeared to understate the severity of the disaster.

福岛1号核电厂厂方和政府从第一天似乎就低估灾难的严重性，因而重创了民众的信心。

Roger Cashmore is chairman of Britain's Atomic Energy Authority. The nuclear physicist says the slow flow of information from Tokyo and the apparent withholding of important data during the height of the crisis undermined trust.

卡什摩尔是英国原子能局主席。这位核物理学家说，东京在灾难高峰时期信息流通缓慢，也明显隐藏重要数据，这都破坏了公众信任。

"Transparency is the word. One has got to be completely open about all of this and make sure that shortcuts and things like this can't be taken," said Cashmore. "People, I think, in retrospect have become very concerned about the regulatory system that existed in Japan."

卡什摩尔说：“透明是重点所在。政府对所有这些都必须完全公开，确保没有人走捷径或发生这样的事情。我想大家回溯过去会对日本现存的法规系统忧心忡忡。”

The concern has led to scrutiny of what is dubbed the Japanese "nuclear village" - a cozy community of industry and government regulators as well as a complacent domestic media and powerful politicians.

这种担忧导致大家开始审视日本这个所谓“核村庄”。这个核村庄住着自在的工业和政府规范者，以及安逸的国内媒体和强有力的政治人物。