Nuclear power is probably very safe when it's done properly, however we live in a world that is primarily driven by profit/greed and that leads to cost cutting where possible and scenarios where these types of outcomes become possible.
edit: How/why did Chernobyl occur?
So first, Nuclear Power, today, is incredibly safe, considering most plants are still 1960 Era GEN2's theyve come a long way and have been refined really well. Canada has exported some really good technologies as well as the US (### was a US design IIRC).
Cost cutting measures, simply do not work in this field though. I am a great advocate of Nuclear Power in this country, yet I worry about it being implemented here. Call me bias or scoff if you like, but I wouldnt want any Labor affiliated politician getting within a pen stroke of it. It needs to be 100% bipartisan that the job needs to be done with the BEST contractors.
Do I think there are areas where Nuclear power is high risk? Yes, Japan is one of those areas. Japan and places like New Zealand are areas that Nuclear power should be very very carefully considered, both on the Ring of Fire and both susceptible to Natural Disasters that put it at risk.
Secondly, Chernobyl was a result of Cold War Technology in the hands of idiots who failed to contain and manage the danger and then tried to cover the entire thing up. It was a result of large scale human error (error and blatant lies), very poor procedures and design flaws.
Im afraid that articles like this and the Chernobyl link scare countries like Australia away from progress, people see the title and panic. We should be looking forward about 10-30 years at this point to the development of GEN4 and 5 technologies. Instead, were to busy debating Soviet secrets and Japanese Natural Disasters.
I think the article is fairly clickbaity, firstly, we all know if things went south there, they would have lost Tokyo. Theres nothing groundbreaking here. What this article highlights is the woeful contingencies for a disaster and the procedures and people in roles who cannot handle pressure. To knee jerk and say "Oh thats it, lets shut down Nuclear Power!" is fear at its finest. Japan get Earthquakes all the time, if you rip up the flowers everytime a disaster hit, youd never get anywhere. How about instead of hiring buffoons to head your Nuclear Advisory, hire someone who is oh I dunno, an expert in the field?
Not knowing enough about Japan specifically, I would think there is a good case for Hydro there, but what would they to if not Nuclear? Wind/Solar cannot support their base load.