Roland Buerk said the Japanese government was keen to show its people that nuclear power plants can be operated safely. The UN nuclear energy agency has said Japan underestimated the risk of a tsunami hitting a nuclear power plant.
However, the response to the nuclear crisis that followed the 11 March quake and tsunami was "exemplary", it said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) draft report also said a "hardened" emergency response centre was needed to deal with accidents.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was badly damaged by the tsunami, is still leaking radiation.