Japan has been shaken by two successive tremors lately and one is reminded of the tremor-tsunami combined tragedy of Fukushima. Although no nuclear plants were hit this time around, the possibility and danger is always present as Japan has many of these facilities.

This week the world was also reminded of the catastrophe of Chernobyl which happened 30 years ago in 1986 and estimates of the death toll vary from a few hundred to thousands of people. It remains the most disastrous and tragic since nuclear plants went into operation. In this regard France appears to have the best nuclear safety record and many nations look to French Technology for safer nuclear plants.

In the wake of Fukushima, Japan’s recent quakes are a worrying factor as prediction or analysis of tremors and tsunami is not an exact science. It appears that good planning and preparedness in case of another Fukushima, is the best option open to Japan. As is well-known Japan is in the epicentre of a seismic and volcanic zone in the Eastern Pacific.

As a world leader in robotics, Japan has the advantage of using advanced and innovative technology to tackle problems unleashed by strong earthquakes that damage or endanger nuclear plants. Robots can be used to repair or set right systems that have gone awry or faulty due to the tremors.

Sending people to work on the damaged nuclear plants, as was the case with Fukushima, and exposing them to radiation only endangers the workers no matter how much they are driven by altruistic or nationalistic urges.

For Japan, robots should be at the ready as Japan depends on nuclear energy for its power needs. As a leader in robotics, Japan can create even more sophisticated robots through research and innovation that could be useful for not only nuclear plants, but also for other dangerous search and rescue (SAR) missions in seismic and volcanic activity prone Japan and also worldwide.

Nuclear energy carries with it great risks but for the present there is no better option for Japan and many other countries.