I wrote: ">>> Please note they concur with the NIST findings. >> >> And - you know this, how? > > I know this because I read Japanese newspapers and watch the NHK news."
To be accurate, this is more a case of the dog that has not barked. Let me explain. The Japanese blogosphere and tabloid magazines are chock full of 9/11 conspiracy theory. Several Japanese bloggers believe that the US government used cold fusion to destroy the towers, and they have written to me for confirmation. (They read about cold fusion explosions in the Japanese edition of my book, a subject I sometimes regret mentioning.) If someone in the Japanese government or an organization similar to UL were to go before the microphones and say one word in support of the conspiracy theories, or express doubts about the NIST conclusions, you can bet it would be on the front page of every newspaper and the lead story in the seven o'clock news. As I said, those people hold no brief for NIST. They are not under the control or influence of Dick Cheney. If they felt there is a problem, they would say so. The opposition party in particular has been very critical of the U.S. administration and the LDP support for it, and they would go out of their way to discredit it. The effects of the 9/11 attacks are everywhere in Japan, and much on people's minds. Buses, stores, ferry boats and the public library smack in the middle of nowhere in rural Yamaguchi have notices saying "Due to increased security concerns after the 9/11 attacks . . ." bla, bla, as if the denizens of Al Qaeda are going to blow up the 6:00 a.m. ferry from Yanai to Matsuyama. (And don't try telling the ferry boat crew "that's ridiculous!") People farthest from a threat sometimes fear it the most. - Jed
