when it initially happened, my father had put a team together and they were supposed to be the first to go over to help out but that never happened. as you said, the Japanese government couldnt/wouldnt admit failure. they went through countless RFPs with various corporations for work. in the end, the government just picked the best idea and tried to go about it their way-which didnt work. it's sad. and really, the hype on this, if anything, is underplayed. it's much worse than it's made out to be.