Waves crash into Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant during the tsunami in March last year, triggering the worst atomic disaster since Chernobyl.<br/> <br />But a new report said on Thursday that the crisis developed into a "man-made" preventable disaster.<br/> <br />An independent commission appointed by Japan's parliament said in their final report that the catastrophe was the result of "collusion" between the government, regulators and the plant operator.<br/> <br />The report underscored the cosy ties among these groups that critics have blamed for turning a natural disaster into a man-made crisis.<br/> <br />The commission pointed to numerous missed opportunities to take steps to prevent the disaster.<br/> <br />Operator Tepco came under heavy criticism in the report, including for putting cost-cutting steps ahead of safety measures.<br/> <br />The panel also pointed to problems in the response of then prime minister Naoto Kan.<br/> <br />The report - which involved over 900 hours of interviews and over a thousand people - is the first of three probes looking into the disaster.<br/> <br />Simon Hanna, Reuters.
