Originally published at The Telegraph
Can it really be true that Lady Judge, a wafer-thin 68-year-old with a ruffed collar and a French bun, is the saviour of Japan’s nuclear industry – and, arguably, its economy too?
Granted, the American-born Brit radiates formidability: her glance, down an immaculately powdered nose, has the penetration of a gamma ray. And she was once dubbed “The Atomic Kitten” by Private Eye. But let’s face it, the Japanese aren’t known for taking their problems to foreigners, especially not to women.
Yet for 16 months Judge has been advising the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) on handling its most toxic problem: the Fukushima nuclear power plant.