Those few who did ask and did understand, and wrote about their speculation about the condition of the plant were branded as "fear-mongering liars" both by the government, the MSM who received tons of advertising money from the electric power companies who run nuke plants all over Japan, and also by a surprising number of ordinary Japanese, usually well-educated and therefore very trusting of the "official" explanations.
Anyway, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency now says a huge amount of hydrogen was generated only a few hours after the fuel rods started to get exposed in the Reactors 1, 2 and 3.
Maybe they've finally read the entries in English Wikipedia about "corium".
And always remember this PM assistant who said "We knew it was meltdown from the beginning, we didn't feel like announcing it", and the MSM who let him get away with it.
(That assistant, Goshi Hosono, is visiting the US (the link is in Japanese) to "exchange" information with high-ranking US officials. He will then go to the UK and France, steadfast supporters and promoters of nuclear energy along with the US and Japan.)
From Yomiuri Shinbun (9:43PM JST 6/8/2011):
経済産業省原子力安全・保安院は、東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故が発生した際、１～３号機の炉心損傷が始まった直後の数時間で、最大約１トンもの水素が急激に発生したとする解析結果をまとめた。
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) analyzed the data that suggests the maximum 1 ton of hydrogen gas was rapidly generated within few hours that the fuel rods in the Reactors 1, 2 and 3 started to get damaged at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.大部分が数時間のうちに発生しており、原子炉建屋の水素爆発につながったとみられる。
The majority of the hydrogen gas was generated within the first few hours, which probably led to the hydrogen explosions in the reactor buildings.
解析結果によると、１号機では地震発生から約２時間後の３月１１日午後５時頃、原子炉の水位が低下して燃料棒が露出。その１時間後、核燃料を包む被覆管の成分であるジルコニウムと水が反応して水素が出始め、数時間のうちに総量約１トンの大半が発生したとみている。
According to the NISA's analysis, the water level in the Reactor Pressure Vessel at Reactor 1 started to decline at about 5:00PM on March 11, 2 hours after the earthquake. The fuel rods started to get exposed, and one hour later zirconium in the cladding started to interact with water, generating hydrogen gas. Within few hours, most of 1 ton of hydrogen gas was generated.
２号機では１４日午後８時頃、３号機では１３日午前１０時頃から水素が発生した。いずも燃料棒が露出し始めてから２時間程度しかたっていない。発生量はそれぞれ最大で０・８トン、１トン。
Hydrogen gas started to get generated at about 8:00PM on March 14 in Reactor 2, and at about 10:00AM on March 13 in Reactor 3. In both cases, it took place within 2 hours after the fuel rods started to get exposed. The amount of hydrogen gas in Reactor 2 was 0.8 ton, and 1 ton in Reactor 3.