They've admitted incompetence in attempting to keep bad publicity at bay. However, there are so many things that could have been done. Like "earthquake" shut down the reactor. The Self Defense forces have large portable generators, they could have been helicoptered in. A Naval Self Defense ship could have provided power. The US forces could have helped. The problem is that no one is really in charge, or no one is willing to step up, hide and the problem will go away.
When I lived in Japan, I saw this kind of thing, a lot because no one is in charge. No one steps up, everything has to be decided by committee. No one is wiling to seek help, because it would be embarrassing. I'm not blasting the Japanese culture (I am Japanese) but the agreement by a bunch of people is not conducive to immediate emergency response.
Cases in point:
1. 1985 JAL 123, crashed in Gunma. US pilot saw the crash site and said that there were people running or milling around the airplane. Called US base and said they need aircraft to rescue the survivors. US checked with the Japanese government. Japanese said, no, they could take care of it. Japan Self Defense Force helicopter said visibility was too, low, said there were no signs of survivors. Directly contradicting what a US Air Force plane had seen. It took so long to get to the plane, only 4 survived, but one of those rescued were told to keep quite about the event, turns out there were more survivors, however, delay and attempting to hide bad publicity, others died from exposure and shock. US pilot later reveals that he was appalled to see the rescue, had not yet started, when he woke up next morning and turned on the TV. Was ordered to keep quite and not reveal anything. This was learned after he quit the Air Force.
2. Great Hanshin or Kobe earthquake. Bureaucrats, decide that 5:46 A.M. is a bit too early to wake the Prime Minister. Takes 4 days of poor leadership to finally let the Self Defense forces into the area. This of course after denying US Naval, US Air Force, US Army and US Marines (all stationed in Japan) aid or logistics support. US, Swedish and later UK aircraft carriers arrive, denied docking at Kobe (major Japanese port). No need to help and then the aircraft carriers asked if they could at least evacuate their citizens, that was denied.
3. Tunnel collapses, trapping a bus, Hokkaido, February, 1996, (February is the coldest month, and Hokkaido is Northern most major island). After various attempts, all which failed. News asked one of the people there, and asked who was in charge. Those people in charge said no one was, it was a committee. A week later, yes, a week, they seemed surprise there were no survivors. But there was, because they heard the yells for help. See:
http://www.debito.org/furubira.html 
