Reporters challenged Japanese official Yasuhiro Sonoda to drink water from the quake-leveled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, and today he did.  "Yasuhiro Sonoda appeared nervous and his hands shook as he downed a glass during a televised news conference," reported the BBC. "The water he drank was taken from puddles under two reactor buildings. It is decontaminated before being used for tasks such as watering plants."  Sonoda, the parliamentary secretary, offered his thoughts on the demonstration (or act of sheer bravery depending on which reports you're reading). "Just drinking (decontaminated water) doesn't mean safety has been confirmed, I know that," Sonoda told reporters and The Telegraph. "Presenting data to the public is the best way."  Despite Sonoda's water sipping, fully decontaminating Fukushima's 12-mile no-go zone is expected to take decades, adds The Telegraph. 

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Alexander Abad-Santos