You're right about that. Most people who are against nuclear power have no idea what they're talking about... (not that I have either, but anyway) especially in case of Japan. How do you think you'd get enough energy for 126 million people? Japan would go back to stone age without nuclear power.
The current problem is not that they use nuclear power, nor is it that there has been a disaster (that's in the past, no use crying over that anymore), but that the Japanese government has been, apparently, feeding kids with radioactive food and playing with people's health. The Japanese society, which is built on power distance, collectivity, proudness, and harmony, prevents the government from taking effective actions and handling the situation openly. This is also the reason why teachers in schools in Fukushima force kids to eat anything the government is serving them, and to attend school in areas that may be dangerous... and the kids have to obey unless they want to be bullied to death and made outsiders (which is the worst thing that can happen to a person in Japan, because in Japan it's almost impossible to live without strong networks).
On the other hand, Japan can't exactly start strirring up panic either. So there's a justifiable limit to honesty, too. But as it seems, the Japanese authorities are more concerned saving their own asses than the asses of common people.
The Japanese mainstream media is also notoriously inefficient in spreading the truth. The whole system is based on exclusive press clubs - that means the government, the police, politicians, and companies are the primary information source for them. This information is only given to members (or in case of many politicians to reporters who are their personal buddies) - which means the authorities can, and often do, ask the press not to spread unwanted information. Doing active research is almost forbidden - a media that was publishing unwanted information would be expelled from the press clubs, which would basically be the end if that publication.
This is the reason why many Japanese people were following foreign media during the nuclear disaster... they were hoping the foreign media would tell them what the Japanese media isn't.
Now, we can only hope that the critics are exaggerating as much as the officials are trying to downplay it. Unfortunately, as it is, random web critics are probably a more reliable source of information that the Japanese government / mainstream media...
edit: in today's new
Ban on beef shipments lifted
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110826a1.html
(I never found out who the dear friend who was protecting people from me was)
