I read on Drudge that the nuclear plant in Japan was scheduled to be decommissioned next month, so are the newer generation plants much safer?
Yes. For example, the Toshiba 4s does not require pumps for cooling. The fissile material is embedded in ceramic spheres so that it cannot melt down. It is smaller so that an effective containment structure is easier to construct. It can be removed from the site with a crane, put on a truck, and returned to the manufacturer for service.