April 2, Saturday

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and yesterday, google featured my Daruma san



. . . . .

April fools -
we can not even trust
the measurements

bad beef is now
good beef

facts on NHK World

Angry local farmers and residents are now asking for three independent tests and checks, before such far-reaching announcements about radiation levels in foodstuff are made.


. Fukushima Prefecture 福島県 . 　



Help Japan, Visit Shiraishi Island
"We have no reservations at all for the International Villa this year," says Kazu-chan, the first time this has happened in the 20-year history of the villa.
"Ever since March 11, we have had only cancellations."
source : Amy Chavez, Japan Times


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Gabi reports:

The level at Iitate village is 7.42, Tokyo is 0.103.
. Daily Radiation Levels 　

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Hanami
People are not in the mood for shopping and merrymaking. The sales of the major department stores like Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi are down about 29%.
Car sales are down, about 37% down from last year.
Tokyo has canceled the many Sakura Matsuri cherry blossom festivals, see below.
The festival boats along the Sumida river have received many cancellations, some up to 80%. Now they want to donate part of their fee for relief efforts to encourage customers to come and take a boatride.


Rolling blackouts in Kanto have not occured recently, since people save on energy quite a lot and turn off the lights in the evening.


Beef in Fukushima has been cleared of containing escessive levels of radioactive cesium after a second test. Maybe the lab which did the first test made a mistake? Well, who or what can we trust these days?
The health ministry has questions to answer. The people are really angry about this miss.


Suzuki Motor company, Nissan, Ford and others car makers may be forced to stop the overseas plants, due to lack of getting components. Some will close down for one week. Some plants in America say they have to ship spare parts back to Japan . . .


Prime Minister Naoto Kan gave a speech yesterday, comemorating 3 weeks after the "Great Eastern Japan Earthquake".
. Kan talks to the Nation . 　

Today, he visited Rikuzen Takata in Iwate andl promised support to the survivors.




A dog that had been drifting on a roof after the tsunami hit Kesennuma has been rescued after three weeks.
. Source: 　NHK World


Taiwan raised $128 million in aid for Japan, and a lot of relief goods.
Artists in Hongkong have a great fund-raising charity concert, more than 200 artists taking place. Jackie Chan started this activity. Jackie Chan said he wants to see the Japanese smile again.


Even in Western Japan the influence is felt now.
Some train lines can only run half the number of trains now, since they need regular parts, which they got from Tohoku and they must make do with the amount they have in stock.

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Fukushima:
Workers started spraying some green substance on the ground around the plant in Fukushima in order to contain the spread of contaminated earth particles.

. . . . .

. . . . . at 13:08
Earthquake M 5.2, off Miyagi coast

. . . . . at 16:56
Earthquake M 5.0, Southern Ibaraki

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Bulletins from NHK Online

source : www3.nhk.or.jp

Friday, April 01, 2011 15:39 (yesterday)
Program errors force TEPCO to review all data
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it will review all data on radiation leaked from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, citing errors in a computer program.
The utility says it found errors in the program used to analyze radioactive elements and their levels, after some experts noted that radiation levels of leaked water inside the plant were too high.
The company and the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency say previously released data may have shown the levels of tellurium-129 and molybdenum-99 to be higher than they really were.
But they say that levels of iodine-131, which has a significant impact on humans and the environment, remain unchanged.
Tokyo Electric releases data on radioactivity inside the plant compound and in nearby seawater and soil.
The radioactive substances are believed to be coming from damaged nuclear fuel rods.
The data is crucial for identifying the source of radioactive leaks and assessing their impact on the environment.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has told the company to find out why the errors occurred and to take steps to prevent a recurrence.


Friday, April 01, 2011 19:40 (yesterday)
Tremors exceeded design limits for 3 reactors
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station says 3 of the plant's 6 reactors were shaken on March 11th by tremors exceeding forces they were designed to withstand.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, known as TEPCO, says reactor No.2 suffered the largest horizontal ground acceleration of 550 gals, which is 26 percent stronger than the reactor's design limit.
TEPCO says the readings were 548 gals at the No.5 reactor, about 21 percent higher than its design limit; and 507 gals at the No.3 reactor, topping the capacity by about 15 percent.
The power company says the strength of ground motions were close to or within the design parameters at the remaining 3 reactors, and at all 4 reactors of the nearby Fukushima Daini nuclear plant.
The utility says it was planning to reinforce the reactors so they could withstand horizontal shaking of 600 gals, after the government reviewed their quake-resistance standards 5 years ago. But the work was not finished.
TEPCO says it will continue analyzing the seismic activity in detail.


Friday, April 01, 2011 22:04 (last night)
TEPCO releases new footage of Number 4 reactor
Tokyo Electric Power Company has released new video footage of the Number 4 reactor building at its damaged Fukushima complex.
The utility firm shot the video using a camera installed on the tip of the long arm of a special construction vehicle.
Osaka University Professor Akira Yamaguchi, an expert on nuclear reactors, analyzed the video. He says that a green device used to replace nuclear fuel rods stayed in place without falling into a spent-fuel storage pool, in spite of an apparent hydrogen explosion inside the reactor building.
He also says that vapor from the storage pool reduces as the special vehicle pours water onto it, which contributes to cooling the water in the pool.
Yamaguchi says the top of the reactor building suffered substantial damage, but the structure below the storage pool was hardly affected, as it was more strongly constructed.
He stresses the need to restore the power supply as early as possible to restore the pool's cooling function.
He says at least 90 tons of water a day need to be pumped in to cool the stored fuel rods. The pool in Number 4 reactor building holds over 1,300 spent rods, more than those kept in other units.
He warns that the fuel held there generates just as much heat as is produced by Numbers 2 and 3 reactors.
Yamaguchi says it is essential to keep the temperature low at the storage pool to prevent the fuel rods from being exposed and destroyed.

. . . . . and now to Saturday, April 2

Saturday, April 02, 2011 05:33
Radioactive water may be kept in mega float

Japan's government is deciding if highly radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant can be temporarily kept in a steel mega float or in US military vessels.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to use water tanks to store the radioactive water, but the capacity of these tanks is limited.
Shizuoka City has offered TEPCO a hollow floating platform made of steel to store the water. The mega float is 136 meters long and 46 meters wide, and is currently used as a deep-sea fishing park.
The government is also negotiating with the US military, to see if 2 US barges can be used to temporarily store the radioactive water. The barges were used to transport freshwater that will be used to cool reactors at the nuclear plant.
The government also plans to use 2 ships leased from a private firm.
It says storage of up to 15,000 tons of contaminated water is possible if these ships are used alongside the mega float.
TEPCO and the government are trying to iron out concrete methods of safely transporting and storing radioactive water.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 09:05
Restoring stable cooling systems may take time
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is working hard to restore systems that cool reactors in a stable manner by circulating massive volumes of water.
Currently, freshwater is being poured directly into the reactors and the pools containing spent nuclear fuel rods, to cool them down.
But the plant operator wants to restore the functions of the cooling systems that circulate water inside the reactors and the pools for spent fuel. The freshwater is cooled down by seawater.
On Friday, Tokyo Electric Power Company installed temporary pumps at 4 reactors, from No. 1 to No. 4. The pumps will be used to capture seawater to cool down the circulating freshwater.
But pipes and pumps used to cool the reactors may have been damaged by the quake, and radiation levels in the reactor buildings remain too high to check their condition.
TEPCO says it may take time to restore the cooling systems, as it has to take emergency measures and wait for radiation levels to go down.
It says it will consider developing other cooling methods.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 09:05
Self-Defense Force member dies in relief mission
A member of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force has died after being hospitalized due to poor health during a relief mission in the area affected by the March 11th disaster.
The Defense Ministry says a sergeant major in his 50s died on Friday. He was in the Ground Self-Defense Force's Second Artillery Regiment, based in Asahikawa, Hokkaido.
The ministry says the sergeant major was dispatched to the quake- and tsunami-hit area in the northern part of Iwate Prefecture one day after the disaster. He directed his troops to find missing people and to remove rubble.
On Thursday the sergeant major was hospitalized in Iwate City after saying he felt very bad. He died on Friday morning.
His is the first death among the members of the Self-Defense Forces taking part in relief operations.
Regimental Commander Yasuaki Yamasaka says it's very regrettable that he's lost his subordinate.
The Ground Self-Defense Force has 70,000 personnel supporting relief operations in affected areas.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 09:05
TEPCO speeds up work to remove radioactive water
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is stepping up work to remove radioactive water that hinders the functioning of the cooling systems.
Tokyo Electric Power Company is trying to remove contaminated water from the basements of the turbine buildings of the No.1, 2, and 3 reactors.
At all 3 reactors, TEPCO wants to move radioactive water into storage tanks. But first, uncontaminated water in the storage tanks must be transferred. Work at the No. 2 and 3 reactors is expected to begin on Saturday.
As for the No. 1 reactor, the uncontaminated water in the storage tank will be completely transferred to another one by Saturday afternoon.
On Friday, workers began a test spraying of synthetic resin in areas around the reactors to contain radioactive materials released by hydrogen blasts. Synthetic resin is expected to harden mud and dust.
The same day, 8 monitoring posts to measure radiation levels in the compounds started functioning again for the first time since the quake struck 3 weeks ago.
TEPCO says it will restore the automatic data transmission system so that the information can be made public on its website.
Also on Friday, docked US military barges began providing freshwater to cool the reactors. But work was suspended temporarily after water leaked from a hose.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 09:27
Higher radiation levels on SDF helicopters
Higher than normal levels of radiation have been detected on Ground Self-Defense Force helicopters that flew over the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant even after decontamination.
GSDF sources say hundreds of microsieverts of radiation per hour were detected at engine inlets and other parts of the helicopters, which monitored radiation levels and took aerial pictures of the plant.
The US military has informed the Japanese force that radioactive cesium in particular easily adheres to paint used on helicopters and other vehicles.
The GSDF is trying to ensure that all mechanics will wear protective gear during their work. It is also considering the purchase of new equipment to vacuum up radioactive substances.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 11:03
IAEA reports lower radiation levels in Iitate
The International Atomic Energy Agency says radiation levels in a village 40 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have dropped below its criterion for evacuation.The IAEA announced the result of its analysis on Friday.
The village of Iitate, to the northwest of the plant, is outside the 20-kilometer exclusion zone and the 20-to-30-kilometer alert zone where the Japanese government advises voluntary evacuation.
The IAEA said the average level of radioactive iodine-131 in Iitate's soil was 7 million becquerels per square meter between March 19th and 29th, based on 15 readings by Japanese authorities. It said this was below its evacuation criterion.On Wednesday, the UN nuclear agency said 20 million becquerels of iodine-131 per square meter were detected in Iitate during a similar period, using data obtained by Japanese authorities. It said this was twice its evacuation level.
The IAEA says levels of radioactive substances could change depending on the situation at the Daiichi plant, as well as wind, rain, and other weather conditions. The agency is advising the Japanese government to carefully assess soil data.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 12:20
Massive search continues in northeastern Japan
Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the US military are continuing a massive search for missing people following the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. More than 16,000 remain missing.
25,000 troops from the 2 countries began the search on Saturday, the second day of the 3-day operation.
They are being assisted by Japan Coast Guard personnel and policemen. About 120 aircraft and 60 vessels are also taking part.
The troops are going through coastal areas in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures. The area within a 30-kilometer radius of the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is excluded.
Some 500 SDF members were seen removing debris in a residential area along a canal in a city in Miyagi Prefecture.
Japanese authorities report that 34 bodies were found in coastal areas in the 3 prefectures on Friday.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 17:20
Hanami : Fewer cherry viewing parties in Ueno Park
One of the most popular sites for cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo, Ueno Park, is less crowded than usual this weekend.
The park has put up signboards discouraging people from holding hanami parties under the cherry trees, out of consideration for people affected by the massive earthquake and tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan.
At the park on Saturday, the more than one thousand cherry trees are about 30 percent in bloom. But there are no big crowds like usual.
One visitor said Ueno Park is usually filled with people celebrating the cherry blossom season, and she feels a bit sad to see so few people this year.
Another visitor said he understands that with so many people struggling to cope in the aftermath of the quake, it would not be appropriate to hold parties. He said he wanted to extend his support.
In a usual year, Ueno Park receives more than 1.6-million flower-viewers during the cherry blossom season.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 17:33
Radioactive water leak confirmed

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has identified for the first time a place where high-level radioactive water is leaking into the ocean from the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The power company said on Saturday that water has been seeping from a crack in the wall of a 2-meter deep pit that contains power cables near the reactor's water intake.
Water measuring between 10 and 20 centimeters deep was found in the pit. The radiation level has been measured at over 1,000 milisieverts per hour.
The company says it is preparing to pour concrete into the cracked pit to stop the radioactive water leak.
A senior Nuclear Safety Agency official says the crack could be one of the sources of radioactivity found in the seawater near the water outlet.
He says the agency has ordered TEPCO to test samples of seawater at more locations near the plant and analyze them for different radioactive materials.
In the past week, the radiation detected in water in the basement of the turbine building at the No. 2 reactor was about 100,000 times higher than the normal level.
High-levels of radiation were also found in puddles in a utility tunnel outside the turbine building.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 17:49
High-level radioactive iodine detected offshore
Radioactive iodine twice the country's legal standard has been detected in seawater at a location 40 kilometers south of the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The Japanese Science Ministry on Saturday released the results of a survey based on samples taken 3 days ago. The sample was collected at a spot 10 kilometers off Iwaki City and 40 kilometers from the disabled plant, both in Fukushima Prefecture.
The detected level of iodine-131 was 79.4 becquerels per liter, twice the legal standard for water discharged from nuclear plants.
This is the first time that a radioactive reading that exceeds the legal limit has been detected off the shore of Fukushima Prefecture.
It's believed that the radioactive substances were carried offshore from the plant by a north-south current.
On Saturday, a crack was found in the compound of the nuclear plant through which radioactive water has been leaking into the ocean.
The Nuclear Safety and Industrial Agency says radioactive iodine will be diluted in seawater and does not pose a threat to human health. But it said it will continue to closely monitor the condition.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 19:09
Reserchers:Seabed surge caused higher tsunami
Japanese researchers say the March 11th tsunami may have been amplified by a massive lifting of the seabed within the focus zone of the quake.
The researchers analyzed tsunami data from along the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan and from farther out in the ocean.
The data shows the tsunami was generated from the seabed over an area stretching some 450 kilometers north and south.
In the zone farthest away from the coast, the seabed rose by 5 to 8 meters, covering an area of about 180 kilometers long and 60 kilometers wide.
The data indicates that the belt-like tsunami stretching north and south rolled onto the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan 30 to 60 minutes after the quake.
The group says the closeness of the focus zone to land may have caused tsunami to flow deep inland.
Professor Kenji Satake of the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute says further analysis is needed to see whether similar quakes and tsunami could occur along other coastal areas of Japan.


Saturday, April 02, 2011 21:13
Tap water safe again
Japan's health ministry says test results of tap water show that radiation levels are within safety standards in all municipalities.
However, the village of Ii-tate in Fukushima Prefecture near the disabled nuclear power plant says the situation will have to be monitored for some time. It's calling on residents not to give tap water to infants as a precaution. On Friday, Ii-tate lifted restrictions on tap water consumption.
According to the ministry, 965 becquerels of radioactive Iodine-131 was detected in tap water in Ii-tate Village on March 20th. The reading was about 3 times the national safety standard of 300 becquerels per liter.
However, the measurements fell well below the legal standard at all checkpoints from March 29th.
At all the checkpoints in Fukushima Prefecture, the radioactive Iodine readings are now below the benchmark of 100 becquerels per liter for infants.

All municipalities in the Kanto-Koshin-etsu regions including Tokyo had lifted a ban on tap-water consumption by March 27th. None of the municipalities has imposed any additional restrictions.


French ecology minister visits disaster-hit Sendai
The French ecology minister has pledged emergency assistance to help restore farmland in northeastern Japan that was devastated by last month's earthquake and tsunami.
Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet visited Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture on Saturday. She has been in Japan since Thursday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
... She added that France will provide medium and long-term technical assistance toward recovery, as well as emergency aid of food, medical and other supplies.



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Voices from around

. The Daily Reading List . 　

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quote
Tokyo’s Uncertain Cherry Blossom Time

Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara urged the public to practice self-restraint this year.
Tokyo residents should now display the same kind alliance with those suffering in the disaster-hit areas in northeastern Japan, Mr. Ishihara said.
All around Tokyo official sakura festivities are being put on hold and park signs ask flower viewers to exercise restraint. The annual Sakura Festival at Ueno Park has been suspended. The open space below the sakura trees that line Ueno Park show no signs of the usual bustle that sakura season has arrived. Decorations are absent as are the stocky portable toilet units and garbage cans usually supplied to accommodate the crowds. The festival in Chiyoda ward where over 300 sakura trees are planted, has also been canceled, as have related events at Yasukuni shrine.
source : japanrealtime

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quote
Iodine-131 found in groundwater
Tokyo Electric Co. came under further fire Friday after it was revealed that many of its employees at the damaged Fukushima No. 1 power plant have been working without the protection of dosimeters. It also said radioactivity in groundwater under the compound spiked.


The city of Miyako, Iwate, March last year and now
KYODO PHOTO

source : japantimes.co.jp

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quote
1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami
Yaeyama Great Earthquake at about 8 A.M. on April 24, 1771,
south-southeast of Ishigaki Island, Okinawa.
source : wikipedia.org

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quote 30.03.2011
Die Führung des Energiekonzerns Tepco leistet sich beim Umgang mit den havarierten Atommeilern fatale Fehler.
»Ich denke schon über den schlimmstmöglichen Fall in Fukushima nach, aber mehr darüber weiß nur Gott«, ereiferte sich der japanische Vize-Minister für Wirtschaft und Industrie, Motohisa Keda, zu Wochenbeginn im japanischen Parlament.
... Allmählich aber ergibt sich ein Gesamtbild des japanischen Krisenmanagements in Fukushima, über das immer mehr Experten den Kopf schütteln. Der Hauptvorwurf: mangelnde Verantwortungsbereitschaft. Fehlerhafte Abstimmung und eine unklare Kompetenzverteilung zwischen Regierung, Sicherheitsaufsicht und AKW-Betreibern verhindern koordinierte, durchdachte Aktionen. Am Unfallort werden deshalb lediglich Ad-hoc-Maßnahmen ohne mittel- und langfristigen Plan unternommen.
Zugleich lässt man die Bevölkerung über das mögliche Ausmaß der Katastrophe im Unklaren. Das Ergebnis: Auch nach drei Wochen weiß niemand, auf welchem Weg Radioaktivität aus den Reaktorkernen in die Umwelt gelangt. Auch nach drei Wochen ist die japanische Öffentlichkeit völlig unvorbereitet auf die nun zunehmende radioaktive Verseuchung.
source : www.zeit.de
Banri Kaieda 海江田万里, Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy

. . .

Blickpunkt Japan
Anlass dieser Site ist die große Bestürzung über die dreifache Katastrophe, die Japan im März 2011 getroffen hat.
source : www.blickpunkt-japan.de

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quote
Apokalypse jetzt! Wir Deutschen sollten uns schämen
Nirgends sonst wird so rücksichtslos und falsch über das Atomunglück in Japan geredet wie hier. Eine Empörung.
Ein Vergleich auf Google Trends belegt: In keiner anderen Nation des Westens wurde nach dem 11. März so häufig und intensiv über die Apokalypse gesprochen wie in Deutschland.
... darüber nachzudenken, was "Apokalypse" auf Japanisch heißt.
... Kein Massenumzug von Japanern in die BRD
Air France war die ganze Zeit weitergeflogen
Der Japan-Einsatz des Technischen Hilfswerks
NDR verwendete den Begriff "Wegwerfarbeiter"
... Da war sie auf einmal wieder, die Angst vor dem "Arbeitsstaat Japan" mit seinen unterwürfigen gelben Ameisen, Samurai und Kamikazefliegern.

Fukushima verseucht den Pazifik

MEHR
source : www.welt.de/kultur


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sakura...
the cold wind of January
lingers

pink blossoms...
throwing all cautions
to the wind

Bos Tsip
source : facebook

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Ceux de Fukushima...
Those of Fukushima ...

image floue --
le liquidateur et sa lampe
dans la salle de contrôle

blurred image --
the liquidator and his flashlight
in the control room


Fukushima, 23 mars 2011

. A bilingual sequence by Serge Tome 　

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Love Save Japan - 愛は日本を救う
New York Artists for Japan, NYC

. Reference .


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