April 22, Friday

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Gabi reports:

Counting the days, friday, it is just 6 weeks after the earthquake today.
Much has been done, but so much more needs to be done.

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People from Takamatsu (that is in Shikoku island) have made flower messages to cheer up the evacuees. They used the pink moss flowers to create a carpet with messages. It looked so soothing, we saw it on TV. They "wrote": Gambaro Nippon.
"Ganbaro Nippon" ("Let's hang in there Japan").
They charge a little bit of money for viewing it, that goes to donations.

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Nuclear power is out - internationally.
The support has fallen drastically, according to WIN-Gallup International.
The influence of Fukushima is now felt worldwide.

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The TIME LIST of 100 famous people listed two from Tohoku.
Katsunobu Sakurai, the mayor of Minami soma City
Takeshi Kanno, a doctor at a hospital in Minami sanriku Town

. Reference .



. . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . at 22:37 last night
Strong Earthquake M 6.0 (6.3), off Chiba coast

. . . . . at 1:11
Earthquake M 5.6, off the coast of Fukushima

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Bulletins from NHK Online

source : www3.nhk.or.jp


Friday, April 22, 2011 02:09
Radioactive level up at reactor water intake
The operator of the troubled Fukushima nuclear power plant says it has detected higher levels of radioactive material in sea water samples near the water intake of one of the reactors.
The Nuclear Safety and Industry Agency says, however, there are no traces of highly radioactive water leaking into the sea from the plant.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company says it detected 1,600 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per cubic centimeter in samples of sea water collected near the water intake for the Number 2 reactor on Wednesday morning. The figure is 4,000 times the national limit and higher than the level detected on Tuesday.
It's the same site where water contaminated with highly radioactive material was found to have been leaking into the sea on April 2nd. The leakage was fixed 4 days later.
TEPCO says it also detected radioactive cesium-134 at 2,300 times the limit and cesium-137 at 1,600 times the limit on Wednesday morning. These levels are also higher than those detected on Tuesday.
The Nuclear Safe and Industry Agency explains that sea water containing highly dense radioactive material is piling up due to a special fence set up in the area to keep the leakage of the contaminated water from the Number 2 reactor water intake. It says it sees no new leakage of highly radioactive water.
TEPCO says the levels of radioactive material are on the decline at the 4 monitoring points off the coast of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The highest level in the latest checkup for cesium-134 is 5.3 times the national limit at a point about 10 kilometers south of the plant.


Friday, April 22, 2011 02:09
Hibakusha call for health management
Survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki say the government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company should take care of the people affected by radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
In a letter of request to the government and the utility firm, the Japan Confederation of Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Sufferers Organizations says all people affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster should undergo health checkups every year. It asks the government and TEPCO to address the health management of affected people in the long-term and in a responsible manner.
The organization, known as Nihon Hidankyo, also says the government should also take the responsibility for compensating people exposed to radiation. It says certificates should be issued in a unified way, rather than at random by local governments, in order to quickly help those affected.
The letter of request also refers to reports of undue discrimination against evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture since the outbreak of the nuclear disaster.
It says people should be informed of accurate information about radiation in order to avoid discrimination.
Hidankyo Secretary General Terumi Tanaka says the government and TEPCO should address the overall health situation as many people are worried about radiation exposure via the air.


Friday, April 22, 2011 02:09
Noda stresses both rebuilding and fiscal health
Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda 野田佳彦 says Japan will continue to work to cut its fiscal deficit while spending money necessary to rebuild eastern Japan, which was struck by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
Noda met Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Development, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Gurria told Noda that Japan needs to recover from the economic slump caused by the disaster but also needs to cut its fiscal deficit. He suggested that revenue reform is needed and the consumption tax should be raised to raise funds for reconstruction.
For his part, Noda said that reconstruction from the disaster is important, but he also said the government should not send the wrong message that fiscal discipline will be loosened. He stressed the importance of mid-term fiscal reconstruction, and said he hopes to build a stronger Japan by continuous effort in a time of crisis.
Japan's fiscal deficit is one of the worst among industrialized countries.


Friday, April 22, 2011 09:32
Lawmakers to explore alternative energy
Japanese lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition camps will soon launch a study group to promote the use of alternative energy.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_15.html



Friday, April 22, 2011 11:51
Toll-free trial to end
The transport ministry will end a trial period for toll-free highways as early as June as a way to finance rebuilding efforts after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_21.html



Friday, April 22, 2011 11:52
Cabinet OKs 1st extra budget for reconstruction
The Japanese government has hammered out a draft supplementary budget of over 4 trillion yen, or about 49 billion dollars, to finance the reconstruction of areas hit by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_19.html


Friday, April 22, 2011 12:29
Evacuation area officially expanded
The Japanese government has announced the official expansion of the evacuation zone around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to selected areas beyond the existing 20-kilometer radius. Residents of the new areas are being asked to evacuate by the end of May.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said on Friday that the government made the designation since residents there could be exposed to cumulative radiation levels of 20 millisieverts or more per year if they stay.
The 5 new municipalities are located to the northwest of the plant and are more than 20 kilometers from it.
Edano said that due to the possible impact on residents' heath, the government is now urging them to evacuate within about a month.
Friday's announcement followed the establishment at midnight Thursday of a no-entry zone within a 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Edano also designated parts of areas within 20 to 30 kilometers of the plant as areas in which residents should remain indoors or be prepared to evacuate at any time in case of an emergency.
With this designation, the government lifted an earlier instruction to stay indoors for people in the 20- to 30-kilometer zone.


Friday, April 22, 2011 12:29
Govt to slash ODA budget to fund reconstruction
The Japanese government has decided to cut aid to developing countries in an effort to secure funds for rebuilding the country after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The government plans to reduce Japan's contribution to 16 international organizations, including the Global Fund to fight Aids and tuberculosis. It also plans to cut funding to the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_22.html


Friday, April 22, 2011 12:56
TEPCO president apologizes to Fukushima governor
The president of the operator of the troubled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture has offered apologies to the local governor.

Tokyo Electric Power Company's President Masataka Shimizu met Governor Yuhei Sato at the prefectural government office on Friday. It was their first meeting since the accident occurred at the plant in the wake of the March 11th quake and tsunami.
Shimizu said he deeply regrets that his utility firm caused a serious accident that has inflicted additional mental and physical burdens on those already afflicted by the natural disaster.
He vowed to bring the situation under control as soon as possible so that local people will be able to return to normal life.
The president also promised that his company will compensate those affected in a sincere manner.
Governor Sato asked the utility to implement without fail what it has pledged in the roadmap drawn up to contain the ongoing emergency.
He pointed out that nearly 6,000 children from Fukushima have had to leave the prefecture, and urged the firm to do all it can to bring them back home.
Sato also said restarting the power plant is inconceivable.


Friday, April 22, 2011 12:56.
TEPCO removes polluted water, debris at nuke plant
Tokyo Electric Power Company is struggling to remove highly radioactive debris scattered around the reactors of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The contaminated obstacles have to be cleared away so that workers can focus on stabilizing the reactors.
On Friday, the plant operator also continued work to pump highly radioactive water out of a tunnel linked to the No. 2 reactor, the 4th day of the operation. The toxic water is being transferred to a waste-processing facility.
TEPCO said at 7 AM on Friday, the level in the tunnel had dropped by 5 centimeters. It said no more leaks had been detected so far.
Contaminated debris, possibly the result of hydrogen explosions at the No. 1 and 3 reactors, is scattered across the plant compound.
On Friday, TEPCO was preparing to remove the wreckage near the No.3 reactor building. It hopes to start the clean-up using remote-controlled machines as early as Saturday.
The radioactive debris around the reactor has prevented workers from assessing the situation in the reactor buildings.


Friday, April 22, 2011 15:28
Foreign-bound cars checked for radiation
Japanese automakers have begun checking their export-bound vehicles for radiation to allay concerns overseas.
On Friday, Nissan vehicles waiting to be shipped out underwent screening at a port in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo.
The checks began nationwide this week, with all automakers applying a uniform screening standard.
Ten vehicles are picked at random from every shipment, with radiation levels checked on the hood, tires and steering wheel.
So far, none of the automakers have detected higher-than-normal radiation levels.
The nuclear emergency in Fukushima has prompted US authorities to carry out radiation checks on cars from Japan at several ports.
Japanese automakers are concerned that people overseas may mistakenly believe that vehicles from Japan are contaminated.


Friday, April 22, 2011 16:02
Diet resolution vows to rebuild from disaster
Japan's Lower House has adopted a resolution expressing its determination to rebuild the northeastern region stricken by the March 11th quake and tsunami.
The chamber unanimously approved the resolution at its plenary session on Friday.
The resolution offers condolences to the relatives of those who died and expresses concern for the survivors. It also refers to the assistance offered by Japan's Self-Defense Forces and other parties.
It calls for taking whatever measures available, including legislative steps, to help rebuild the affected areas and the lives of the survivors. It says the Lower House is determined to make all-out efforts to stabilize the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The resolution also urges the government to overhaul its contingency plans and to work with the survivors to draw and implement a reconstruction program aimed at creating a society that can withstand disasters.
It calls on the government to disclose information about the ongoing nuclear accident, and to work to prevent health and environmental hazards from expanding.
The Lower House unanimously adopted another resolution thanking the international community for its help in the aftermath of the disaster.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said his Cabinet will do its utmost to bring the nuclear plant under control, expand counter-disaster measures and rebuild the devastated areas.


Friday, April 22, 2011 17:42
Tobacco farmers request damages from TEPCO
Tobacco farmers in Fukushima Prefecture are seeking damages from Tokyo Electric Power Company after losing this year's crop due to radiation leaks from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The head of a national association of tobacco growers, Shoji Terai 寺井しょうじが, made the request at a meeting with TEPCO officials on Friday.
Terai said farmers in Fukushima are at a loss about how to earn a living after making the voluntary decision to give up growing this year.
TEPCO Managing Director Naomi Hirose 広瀬奈央美 apologized for causing so much trouble and said that the utility will study details about the government's guidelines on compensation after they are issued.
Terai says that economic losses for tobacco farmers in Fukushima are estimated to be about 60 million dollars.


Friday, April 22, 2011 19:45
TEPCO president apologizes to residents
The president of the operator of the troubled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture has offered apologies to local residents.
Tokyo Electric Power Company President Masataka Shimizu visited a shelter in Koriyama City on Friday, where he met more than 1,600 evacuees. They have been forced to leave their towns to avoid high radioactivity caused by the accident at the company's plant. It was Shimizu's first meeting with evacuees since the emergency began at the plant more than one month ago. He spoke to one evacuee after another for about 2 hours.
One man said all production at his farm has stopped.
He said he has not been told whether he will be compensated and that he cannot get a sense of the company's sincerity.
The president later told reporters that trust between the company and local residents has completely broken down. But he said he hopes to rebuild it however long it takes.
Earlier in the day, Shimizu met Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato for the first time since the accident.
The president offered his apologies for the accident and pledged all-out efforts to resolve the trouble.
The governor pointed out that nearly 6,000 children from Fukushima have had to leave the prefecture and urged the president to contain the ongoing disaster as soon as possible.
Sato also said that a restart for the power plant is inconceivable.


Friday, April 22, 2011 21:37
Panel urges government to review disaster studies
An advisory panel from Japan's education ministry has urged the government to review the way academics assess earthquakes and nuclear energy, citing their failure to anticipate the scale of the disaster.
Members of the Central Council for Education held their first meeting since the disaster on Friday.
At the meeting, one member criticized academics for using the word "unexpected" frequently in describing the events of March 11th and their aftermath.
The same person called on experts to reflect on why their studies had been inadequate in anticipating the devastation.
Another pointed to the need to nurture academics who can cope with such unexpected events.
Many said the approach of current academics to the study of earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear power should be fundamentally reviewed.
The council agreed to make specific proposals to the government.


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Voices from around

. The Daily Reading List . 　

. Daily Radiation Levels . 　


Co-op sold banned spinach
Aomori Biz chiefs: Don't halt nuke plants
Sumatran's poem on '04 tsunami resonates
. Japan Times, April 22 　

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quote
Here's why Japan's earthquake was so strong
Surprisingly, it ruptured several areas of a fault that before had ruptured alone
By Brett Israel

The first two hours of Japan's massive magnitude-9.0 earthquake has revealed surprising information about how such huge earthquakes rupture.

The earthquake ruptured several areas of a fault that in the past have ruptured alone, contrary to what many scientists would have predicted. If the earthquake had recruited still more nearby segments where massive aftershocks struck, the quake could have been even bigger, said Eric Kiser, a graduate student at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., who presented data on the first few hours of the rupture at the Seismological Society of America meeting held last week in Memphis, Tenn.

The March 11 earthquake is now the fourth-largest ever recorded in the world.
More than 60 aftershocks of magnitude 6.0 or greater have struck the region.

The main rupture lasted more than 3.5 minutes, although most of the energy was released in the first 2 minutes, Kiser told OurAmazingPlanet. The rupture associated with the main shock was about 155 miles long and 109 miles wide, Kiser said.
MORE
source : www.msnbc.msn.com

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quote
Japan makes no-go nuclear zone,
PM faces more criticism
Prime Minister Naoto Kan, already facing criticism for his handling of the crisis, was publicly berated over his government's slow response when he visited one evacuation center in the devastated region.

"HOW DO YOU THINK WE FEEL?"

"Are you leaving?" one man shouted as Kan and his entourage headed for the door at a Fukushima evacuation center. "We are evacuees. Are you just going to ignore us?"

Kan turned back and apologized, only to be berated again.

"You should bring cabinet ministers here and let them try living here themselves. How do you think we feel? We want you to somehow get the nuclear plant under control," one woman said.

Later, Kan told reporters he had been out of touch with the needs of those who had lost their homes.
source : news.yahoo.com


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Yesterday we have a Solidarity Day for Japan.
You can see here burgomaster of Zagreb Milan Bandić and Japanese ambassador in Croatia his excellency Mr. Yohio Tamura sharing the fish to the citizens.

My haiku was as "a logo" on the poster.

Ni crni val
ne može zaustaviti
trešnjine cvjetove

even the black wave
could not stop
the cherry blossoms

. wmd.hr/portal/index-vijesti/..humanitarnu-akciju-za-japan/

Tomislav Maretic, Croatia


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