Showing posts with label fourth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fourth. Show all posts

4/11/2011

April 11, Monday

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The second month after the shock starts !


one month later -
nothing can erase
these memories




. Remember March 11, 2011, 14:46  
 

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Gabi reports:

It is now one month since the great earthquake, tsunami and reactor crises.

The levels are still sinking :
. Daily Radiation Levels .  

. . . . .

Yesterday we had gubernatorial elections.
In three regions, the former LDP won over the present DPJ.

. . . . .

More charity concerts worldwide:
The Volksoper in Austria held a charity concert on Sunday in support of Japan's struggle to overcome the March 11 disaster.

Goto Masataka won the 9th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition held in the Netherlands. He talked about the victimes and the tsunami which inspired him to play with all his energy, to win and thus bring some joy to Japan.

Even the Paris Marathon had a moment of silence for the victims. 40,000 runners took part.

. . . . . at 6:36
Earthquake M 5.2, off the coast of Ibaraki


. . . . . at 17:16
Earthquake M 7.1, Fukushima Hamadori
(has later been turned down to M 7.0)

. . . . . at 17:17
Earthquake M 6.0, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 17:26
Earthquake M 5.6, off the coast of Fukushima

. . . . . at 17:33
Earthquake M 4.7, Fukushima nakadori

Seems the external power supply to Fukushima plants is out of order because of these quakes. No more cooling water to be pumped right now.
We can't watch TV fast enough to digest all this chaos ...
The announcers speak with fast voices, wearing a helmet ...

. . . . . at 17:45
Earthquake M 4.9, off the coast of Fukushima

We see shaking TV stadiums with scared announcers.
Big gaps in the walls of schools that serve as shelters.

Confusing news about the safety of Fukushima ... all on the anniversary of March 11 . . . where TV reporters are in all shelters, hoping for a "quiet" report, now going for more chaos . . .

. . . . . at 17:51
Earthquake M 4.3, off the coast of Fukushima

Prime minister Kan cancelled all his TV appearances for now because of this earthquake cluster.
My friend from Tokyo sends messages of fear and chaos.

We forget dinner and stay glued to the TV.


. . . . . at 17:58
Earthquake M 5.0, Fukushima Nakadori

The other power plants in Tohoku seem fine for now.
Fukushima seems without power from reactor 1 to 3.

Just as NHK announces the fear of Tsunami is now over,
ping pong, ding dong, another quake warning coming up:

. . . . . at 18:05
Earthquake M 5.2, Fukushima Hamadori


TEPCO announces (18:08) power to the water pumps is now back.
Seems no major damage done so far. The monitoring posts around the plant did not show any change in the values.

. . . . . at 18:05
Earthquake M 5.2, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 18:16
Earthquake M 4.7, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 18:23
Earthquake M 4.2, Fukushima off the coast

. . . . . at 18:26
Earthquake M 4.2, Fukushima off the coast

. . . . . at 18:31
Earthquake M 3.5, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 18:34
Earthquake M 4.6, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 18:45
Earthquake M 4.0, Fukushima Hamadori


It is hard to follow this cluster ... brrr, the poor people in the region, being shaken like this. Power failures, mountain slides down, damaged roads, they are still trying to get a picture of the regions, since it all started at 17:16.
Children in the shelters are screaming, others are hugging, trying to protect their heads in the sports hall of large schools, running outside in the rain ... chaos as we watch.
The TV announcer can's speak fast enough to follow the numbers, while the lamps swing over his head and the desk is shaking . . .
dingdong dingdong, another warning comes

. . . . . at 18:49
Earthquake M 4.5, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 19:00
Earthquake M 4.7, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 19:02
Earthquake M 3.8, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 19:05
Earthquake M 4.2, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 19:09
Earthquake M 4.0, Fukushima off the coast

. . . . . at 19:19
Earthquake M 4.5, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 19:25
Earthquake M 4.4, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 19:28
Earthquake M 4.1, Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 19:31
Earthquake M 4.2, Fukushima Hamadori

Tonight the message on Tokyo Tower reads
Ganbaro Nippon ! Keep Going, Japan!




. . . . . at 19:59
Earthquake M 4.6, Fukushima off the coast

. . . . . at 20:23
Earthquake M 3.7 North Ibaraki


dingdong dingdong another warning on TV

. . . . . at 20:27
Earthquake M 4.6 Fukushima Hamadori

. . . . . at 20:42
Earthquake M 5.9, North Ibaraki

. . . . . at 20:53
Earthquake M 3.8 Fukushima Hamadori


and for now I log off . . .

Continued here:

. Tuesday, April 12 .  


. Aftershocks since April 11 .  


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Bulletins from NHK Online

source : www3.nhk.or.jp

Monday, April 11, 2011 02:24
Massive search by Japan, US 1 month after disaster

Monday marks a month since the massive earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the US military conducted a massive search for more than 14,000 missing people on Sunday.
22,000 personnel, about 90 helicopters and about 50 ships were deployed for the mission.
The search was focused on coastal and submerged areas between Iwate and Fukushima prefectures. But areas within a 30-kilometer radius of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were not searched.
In the tsunami-hit city of Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, about 400 members of the Ground Self-Defense Force searched for bodies in Omagari District. They removed debris using heavy machinery.
In Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture, divers searched waters near a fishing port. Rescuers checked smashed cars in the hard-hit district of Kuwagasaki in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture.
On Sunday alone, 86 bodies were recovered. The Self-Defense Forces plan to keep searching for the missing.


Monday, April 11, 2011 05:16
150,000 taking refuge 1 month after tsunami

On Monday, exactly one month passed since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan, but about 150,000 people are still living at evacuation centers. Many have lost their homes, jobs and family members, and are facing the challenge of rebuilding their lives.
At 2:46 PM on March 11th, a magnitude-9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan. It was the largest quake on record to hit the country. Areas along the Pacific Coast in the Tohoku Region were devastated by the tremor and the more than 10-meter tsunami waves that followed.
The National Police Agency says 13,014 people are confirmed dead. The total number of deaths and registered missing is 27,621.
That figure includes deaths reported after a major aftershock on Thursday night.
In worst-hit Miyagi prefecture, 7,929 deaths have been confirmed. 3,811 have been confirmed in neighboring Iwate Prefecture and 1,211 in Fukushima Prefecture.
Some coastal areas devastated by the tsunami are still not able to figure out the exact number of missing people.
Search operations within the 20-kilometer exclusion zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are being hampered by radiation in the environment. Many families have not been able to confirm the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Nearly 151,150 people from disaster-hit areas are still living in evacuation centers in 18 prefectures.
A total of 450,000 were taking shelter at one point, with many living in difficult conditions. They faced severe shortages of water, food, heating fuel and other basic supplies, due to disrupted roads, gasoline shortages, and damaged utility facilities. Many evacuees returned to their homes after water, gas, and electricity were restored in their cities.
But those who lost their homes have to remain in evacuation shelters. Their problems include ensuring privacy.
Meanwhile, people are asking for the construction of temporary houses in many parts of the devastated areas.
Japan's land ministry says municipalities in Miyagi, Iwate, Fukushima, and other prefectures have requested that a total of 62,000 houses be built. The ministry says construction is underway on 7,800 houses, which is only 13 percent of the number requested. One major obstacle is a shortage of land, especially in submerged areas.
Many evacuees are scattered in cities outside of quake-hit Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures. About 23,000 people are staying at shelters outside the Tohoku Region, such as in Niigata, Saitama and Gunma prefectures.
Most of them fled Fukushima Prefecture after a series of accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. They have no idea when they will be able to return to their homes.


Monday, April 11, 2011 06:48
G20 to discuss Japan's nuclear disaster issues

Finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the Group of 20 nations will likely discuss Japan's efforts to overcome the March 11 disaster and to deal with the nuclear emergency at their next meeting.
The meeting will be held on Thursday and Friday in Washington. Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa will be attending. ...



Monday, April 11, 2011 08:07
Japan wants more Chinese tourists

The head of Japan's tourism agency has urged Chinese to visit Japan as part of the rebuilding effort.
Following the massive earthquake on March 11th, the number of international tourists visiting Japan has dropped dramatically.


Monday, April 11, 2011 10:22
One month since disaster hits nuclear plant

One month after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was crippled by the quake and tsunami that devastated Japan's northeastern coast, the plant's operator is still struggling to regain control.
Tokyo Electric Power Company has been striving to restore reactor cooling systems since the March 11th disaster knocked out electricity at the plant. The power station continues to release radioactive substances into the air and sea.
Heavily contaminated water in turbine buildings and a concrete tunnel has been hampering restoration efforts and preventing workers from even inspecting the pumping systems.
On Sunday, TEPCO began removing debris from the plant using unmanned heavy machinery.
It plans to start moving highly radioactive water from the concrete tunnel to another storage facility on Monday.
At a news conference on Sunday, TEPCO said it is studying using air instead of seawater for cooling. It said cooling the reactors' containment vessels with water is also under consideration.
But a TEPCO executive said that at this point, the company is still examining viable options and cannot say when it will be able to achieve stable cooling and control the radiation.


Monday, April 11, 2011 13:05
Disaster's economic effects

Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa says the nation's economy is under downward pressure after the March 11th earthquake and that the bank would support all necessary reconstruction efforts.



Monday, April 11, 2011 13:06
Some dairy farms in Fukushima resume milk shipment

Some dairy farms in Fukushima Prefecture have resumed shipping milk after radiation levels in the milk cleared the government's safety standards.
The shipments are the first since the Japanese government lifted a ban last Friday on milk from 7 cities and towns in the prefecture.
The restriction was imposed by the health ministry last month after unsafe levels of radioactive substances were detected in milk from areas around the quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.
A farmer who owns about 100 cows shipped 1.5 tons of milk on Monday. The farmer says he is glad because the milk he produces doesn't have to go to waste anymore.
He says he will do what he can to help other farmers who remain unable to ship their milk due to radiation contamination.
The prefecture will conduct follow-up radiation measurements once a week on milk shipped from the prefecture.
(Gabi comments: we saw him smile on TV . . .)


Monday, April 11, 2011 14:05
Expanded evacuation considered

The Japanese government is considering expanding its current 20-kilometer evacuation radius around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, taking into account the risks of long-term accumulated radiation exposure.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said on Monday that the government may advise residents in areas between 20 and 30 kilometers from the plant to evacuate, based on accumulated radiation exposure levels. Currently such residents have been advised to remain indoors.
Edano also said the government is considering advising residents to evacuate even from areas outside the zone where cumulative radiation exposure risks are higher.
He said the possibility that the situation at the plant will worsen cannot be ruled out.
Iitate Village in Fukushima Prefecture could be the target of the evacuation instruction, because high levels of accumulated radiation have been recorded in some areas there. Most of Iitate lies farther than 30 kilometers from the power plant.
Iitate Mayor Norio Kanno 菅野典雄 told NHK that the village learned on Sunday that the government may put the entire village under an evacuation instruction for a certain period of time.
He said he is opposed to designating the entire village as an evacuation zone, because radiation levels in parts of the village remain low. But he said the government is unlikely to listen to him. He added that he wants to remain in the village and deal with the disaster's aftermath.


Monday, April 11, 2011 14:06
Fukushima gov. again rejects TEPCO apology

The Governor of Fukushima Prefecture has again rejected a request by Tokyo Electric Power Company President Masataka Shimizu to meet and offer an apology for the ongoing situation at the company's nuclear power plant.
TEPCO, the owner of the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, says Shimizu hopes to visit Governor Yuhei Sato 佐藤雄平 on Monday, exactly one month after the quake and tsunami struck.
But sources say Shimizu's request was again refused by the Governor, as was a previous such request made shortly after the nuclear accident began last month.
TEPCO says its president is still seeking a chance to make an apology to the central and prefectural governments in Fukushima, and wishes to hold a news conference to offer an update on the accident.

Monday, April 11, 2011 15:51
55% of Fukushima evacuees worry radiation: survey

More than half of respondents of a survey of evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture, say their biggest future concern is the impact of radiation from the troubled nuclear power plant in the prefecture.
NHK interviewed evacuees last week, originally from Fukushima Prefecture, who are staying at shelters within the prefecture and nearby. 251 people responded.
When asked what is most troubling to them now, 55 percent of respondents said they are frustrated with the lack of accurate information about the nuclear plant, and their future housing prospects. This was followed by 36 percent who said they have to stay at shelters without privacy and 11 percent who said they cannot move easily without their own cars or gasoline.
In terms of the future, 55 percent said they are most concerned about the impact of radiation leaks from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which has been out of control since the March 11 massive quake and tsunami.
43 percent said they are concerned about future jobs and their livelihood, and 28 percent said they are wondering how to secure a place to live.
One respondent said he has no idea how to stick it out, although everybody tells him to do so. Another person is worried about how he will manage because has lost both his house and land.
For evacuees, anxiety over their future appears to be growing as life at the shelters is dragging on.

Monday, April 11, 2011 15:51
Tokyo liquefaction survey

A geotechnical expert has determined that the March 11th earthquake caused liquefaction in at least 4,200 hectares of land along Tokyo Bay.
Professor Susumu Yasuda of Tokyo Denki University conducted a survey on the extent of liquefaction in areas around the bay. Tokyo lies at a distance of about 370 kilometers from the quake's epicenter.
He says the liquefaction was concentrated in land that was reclaimed relatively recently, or after 1966.
Liquefaction severely damaged residential areas built on reclaimed land in Urayasu and Narashino cities in Chiba Prefecture.
Work to restore sewage systems is progressing quickly, but little has been done to prevent liquefaction itself.
Professor Yasuda says strong quakes could cause further liquefaction in the future unless the underground water is removed and the ground solidified. He says that without such steps, it will take more than 100 years for the ground to stabilize.


Monday, April 11, 2011 16:22
Nuclear safety regrets its response to Fukushima

The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency admitted that it has sometimes failed to properly manage the accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Senior agency official Hidehiko Nishiyama made the statement to reporters on Monday, one month following the quake and tsunami that severely damaged the power plant in northeastern Japan.
Nishiyama said the agency failed to clearly address the problems at the plant, as one emergency followed another.
He said the agency will thoroughly review what it has done so far, so that it can restore the cooling functions of the reactors while preserving the safety of the Japanese people.
The agency is playing a central role in gathering information and overseeing the power plant as the government's nuclear safety regulator. They have dispatched officials to monitor progress at the plant.
But it has been regularly criticized for failing to coordinate media briefings with the power company. They have also been under fire for not providing enough information to the Nuclear Safety Commission, which offers technical advice to the government.


Monday, April 11, 2011 18:02
TEPCO president apologizes, one month later

The president of the operator of Japan's quake-damaged nuclear plant has visited Fukushima and apologized for the nuclear accident overwhelming the area.
Masataka Shimizu, the head of Tokyo Electric Power Company, visited the Fukushima government on Monday, exactly one month after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami crippled the company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Shimizu apologized to people in and outside Fukushima Prefecture, saying his company has added to their physical and mental burdens with the nuclear crisis.
He also said he regrets not meeting local residents first of all to offer an apology. He said he failed to do so because he was overwhelmed by handing the accident from Tokyo.
He also said he was sorry that Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato had refused his request to meet and receive an apology directly.
Turning to reparations, Shimizu said he is well aware that a large number of people have suffered damage over a wide area. He said his company will do its utmost to compensate them based on the government's guidelines, when they are compiled.
Shimizu declined to comment on how he himself would take responsibility for the problems, saying he must now concentrate on overcoming the company's worst-ever crisis.
He added that he expects to see the ruined No. 1 through No.4 reactors at the power plant to be decommissioned.


The number of people confirmed dead or missing from the March 11th disaster and aftershocks that hit northeastern Japan stands at 26,848.
The number is likely to increase.


Monday, April 11, 2011 18:46
M 7.0 quake hits northeastern Japan

A strong earthquake struck north-eastern Japan at 5:16 PM, local time, on Monday. The Meteorological Agency at one time issued tsunami warnings for the coastal areas of Ibaraki Prefecture.
The agency said the earthquake's magnitude was 7.0, and that its focus was in Fukushima Prefecture at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Intensities of 6 minus on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7 were registered in some areas of Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures, including Furudono Town, Nakajima Village and Hokota City. An intensity of 5 plus was registered in many areas in the southern Tohoku and northern Kanto regions.
The Meteorological Agency lifted the tsunami warnings about fifty minutes later. A tsunami advisory for the coastal areas of neighboring prefectures was also lifted.
Several minor quakes occurred following the major quake at 5:16. The agency is also warning of possible aftershocks with intensities of 6 plus or 6 minus.
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says radiation figures at monitoring posts around the plant remain unchanged. The utility firm also says outdoor workers had been ordered to temporarily evacuate.
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Monday, April 11, 2011 18:34
Water injection resumed at Fukushima Daiichi plant

The operator of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says water injection into the crippled reactors was briefly suspended after outside power lines were shut down by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Monday evening.
Tokyo Electric Power Company said that outside power was restored for reactors No.1, 2 and 3. Water injection was resumed for these reactors after a suspension of about 50 minutes.


55% of Fukushima evacuees worry radiation: survey
More than half of respondents of a survey of evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture, say their biggest future concern is the impact of radiation from the troubled nuclear power plant in the prefecture.
.
Monday, April 11, 2011 20:13
Fukushima evacuation zone expanded

The Japanese government has expanded its current 20-kilometer evacuation zone around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant due to the risks associated with long-term radiation exposure.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters on Monday that residents in the expanded zone have been asked to evacuate within about a month.
Edano said annual exposure in the zone is expected to be above 20 millisieverts. The worldwide average exposure from the natural environment is 2.4 millisieverts.
The expanded zone includes Katsurao Village, Namie Town, Iitate Village and some parts of Kawamata Town and Minami Soma City.
Edano added that the government will consult with local municipalities. The residents do not have to evacuate immediately.
People in the areas between 20 and 30 kilometers from the plant are now asked to stay indoors or voluntarily evacuate.
Edano said that residents in other areas of the 30-kilometer zone will be asked to prepare for an emergency evacuation. He also said they will need to evacuate on their own. Vulnerable people, such as the handicapped, should be prepared for any contingency.
Edano urged that children, pregnant women, nursing care recipients and inpatients stay away from the areas, adding that kindergartens, elementary and junior high schools in the area will remain closed.



Monday, April 11, 2011 21:20
Water injection resumes at Fukushima plant

The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant says water pumping to cool 3 crippled reactors was briefly disrupted after external power sources were knocked out by a strong aftershock on Monday evening.
Tokyo Electric Power Company said external power was cut to reactors 1, 2 and 3 at 5:16 PM, just after the magnitude 7.0 quake. Water injection was resumed after a suspension of about 50 minutes.
The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is checking the situation at the site, but assumes the interruption in cooling had no major impact. The Agency added that TEPCO is considering installing emergency power sources that automatically kick in when power is cut.
At the time of the latest earthquake, TEPCO instructed workers outside reactors No.1 to No.4 to evacuate. No one was injured. The utility lifted the evacuation order at 6:48 PM.
The company halted the pumping of high-level radioactive water from the No.2 reactor to a nuclear waste processing facility.
It also stopped injecting nitrogen into the containment vessel of the No.1 reactor to prevent a possible hydrogen explosion. The company plans to resume the work immediately after confirming safety at the unit.
TEPCO said no new abnormalities have been detected in radiation readings around the plant.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says no irregularities have been found in external power lines and radiation readings at Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture.
The agency says outside power sources are also maintained at the Tokai Daini nuclear plant in Ibaraki Prefecture and a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori Prefecture.


Monday, April 11, 2011 21:20
Radiation levels exceed permissible limit

The science ministry says the amount of radiation accumulated over about half a month in some areas of Fukushima Prefecture has exceeded the permissible level for a whole year.
Since March 23rd, the ministry has been measuring radiation levels in 15 locations more than 20 kilometers away from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
At one location, in Namie Town about 30 kilometers northwest of the plant, 14,480 microsieverts of radiation had accumulated over the 17-day period to Sunday.
8,440 microsieverts of radiation were observed in Iitate Village.
In another location in Namie, the amount reached 6,430 microsieverts.
People would be exposed to this accumulated amount of radiation if they had stayed outdoors throughout the entire period.
The level at one location was more than 14 times the 1,000 microsieverts that the International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends as the long-term annual reference level for people. The recommended level of 1,000 microsieverts excludes radiation from the natural environment and medical devices.
Hiroshima University Professor Kiyoshi Shizuma says most of the radiation observed in Fukushima is believed to be radioactive cesium that has fallen to the ground.
Shizuma advises residents to wear masks to avoid inhaling radioactive substances mixed with dust.
He points to the need to take samples both from the air and the ground for detailed analyses in order to assess any possible impact on human health.



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Voices from around

. The Daily Reading List .  


Evac area to soon be declared 'off-limits'
End to crisis is years, fortune away
. Japan Times, April 11 .  


. . . . .

quote   
Work begins to remove radioactive water from nuclear plant
Workers at the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Sunday started removing highly radioactive water in the plant that is hampering restoration efforts in the prolonged nuclear crisis, the government’s nuclear agency said.

Toxic water has been found in the basements of the Nos. 1 to 3 reactor turbine buildings, as well as in nearby underground trenches connected to them. Transferring the water, totaling some 60,000 tons, to nearby tanks and other storage places is seen as vital to move ahead with the work to restore the key cooling functions for reactors damaged after the March 11 quake and tsunami.

The workers started pumping out water filling a trench near the No. 2 reactor to a ‘‘condenser’’ inside the reactor’s turbine building, as the level of the water is edging up, apparently because of steps taken to block the water from leaking into the Pacific Ocean, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said.
...
As preparations proceeded for transferring the water, a male worker in his 30s was taken to a hospital as he complained of feeling sick around 11:10 a.m. after laying a hose pipe from 9:30 a.m., but is conscious and was found to have no radioactive materials on him, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said.

The employee was later diagnosed as having ‘‘overworked,’’ according to TEPCO.

Wearing a full-face mask, outerwear upon protective clothing, rubber gloves and high boots, the worker was exposed in the work to 4.84 millisieverts of radiation, which is below the limit of 5 millisieverts set for Sunday’s work.
...
source : www.japantoday.com



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So many logos are coming up with "Help Japan!"

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tsunami victims -
their souls wash ashore
with every wave
 



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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
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4/10/2011

April 10, Sunday

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
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GANBATTE! JAPAN

Charity Flea by Nuffnang & Park Royal!


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Gabi reports:

Tokyo levels are getting lower :
. Daily Radiation Levels  

Compensating the farmers in the contaminated regions will be a problem coming up now.
. Agriculture minister Michihiko Kano in Fukushima  

. . . . .

Learn from the past:

78 YEARS AGO : Saturday, March 4, 1933
and vivid memories of 1896 (the magnitude 8.2 Meiji Sanriku earthquake),
. Earthquake in Iwate .  


12,915 people are confirmed dead
14,921 have been listed as missing
a total of 27,836.

. . . . .

The composer Sakamoto Ryuichi 坂本 龍一 held a cherity concert in New York on Saturday, playing piano requiems.
The tenor Placido Domingo from Spain also held a concert in Tokyo, with about 3600 people attending. He even sung the famous "furusato" (hometown) song of Japan. His next concert is scheduled on Wednesday. He was not afraid to travel to Japan amid the hype of radiation.



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Bulletins from NHK Online

source : www3.nhk.or.jp

Saturday, April 09, 2011 22:10 (last night)
China expands food bans
China says it will expand its ban on agricultural imports from Japan due to public concerns about radioactive contamination in food following problems at the nuclear facility in northeastern Japan.
The Chinese government announced on Saturday that it was adding 6 prefectures to the current 5 to make a total of 11, including Tokyo, from which it will not accept food imports.
It said the additional measure was taken because radioactive substances from the nuclear plant are contaminating agricultural products.
It said it will require Japanese exporters to submit official documents on place of origin or certification that foods from outside prohibited areas have been tested for radioactivity.
The Chinese people became sensitive about radiation in food after authorities there detected an extremely low level of radioactive iodine in spinach grown in Beijing and Tianjin last Tuesday.
They are also worried about the fact that the Japanese nuclear plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, had discharged low-level radioactive water into the ocean.
The Chinese government apparently hopes to calm public anxiety by stepping up its import bans on Japanese agricultural products.
The Japanese Embassy in Beijing said China's move is totally opposite to trends in Japan. It said it will call on the Chinese government to base its actions on rationality and scientific findings.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 07:30
Radioactive water disposal delayed

Work to dispose of highly radioactive water at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is not proceeding smoothly as more time is needed for preparations.
Heavily contaminated water in turbine buildings and a concrete tunnel is hampering work to restore cooling functions in the troubled reactors. The total amount of water in question is estimated at more than 50,000 tons.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, plans to transfer the highly radioactive water to a nuclear waste processing facility and turbine condensers.
The utility firm is now working to lay hoses between the turbine buildings and the facility.
Holes have already been bored in the walls of the buildings, but work to install the hoses has yet to begin.
In addition, the waste disposal facility needs to be closely checked before the procedure can begin.
Meanwhile, the level of highly radioactive water filling the concrete tunnel of the No.2 reactor had reached 93 centimeters below the ground's surface as of Saturday evening. That is a rise of 11 centimeters since the leakage of the water into the sea was stopped on Wednesday.
Tokyo Electric plans to start moving the water in the tunnel into the reactor's condenser as early as Sunday.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 06:52
Cherry trees bloom in quake-hit areas

Cherry trees have begun to bloom and bring solace to local people, in coastal areas of Fukushima Prefecture that were ravaged by the March 11th tsunami.
On Saturday, a local civic group spotted some blossoms on a Somei-Yoshino cherry tree at an unmanned weather station in Iwaki city.
The group monitors the tree, which has long been used by local weather authorities as a benchmark for cherry blossoms.
The tree stands about 300 meters from the shoreline and is still surrounded by the remains of destroyed houses and other debris.
Locals have been anxiously watching to see if the tree would bloom this year after the powerful tsunami.
.
Govt to release radiation guidelines for schools
Japan's education ministry will release radiation exposure safety guidelines for school children in the coming week.
The ministry is drawing up the guidelines in response to a request from the Fukushima prefectural government, which hosts the disaster-stricken nuclear power plant.
Officials say the guidelines are based on data collected through radiation level surveys at schools and soil samples taken from schoolyards.
The guidelines will mandate that schools suspend classes, stop outdoor lessons, and ensure students wear face masks if radiation surpasses certain levels.
The education ministry says it will seek technical advice from the Nuclear Safety Commission before finalizing the guidelines.
The commission told reporters on Saturday that given the high radioactive readings registered in various locations, many schools in the affected areas would be asked to meet certain conditions before resuming lessons.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 06:52
SDF, US forces to conduct search operations

Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the US military will conduct massive search operations on Sunday, for victims who are still missing after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan.
The joint operations follow similar ones conducted for 3 days from April first that recovered 339 bodies.
More than 14,000 people remain unaccounted for, which prompted local authorities to request additional search efforts.
Sunday's search operations cover coastal and inland areas from Iwate to Fukushima prefectures, but not the 30-kilometer zone surrounding the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The joint mission will involve 22,000 personnel from both countries, and 50 vessels and 90 aircraft will be deployed.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 13:07
Kan pledges to build 70,000 temporary houses

Prime Minister Naoto Kan has told the governor of quake-hit Miyagi Prefecture that the central government will build 70,000 temporary houses as quickly as possible.
Kan arrived in the prefecture on board a Self-Defense Force aircraft on Sunday morning. He visited Ishinomaki city hall for talks with Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai and Ishinomaki Mayor Hiroshi Kameyama.
Governor Murai asked for sufficient assistance for people who are going through immense suffering following the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
Mayor Kameyama requested that temporary housing be built as quickly as possible for those who have lost their homes.
Kan said the government has set an immediate goal of building 70,000 temporary houses and will speed up construction as much as possible.
The prime minister said the government will convene a panel of experts this week to study a blueprint for reconstruction. He asked the Miyagi governor to convey requests from affected areas as well as the whole idea of reconstruction.
Governor Murai told reporters that fishery and agriculture are the key industries in the affected areas, and that he hopes Kan will relate what he saw to the reconstruction panel.
Kan later went up a hill to survey areas that sustained extensive damage from tsunami, and visited evacuees at a shelter.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 14:46
SDF, coast guard divers search harbor

As part of the massive search operation on Sunday, the Maritime Self-Defense Force and Japan Coast Guard searched waters around a fishing port in Fukushima Prefecture for those who remain missing.
In the joint search off Shinchi Town, about 40 divers searched the harbor and nearby coastal waters, where no search had taken place before.
At Tsurushihama port, a team of 8 SDF divers repeatedly went underwater for about 30 minutes.
Town authorities say more than 400 houses in coastal areas were swept away by tsunami, and that 31 people remain missing as of Sunday morning.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 17:00
Kan vows to help rebuild fishery industry


Prime Minister Naoto Kan has vowed to provide full support to disaster-hit coastal areas in northeastern Japan to help reconstruct the local fishing industry.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Kan made the pledge during his visit to Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture.
The prime minister said he realizes how badly the fishing industry has been hit by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami and how much effort and resources are needed to rebuild it.
He stressed that the government should do all it can to restore the industry, which has provided people with their livelihood for centuries.
In response to requests from the prefectural governor and city mayor, Kan also pledged the government would build 70,000 temporary houses as quickly as possible for those who have lost their homes.
During a visit to a shelter for disaster survivors, Kan was seen asking them what is needed most.
At a Self-Defense Force base in Sendai City, Kan told personnel of SDF and the US military that US troops have been very supportive of both relief efforts in disaster-affected areas and responses to problems unfolding at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Kan said he will never forget Operation Tomodachi, which he believes has strengthened bilateral ties.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 18:35
Anti-nuclear activists hold rally in Tokyo

Demonstrators have staged a rally in Tokyo to call for the closure of all nuclear power plants in Japan.
The protesters marched more than 4 kilometers, holding up banners.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 18:35
Arsenic found in well water in quake-hit Kesennuma

Officials in disaster-hit Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, say that well water and streams near a defunct mine are contaminated with toxic arsenic.
They say that slag and mud containing arsenic and other toxic substances flowed out of Oya mine after the massive quake on March 11th. They believe these toxic substances have contaminated streams and soil in residential areas.
When the officials examined 6 water samples from the area, they found that 3 contained levels of arsenic which exceeded the permitted limits for drinking water.
The highest figure was 0.24 milligrams of arsenic per liter, or 24 times the legal limit.
Local health authorities are warning residents not to drink well water or from mountain streams, although water with this level of contamination can be used for washing and cleaning.
JX Nippon Mining & Metals says it will remove the contaminated slag as quickly as possible.


quote from September 04, 2011
Mud containing arsenic is being washed ashore in coastal communities already struggling to come to terms with the enormity of the destruction wrought by the March 11 mega-earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster.
At 36 out of 129 sampling points in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, the three prefectures hardest hit by the March 11 disaster, Tohoku University researchers found arsenic concentrations exceeding environmental standards.
In several places, arsenic contamination was 4 or 5 times the government's maximum, and at one sampling point in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, the concentration was 25 times the standard.
"Arsenic that flowed into the sea and accumulated on its floor in the past was apparently stirred up by the tsunami," said Noriyoshi Tsuchiya, a professor of geomaterials and energy science at Tohoku University.
The Tohoku coastline used to be dotted with mines, where arsenic and other heavy metals were generated during smelting. Arsenic also exists in nature, and was detected in soil along the coast of Miyagi Prefecture in a 2006-08 survey by Tohoku University. ...
source : www.asahi.com

. . . . .


Sunday, April 10, 2011 18:35
Fukushima prefecture to measure radiation levels

Fukushima Prefecture has decided to measure radiation levels at 2,700 locations and disclose the data amid growing concern about radioactive contamination.
Many residents have demanded information on the radiation levels in their communities following the radiation leaks from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Fukushima Prefecture and the government's disaster task force will measure radiation levels at 2,700 locations in 55 municipalities, except for those within a 20-kilometer radius of the power plant.
The levels of radioactive iodine and cesium in soil will be analyzed in some areas.
Seventy prefectural employees will carry out the work between Tuesday and Friday, and will disclose the results to residents.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 18:40
TEPCO uses unmanned equipment to remove rubble

Tokyo Electric Power Company has bugun using unmanned heavy equipment to remove radioactive rubble at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Hydrogen explosions blew off the ceilings and walls of the Number One and Number Three reactor buildings. The debris is emitting hundreds of millisieverts of radiation per hour in some places, hindering the restoration work.
The utility started using remote-controlled power shovels and bulldozers to remove the rubble on Sunday afternoon.
Operators are using cameras attached to the equipment as well as 6 fixed cameras at the site to carry out the work from hundreds of meters away.
A lead-covered mobile operating room will be used to remove debris from places that cannot be reached by radio waves.
TEPCO says the rubble will be put into containers and stored at the plant under strict supervision, as it may be contaminated with high levels of radiation.


Sunday, April 10, 2011 19:10
82 children orphaned in March 11 disaster

Japan's health ministry says a total of 82 children in 3 northeastern prefectures lost parents in the massive quake and tsunami on March 11th.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry says that as of Saturday, 44 children in Iwate, 33 in Miyagi, and 8 in Fukushima had been orphaned by the disaster.
It says the number could rise as there are many children whose parents are still unaccounted for.
The ministry, together with the education ministry, has instructed education boards and school officials across the country to notify child consultation centers about children orphaned by the disaster.
The heath ministry will continue to survey the number of quake and tsunami orphans and their living conditions before it draws up measures to assist them.


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Voices from around

. The Daily Reading List .  


. Japan Times, April 10 .  


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Haiga by Alex Serban, Romania


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. . . . . to live without . . . . .

children in the slums of the world
they live without running water
they live without electricity
they live without proper toilets
they live with hope for the future

children in the shelters of Tohoku



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haiga by Gabi Greve


spring breeze
the flutes of Fukushima
are silent

spring tsunami
the mourning sounds
of flutes


Matsubara
the sound of a flute
and one last pine


Ella Wagemakers


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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
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4/08/2011

April 8, Friday

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The second month after the shock starts !


four weeks later -
nothing can erase
these memories




. Remember March 11, 2011, 14:46  
 

spring rain -
thinking radioactivity
with each drop 


We have some rain since early morning, it should be a long-awaited gentle soothing spring rain (harusame), but thinking of Tohoku, it might also bring radioactivity down to earth and into the rivers.
South-Korea closed all schools and kindergardens yesterday because of fear of radioactive rain. I wonder what will go on in Japan today.

. my radioactive tears .

. . . . .

Urayasu still dealing with liquefaction
Streets, water lines and sewers far from back to prequake levels
The images we saw on TV are quite scary!

. . . . and this

Be objective, not sensationalist,
foreign media told by Foreign Ministry

. Japan Times, April 8 .  

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JAPAN DISASTER-RELIEF DONATIONS



Please help by making a donation, no matter how small.
. Mark Schumacher

Mark is my Daruma friend from Kamakura.

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Gabi reports:

It is now four weeks since the great earthquake, tsunami and reactor crises.


Levels are still falling :
. Daily Radiation Levels .  

. . . . .


And just as a reminder, another strong quake of M 7.4 hit Tohoku in the night around midnight. A tsunami warning was issued but no tsunami came. Damage was done to the reactors at Onagawa and others, see below NHK reports.
The quake was felt all the way down to us here in Okayama
震度1 : 岡山県 岡山県北部 真庭市
. Source:  typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather

With the power blackouts in most parts in Tohoku after the quake, the TV reporting looks like a re-run of march 11. Stores are closed, traffic lights not working, the school ground with a huge gap in the earth, no trains running, part of the highway closed ...

. . . . . at 12:00

At least 3 people are dead and more than 120 injured by the quake. Blackouts in many parts of Tohoku continue with all the disadvantages. Some homes burned down.
Some regions which just got back running tap water are now out of it again, because of the power failures in the region.
At least 3 have died of the aftershock last night, more than 120 are wounded.


and as I watch TV, another earthquake M 4.8 rattled the region, with its epicenter off Ibaraki coast.

. . . . .



キリンビール 仙台工場
The Kirin Beer brewery in Sendai got hit on March 11 too, and there are no estimates as to when it will be repaired.

. . . . .

And now rumours about deliberate nuclear warfare ... whow, see the comment about Leuren Moret below.
. sense or nonsense ?


. . . . .

Many of the Chinese "students" have left Tohoku. Now some farmers can not keep up their business, for example strawberry hot houses are deserted, because the Japanese family can not manage them without the help of some cheap labour.


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Bulletins from NHK Online

source : www3.nhk.or.jp

Friday, April 08, 2011 01:30
Onagawa nuclear plant loses part of outside power
Japan's nuclear agency says the quake on Thursday night disabled 2 out of the 3 outside power lines used at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the plant has been using outside power lines to cool its nuclear fuel rods since the March 11th quake. The agency says after Thursday's quake, the plant is using only one remaining power line.
The agency says there is no change in radiation levels around the plant as of just after midnight Thursday. The agency is trying to confirm the current status at the plant.
.
TEPCO: No trouble reported from aftershock
Tokyo Electric Power Company says there are no additional problems with the facilities at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants due to the recent aftershock.
The company says all the workers at the two plants have been evacuated to safe ground, and that there are no reports of injuries. It says electric power supply has not been cut off at the plants.
TEPCO added that no injuries have been reported.


Friday, April 08, 2011 06:10
Powerful quake strikes northeastern Japan

A magnitude 7.4 quake occurred off the Miyagi coast, northeastern Japan late Thursday night.
The Meteorological Agency says the quake registered 6-plus on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7 in Sendai and another place in Miyagi prefecture. It says an intensity of 6-minus was registered in wide areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, and that the quake was felt in many regions across Japan.
The agency estimates the focus of the quake was 40 kilometers below ground.
The agency issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas in Miyagi Prefecture, and tsunami evacuation advisories for Japan's northeastern seaboard from Aomori to Ibaraki prefectures. The warning and advisories were lifted about 80 minutes after the quake.
It was the largest aftershock since the March 11th quake, which registered 7-minus on the Japanese seismic scale.
The Meteorological Agency warned of possible strong aftershocks after last month's massive tremor.
More than 80 people were injured in Thursday's temblor, and fire and a gas leaks have been reported. Electricity delivery has been interrupted in Sendai.
.
Aftershock puts nuclear plants on emergency power
Japan's nuclear agency says the quake that struck northeastern Japan on Thursday, disabled all but one outside power supply line at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says 2 of the 3 power lines became unavailable and the plant is using the only remaining line to cool its nuclear reactors.
It says the cooling systems of 3 spent fuel pools were disabled at one point, but had all been restored.
The agency reports no abnormal radiation readings at the plant.
At the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants, instrument readings and radiation monitors showed no changes following the quake.
At the Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture, the quake shut down all outside power lines, prompting the plant to switch on emergency diesel power generators.
The plant had shut down its reactors and was undergoing an inspection at the time of the quake.
No serious effects were reported with the cooling systems of storage pools for spent fuel rods.
A nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, also lost all outside power and is operating on emergency diesel generators at the moment.
No irregularities have also been reported at the Tokai Daini nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture.
All these nuclear power plants had suspended power generating operations at their reactors after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
.
The World Trade Organization WTO predicts that the March 11th earthquake will bring down Japan's exports by up to 1.6 percent this year.


Friday, April 08, 2011 08:00
TEPCO to inspect nuke plant after quake

The Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to resume operations to tackle safety issues at its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following a powerful quake on Thursday night.
The utility company says an examination immediately after the latest quake showed no ill effects on the facilities and the operation to inject water into the Number 1, 2 and 3 reactors. Radiation monitors at the plant showed no change in readings.
On Friday morning, TEPCO will inspect the facility in detail and determine whether highly contaminated water has started to leak into the ocean again from a pit near the Number 2 reactor.
The company plans to finish discharging the last 300 tons of relatively lightly contaminated water from a waste storage facility into the ocean on Friday. About 7,700 tons of the water containing low-level radioactive substances had been discharged by Thursday.
Once the storage facility is empty, the company will pump into it highly contaminated water which flooded the turbine building of the Number 2 reactor.
TEPCO also plans to finish by Saturday an operation to dump 1,500 tons of relatively-low contaminated water from drainage pits at the Number 5 and 6 reactors.
The company is continuing to inject nitrogen gas into the Number 1 reactor to prevent a hydrogen explosion. It says Thursday's quake did not affect the work.
Fuel rods inside the reactor are nearly half exposed after a loss of cooling water.


Friday, April 08, 2011 11:24
No. 1 reactor lost cooling function on March 11

Unreleased data obtained by NHK suggest that the failure to maintain the cooling functions of the No. 1 reactor at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant possibly triggered a hydrogen explosion at an early stage.
The data show that the water level inside the No. 1 reactor dropped to 45 centimeters above the fuel rods, or about one-tenth the normal level, nearly 7 hours after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. The fuel rods become exposed 11 hours later.
Water levels in the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors were kept at around 4 meters through the use of emergency generators despite the power outages. It was a day and a half to 3 days before their fuel rods were exposed.
University of Tokyo Professor Naoto Sekimura says the loss of cooling functions at the No.1 reactor and the subsequent exposure of the fuel rods may have caused the hydrogen explosion as early as the next day.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has so far only disclosed data from the day after the quake.


Friday, April 08, 2011 11:59
Thursday's quake damages Onagawa nuclear plant

Tohoku Electric Power Company says Thursday night's strong earthquake caused water to overflow from spent fuel storage pools at one of its nuclear power plants.
The power company reported on Friday that water had spilled onto the floor at all 3 reactors at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture. The amount of water spilled was 3.8 liters at the most.
The utility firm also found water leaks at 5 locations in the plant, including inside buildings housing the reactors.
The company added that blowout panels--devices designed to control pressure inside the buildings--were damaged at the turbine building of the Number 3 reactor.
The newly reported problems add to the downing of 3 of 4 external power lines at the Onagawa plant. The plant is maintaining its cooling capabilities with the remaining power line.
Tohoku Electric Power Company is continuing its efforts to determine the extent of the damage caused by the latest quake. But it says no change has yet been seen in radiation levels around the plant.


Friday, April 08, 2011 14:01
Aftershock batters nuclear plants

Nuclear power plants and related facilities in the coastal areas of northeastern Japan were forced to rely on emergency power after their electricity was cut off in Thursday night's quake.
Operations have been suspended at all nuclear power plants from Aomori to Ibaraki prefectures since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. But electricity is still crucial to keep their cooling systems operating.
Japan's nuclear agency says all external power lines at Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture were knocked out in Thursday's quake. The plant switched to emergency diesel power generators for some hours, but power was later restored.
The quake shut down 3 of the 4 external power lines at Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture. It is still operating on the one remaining power line.
The Onagawa plant also suffered water leaks at 8 locations, including water that spilled from spent fuel storage pools at each of its 3 reactors. A device to control pressure inside a turbine building was also damaged.
In addition, the quake disabled all external power lines at a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori Prefecture. The cooling systems here are still running on emergency diesel power.


Friday, April 08, 2011 14:28
Aftershock aftermath

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan on Thursday has left more than 2.6 million homes and offices without power as of noon, Friday.
The quake registered 6-plus on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7 in Sendai and at another spot in Miyagi prefecture. It registered an intensity of 6-minus in wide areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, and was felt in regions across Japan.
The Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the coastal areas of Miyagi Prefecture, and tsunami evacuation advisories for Japan's northeastern seaboard from Aomori to Ibaraki prefectures. The alerts were lifted about 80 minutes after the quake.
It was one of the largest aftershocks since the March 11th quake, which registered 7 on the Japanese seismic scale.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency says that in Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, a 63-year-old woman was found dead at her home on Friday. Fire officials suspect that her oxygen breathing apparatus stopped working when the electricity failed.
In Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, 2 men, aged 79 and 85, died at a hospital. Fire officials say the quake
may have brought on heart attacks. 132 others were injured.


Friday, April 08, 2011 12:42
Quake causes cancellation of job offers

A survey by Japan's labor ministry shows at least 173 new graduates have had their job offers cancelled in the wake of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The ministry looked at reports filed with labor bureaus across the nation in a bid to gauge the impact of the disaster on employment.
As of Wednesday, at least 39 firms had cancelled job offers for a total of 173 new graduates from universities, high schools and vocational colleges, citing the disaster.
The number of cancellations is up 50 from March 31st.
High-school graduates account for 110 of them.
By prefecture, Tokyo tops the list with 71 cancellations, followed by the 3 most severely stricken prefectures--Iwate at 47, Miyagi at 20 and Fukushima at 8.
The ministry also says 81 firms postponed the start of employment or told new hires to stay home until further notice. The number of new graduates affected by these moves totaled 1,051, up 358 from the end of March.


Friday, April 08, 2011 12:57
Government drafts power-saving plan

A government task force has outlined a plan to slash electricity usage this summer, calling on households and businesses to conserve power in a bid to avoid rolling blackouts.
The plan asks households to cut electricity use by 15 to 20 percent through such steps as setting air conditioners at higher temperatures and unplugging appliances when not in use.
Small businesses are asked to cut power use by 20 percent, and large-lot users like factories are asked to use 25 percent less electricity.
The task force encourages factories to shift production to slower hours in the day. It says legal limitations on power usage are also on the table.
The government will flesh out the plan and announce detailed power conservation measures by the end of April.


Friday, April 08, 2011 16:14
Fewer foreign students at Tokyo Japanese school

A Japanese language school in Tokyo says about 15 percent of its foreign students have shown up for the new school year that started this month.
Only 20 foreign students attended the entrance ceremony of Tokyo Central Japanese Language School in Shibuya Ward on Friday.
The school says 130 students from more than 50 countries are enrolled for the new school year, but many decided not to come after a series of accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant following the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The entrance ceremony had more school staff than students.
An American student said the nuclear emergency is scary, but Tokyo is believed to be safe.
A Taiwanese student said she calls home everyday because her parents are worried, but she believes Tokyo is safe.
Principal Yoshihiro Shirai said the school can eliminate the students' concerns by starting its programs as scheduled.


Friday, April 08, 2011 16:14
Aftershock knocks out seismic data transmitters
The Meteorological Agency says seismometers in northeastern Japan stopped transmitting data after Thursday's magnitude-7.4 earthquake, apparently due to a power outage triggered by the jolt.
The agency said that as of 10 AM Friday, it had confirmed lack of data transmission from 14 seismometers in locations including Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture and Tanohata Village in Iwate Prefecture.
Another 4 seismometers had already been out of order since the March 11th quake and tsunami. The total of 18 malfunctioning seismometers accounts for 20 percent of all seismometers set up in northeastern Japan.
The agency also said data transmissions from 12 of 26 seismometers used for measuring quake magnitudes and issuing quake warnings have also stopped.
Senior agency official Osamu Kamigaichi told reporters that the lack of seismic data poses no problem for issuing tsunami warnings, but will affect the accuracy of quake warnings.
Kamigaichi said data transmission from most seismometers will likely be recovered after electricity is restored. But he added that the agency will prepare more emergency batteries in case of blackouts.
He also advised residents in quake-hit areas to remain cautious due to the possibility of more strong aftershocks.


Friday, April 08, 2011 19:39
TEPCO: Aftershock did not affect Fukushima efforts

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan says the strong earthquake on Thursday night has not hampered the ongoing work to restore reactor cooling systems at the plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Company evacuated all staff from the plant after an intensity 5-minus on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7 was registered in Futaba Town, where the plant is located, and a tsunami evacuation advisory was issued.
TEPCO says no new irregularities have been detected in radiation readings or other indicators, except for the surface temperature of the No. 1 reactor.
Before the quake, that reading stood at 223 degrees Celsius at 7 PM on Thursday. Just after the tremor, it rose to about 260 degrees at midnight -- up nearly 40 degrees -- but fell back to 246 degrees at 1 PM on Friday.
The government's nuclear safety agency says the sudden rise in temperature cannot be explained at the moment, but that it will continue close monitoring.
TEPCO continued operations to pump water into No.1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors, as well as work to inject nitrogen into the containment vessel of the No. 1 reactor to prevent a possible hydrogen explosion.
The company says the pressure inside the vessel rose by 0.35 compared to the reading before the nitrogen injection, suggesting the work is going as planned.
TEPCO also says there have been no fresh leaks of highly contaminated water into the sea from a pit near the No. 2 reactor. Leakage from the concrete pit stopped on Wednesday after workers injected a hardening agent beneath it.
The operator also continued discharging water contaminated with relatively lower-level radiation into the sea from a storage facility.
Some 7,400 of the 8,500 tons of contaminated water had been released by Thursday.
The work is designed to make room for highly radioactive water that leaked into a concrete tunnel and the basement of the turbine building next to the No. 2 reactor.
Workers have completed drilling holes in the walls of turbine buildings connected to No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 reactors to install hoses. Highly radioactive water will be transferred through the hoses to the storage facility.
The workers also checked for any damage by the latest quake to the floors and walls of the facility.

Friday, April 08, 2011 19:39
Magnitude of Thursday quake revised downward

The Meteorological Agency has downgraded the magnitude of the powerful earthquake that struck northern Japan late Thursday night.
The agency on Friday revised the magnitude of the quake from 7.4 to 7.1.
The depth of the quake's focus was also revised from 40 kilometers below ground to 66 kilometers deep.
It occurred at 11:32 PM Thursday, causing strong tremors in areas already devastated by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The latest tremor, believed to be an aftershock of the March quake, registered an intensity of 6-plus on the Japanese seismic scale of zero to 7 in some parts in Miyagi Prefecture.


Friday, April 08, 2011 20:51
China, Russia concern over contaminated water

China and Russia have expressed concern over Japan discharging water contaminated with relatively low-level radiation from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei released a statement on Friday saying China wants Japan to take appropriate measures to protect the ocean environment based on international laws. He urged the Japanese government to provide China with comprehensive and accurate information in a timely manner.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Russia's foreign ministry expressed displeasure by pointing out that Japan informed Russia of its move to dump the contaminated water 2 days after it began the operation earlier this week.
The ministry urged Japan to provide concerned parties with complete information about the situation at the crippled nuclear power plant. It also expressed the hope that Japan will take measures to prevent further discharges of radioactive water into the ocean.
Russia's health authorities say that radioactive contamination has not been detected in the country at present. However, they say if the contamination spreads to a wider area and becomes more serious, it could restrict fishing in waters off its far-eastern coast.
On Tuesday, South Korea expressed similar concerns over the dumping and criticized the Japanese side for failing to notify it ahead of time.


Friday, April 08, 2011 21:57
Water radiation levels rise north of nuke plant

The operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says seawater radiation levels continue to rise in areas north of the plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it detected on Thursday 110 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per cubic centimeter in seawater samples collected 30 meters from outlets in the northern part of the complex.
The figure is 2,800 times higher than the maximum allowed under government standards. Measurements at the same spot were 600 times the standard on Tuesday and 1,000 times on Wedneday.
In a series of surveys 15 kilometers from the coastline, a reading 9.3 times the national limit was detected north of the plant, off the coast of Minami-soma City.
The government's nuclear safety agency has instructed the Fukushima plant operator to review its monitoring activities, as the radioactive material is likely to be carried northward by ocean currents.
The agency stressed the need to monitor areas of high radiation concentration more closely to clarify possible contamination of the ocean.


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In Takasaki, Gunma prefecture, most famous for its Daruma dolls, all the stores around the station were closed on March 29, after the quake.
高崎市群馬県

The big Daruma for elections do not sell well any more, because people are in "salf-restraint mode".
But now they make new Daruma with "Ganbaro Nihon".




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Voices from around

. The Daily Reading List .  

. . . . .

quote   
SENDAI, Japan –
A strong aftershock ripped through northeastern Japan, killing two, injuring dozens and piling misery on a region still buried under the rubble of last month's devastating tsunami.

The quake late Thursday was the strongest tremor since the March 11 jumbo and did some damage, but it did not generate a tsunami and appeared to have spared the area's nuclear power plants. The Fukushima Dai-ichi complex — where workers have been frantically trying to cool overheated reactors since they lost cooling systems last month — reported no new abnormalities. Other facilities retained a connection to the grid or switched to diesel generators after the 7.1-magnitude quake knocked out power to much of the area.

Many people in the area have lived without water and electricity for nearly a month, and the latest tremor sunk more homes into blackness: In total, around 3.6 million households — about 60 percent of residents in the area — were dark Friday, said Souta Nozu, a spokesman for Tohoku Electric Power Co., which serves northern Japan.

Five conventional plants in the area were out, and it was not clear when power would be restored, he said.

The temblor's epicenter was in about the same location as the original 9.0-magnitude tremor, off the eastern coast and about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Sendai...

"Something has changed," she said.
"The world feels strange now.
Even the way the clouds move isn't right."



source : news.yahoo.com



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Haiga by Alex Serban, Romania


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a bird tends
a broken wing ...
Fukushima evening


young leaves ...
the toxic air
in Fukushima


Tohoku ...
the moon upside down
for a few minutes


Ella Wagemakers, Holland

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Tohoku (to Dr. Gabi Greve)

in darkness …
the earth folding
within itself

suddenly the stars
the only light

scrambling
people run for cover ...
winter lingers

the chill of death
looms

a few more
missing in the night …
moon shadows

can you hear
the birds singing?

morning haze –
cherry blossoms in the midst
of spiraling fear  


Don Baird, California

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4/07/2011

April 7, Thursday

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Gabi reports:

A warm morning for a change, with the scent of late plum blossoms and fragrant daphne in the garden.

Falling again :
. Daily Radiation Levels  

The radioactive leak had been stopped last night and seems to have not occured again until this morning.


The levels of radioactivity in drinking water and food in Japan are much more strict than for example in Europe. If the Japanese levels had been measured in Frankfurt, there would not have been any problem with them.
I wonder when we get some common ground on this problem.

. . . . .

One gamemaker, Tokyo-based company Irem, cancelled one of its titles, "Disaster Report 4."
The game takes place in a city that is ravaged by an earthquake, and the player aims to make it out alive.
. Game companies put titles on hold  


Toyota motor company will start work at most of its plants on April 18.

Western Japan Railways will take up regular trains again on April 8, after procruring the spare parts needed from Tohoku.


Russia has now banned seafood imports from about 240 companies in Japan, because radioactive water had been released into the ocean.
South Korea has launched its own task force to deal with the problem, as fear of radiation grows in South Korea.
South Korea closed the kindergardens and schools today, because it was raining and they feared radioactivity in the air/rain.

Israel offered to donate a clinic to tsunami-devastated town of Minami Sanriku in Miyagi when its medical team ends its mission there. The six prefab rooms can then be further used, including the equipment.

Hillary Clinton is planning to visit Japan, maybe around April 17, discussing how USA might help with the Fukushima Plant problems and rebuilding in Tohoku.
The american Montgomery Dickson has been confirmed dead.

. . . . .


ROOTOTE Charity Bags

. . . . .

Efforts are now made to find the tsunami victims in the zone around the Fukushima plant, since dead bodies will be decomposing. It is now a race against time and radiation. Minami Soma is at the edge of the evacuation zone and has more than 1000 people missing.


The fear of radioactivity is spreading.
Trucks with a number from Iwaki town were not allowed to bring their luggage to Tokyo. They now have to reload in Gunma and use a Gunma number to be able to get into Tokyo.


Foreign tourists are not coming to Japan any more. We saw the usually crowded streets around Asakusa Kannon temple all quiet and deserted ... shop owners are wondering about their income now.

. . . . .

There was a strong earthquake M 7.4 in the night, details see here:

. Friday, April 8 .  


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Bulletins from NHK Online

source : www3.nhk.or.jp

Thursday, April 07, 2011 02:07
Nitrogen gas injection begins at Fukushima plant
The operator of the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has begun injecting nitrogen gas into the containment vessel of one of the reactors.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says the injection is aimed at preventing hydrogen from exploding inside the containment vessel at the No. 1 reactor.
The fuel rods remain nearly half exposed as the coolant water inside the reactor has not yet risen high enough. It is thought that hydrogen and oxygen have been generated as a result of the reaction between water and the zirconium alloy that covers the fuel. Hydrogen can also be generated when radiation dissolves water molecules.
If the density of hydrogen inside the containment vessel increases, it will heighten the risk of explosion through a reaction with oxygen.
Nitrogen gas does not react with hydrogen and is chemically stable.
Work to inject nitrogen gas into the reactor containment vessel began at 10:30 PM on Wednesday, and the actual injection began a little after 1:30 AM on Thursday.
TEPCO says the injection will continue for 6 days. The company is also considering making similar injections in the No 2 and No3 reactors.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency warns that the nitrogen gas injection could cause gases including radioactive substances to leak outside the reactor containment vessel.
It says it has instructed TEPCO to monitor radioactivity in surrounding areas and to fully disclosure any information.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was damaged by the earthquake and tsunami that hit eastern Japan on March 11th. On the following day, hydrogen that accumulated in the building that houses the No. 1 reactor exploded, blowing off its roof and walls. Two days later, a similar hydrogen blast occurred at No. 3 reactor.

.

Honda to halve production in Britain
Honda Motor says it will halve production in Britain amid a shortage of parts from Japan following the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The leading Japanese automobile maker made the announcement on Wednesday. The decision will affect its factory in the British city of Swindon from next Monday until at least the end of May.
Honda says 3,000 employees will be paid as usual during the period.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 02:08
Fund distribution committee to be set up

Japanese organizations receiving donations for the areas stricken by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami are going to set up a committee to discuss ways to allocate the funds to affected areas.
The Japanese Red Cross Society and the Central Community Chest of Japan have so far received more than 150 billion yen, or about 1.7 billion dollars, in donations.
However, the funds have not yet reached the stricken areas, more than 3 weeks after the quake. No decision has been made as to how to allocate the donations partly because local authorities have not yet grasped the full extent of damage.
The organizations will work with the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to launch a committee on Thursday to consider fair ways to allocate the money.
Officials from 17 prefectures affected by the disaster will join the committee to discuss the matter with the organizations receiving the donations.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 06:48
Evacuation standards being reviewed

Nuclear experts are suggesting the government revise the radioactive standards for evacuation advisories involving the emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The move comes almost 4 weeks after tsunami disabled the nuclear plant.
According to existing guidelines, people should remain indoors when radiation levels outdoors reach 10 millisieverts several days after any accident. Evacuation is only considered when levels reach 50 millisieverts. The guidelines were set by the Nuclear Safety Commission using standards adopted by organizations including the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The government has advised residents living in areas within 20 kilometers of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to "evacuate" while those in areas between 20 and 30 kilometers have been told to "stay indoors".
However, the amount of exposure is likely to rise in these areas as little progress has been made in cooling the nuclear fuels or containing radiation leaks.
Taking into consideration the fact that the situation may be prolonged, the Nuclear Safety Commission has reviewed its guidelines using a 2007 advisory issued by the International Committee on Radiological Protection. The commission now says an evacuation advisory should be issued to prevent residents from being exposed to a total of 20 millisieverts a year.
A member of the commission says the evacuation advisories should reflect the possibility that the situation at the nuclear power plant will be drawn out.
According to the member, the Commission has suggested to a task force that measures should be taken when radiation levels exceed 20 millisieverts. The member says it is the Commission's responsibility to monitor and collect data in each affected area.
Scientists say the limit allowed for an average person is 1 millisiervert a year. The Nuclear Safety Commission is suggesting revising the evacuation standard only for the current emergency. It says it does not necessarily mean that the 1-millisievert limit should be raised. The commission says the government has already begun briefing the affected local communities on the matter.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 06:48
Govt may slash ODA budget after disaster
Japan may cut its aid budget to developing countries as it struggles to rebuild after the devastating March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The government and ruling Democratic Party plan a supplementary reconstruction budget for fiscal 2011, expected to total over 3 trillion yen, or 35 billion dollars.
The first budget plan is expected to be submitted to the Diet before the end of the month.
The government and the Democratic Party may also target extra spending for child benefits and toll-free expressways, but that would still leave a shortfall.
More than 570 billion yen -- or roughly 6.7 billion dollars -- in foreign government aid is earmarked for fiscal 2011. Some lawmakers want to divert about 100 billion yen, or 1.1 billion dollars, out of the aid budget, known as Official Development Assistance.
Democratic Party Secretary General Katsuya Okada has asked the Foreign Ministry to consider cutting the ODA budget by around 20 percent.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 11:20
IAEA experts discuss nuclear safety
Experts with the International Atomic Energy Agency have discussed safety measures at Japan's nuclear plants and its response to the crisis in Fukushima.
Some 200 nuclear experts from around the world held a three-day meeting in Vienna that ended on Wednesday. They discussed the continuing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was heavily damaged by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The deputy director general of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Koichiro Nakamura 中村幸一郎, explained that Japan tightened quake-resistance standards after the earthquake in Niigata Prefecture 4 years ago, which resulted in radioactive substances leaking from a nuclear plant on the Sea of Japan coast.
... Foreign experts asked about tsunami preparedness at Japan's nuclear plants, and expressed concern over its decision to release radioactive waste into the sea.



Thursday, April 07, 2011 12:09
TEPCO: Nitrogen injection going well

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it continues to inject nitrogen gas into the containment vessel of the No.1 reactor without problems. The nitrogen gas is being used to prevent a hydrogen blast at the reactor.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says that as of 6 AM Thursday pressure inside the containment vessel of the No.1 reactor had risen only slightly and that this indicates the operation is going well. The gas injection began at 1:30 AM Thursday.
Fuel rods inside the No.1 reactor are nearly half exposed because coolant water levels remain low. It is thought that the overheated fuel rods have caused a buildup of the volatile mix of hydrogen and oxygen. It is hoped the chemically stable nitrogen will counteract this buildup.
TEPCO says it plans to continue the injection for about 6 days and will also consider taking similar measures at the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors.
Regarding another problem, TEPCO said the pool of highly contaminated water in the underground tunnel connected to the No. 2 reactor rose 5 centimeters in the 24 hours leading up to 7 AM Thursday.
TEPCO says the rise is probably related to stopping the leakage of highly radioactive water from a concrete pit of the No. 2 reactor with the use of a hardening agent on Wednesday.
The company says there is still one meter of room to ground level, but will keep a close watch on the situation because an overflow would seriously hamper the already difficult restoration work.
TEPCO is also continuing the release of 8,000 tons of low-level radioactive wastewater from the plant to make storage space for more highly contaminated water. Around 6,000 tons have been discharged so far.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 14:07
Nuclear evacuation zone may be expanded

The Government says it may order residents of some areas within 20 to 30 kilometers of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to evacuate.
Residents within 20 kilometers of the plant have been evacuated, while those living between 20 to 30 kilometers have been advised to remain indoors.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters on Thursday that existing evacuation guidelines assume large amounts of radiation being released over a short period of time and are not relevant in considering the impact of long-term exposure.
He said that total exposure to radiation is high in some areas in the 20-30 kilometer zone as the accident drags on.
Edano said the nuclear safety agency is studying whether to order residents of those areas to evacuate.
The Chief Cabinet Secretary also said the government wants to allow evacuees to return temporarily to their homes to gather valuables and necessities as requested, but is still studying safety issues.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 14:52
Radiation level remains high after leak stopped

At the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, radiation in seawater near the Number 2 reactor remains high, even after the leakage of contaminated water into the sea was stopped.
The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, said it had confirmed early Wednesday morning that highly contaminated water was no longer leaking from a concrete pit after workers injected a hardening agent beneath it.
The company says it detected 5,600 bequerels of radioactive iodine-131 per cubic centimeter in seawater samples collected around the water intake of the reactor at 7:40 AM local time on Wednesday.
That's about half the level detected on the previous day, but still 140,000 times higher than the safety limit under the government's standards.
On Tuesday, the measurement at the same spot was 11,000 bequerels, 280,000 times higher than the standard.
Levels of iodine-131 at this spot have been alarmingly high since April 2nd, when Tokyo Electric detected 7.5 million times higher than permissible levels of the radioactive substance.
Tokyo Electric said it's too early to determine whether the decrease is a result of stopping the leak.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 16:19
Iitate village holds conference for farmers

Farmers in Iitate Village, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan have demanded that the prefecture clearly explain the radiation levels at which safety standards allow the resumption of farm work.
High levels of a radioactive substance have been detected in the soil in the village.
The demand was made at an emergency meeting of village assembly members and farmers from the village on Thursday.
The village mayor, Norio Kanno, said in the meeting that he will study how to deal with the crisis for the sake of the farmers and villagers.
Fukushima Prefecture's analysis from March to April found levels of radioactive cesium in soil 30 to 150 times higher than normal in rice paddies, farms and orchards in 10 of the 70 surveyed locations, including Iitate village. Farm work has since been suspended in the village.
Officials from the prefecture asked the farmers to continue the suspension of their work while the prefecture conducts a re-investigation, the results of which are to be released next Tuesday.
One farmer participating in the meeting complained that the prefecture has not clearly informed them of the radiation levels deemed safe to allow them to resume farm work.
Another said they cannot delay planting this year's crops any longer.

Thursday, April 07, 2011 16:19
Daily radiation checks on fish begin in Ibaraki

The Japanese government has begun monitoring radiation levels in fish in the Pacific off Ibaraki Prefecture, which is located south of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
A trawler left Nakaminato Port at Hitachinaka City in the prefecture on Thursday to catch fish such as plaice and anglerfish as test samples.
The daily checks follow the detection of radioactive cesium above the legal limit in small fish called sand lance. The fish were caught Monday in seas off northern Ibaraki Prefecture, which is nearer to the nuclear plant.
Radiation exceeding the limit has not been found in other fish so far. But all fishing off the Ibaraki coast has been suspended because brokers and retailers are refusing to buy fish from the area.
Nakaminato fisheries cooperative official Kazumi Nemoto says the checks are necessary to confirm the safety of fish off Ibaraki so that consumers can eat them without worry.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 16:38
Foreigners leave Japan after March 11th disaster
The number of foreign nationals who left Japan in the week after the March 11th earthquake was 240,000, up 100,000 from the previous 7 days.
Japan's immigration bureau says the number of foreigners entering the country has dropped to one third after the disaster compared to the number before.
The immigration bureau says 160,000 foreigners entered Japan in the week before the quake, while the number fell to 60,000 in the first week after the quake, and to 50,000 in the second week.
The number of tourists and those on a short stay has sharply dropped to 20,000, from the pre-disaster number of 120,000.
The bureau cites the effects of the devastation after the earthquake and tsunami and the prolonged crisis at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 17:11
Moving radioactive water likely to take long time
Japan's nuclear agency says moving highly radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant's turbine building to a storage facility may not start for another week.
The water in the basement of the turbine building of the plant's Number 2 reactor and a concrete tunnel has been hampering work to restore the reactor's cooling systems.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has been discharging lower-level radioactive water into the sea from the facility to make room for the highly radioactive water. The work is to end on Thursday.
But the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the facility must first be checked for cracks that might have been caused by the earthquake, and that this could take several days to a week.
The agency says the facility was designed to store low-level radioactive water, and that every effort must be made to make sure that highly radioactive water does not leak.


Thursday, April 07, 2011 20:24
Nitrogen injection ups pressure in reactor


The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says pressure inside the containment vessel of the Number 1 reactor is rising following an injection of nitrogen gas.
Tokyo Electric Power Company started the injection early on Thursday to prevent a possible hydrogen explosion at the reactor.
Fuel rods inside the reactor are nearly half exposed after a loss of cooling water, creating a dangerous buildup of oxygen and hydrogen and fears of another explosion.
The company says that after injecting 413 cubic meters of nitrogen gas until 5 PM on Thursday, the pressure reading inside the vessel was 1.76, up 0.2 from before the injection started.
The company says it will continue the work for 6 more days and study a similar operation in the Number 2 and 3 reactors.
Tokyo Electric also admitted that the level of highly radioactive water in a concrete tunnel of the Number 2 reactor rose 5 centimeters in the 24 hours until 7 AM local time on Thursday.
It says the rise may be a result of work on Wednesday to stop highly radioactive water leaking into the sea from a cracked concrete pit.
The company says the water is about a meter below the ground level, and that it will keep monitoring it to prevent an overflow.
Tokyo Electric has so far dumped about 7,300 tons of low-level radioactive wastewater into the sea from a storage facility to make room for more highly contaminated water.
The company says the last 700 tons of water will be discharged by Friday.


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Voices from around

. The Daily Reading List .  


. Japan Times, April 7 .  

. . . . .

quote
EU-Grenzwerte für Lebensmittelimporte aus Japan
Seit dem 26. März 2011 ist die EU-Durchführungsverordnung EG 297/2011 (PDF-Dokument, 759 KByte, extern) zum Erlass von Sondervorschriften für die Einfuhr von Lebens- und Futtermitteln aus Japan in Kraft. Sie ist bindend für die Mitgliedsstaaten der EU und gilt für drei Monate. Diese Verordnung ist die Voraussetzung dafür, solche Kontrollen an den EU-Außengrenzen durchzuführen.
... Die Höchstwerte betreffen neben Cäsium die radioaktiven Isotope, Plutonium, Iod und Strontium.
... Die EU-Durchführungsverordnung EG/297/2011 richtet sich vielmehr auf eine kurzzeitige Belastung mit einer überschaubaren Zahl von Lebensmitteln aus Japan. Lebensmittel werden aus Japan nur in geringen Mengen nach Europa eingeführt. Frische Lebensmittel wie Fleisch, Gemüse oder Milch sind praktisch nicht dabei.

Nach EU-Durchführungsverordnung EG 297/2011 gelten für:
Allgemeine Lebensmittel 1.250 Bq pro kg
Säuglingsnahrung 400 Bq pro kg
Milcherzeugnisse und flüssige Nahrungsmittel (einschließlich Trinkwasser) 1.000 Bq pro kg
Nahrungsmittel geringer Bedeutung (Gewürze) 12.500 Bq pro kg.

source : www.bmu.bund.de/atomenergie_sicherheit

. . . . .

quote
U.N. expert: Fukushima not as bad as Chernobyl
Wolfgang Weiss, chairman of the U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, said it’s far too early to even begin an assessment of the situation at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant because the crisis there is ongoing.
But, he noted, while radioactivity from the 1979 Three Mile Island incident in the United States was largely contained, traces of fallout from Fukushima detected around the world are “much, much, much lower” than traces seen at similar distances after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine.
... Fred Mettler, a member of the U.N. committee, agreed, noting that in contrast to Fukushima Chernobyl was surrounded by land. During that disaster, hundreds of people were exposed to very high doses of radiation and 135 got acute radiation sickness, he added.
“We haven’t seen any of that at Fukushima, so the early management by the Japanese here is very different from what happened at Chernobyl,” Mettler said.
source : www.japantoday.com

. . . . .

quote   
Tsunami-hit towns forgot warnings from ancestors
MIYAKO, Japan – Modern sea walls failed to protect coastal towns from Japan's destructive tsunami last month. But in the hamlet of Aneyoshi, a single centuries-old tablet saved the day.

"High dwellings are the peace and harmony of our descendants," the stone slab reads. "Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build any homes below this point."
It was advice the dozen or so households of Aneyoshi heeded, and their homes emerged unscathed from a disaster that flattened low-lying communities elsewhere and killed thousands along Japan's northeastern shore.
Hundreds of such markers dot the coastline, some more than 600 years old. Collectively they form a crude warning system for Japan, whose long coasts along major fault lines have made it a repeated target of earthquakes and tsunamis over the centuries.
source : news.yahoo.com

姉吉漁港(あねよし)

. . . . .

quote   
Iwate brewer urges holding cherry blossom parties with Tohoku-made sake
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- While a mood of voluntary self-restraint is spreading following last month's deadly earthquake and tsunami, an official of a Japanese sake brewery in Iwate Prefecture has asked people to go ahead and hold cherry blossom viewing parties with sake made in disaster-hit areas.

Kosuke Kuji 久慈 浩介, 38, executive director of Nambu Bijin, a sake brewing company in Ninohe which was damaged in the March 11 disaster, has posted a video message on the YouTube website, asking people to support the disaster-ravaged Tohoku region in northeastern Japan by consuming alcohol products from the region at such parties.
"My name is Kosuke Kuji, and I am the fifth person to head our brewery here in Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture. We brew a sake called "Nambu Bijin". Iwate Prefecture was devastated in the Tohoku earthquake.
... While it's not the time and place for us here in Tohoku to be drinking sake, if everyone else in Japan keeps on holding back from enjoying a drink, it will cause us secondary economic damage." ...
source : mdn.mainichi.jp



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!!! ganbare Nihon,
ganbare Japan, ganbare Tohoku !!!


variuos events and relief actions are taking place under this motto.

source : Ganbare Tohoku !



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