July 2, Saturday

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Sanriku coast -
a hawk soars high
above the rubble

. Otaka poppo お鷹ぽっぽ toy hawk .
from Yonezawa, Tohoku

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Gabi reports:

Yesterday I saw a story about a young man who lost his mother in the tsunami. She was "missing" for almost two months.
When they could identify a corpse as hers with DNA checks, he said he felt kind of happy, that she was now with him again, could spend her "life" in a grave and he would hold her dearly in his heart.

On Mother's Day he had planted a bunch of red carnations on the place where the family home had been washed away by the tsunami and he is now convinced the flowers helped his mother's soul to find her way back.
He promised to plant more flowers in the rubble beside the home, where his mother had a flower garden ...

. . . . .

Kan's exit will spur reforms talk: Edano
. The Political Situation . 　INFO .


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Bulletins from NHK Online
source : www3.nhk.or.jp


Saturday, July 02, 2011 05:46
Students land fish at Onahama Port
Students from a local fisheries high school in Fukushima Prefecture landed a haul of tuna on Friday to help reopen a local fishing port.
Thirty-two students from Iwakikaisei High School returned to Onahama Port 小名浜港 on Friday after 43 days of training off Hawaii. The annual trip was delayed by 3 weeks due to the March 11th disaster.
After the students informed school officials of their safe return, they brought ashore their haul of some 200 tuna.
No fish had been landed at Onahama Port since the disaster and nuclear crisis.
A student said he hopes that many people will enjoy eating the tuna. The fish will be sold at local supermarkets.


Saturday, July 02, 2011 05:46
Auto industry begins power-saving shift
The Japanese auto industry has begun weekend operations on Saturday in an effort to avoid electricity shortages this summer.
Thirteen automakers and their parts suppliers are shifting factory operations to weekends because power demands on Saturday and Sunday are lower than weekdays. To compensate, the factories will shut down on Thursday and Friday. ..


Saturday, July 02, 2011 11:05
Higher radiation detected on fields than asphalt
A government survey has found higher levels of radiation on fields and forests than on asphalt pavements in towns about 10 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The Cabinet Office and the ministry of science monitored radiation for more than 10 days from June 13th at 400 locations in Namie and Tomioka towns, which fall within a 20-kilometer no-entry zone.
The survey centered on JR Namie station, about 8 kilometers from the plant, and JR Tomioka station, about 10 kilometers from the plant. Measurements were made at one centimeter and one meter above the ground.
The highest level in Tomioka was detected on an unpaved road 2 kilometers northwest of the station, where the reading at the one-centimeter point was 39.1 microsieverts per hour.
In Namie Town, 25.4 microsieverts was detected at the one-centimeter point in a forest about one kilometer west of the station.
Readings were generally lower -- around several microsieverts -- on roads and parking lots covered by asphalt and higher on fields and forests.
Radioactive substances are believed to be easily washed away by rain on asphalt but adhere to soil and plants.
The government plans to monitor radiation at more than 3,400 locations in no-entry zones and evacuation advisory zones by the end of August.
Measurements will be taken at gardens of private homes and roof gutters, where radiation tends to be high, as well as roadside ditches.


Saturday, July 02, 2011 13:22
TEPCO: Nuclear fuel pool cooled to stable level
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has reported progress in its work to stabilize the facility's spent fuel rods.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says the cooling system that began operating at the No.3 reactor on Thursday has brought the temperature of the nuclear fuel storage pool of the reactor to just below 40 degrees Celsius from the previous level of 62 degrees.
TEPCO says the temperature of the pool was 39.9 degrees as of 5 AM on Saturday.
As cooling has progressed faster than initially expected, TEPCO says the temperature will likely stabilize at around 30 degrees in a few days. The temperature of the spent fuel pool of the No.2 reactor has already declined to that level.
As for the No.1 and No.4 reactors, the utility plans to begin operating cooling systems by the end of this month. Until then, the company needs to inject cooling water on a regular basis.
TEPCO is concerned about possible difficulty in installing the cooling system at the No.4 reactor. A hydrogen explosion in March damaged piping necessary for the system and debris left there is hampering construction work.
The company says there may be a delay in its installation plan.


Saturday, July 02, 2011 14:54
Nurseries open on weekends to help working parents
Daycare centers in Japan have begun to provide services for children on weekends to meet demand from their parents.
The move coincides with corporate efforts to shift factory operations to weekends to avoid expected power shortages this summer.
A public daycare center in a factory area of Higashi-matsuyama City in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, has started providing daycare on Sundays and extended hours on Saturday until the end of September.
It's the only nursery in the city which provides the service on weekends.
Parents who have used a public or private nursery in the city can obtain a place for their children at the facility when they work on weekends.
In Saitama Prefecture as a whole, 30 municipalities have taken a similar step.
A working mother who brought her child to the center said she is very grateful for the weekend service, but is concerned that her child may feel uneasy at a new place. The mother said she is still not used to the new rhythm of life.
The head of the daycare center said she is relieved to see children relax, and that she hopes they will enjoy themselves there.

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Voices from around



Japan Times :

Power-saving plan kicks in for big users
The government starts restricting electricity consumption by large-lot users in eastern and northeastern Japan to avert power shortages amid the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110702a1.html


Suit seeks to shut Hamaoka reactors for good
A group of residents and a mayor in Shizuoka Prefecture file a lawsuit seeking the decommissioning of the reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant for safety reasons.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110702a2.html

Saga governor comes under fire over Genkai restart
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110702a3.html

Disaster photo exhibit opens in South Korea
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110702a6.html

Mayor raps ex-Tepco president
The mayor of Namie, Tamotsu Baba 馬場有 浪江町
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110702a8.html

Osaka best backup capital, Ishihara, Hashimoto say
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110702b1.html

Business confidence tumbles after quake
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110702a2.html

Spreading anti-nuclear sentiment
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110702a1.html

U.S. volunteer group earns tragedy-hit Iwate's respect
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110702a1.html

Aid-givers sending used bikes to disaster zone
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20110702a2.html

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