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The 11th month after the earthquake starts !
ten months later -
nothing can erase
these memories
. Remember March 11, 2011, 14:46
. - The End of the Year 2011 - .
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. . Joys of Japan .
Join the Friends on Facebook !
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Gabi reports:
It is now ten months since the great earthquake, tsunami and reactor crises.
. News from December, 2011 .
The Japan Times will cease uploading the daily map of radiation levels in eastern Japan
because conditions appear to have stabilized.
Significant events that result in further radiation releases will be monitored.
. DAILY Radiation Eastern Japan .
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Bulletins from NHK Online
source : www3.nhk.or.jp
Hiroshima peace clock reset after US nuclear tests
An atomic bomb museum in Hiroshima has reset a clock known as the "Peace Watch" to protest nuclear tests conducted by the United States last year.
The clock at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum displays the number of days since the world's last nuclear test.
Museum Director Koichiro Maeda on Tuesday pressed the button setting the clock back to 55, the number of days since the US last carried out a test on November 16th. ...
Cabinet approval rate plunges to 30%
An NHK poll shows the approval rate for Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's cabinet has plunged by half after 4 months in office. ...
Fukushima fishermen pray for disaster victims
At a fishing port in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, some 100 fishermen and others observed silent prayers for the dead and missing in the March 11th disaster, exactly 10 months after the calamity on Wednesday.
These fishermen remain unable to resume work and instead have to clean debris from around the devastated port.
One of them is a man who lives in emergency housing after being evacuated from his home near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. He said there is no telling when the seawater will be decontaminated, and he is frustrated at being unable to go to sea.
Many Fukushima fishermen are forced to stay on land because radioactive substances continue to be found in excess of government safety limits in fish caught off the prefecture.
Fukushima suffered triple disasters --- the earthquake, tsunami and the ensuing nuclear accident. In addition to the 1,605 dead and 217 missing, about 156,500 residents remain evacuated in and outside the prefecture.
Many of the evacuees are expressing worry and frustration, as it remains uncertain when they can return home.
The March 11th disaster left a total of 19,294 people dead or missing, mostly in northeastern Japan.
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Voices from around
Japan Times:
In Tohoku, Noda touts recovery agency
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Tuesday visited two cities hit hard by the March 11 disasters and vowed to speed up efforts to rebuild the Tohoku region by launching a reconstruction agency as early as next month.
"Everyone's livelihoods are at stake, so we will tackle (reconstruction) with speed," Noda told reporters after visiting Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, and Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture. "We want to ensure that the reconstruction agency will be centralized to heed the requests of disaster victims."
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120111a8.html
Schools in Minamisoma getting back to normal
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120111a7.html
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If anyone can make Tohoku smile,
the candy man can
A group of confectioneries whose offices and factories are located in the six prefectures that form the Tohoku region will be selling a joint packaged set to show solidarity in support of reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
"We decided that it was crucial that Tohoku come together as one right now to overcome difficulties," said Shuhei Sasaki, head of Ragueneau Sasaki, which produces various pastries that use Aomori's trademark apples.
Sasaki called upon fellow colleagues in the trade to join the project and began preparations in June last year.
The colorfully packaged set called "Michinoku-shu" (Distant province), features dainty morsels developed specially for the joint effort by six companies: Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture-based Ragueneau Sasaki Inc.; Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture-based Kurata Co.; the Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture plant of Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture-based Granver; Kotobuki Sanshokumonaka Honpo Ltd. of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture; Kineya Inc. of Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture; and Kashiwaya Co. of Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture.
source : ajw.asahi.com
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
. . . . . at 12:20
Earthquake M 5.8 off Fukushima
with minor quakes of 4.8 and 3.8 within a few hours.
. . . . at 14:37
Earthquake M 5.4 off Miyagi
..... at 16:49
Earthquake M 4.4 off Fukushima
..... at 18:22
Earthquake M 4.2 off Fukushima
..... at 18:41
Earthquake M 4.0 off Ibaraki
Key antinuclear confab will offer lessons for global thought
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120112a5.html
Police hunt for missing 10 months on
SENDAI — Police carried out an intensive search for people still missing in the March 11 disasters in Miyagi Prefecture on Wednesday, 10 months after the massive quake and tsunami wreaked havoc on Pacific coastal areas of the Tohoku region.
The death toll reached 15,844 in 12 prefectures as of Tuesday, including 9,506 in Miyagi, 4,667 in Iwate and 1,605 in Fukushima prefectures, with 3,450 people remaining unaccounted for, including 1,861 in Miyagi and 1,368 in Iwate, National Police Agency data show.
Wednesday's search was focused on the coastline of Kesennuma, one of the hardest-hit areas in the region, where bodies and belongings of victims may have been washed ashore. No new bodies have been found in Miyagi since Dec. 13, according to police.
"It has become difficult to find bodies 10 months after the disaster, but we hope to continue our search efforts," a police officer in charge said.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120112a8.html
No. 1 plant radioactive water leak kept ashore
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120112a9.html
Reconstruction bonds spark strong individual demand
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120112a1.html
Reactor monitor failure caused by bad maintenance - NHK
The operator of a nuclear monitoring system covering Japan says the system malfunctioned last month because of poor maintenance.
The Emergency Response and Support System failed to transmit data to terminal screens at the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency for more than 24 hours from December 30th. The agency also failed to notice the problem for more than one hour.
The system monitors pressure, temperature, and other real-time conditions of reactors at nuclear power plants around the country, as well as radiation levels in surrounding areas.
An investigation by the government-affiliated corporation that manages the system revealed that the data-processing functions malfunctioned because of poor maintenance.
The corporation says it will step up its maintenance of the system by rebooting its server software twice a year and introducing an automated alarm system.
Local govts start discussing waste soil storage
Fukushima prefecture and municipalities near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have started discussing whether to accept the central government's plan to temporarily store radioactive waste in their communities.
The first round of talks on Thursday came after the central government in December requested permission to build storage facilities in an area where 8 towns and villages are located.
Futaba Town was absent from the meeting, as the town mayor earlier this month expressed opposition to the plan, citing lack of local consent.
During the discussion, some municipalities said the central government should further explain the entire picture of radioactive waste disposal.
They also agreed to ask Futaba Town to participate in upcoming talks, saying all the communities need to cooperate in the matter.
New Year poetry reading held at Imperial Palace
The annual New Year's poetry reading took place at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Thursday.
This year's theme for the 31-syllable "waka" poems was "kishi" a Japanese word meaning "shore".
... Poems by Imperial family members were also recited.
The Emperor's poem describes the view of a tsunami-hit coastal area in Iwate that he saw from a helicopter with the Empress in May.
It translates as:
What was it like then/ When the tsunami came to shore/ I look down and wonder/ Below me spreads the blue sea/ Quiet and perfectly still.
The Empress expressed her thoughts for people who stand on shores, regardless of the season, waiting for someone to return.
A poem by the Empress translates as:
To stand there and wait/ For someone to come back home/ Through the four seasons/ So no "shore" do we find / In the haiku compendium.
The Imperial Palace says the Empress seems to be describing her feelings not only for the families of those who are missing after the March tsunami but also for those who repatriated from overseas after World War 2.
Local govts start discussing waste soil storage
Fukushima prefecture and municipalities near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have started discussing whether to accept the central government's plan to temporarily store radioactive waste in their communities.
The first round of talks on Thursday came after the central government in December requested permission to build storage facilities in an area where 8 towns and villages are located.
Futaba Town was absent from the meeting, as the town mayor earlier this month expressed opposition to the plan, citing lack of local consent.
During the discussion, some municipalities said the central government should further explain the entire picture of radioactive waste disposal.
They also agreed to ask Futaba Town to participate in upcoming talks, saying all the communities need to cooperate in the matter.
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Fukushima to test milk from 10,000 mothers
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120113a4.html
Co-op checking meals for cesium
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120113a5.html
The Emperor recounts visit
to tsunami-devastated shores in New Year's poem :
What was it like then
When the tsunami came to shore
I look down and wonder
Below me spreads the blue sea
Quiet and perfectly still.
Empress Michiko :
To stand there and wait
For someone to come back home
Through the four seasons
So no "shore" do we find
In the haiku compendium.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120113a6.html
Nuke plant testing body told not to rely on makers - NHK
The organization in charge of assessing the safety of Japan's nuclear plants has been advised not to rely on manufacturers that conduct quality checks on their own products.
An independent panel of experts made the recommendation in a final report on inspections of nuclear fuel rods conducted by the government-affiliated Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization in 2008.
The organization admitted last year that it failed to notice mistakes in a manufacturer's manual used to clear the fuel rods during the inspections. The panel found similar problems in checks on other components of a nuclear reactor.
Questioning the independence of the organization, the report recommends that it make its own manuals and keeps records of its meetings with manufacturers for review.
A lawyer who chairs the third party panel says that an examination should be independent and that examiners and examinees should not collaborate.
Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization says that it plans to create a time schedule for reviewing its screening procedures.
Over 90% of Japan's reactors to be offline
This week another nuclear reactor in Japan will be shut down for regular inspections. With this addition to the list, more than 90 percent of the reactors in the country will be out of service.
Shikoku Electric Power Company will start procedures on Friday to reduce the power output from the No.2 reactor at the Ikata nuclear power plant in Ehime Prefecture, western Japan.
The reactor will shut down on Saturday for a 3-month inspection.
When it shuts down, 49 of the country's 54 reactors will be out of service.
Stress tests are required before the reactors can resume operations.
In addition, Ehime Prefecture and Ikata Town officials say they can't decide whether to approve resumption of operations for the nuclear reactors until the central government draws up new safety guidelines that take into account the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Other local authorities are also cautious about putting nuclear reactors in their areas back online.
All currently operating nuclear reactors in Japan are scheduled to undergo inspection by this spring, at the latest.
If the present deadlock continues, the country could see all 54 nuclear reactors shut down.
Noda replaces 5 ministers in reshuffle
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has appointed Katsuya Okada, former secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, as deputy prime minister.
Nankai quake may cause sustained jolts in Osaka
A panel of seismologists has predicted that a magnitude 8 earthquake in western Japan would cause long-period ground motions lasting more than 5 minutes in the commercial hub of Osaka.
Long-period tremors often occur during powerful earthquakes and have cycles of at least several seconds. They do not weaken much by distance, and can sway high-rise buildings far from the epicenter.
The government's Earthquake Research Committee on Friday released a map of long-period ground motions for a major quake in the Nankai region of western Japan. The simulation was based on a magnitude 8 earthquake that struck the region in 1946. The quake killed more than 1,300 people.
The results show that long-period tremors would intensify in the plains and basins of Osaka, Aichi and Tokushima Prefectures with ground movements likely to last for 5 minutes or longer. Osaka is more than 200 kilometers from the Nankai region.
The jolts would be further amplified in areas that lie on thick layers of soft sediment. A tremor with a cycle of 3 seconds would shake buildings by more than 50 centimeters in both directions in Osaka's waterfront and some inland areas.
In the magnitude 9 earthquake that struck northeastern Japan last March, long-period jolts shook high-rises and damaged oil tanks hundreds of kilometers away in Tokyo, Osaka and other regions.
TEPCO deposits $1.5 bil. at legal affairs bureau
The operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has deposited 120-billion yen, or around 1.56-billion dollars, with the state in place of insurance coverage.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, made the deposit at the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau on Friday, due to little prospect of finding private-sector insurers to provide coverage for the firm's power plants.
The firm is currently covered by the Japan Atomic Energy Insurance Pool, an industry organization established by 23 non-life insurers. But the group decided last August that it would not renew TEPCO's contract after it expires on Sunday.
Japanese utilities operating nuclear power plants are legally obliged to secure 120-billion yen to prepare for accidents by obtaining coverage from non-life insurers.
The science and technology ministry says the deposit is the first made by a power company at a legal affairs office in place of insurance coverage.
TEPCO says it is still seeking coverage from private-sector insurers.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
Shareholders to sue Tepco directors
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120114a6.html
4,000 in Tohoku to lose jobless benefits as extensions end
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120114a8.html
Tepco to humbly seek state nod to hike rates
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120114a1.html
Nankai quake may cause sustained jolts in Osaka
A panel of seismologists has predicted that a magnitude 8 earthquake in western Japan would cause long-period ground motions lasting more than 5 minutes in the commercial hub of Osaka.
Long-period tremors often occur during powerful earthquakes and have cycles of at least several seconds. They do not weaken much by distance, and can sway high-rise buildings far from the epicenter.
The government's Earthquake Research Committee on Friday released a map of long-period ground motions for a major quake in the Nankai region of western Japan. The simulation was based on a magnitude 8 earthquake that struck the region in 1946. The quake killed more than 1,300 people.
The results show that long-period tremors would intensify in the plains and basins of Osaka, Aichi and Tokushima Prefectures with ground movements likely to last for 5 minutes or longer. Osaka is more than 200 kilometers from the Nankai region.
The jolts would be further amplified in areas that lie on thick layers of soft sediment. A tremor with a cycle of 3 seconds would shake buildings by more than 50 centimeters in both directions in Osaka's waterfront and some inland areas.
In the magnitude 9 earthquake that struck northeastern Japan last March, long-period jolts shook high-rises and damaged oil tanks hundreds of kilometers away in Tokyo, Osaka and other regions.
TEPCO deposits $1.5 bil. at legal affairs bureau
The operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has deposited 120-billion yen, or around 1.56-billion dollars, with the state in place of insurance coverage.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, made the deposit at the Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau on Friday, due to little prospect of finding private-sector insurers to provide coverage for the firm's power plants.
The firm is currently covered by the Japan Atomic Energy Insurance Pool, an industry organization established by 23 non-life insurers. But the group decided last August that it would not renew TEPCO's contract after it expires on Sunday.
Japanese utilities operating nuclear power plants are legally obliged to secure 120-billion yen to prepare for accidents by obtaining coverage from non-life insurers.
The science and technology ministry says the deposit is the first made by a power company at a legal affairs office in place of insurance coverage.
TEPCO says it is still seeking coverage from private-sector insurers.
Japan's new cabinet launched
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has launched his reshuffled cabinet.
5 new ministers were officially appointed at an attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace on Friday.
Former PM attends Fukushima accident hearing
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan has attended a meeting of a Japanese civic group that is investigating the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The Independent Investigation Commission of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident held a closed-door session on Saturday to hear how the government dealt with the accident.
It was Kan's first appearance at such an occasion even though government and Diet panels have held similar hearings.
The commission says Kan described the situation inside the prime minister's office immediately after the nuclear accident.
It quotes Kan as saying that, until then, there was no denying that everyone in Japan believed in the safety of nuclear power plants.
Kan encouraged the 6-member commission, saying it is meaningful that different groups including civic ones investigate the accident.
The head of the commission, Koichi Kitazawa, said the other hearings shed light on how politicians tried to tackle the nuclear crisis even though they were skeptical about the functions of political organizations and their management systems.
He said his group intends to pursue its investigation so that a similar crisis will not happen in Japan again.
The commission will make its report public at the end of next month.
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Sunday, January 15, 2012
Yokohama antinuclear conference draws thousands of activists, experts
A two-day antinuclear conference kicks off in Yokohama with the aim of sharing lessons from the Fukushima crisis and fostering global momentum against atomic power.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120115a3.html
New Year shinto ritual held in quake-hit Miyagi
The traditional Shinto ritual of burning New Year decorations has been performed in Japan's Miyagi Prefecture to pray for good health.
Miyagi was extremely hard hit by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
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Monday, January 16, 2012
Antinuke confab urges backing for victims' rights
International organizers wrap up a large antinuclear conference in Yokohama by demanding proper support for victims of the Fukushima disaster and spelling out their rights, including "the right to evacuation, health care, decontamination and compensation."
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120116a2.html
Disaster left cities in limbo: mayors
Mayors from municipalities dotting the region around the shattered Fukushima nuclear plant tell how the disaster shattered communities and marked the beginning of a long journey that may never end.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120116a3.html
Concrete sold to over 200 firms may be tainted
The Japanese government is investigating the distribution of crushed stones that may contain radioactivity from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. It has found that concrete made of the stones has been sold to more than 200 firms.
The probe comes after radioactive cesium was detected in a new apartment building in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture where the concrete was used. Readings of up to 1.24 microsieverts per hour have been recorded inside the building which is higher than outside.
The gravel comes from a quarry in Namie that was designated as an evacuation zone in April.
The quarry operator says it shipped more than 5,000 tons of crushed stones to 19 firms in the weeks after the accident. The government has set no limit on radiation in stones and sand used for construction even after the nuclear accident.
The company president told reporters on Monday that he never imagined that stones from his quarry would cause such a problem and that he wants to apologize to residents of the building for their exposure to radiation.
The economy ministry says 2 of the 19 firms sold concrete made of the stones to more than 200 companies. It believes that the concrete was used in housing construction and on roads.
The city found that the radioactive cesium level on the first floor was 1.24 microsieverts per hour, which is higher than outside.
Radiation levels on the second and third floors were much lower.
The officials say that the gravel used on the first floor came from a stone-crushing site in Namie Town in an evacuation zone near the crippled plant.
The city says it will ask the tenants of the first-floor apartments to move out and will interview the other residents.
The city and the central government will confirm the cause of the contamination and check if gravel from the same site has been used elsewhere.
Shareholders to sue TEPCO executives
Tokyo Electric Power Company shareholders will be suing the utility's current and former executives over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident.
Last November, 42 shareholders demanded the company's auditors file a lawsuit against 60 people who held executive posts.
They requested over 5.5 trillion yen, or about 71 billion dollars, in compensation.
But on Monday, TEPCO notified the shareholders in writing that it will not take legal action against them. The utility stated that the size of the March 11th tsunami was unforeseeable. It said because of this, the executives cannot be held responsible for the nuclear disaster.
In response, the shareholders say they want to file a suit with the Tokyo District Court by the end of January.
Hiroyuki Kawai, a lawyer representing the shareholders, criticized TEPCO auditors for claiming the tsunami was unforeseeable and expressing no remorse.
Iwate Pref. to commisssion land assesments
Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan says it will commission outside experts to make property assessments of areas struck by a tsunami last March.
Governor Takuya Tasso announced on Monday that the prefecture will ask a group of licensed real estate appraisers to assess the value of flooded land.
The experts will focus on more than 60 locations in 12 municipalities along the tsunami-hit coast and submit the results at the end of March.
Iwate is the first among the 3 worst-hit prefectures to introduce such assessments.
Municipalities are usually in charge of land assessment, but evaluating tsunami-flooded areas is proving difficult. ...
Communities along the coast are planning to relocate houses and buildings to higher ground or inland areas. ...
TEPCO submits results of first stress test
Tokyo Electric Power Company has submitted to the government the results of stress tests on 2 nuclear reactors along the Japan Sea coast.
TEPCO handed over to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency on Monday test results of the No.1 and No.7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture.
It says the tests show that the facilities are capable of surviving an earthquake 1.3 times the strength the plant was designed to withstand. It also says it could endure a tsunami of up to 15 meters - nearly five times that of the safety standard set by the company.
This is the first time TEPCO has filed its test results.
The assessment on the safety of nuclear power plants is a precondition for restarting reactors that have been suspended for regular inspections.
Utilities across Japan have so far submitted stress test results on 14 reactors, which account for nearly 30 percent of the reactors that have been shut down for regular inspections.
TEPCO's senior vice president, Zengo Aizawa told NHK that the utility considers the 2 reactors as being safe.
However, he said the company wants to explain the results to the local authorities and residents, and that it is still not the right time to restart the reactors.
Meanwhile, Niigata Governor Hirohiko Izumida says he questions the wisdom of carrying out such a test when the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant has not yet been fully inspected.
He says that it's still too early to decide whether to restart the reactors.
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
11 hot-zone holdouts refuse to leave Fukushima homes
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120117a4.html
Victims of 1995 Kobe Hanshin quake remembered
Tuesday marks the 17th anniversary of an earthquake that hit the port city of Kobe and its surrounding areas. Local communities are holding numerous ceremonies to remember the nearly 6,500 people who died in the disaster.
At noon in a disaster-prevention center in central Kobe, about 400 people offered a silent prayer for the victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, while elementary school children rang bells.
Participants at the event included officials from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, the 3 prefectures that were hardest-hit by the earthquake and tsunami in eastern Japan on March 11th last year. ...
Fukushima to help residents in contaminated condo
Officials in Fukushima Prefecture will support residents living in an apartment building where contaminated concrete was used.
The decision comes after radioactive cesium was detected in the building in Nihonmatsu City. The concrete used was made from crushed stones that may contain radioactive materials from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. ...
Concrete material distribution to be probed
Japan's central government and Fukushima Prefecture plan to investigate the distribution of gravel from quarries possibly tainted with radiation from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. ... .
see - Radiation Problems
Tokyo Electric to hike corporate user fees by 17%
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, has announced that it will raise electricity rates by an average 17 percent for corporate users, starting in April.
Company president Toshio Nishizawa said at a news conference on Tuesday that corporate users with contracts of 50 kilowatts and above will be asked to pay an extra 2.6 yen, or about 3 cents, per kilowatt hour. This applies to as many as 240,000 businesses.
Most high-voltage users, such as department stores and large office buildings, will see their electricity bills go up by 18.1 percent, while most small and medium-size supermarkets and offices will see a raise of 13.4 percent.
TEPCO expects fuel costs for thermal power plants to surge by more than 10 billion dollars in the current fiscal year that closes at the end of March, because it's not known when its nuclear power plants can be restarted.
The utility says a raise in electricity rates is inevitable, despite efforts to streamline management and cut costs.
The company is also considering a new discount service for corporate users, such as lower fees for those that save electricity when demand peaks in the summer.
TEPCO has yet to raise home electricity rates, which would require government approval.
Nishizawa said the company will wait until after the government's review of the electricity bill system, and discussions on a comprehensive business plan to be drawn up by the end of March.
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
a very COLD morning !
Tepco pushes April 1 17% business rate rise
Tepco will seek an average 17 percent rise in electricity rates for corporate users to finance growing fuel costs stemming from boosting thermal power generation in light of the triple-meltdown crisis at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120118a1.html
U.S. forces given SPEEDI data early
The science ministry provided data on the radioactive fallout to U.S. forces a few days after the crisis erupted at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant -- far earlier than the public was informed.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120118a1.html
State seeks to keep power to order No. 1 plant evacuations
The government will seek to retain the power to issue evacuation orders and establish evacuation zones even after the state of emergency is lifted when the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant is resolved, government sources said Monday.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120118a2.html
Evaluation of "stress tests" to be disclosed
Japan's nuclear safety agency will announce on Wednesday that the safety tests for two nuclear reactors were appropriate. This will be the first step in the resumption of the country's halted nuclear plants, although getting approval from local municipalities will be another issue.
Ninety percent of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors are halted due to concerns they could be vulnerable to major earthquakes and tsunami.
The government ordered the computer-simulated stress tests to be carried out before the idle reactors could be restarted. The nuclear safety body has received the results for 14 reactors so far.
The agency's experts will meet on Wednesday to give their assessment of the tests for 2 reactors at the Ohi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan.
The operator, Kansai Electric, had submitted a report that 2 reactors could withstand an earthquake 1.8 times the intensity and a tsunami 4 times the height of the estimated maximums for the area.
The experts are expected to conclude that an appropriate method was used for the tests. They will report their evaluations to the government after seeking advice from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The government of Fukui Prefecture has criticized the stress tests, saying they do not take account of the lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi accident.
Preparations going on for reactor endoscopy
Preparations are under way to use an endoscope to examine the inside of a containment vessel of the damaged No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. ...
TEPCO says Tuesday's operation went smoothly and it will insert the endoscope on Thursday as scheduled. It hopes to gain the first internal view of one of the damaged reactors since the accident.
Govt to allow 20-yr extension to nuke plants
The Japanese government has said that the lifespan of nuclear power plants can be extended up to 20 years beyond the currently proposed 40-year limit.
Some experts are criticizing the plan as having no scientific basis.
The proposal was announced by a taskforce within the Cabinet Secretariat, which says extensions would be granted on a one-time-only basis.
Earlier this month, nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono proposed a 40-year limit to the lifespan of nuclear power plants as part of a review of safety regulations following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Hosono said the 40-year limit and any extensions would be strictly enforced by law.
A professor of nuclear engineering at Kyushu University, Kazuhiko Kudo, questioned the extension plan, saying he has difficulty understanding why the lifespan of nuclear reactors was set at 40 years in the first place.
Kudo said the government should clarify the scientific basis of its decisions, adding that officials should first address the problems of operating aging reactors and other points that need improvement.
The taskforce says the extension plan is in line with global standards. It adds that the plan would be subject to strict safety rules.
The government plans to submit a draft of the legislation to the Diet by the end of January, ahead of the planned launch of a new nuclear safety agency in April.
.
Fujimura: nuke life extension will be limited
Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura says there has been no basic change in the government's policy to limit the life of nuclear power plants to 40 years.
Fujimura was speaking to reporters on Wednesday. He was referring to the plan by a Cabinet Secretariat taskforce to propose extending the life of nuclear power plants up to 60 years.
He said the 40-year restriction remains the pillar of planned revisions in nuclear safety regulations. He said extension of a nuclear plant's life would be allowed in very few, exceptional cases.
Fujimura added that strict conditions will be in place for approving extensions beyond the 40-year limit.
Fukushima group urges wider compensation
Residents of Fukushima Prefecture dissatisfied with a compensation program for victims of the nuclear crisis are demanding that all those in the prefecture be compensated.
A state supervisory panel decided last month to grant residents of 23 municipalities of the prefecture reparations for their mental suffering from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
26 other municipalities in the Aizu area and southern regions of the prefecture are not eligible for compensation.
The municipalities set up a task force on Wednesday to protest what they call discriminatory treatment. It adopted a resolution urging that reparations cover all residents in the regions, or about 450,000 people.
The task force plans to petition the government and nuclear plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company on Thursday at the earliest.
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Thursday, January 19, 2012
Nuke opponents warn of more Fukushimas
The government's plan to allow nuclear reactors to operate as long as 60 years shocks antinuclear experts and activists, who warn of a sequel to Fukushima.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120119a2.html
Electricity goes out at nuke plants
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120119a5.html
Haiku a day helps you work, rest, play !!!
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120119f1.html
Woman helps restore famed Iwate pine forest washed away in tsunami
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120119f2.html
Shifting gears in reconstruction
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20120119a2.html
Stress test meeting held up by protest
A meeting of the Japanese government's nuclear safety agency to discuss the results of stress tests on 2 reactors has been held up by a public protest.
A panel of experts appointed by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency was slated to give its assessment on Wednesday of computer-simulated stress tests on 2 reactors at Oi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture, along the Japan Sea coast.
But 20 people opposed to restarting the reactors forced themselves into the meeting room at the trade and industry ministry headquarters in Tokyo.
They are protesting the agency's decision not to allow observers in the room. Instead, observers are asked to monitor the meeting on a video screen in another room.
Trade and industry minister Yukio Edano told reporters that a meeting in which experts are asked to offer opinions and hold discussions must be held in a peaceful manner.
The assessment of the stress tests is the first step in restarting the country's nuclear reactors, 90 percent of which have been halted due to concerns over their vulnerability to major earthquakes and tsunami.
Govt says stress tests were appropriate
Japan's government panel says the safety tests for 2 nuclear reactors were appropriate. It is the first case where the government has given an assessment of such tests.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency held a meeting of an expert panel on Wednesday to give its assessment of computer-simulated stress tests on 2 reactors at Oi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture, along the Japan Sea coast.
People opposed to restarting the reactors staged a protest against the agency's decision not to allow observers at the meeting. So, the agency changed the meeting room and opened discussions after a delay of over 3 hours.
Two of the 8 panel members were absent from the meeting, saying that it is inappropriate to keep out observers.
Industry minister Yukio Edano told reporters that the ministry will release video footage of the meeting on its website as soon as possible.
The agency plans to give its final assessment of the 2 reactors after receiving inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency later this month.
The government needs to obtain local consent before allowing the resumption of the reactors' operation.
But Fukui Prefecture says stress tests alone are not enough to base a decision on, citing the need for the government to propose new measures based on the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
TEPCO failed to link data device to backup power
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it failed to supply emergency electricity to a devise that sends information on the reactors to a government nuclear safety agency.
Tokyo Electric Power Company revealed this at a news conference on Thursday.
The device ceased to send real-time data because it was not connected to a backup power supply and lost electricity immediately after the March 11th 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The device provides key information including reactor temperatures and radioactivity levels near buildings to the government-controlled Emergency Response Support System, or ERSS.
The lack of real-time data may have affected the government's immediate response to the disaster.
TEPCO says it had planned to connect the device to an emergency power source in November 2010 -- 4 months before the March 11th disaster. The utility says it did not complete the procedure as an available cable was too short to connect the device.
TEPCO adds that it discussed a date for connecting the device with the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. But TEPCO says it did not see connecting the device to emergency power as an urgent task.
Senior agency official Yoshinori Moriyama says the agency plans to ensure that all nuclear plants across Japan install backup power and that the agency will diversify methods of data transmission.
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Winter's first snow in Tokyo
Tokyo and Yokohama got their first snowfall of the season on Friday.
The first snow came 17 days later than usual in central Tokyo and 13 days later in Yokohama.
Camera peeks inside reactor
Tepco inserts an industrial endoscope into the primary containment vessel of reactor 2 at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, but images show a lower level of coolant water than expected.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120120a1.html
Oi plant gets initial NISA restart nod
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120120a6.html
Scientists say they can find melted reactor fuel
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120120f1.html
Dairy firms to do own fallout checks
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120120f2.html
Highly radioactive water found near No.2 reactor
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has found 500 tons of highly radioactive water near the crippled No.2 reactor.
On December 18th, Tokyo Electric Power Company workers found radioactive water in an underground tunnel at a facility to store highly contaminated water.
Under the government's direction, this month TEPCO started checking whether radioactive water is collecting in the plant's other underground facilities.
On Thursday, the utility found around 500 tons of contaminated water in a pit near the No.2 reactor. The pit has a valve which is used for pumping in seawater.
The analysis of the contaminated water shows it has 16,200 becquerels of radioactive cesium per cubic centimeter. That represents the highest level of radioactive substances found in this month's survey.
TEPCO also detected 600 tons of water containing 860 becquerels of radioactive elements per cubic centimeter in a pit near the No.3 reactor.
The utility says the radioactive water is unlikely to have leaked into the ocean as the density of radioactive materials in seawater near the No.2 and No.3 reactors has remained unchanged.
The company plans to determine how the contaminated water collected in the tunnels.
High levels of radiation detected in ash
The Environment Ministry says high levels of radioactive cesium have been found in ash from firewood kept near the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan.
The ministry informed Fukushima and 7 other prefectures that their municipalities should collect and dispose of contaminated ash.
The ministry burned samples of wood kept in gardens of 2 houses in Nihonmatsu City after being asked by the city last November if using the wood in stoves would pose any problems. The ministry found that the maximum radioactive cesium level of the ash exceeded 40,000 becquerels per kilogram.
The forestry agency last November notified prefectural authorities nationwide that firewood contaminated with over 40 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram should not be distributed.
The wood in question is said to have been taken from nearby forests by residents before the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant last March.
Possibly contaminated stone used at work sites
Fukushima Prefecture says crushed stone possibly contaminated with radioactive substances due to the nuclear accident was used at 10 public works construction sites. Relatively high levels of radioactivity have been detected at one of the sites.
Japan's government announced this month that high levels of radioactive substances were detected at a new apartment building constructed in the prefecture using concrete made from the stone. The stone was from a quarry in Namie Town, which was designated as an evacuation zone following the accident.
Authorities have been investigating stone distribution routes.
Fukushima officials said on Thursday that stone from the quarry was also used in 10 public works projects in the prefecture, including riverbank reinforcement and road repair.
The officials say radioactivity levels up to 1.3 microsieverts per hour were detected at a city riverbank.
TEPCO fails to clearly see inside damaged reactor
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has failed in an attempt to get clear images from inside damaged reactors using fiber-optic lines.
Tokyo Electric Power Company is trying to determine the state of nuclear fuel inside the plant's Number 1, 2 and 3 reactors. The fuel melted through the wall of each reactor's core units and fell to the bottom of their containment vessels after the March 11th 2011 earthquake and tsunami. .....
First video clip of reactor interior released
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has released a video clip taken inside the damaged No.2 reactor for the first time since the accident last year.
Tokyo Electric Power Company recorded 30 minutes of video by running an optical fiber scope, known as an endoscope, through a hole into the reactor's containment vessel Thursday.
... TEPCO says the water is less than 4 meters deep.
Govt panel studies use of ships in disaster relief
The Cabinet Office has set up a study panel to look into the possibility of using ships as hospitals and government offices in the event of a major disaster.
The panel held its first meeting on Friday. It has 10 members, including disaster-prevention specialists, medical experts and local government officials.
The panel members discussed such issues as how the ships would be used, how to secure necessary personnel, and what equipment would be needed.
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NEXT
. January 21 to 31 .
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Daruma from Takasaki 高崎 復興祈願 だるま
Print one out and hang it in your prayer corner!
ganbaro !! Nihon
ガンバロー 日本
がんばろう 日本 Ganbaro Nippon !
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. Toys and Talismans from Japan .
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