March 2012

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March 2012 -
one year has past since March 11, 2011


- www.myspace.com -


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Thursday, March 1, 2012

February 29
..... at 23:37
Earthquake M 5.8, off Chiba

March 1
..... at 7:43
Earthquake M 5.4, off Ibaraki

..... at 11:17
Earthquake M 4.9, off Chiba



Fukushima No. 1 still 'fragile': chief
Since March 11,
no one has died from radiation exposure, according to official accounts.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120301a6.html

Port breakwaters seen vulnerable
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120301a7.html

"Magnitude Zero:
March 11 Seen Through the Eyes of Comic Artists From all Over the World"
KYOTO INTERNATIONAL MANGA MUSEUM
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fa20120301o1.html


2 plants to undergo checks for multiple faults
Two Japanese nuclear power plants will undergo fresh inspections after new research suggested they are more vulnerable to seismic activity than thought.
The move follows revelations that active faults could simultaneously shift and trigger bigger earthquakes than the plants are built to withstand.
Research last year showed that the March 11th quake occurred when multiple active faults off the coast of the Pacific Ocean in northern Japan moved simultaneously.
The Nuclear Safety and Industry Agency subsequently instructed electric utilities across Japan to study the possibility of such a phenomenon more than 5 kilometers away from their power plants.
The Tokai Daini Plant in Ibaraki Prefecture and the Tomari power facility in Hokkaido, now say they cannot rule out the possibility that they are vulnerable.
Earthquake research assumed that if the seismic faults move together, the maximum intensity of subsequent earthquakes will be heightened. ...


Local govt. to join for disaster debris disposal
Japan's local governments will work together to dispose of disaster debris from northern Japan, which was hit by an earthquake and tsunami last March.
The move by 8 prefectures and cities is aimed at achieving the final disposal of the rubble as Tokyo is so far the only prefecture outside the disaster-hit Tohoku region to accept the debris.
Other local governments are reluctant to accept the rubble mainly due to concerns that it may

Reassessment asked for Hokkaido nuclear plant
The Japanese government will ask Hokkaido Electric Power Company to once more re-assess the safety of a nuclear plant it operates. The re-assessment should include an examination of the possible impact of an earthquake caused by the interrelated movements of underground fault lines.
The Nuclear Industrial and Safety Agency said on Wednesday that the company's safety analysis on the Tomari nuclear power plant was insufficient because it only assessed a group of fault lines lying under the sea 40 kilometers off the plant.


Gergiev conducts for 3/11 victims in Tokyo
A special concert dedicated to the victims of the March 11th quake and tsunami disaster was held in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Russian maestro Valery Gergiev conducted a Tokyo-based orchestra for the event, which was co-sponsored by the agriculture ministry and the food industry.
About 300 people from the disaster region, mainly students, and families who have evacuated to greater Tokyo were invited.
Gergiev opened with Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess, in memory of the nearly 20,000 people who died in the disaster almost a year ago.
He also conducted Schubert's Unfinished Symphony.


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Friday, March 2, 2012

Evacuated town prepares for residents' return
The town of Hirono resumes services at City Hall, the first of nine evacuated municipal offices in Fukushima Prefecture to reopen since the March 11 disaster struck and nuclear crisis started.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120302a1.html

Next Big One earthquake terrorizes 50% of Tokyo residents;
other half's concerns lesser
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120302a4.html

No cesium detected in milk at 116 firms
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120302a6.html

Tepco to install household 'smart meters' from fall 2013
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120302a2.html

After 3/11, short-film director has one message:
Don't forget
Isamu Hirabayashi is an incredibly versatile man. The 39-year-old Shizuoka native's day job is to direct TV commercials, and he normally works on five or six projects at the same time.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ff20120302a4.html


Failed Fukushima offsite center shown to media

A nuclear emergency response center that proved useless during the Fukushima nuclear disaster was shown to the media for the first time since March 11th last year.
The facility, called an "offsite center," is located about 5 kilometers away from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.
It was supposed to serve as a frontline base for central and local government officials to gather information and lead evacuation efforts. Officials from plant operator Tokyo Electric Power were also due to work from the center.
But the massive earthquake and tsunami of March 11th prevented relevant officials from reaching the facility, while the dedicated communication line went offline. ...


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Saturday, March 3, 2012


The third day of the third lunar month
. Hina Doll Festival (hina matsuri 雛祭り) .


'Alternative labor' helps Ishinomaki rebuild
Jamie El-Banna - It’s Not Just Mud (INJM)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120303a1.html

Operation Tomodachi a huge success, but was it a one-off?
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120303f1.html

Nuke crisis response fell short: Kan
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan admitted the response to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant crisis was defective and called for drastic improvements should another occur.
The existing response regime under the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, which is part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "did not function at all in terms of crisis management" after the March 11 megaquake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima crisis, Kan said.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120303a9.html

Cancer, heart disease, stroke deaths plunge to 50-year low
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120303a3.html

Tokyo now taking Onagawa debris
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government begins storing tsunami debris from Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, for incineration after conducting test burns about two months ago to determine whether the ash would present a public radiation hazard.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120303a1.html


Noda asks companies to join in debris disposal
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has called on companies to share the burden of disposing of debris from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
Addressing the government's Council on National Strategy and Policy on Friday, Noda said he plans to seek cooperation from companies in addition to municipal governments outside disaster-affected areas.
More than 22 million tons of debris was created on the coasts of the hardest-hit prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima alone.


Miyagi governor: Rebuilding grants insufficient
The governor of Miyagi, one of Japan's prefectures hard hit by last year's disaster, has expressed anger at the government's decision to offer somewhat over half the requested grant to the prefecture.
The Reconstruction Agency decided to disburse around 3 billion dollars in reconstruction grants to municipalities which suffered damage in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The figure was around 65 percent of the amount sought by all the applications.
Miyagi Prefecture applied for more than 2.4 billion dollars, but just 57 percent, or 1.4 billion dollars, was approved.
Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai told reporters on Friday that he feels indignant. He said it is regrettable that the government is hindering the prefecture's efforts for restoration and rebuilding.
The governor added that the Reconstruction Agency is doing an assessment, rather than reconstruction.
Murai intends to travel to Tokyo on Tuesday to visit the agency and ask for improvement of the grant system.

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Sunday, March 4, 2012

Ministry hid data on fallout from public
Former science minister Yoshiaki Takaki and other top ministry officials decided to withhold radiation forecasts from the public four days after the nuclear crisis began, an internal document shows.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120304a1.html

Illness, suicides drive up disaster-linked toll
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120304a3.html

Food must be cleansed, Chernobyl expert warns
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120304a4.html

Stories inspired by Japan's March 11 disasters
Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction
(Anthology of Japan Teen Stories), edited by Holly Thompson.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fb20120304a1.html

Actor in the spotlight of Japan's antinuke movement
"I am an actor — Taro Yamamoto," he announced.
"And I would like to ask you to add your signature to a petition we are putting together that calls for a local vote on nuclear power plants."
山本太郎
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120304x1.html


Ozawa hints of forming new govt against Noda
The former leader of the ruling Democratic Party Ichiro Ozawa has reiterated his opposition to raising the consumption tax. He also says he may aim to form a new political core to replace the current government under Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.


Emperor leaves hospital after heart surgery
The Emperor has left hospital and returned to the Imperial Palace, 15 days after an operation to improve the blood circulation in his heart.
He left the University of Tokyo Hospital at around 2:30 PM on Sunday, accompanied by the Empress.
He was carrying a bouquet of flowers as he got into a car. Doctors and other medical staff saw him off at the hospital gate. ...
He hopes to attend a ceremony on March 11th to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. ...

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Monday, March 5, 2012

86% of municipalities leery of taking debris
Radiation fears are stopping 86 percent of the nation's municipalities from storing or incinerating disaster debris from Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, a survey says.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120305a1.html

20% of tsunami zone families have insomnia
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120305a2.html

Much to learn from crisis report
The report confirms what the public soon noticed as it watched the government's response to the nuclear fiasco. As the report emphasizes, the government must quickly and drastically change its attitude and policies toward nuclear power plant safety and thoroughly prepare for the possibility of future disasters.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20120305a1.html

Restructuring Japan's power industry market
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120305a3.html

Hashimoto: a young politician to keep an eye on
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ek20120305a1.html


Emperor's health to be carefully monitored
The Imperial Household Agency says it will carefully monitor the Emperor's health.
The Emperor left the University of Tokyo Hospital on Sunday accompanied by the Empress. ... The doctor said that the Emperor should not conduct official duties until at least the end of March.
However, he said that the Emperor can attend a March 11th memorial event on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami if his attendance is limited to a short appearance.

Ministry: 8 Japanese ports vulnerable to tsunami
Japan's Land Ministry says tsunami will overwhelm breakwaters at 8 out of 19 major ports on the Pacific coast if a massive earthquake occurs offshore.
The ministry decided to make a simulation forecast for tsunami after the waves on March 11th destroyed the barriers at many ports.
It estimated the damage from tsunami following a Tokyo earthquake with a maximum magnitude of 8.4 and another one in central and southern Japan of magnitude 8.9.
The Tokyo model was based on a major earthquake in the early 18th century.
The findings show that the 5-meter breakwater at Kochi Port, Kochi Prefecture, would be hit by a tsunami 7.12 meters high. The 6-meter wall at Hidaka Port, Wakayama Prefecture, would be unable to block a 10-meter wave.
The ministry plans to take urgent action to reinforce the existing barriers to help reduce the impact of massive tsunami.

Govt tries to quell disaster-related rumors
Nearly one year after the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, the Japanese government says it will try harder to silence rumors overseas about radiation contamination.
The government has established a panel, consisting of various ministers, to step up PR activities to audiences abroad.
Japan has taken various measures to quell ungrounded rumors, including an event in China featuring the popular Japanese idol group AKB48, and the launch of a Chinese website by the Prime Minister's Office.
Despite such measures, some nations continue to ban the imports of some agricultural products from Japan. The number of international travelers visiting Japan is also in decline.
The new panel will explore tangible measures to communicate the safety of Japanese agricultural products, and measures to contain the nuclear accident. It is due to draw up basic guidelines by April.

Tsunami evacuation tower completed in Shizuoka
A Japanese city along the Pacific coast has built an evacuation tower to protect people from tsunami.
A ceremony to mark the tower's completion was held on Monday in Omaezaki City in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, with about50 people in attendance.
The city spent 420,000 dollars for the 12-meter tower. It stands next to a community hall about 300 meters from the coast.
The uppermost space of the steel tower can house some 100 people. The floors have a net-like design so they won't break from the pressure of a tsunami. ...

Cyndi Lauper meets children in disaster zone
US singer Cyndi Lauper has brought smiles to Japanese children who survived last year's earthquake and tsunami.
The pop star, who is in Japan for a concert tour, visited an elementary school in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, on Monday.
Lauper sang several of her hit songs for the school's 350 students. Afterward, she shook hands with her young fans, and presented the school with 10 cherry saplings. She said she hopes the children will grow up along with the trees, and remember that she is always thinking of them. ...

5 likely died of starvation in no-entry zone
NHK has learned that at least 5 people probably died of starvation after being stranded in the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant following the disaster last year.
Local authorities in the area say that at least 5 others found later in the no-entry zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant had starved to death.
The government evacuated residents around the plant after the accident.
But some people were left behind. One man in his 70s, who lived about 5 kilometers from the plant, was found in late March on the 2nd floor of his home. The 1st floor had sustained damage from the tsunami.


TEPCO managers sued for 5.5 tril. yen
A group of shareholders in Tokyo Electric Power Company has sued former and current executives of the utility, seeking 5.5 trillion yen, or nearly 68 billion dollars, in damages over the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
The group of 42 individual shareholders filed the lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday against 27 people who have held senior executive posts at TEPCO since 2002.
That was the year a government panel warned that a major earthquake could strike the area in which the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located.
The shareholders argue that the utility failed to heed the warning and took no measures to protect the plant from tsunami and earthquakes.
The shareholders say they calculated the amount of the damages based on a report by a third-party panel that looked into the utility's management since the accident.
They are asking the firm to use the winnings to compensate those affected by the accident.
A lawyer for the group says Japan's corporate culture will not change unless individual senior executives are held accountable for problems.
He also says the shareholders want to correct what they call a system of collective irresponsibility in the nuclear-power industry.
Tokyo Electric has declined to comment. The utility is projected to post a net loss of 8.6 billion dollars for the business year through March.

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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Island fortresses floated for Tohoku
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120306f1.html
. Reconstruction - one year later .

Government to pay debris disposal costs
The environment minister offers financial support to any local government that disposes of disaster debris from Iwate and Miyagi prefectures amid persistent reluctance to do across most of the country.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120306a1.html

Tsunami-debris violins to be played
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120306f2.html

PHOTOHOKU
Rebuilding lives in shattered Tohoku, one image at a time
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120306zg.html

Shinchi town, Fukushima:
Why did you volunteer to come to Fukushima with Photohoku?
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120306vf.html


TEPCO managers sued for 5.5 tril. yen
A group of shareholders in Tokyo Electric Power Company has sued former and current executives of the utility, seeking 5.5 trillion yen, or nearly 68 billion dollars, in damages over the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
The group of 42 individual shareholders filed the lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday against 27 people who have held senior executive posts at TEPCO since 2002.
That was the year a government panel warned that a major earthquake could strike the area in which the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located.
The shareholders argue that the utility failed to heed the warning and took no measures to protect the plant from tsunami and earthquakes.
The shareholders say they calculated the amount of the damages based on a report by a third-party panel that looked into the utility's management since the accident. ...

Cyndi Lauper meets children in disaster zone
US singer Cyndi Lauper has brought smiles to Japanese children who survived last year's earthquake and tsunami.
The pop star, who is in Japan for a concert tour, visited an elementary school in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, on Monday. ...

Tsunami evacuation tower completed in Shizuoka
A Japanese city along the Pacific coast has built an evacuation tower to protect people from tsunami. A ceremony to mark the tower's completion was held on Monday in Omaezaki City in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, with about 50 people in attendance.
The city spent 420,000 dollars for the 12-meter tower. It stands next to a community hall about 300 meters from the coast.

5 likely died of starvation in no-entry zone
NHK has learned that at least 5 people probably died of starvation after being stranded in the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant following the disaster last year.
The earthquake and tsunami that struck eastern Japan in March last year left 1,605 people dead in Fukushima Prefecture.
Local authorities in the area say that at least 5 others found later in the evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant had starved to death.
The government evacuated residents around the plant after the accident.
But some people were left behind. One man in his 70s, who lived about 5 kilometers from the plant, was found in late March on the 2nd floor of his home. The 1st floor had sustained damage from the tsunami.
A woman in her 60s was found dead last April inside her home, where she lived alone. She had had trouble walking.
All of the 5 dead were found grossly under weight.
Police and medical authorities examined the 5 bodies and said they appeared to have been stranded, either because they were unable to evacuate on their own or could not ask for help.

UNESCO tea ceremony marks March 11th disaster
The former master of a Japanese traditional tea family has conducted a tea ceremony at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, to commemorate the first anniversary of Japan's March 11th triple disaster.
The Urasenke tea family's previous Grand Master, Sen Genshitsu, offered tea to the souls of the victims of last year's quake and tsunami at the UNESCO hall on Monday. UNESCO officials and Japanese nationals living in Paris took part in the event. ...
千玄室氏がユネスコの親善大使に選ばれ


SoftBank to build 4 solar power plants
Japanese mobile phone carrier SoftBank has announced plans to build 4 solar power plants.
The projects are the company's first renewable energy ventures. ...


Edano: TEPCO's corporate culture requires change
Industry Minister Yukio Edano has warned the operator of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant to quit backdoor lobbying on the subject of restructuring the company.
Edano spoke to reporters on Tuesday. He said the Tokyo Electric Power Company needs to change its corporate culture of trying to manipulate bureaucrats and influence politicians. He said the utility should look for ways to benefit users and consumers.
To rebuild the damaged finances of the company, TEPCO and a government-backed fund are designing a restructuring plan, which will include injecting public money and increasing electricity rates.
In a tug-of-war over voting rights within the firm, TEPCO is working to keep the government's power as weak as possible.
Edano is believed to have made the remark to try and keep TEPCO in line.

New robot to explore damaged nuclear plants
A Japanese firm has developed a robot that can efficiently explore highly radioactive reactor buildings.
Tokyo-based Topy Industries developed the robot at the request of Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Topy Industries makes rescue robots for fire disaster sites.
The 50-centimeter-long robot is more compact and mobile than the one currently used at the plant, and has five cameras and a dosimeter that can continually monitor radiation levels. ...

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Wenesday, March 7, 2012

Population, tax yield dive across Tohoku
The population and tax revenue in Tohoku's worst-hit coastal areas last March have plummeted since the natural disasters, a Kyodo News tally shows, raising concerns that the shattered finances of these municipalities may hinder reconstruction efforts.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120307a1.html

Real-time online tsunami feed starts
Weathernews Inc. starts a new service that provides tsunami information online using radars that can detect the waves within 30 km of the coast and capture images of them as fast as 15 minutes before they reach shore.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120307a2.html

Tsuruga nuke plant sits atop major fault
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120307a3.html

Tohoku artists perform at U.N.'s HQ
The event included performances of the "wakumizu kagura" dance from Tono, Iwate Prefecture, and "wadaiko" drumming by the Ondeko-za group.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120307a4.html

Fukushima farmers in two-front war
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120307f2.html

Small firms eligible for Tepco discounts
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120307a4.html


New robot to explore damaged nuclear plants
A Japanese firm has developed a robot that can efficiently explore highly radioactive reactor buildings.
Tokyo-based Topy Industries developed the robot at the request of Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Topy Industries makes rescue robots for fire disaster sites.
The 50-centimeter-long robot is more compact and mobile than the one currently used at the plant, and has five cameras and a dosimeter that can continually monitor radiation levels.
The robot has a compact body that enables it to move on stairway landings that are only about 70 centimeters wide, and can maneuver on steep stairs.
It can also move through about three centimeters of water and work under dripping water.
The robot's developer, Shingo Tsukui, says he hopes it will help reduce plant workers' radiation exposure.


Govt draws up new guidelines for tsunami shelters
The Japanese government has drawn up new guidelines for buildings used as emergency tsunami shelters. Many ferro-concrete buildings were toppled by last year's tsunami in northeastern Japan.
Three sets of tsunami-resistance standards will be used to determine the thickness of walls and columns.
The first covers cases of buildings with nearby structures that could weaken the impact of a tsunami. The second is for buildings that lack such barriers; and the third is for buildings that are far from the coast.
The guidelines will also recommend the use of stronger foundations to ensure that buildings can withstand a tsunami.
The ministry will ask coastal municipalities to follow the guidelines when they put up shelters in the disaster zone or designate existing buildings as tsunami shelters.
The government drew up the original guidelines after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The documents instructed coastal municipalities to designate sturdy buildings as tsunami shelters.

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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Tohoku fears nuke crisis evacuees gone for good
Although there have been no reports of any Fukushima residents suffering health problems linked to radiation, local communities fear many who fled amid the triple-meltdown crisis will never return.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120308f1.html

A year on,
no tsunami-hit community has clear plan to move to high ground
Despite government efforts to relocate households inland or to higher ground in Tohoku, none of the affected municipalities has drawn up the necessary plans.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120308a1.html

Big One 'likely to be shallower'
The edge between the ground plate and the Philippine Sea plate underneath Tokyo is 5 or 10 km shallower than earlier projections, which could lead to Tokyo suffering a quake with an intensity of 7, greater than previously anticipated, the team said.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120308a4.html

Contaminated water may still be leaking into Pacific
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120308a5.html

Will 3/11 prove social media watershed?
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120308f2.html

New York photo exhibition depicts disasters, moment by moment
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120308f3.html

Recovery from quake could block reforms
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120308a2.html

Tohoku car sector sees signs of growth
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120308a1.html

Illustrators draw from pop culture for 3/11 exhibition
"March 11 seen through the eyes of comic artists from all over the world: Magnitude Zero" at the Kyoto International Manga Museum is a commemorative tribute to the ways the world and the Japanese dealt with the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe last year. It puts forth positive images reflecting friendship, solidarity and goodwill, and in many ways glosses over harsh realities. Arguably this is a necessary reaction and response to the loss of lives, torrent of disaster footage, radiation fears, power shortages and other persistent, ongoing fears.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fa20120308a2.html


Quake focus to be shallower than estimated
A government team of earthquake experts says an expected powerful earthquake in northern Tokyo Bay would have a focus shallower than earlier estimated.
The shallower the focus, the stronger the estimated quake. The team says the quake would register 7 on the Japanese seismic scale of zero to 7.
The group, which includes scientists from the University of Tokyo, released on Wednesday a report after a five-year study commissioned by the government.
Professor Naoshi Hirata at the University of Tokyo's Earthquake Research Institute analyzed the underground structure of the Kanto area based on data from about 300 seismographs.
The results found that the depth of the focus is now estimated to be about 10 kilometers shallower than earlier estimated, resulting in a quake of the maximum of 7 on the Japanese scale. The government had so far estimated that such a quake would have the intensity of a maximum of 6 plus on the Japanese scale.
A member of the group and professor at the earthquake research institute, Kazuki Koketsu, says his group plans to analyze the intensity of estimated tremors based on the new data and publish the findings by the end of March.
The group's study is expected to be reflected in this year's government review of its estimate of damage from a powerful earthquake that could hit Tokyo and in its disaster preparedness measures.

March 11th mega quake triggered 80 other quakes
A Japanese seismologist says the March 11th earthquake triggered about 80 separate quakes, one of them as far as 1,300 kilometers away from the original quake's epicenter.
Masatoshi Miyazawa, an associate professor at Kyoto University's Disaster Prevention Research Institute, analyzed data that was recorded immediately following the earthquake at about 1,500 seismographs across Japan.
The results showed that about 80 separate earthquakes occurred within about 15 minutes of the original quake.
These quakes are believed to have been triggered when seismic waves diffusing from the giant quake reached their energy-release point, known as a focus.
Many of the separate earthquakes were small, with a magnitude of around 2, but a relatively strong quake with a magnitude of 4.7 was also recorded.
One earthquake was even observed in Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan, about 1,300 kilometers from the epicenter of the original quake.
Miyazawa says the new quakes were triggered by seismic waves from the giant earthquake that had longer periods, for example 20 seconds or so. Such waves tend to travel farther into the ground under the Japanese archipelago.
Miyazawa says many of the induced earthquakes occurred near volcanoes, where seismic activity was already high. He adds that the onset of these earthquakes may have been hastened when tremors from the giant quake changed their power balance.


Japan's 1st current account deficit in 3 years
Japan's current account balance in January slipped into the red for the first time in 3 years, also marking the biggest deficit on record.
A preliminary report released by the Finance Ministry on Thursday shows that Japan logged a current account deficit of 437.3 billion yen, or about 5.4 billion dollars.
This is the first deficit since January 2009 when exports plunged following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. The figure is also the largest since record taking began in the current form in 1985.
The trade balance was about 17 billion dollars in the red. Exports dropped 8.5 percent from January 2011 as the European debt crisis slowed down the global economy.
Meanwhile, imports surged 11.2 percent due to reasons such as an increase of liquefied natural gas for thermal power plants. Those plants have been used in place of nuclear power plants that went off-line following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March last year.


Futaba Town asks TEPCO to compensate damage
Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, has demanded that the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant pay about 211 million dollars as compensation for damage caused to the township.
Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa on Thursday handed an invoice to Naomi Hirose, managing director of Tokyo Electric Power Company, at a makeshift town hall inside an evacuation center in Saitama Prefecture.
The town is asking for about 211 million dollars in compensation for buildings and property. The township was forced to move after it was designated as a no-entry zone.
Fukushima Prefecture says the town became the first municipality near the troubled nuclear power plant to demand compensation from the utility.
Hirose told the mayor that the plant operator will process the matter promptly, along with compensation claims by individuals, without specifying a deadline.
Mayor Idogawa told reporters that the amount it is asking is only a portion of the unlimited damage the township has suffered since the nuclear accident. He said the town will invoice the evacuation costs later.

Highway traffic banned in future Tokyo quake
Traffic on 52 major roads in and around Tokyo will be restricted to emergency vehicles in the event of a major earthquake hitting the capital.
The National Police Agency says it will, for the first time, designate 46 expressways and 6 highways in Tokyo and 11 surrounding prefectures for exclusive emergency use.
The agency says the measure is to facilitate swift passage of the large number of police and other rescue vehicles expected to be dispatched from around the nation to help Tokyo in a crisis.

Decontamination starts at Fukushima main roads
Work has started to reduce levels of radiation on roads inside some evacuation zones around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The work is part of government efforts to allow some evacuees to return home in the near future.
Media were invited to watch the work being carried out by the government on a road around the Naraha Town Hall on Thursday. They saw workers using water jets managing to reduce radiation levels by about 80 percent.
Later this month, the government is due to review the zoning of evacuation areas. The review will be based on the latest radiation levels inside the government's exclusion zone and another mandatory evacuation zone which covers 11 municipalities. Naraha Town has one of the lowest radiation readings among them.
In Tomioka Town, the media could see workers checking radiation levels every 10 meters along a closed section of the Joban Expressway in preparation for decontamination operations. The readings were taken one meter above the surface and measured between 4 to 5 micro-sieverts per hour.
The government will start decontamination work in 6 other municipalities this month, focusing on roads and other facilities that are essential for everyday life.
Restoring water and electricity services to those areas is expected to take time due to the extensive damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami.
The government may have to wait until this summer to start the decontamination of private homes, which requires the approval of their owners.


Survey: Most municipalities wary of nuclear plant
An NHK survey has found that nearly 80 percent of municipalities hosting or located near nuclear power plants are wary about resuming operations at reactors that are offline for regular inspections.
The survey covered 20 prefectures and 122 cities, towns and villages not in Fukushima Prefecture. Each municipality is within 30 kilometers of a nuclear power plant. Only 3 of the municipalities, or 2 percent, said they would give the go-ahead for resuming reactor operations. 12 percent said they would eventually.
But 75 percent said they would not allow resumption for the time being or cannot yet decide, and 4 percent said they would never allow resumption.
The municipalities expressed concerns about the effectiveness of safety measures at the reactors, and complained that the central government is not doing what it should.
Asked what's important in deciding on whether to restart reactors, 63 percent said a satisfactory investigation into the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant almost a year ago. 59 percent cited understanding by local residents, and 58 percent said new government safety regulations.
Only 17 percent cited stress testing, which the government views as a prerequisite for deciding whether to resume reactor operations.
Only 2 of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors are now running, but are to be shut down by late April.

Fukushima gov. inspects Daiichi nuclear plant
The governor of Fukushima Prefecture has asked the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to continue efforts to decommission its crippled reactors.
Yuhei Sato on Thursday visited the plant run by Tokyo Electric Power Company for the first time since the accident there last March.
Sato was told by plant chief Takeshi Takahashi that there's still a long way to go, but that the government and the firm said in December that the plant had been brought to a state of cold shutdown. The state marks the second phase of a timetable to bring the plant under control.
Takahashi added that the firm wants to steadily carry out operations such as removing fuel rods that melted and fell to the bottoms of the plant's reactors.
Sato said residents of the prefecture remain uneasy due to reports on a series of problems at the plant.
The governor later visited the plant's emergency response room and thanked about 150 workers for their efforts. He then boarded a bus to tour 4 reactor buildings and other facilities.
Sato said the visit made him think again about the severity of the accident. He added that the prefectural government will have to work to realize an early return of nuclear evacuees and reconstruction of infrastructure.


March disaster forces 645 firms out of business
The number of corporate failures has reached nearly 650 since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
Private credit research firm Teikoku Databank says that as of Wednesday, 645 firms went bankrupt or filed for court protection with liabilities of at least 10 million yen, or about 120 thousand dollars. The figure is 3.3 times that reported over a year after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. ...


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Friday, March 9, 2012

Donald Keene granted Japanese citizenship
Prominent Japanese literature scholar Donald Keene has been granted Japanese nationality.
鬼怒鳴門 と申します、よろしくお願いします
. WKD : Donald Lawrence Keene .

Scholar Keene granted citizenship
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120309a6.html


Cherry trees to mark tsunami line
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120309f2.html

Noda's definition of 'safe' questioned
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda assured the nation in December that the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant crisis had been reined in, but as the true extent of the damage inside the crippled reactors remains unknown a year on and with the complex still appearing vulnerable to another major quake, the government and Tepco's claims that the facility is secure are being questioned.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120309f1.html

South Korea: Fish imports from Japan turning up radioactive
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120309a2.html

Google Person Finder awarded
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120309a3.html

Selling Japan's food and tourism
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20120309a2.html

Mental health must match post-3/11 recovery
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120309a1.html

Japan prepares to commemorate Tohoku tragedy
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fd20120309r1.html

Heartening recipes from Japan's northeast
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fg20120309f1.html

Tohoku's sake breweries one year on
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fg20120309mj.html

Drummers hope to support earthquake victims
The taiko (drum) troupe at the International Christian University
The students titled their performance "Shichitenbatto," which is an old Japanese saying that literally translates as "rolling seven times, falling eight times." The saying is meant to describe a feeling of writhing in agony.
ccording to troupe member Ayaka Nakasone, the event was originally titled "Nanakorobi yaoki," a Japanese saying composed of similar kanji but translates as "rolling seven times, getting up on the eighth." Thus the meaning conveys a feeling that there's always an opportunity to get back on your feet after hardship.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fq20120309a1.html


Edano comments on restarting nuclear reactors
Industry minister Yukio Edano says the government will decide whether nuclear reactors should resume operation after local municipalities accept safety assessments by experts.
Edano made the comments during an NHK news program on Thursday. He addressed the issue of the country's nuclear reactors which have been shut down for regular inspections. Only 2 of the 54 reactors in Japan are now in operation.
He said priority should be given to safety, rather than to the need for power generation. ...

Decontamination starts at Fukushima main roads
Work has started to reduce levels of radiation on roads inside some evacuation zones around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The work is part of government efforts to allow some evacuees to return home in the near future.
Media were invited to watch the work being carried out by the government on a road around the Naraha Town Hall on Thursday. They saw workers using water jets managing to reduce radiation levels by about 80 percent.
Later this month, the government is due to review the zoning of evacuation areas. The review will be based on the latest radiation levels inside the government's exclusion zone and another mandatory evacuation zone which covers 11 municipalities. Naraha Town has one of the lowest radiation readings among them. ... The government may have to wait until this summer to start the decontamination of private homes, which requires the approval of their owners.

Berlin photo exhibition on Japan's disaster
A photo exhibition has begun in Berlin that depicts last year's earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, as well as people recovering from the disasters.
Hosted by the Japanese embassy, the exhibition opened on Thursday at a shopping center in the German capital.


Over 10,000 tremors shook Japan after March quake
Japan's Meteorological Agency says more than 10,000 noticeable tremors have shaken the country since last year's major earthquake.
The agency says it measured 10,119 earthquakes strong enough to be felt by humans during the 12 months until Wednesday, nearly 8 times the number recorded in 2010.
About 70 percent were aftershocks of the March quake, and occurred along the country's northeastern Pacific coast. But seismic activities also continue far inland.
The agency says these tremors have been induced by crust movements that have pulled the Japanese archipelago to the east since last March's quake.
Analysis by Japan's Geospatial Information Authority shows that the eastward crust movements continue in a wide area over the country's northeast and center.
Yamada Town in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate was last month found to have moved about 76 centimeters to the east in the last year.
The agency is cautioning people in areas with continued crust movements to stay on the alert against possible strong tremors.


Emperor to attend March 11 memorial
Emperor Akihito plans to attend a memorial service on Sunday for March 11th disaster victims, one week after leaving hospital where he underwent a heart operation.
Doctors at the Imperial Household Hospital said on Friday the Emperor showed no problems when they examined him earlier in the day.
The Emperor will be accompanied by the Empress at the memorial to be held in Tokyo on the first anniversary of the quake and tsunami.
A moment's silence will be held at 2:46 PM -- the exact time of the disaster. The Emperor will then give a speech to relatives of victims and government officials. ...

Nuclear disaster taskforce minutes compiled
The government has released pieced-together minutes from its task force meetings after the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant began on March 11th of last year.
On that day, the earthquake and tsunami knocked out external power and disabled the plant's backup generators. Then Prime Minister Naoto Kan declared a state of emergency at the nuclear plant, and presided over the first meeting of the task force on the evening of March 11th. But it was recently discovered that no minutes of that or subsequent meetings had been taken. ..

M7.1 quake hits Vanuatu
A powerful earthquake has struck near the Southern Pacific islands of Vanuatu.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii says the magnitude 7.1 quake occurred at around 7:10 UTC on Friday.
The center is calling for caution against a possible tsunami in areas near the epicenter.

Tokyo Fire Department unveils new quake simulator
The Tokyo Fire Department demonstrated its new earthquake simulator on Friday. It invited the media to its disaster prevention center in central Tokyo to try the machine.
The simulator can produce multiple kinds of jolts to replicate a powerful earthquake.
Visitors can experience jolts measuring 7 on the Japanese seismic scale of zero to 7. That's the strength of the quake that devastated northeastern Japan in March last year. ...

Major supermarket to sell Chinese rice
Major supermarket operator Seiyu is to sell rice imported from China amid rising prices for domestic rice after the March 2011 disaster in northeastern Japan.
Seiyu says it will sell Chinese rice from Saturday in Tokyo and surrounding areas. ...

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Saturday, March 10, 2012

- - - - - at 2:35
Earthquake M 5.5, Northern Ibaraki

- - - - - at 5:18
Earthquake M 2.9, Northern Okayama (my region)


Weather agency: La Nina is over
Japan's weather agency says the La Nina phenomenon that brought freezing weather to Europe and Asia most likely ended by last month.

Japan, Ukraine to cooperate on nuclear safety
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has agreed with a Ukrainian leader on the early conclusion of a nuclear safety agreement.
Noda met the visiting speaker of Ukraine's parliament, Volodymyr Lytvyn, on Friday. ...


Crisis HQ on day one saw meltdown threat
The government was aware of the possibility of a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant the same day the complex was hit by the earthquake and tsunami last March, according to a summary released of meetings at the emergency headquarters.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120310a1.html

Summer power crunch looms large
As the closure of the nation's 54th and final reactor approaches, businesses and think tanks are starting to wonder whether Japan can survive next summer without atomic energy and a mandatory power-saving order.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120310f1.html

Ikata reactor stress test results OK'd
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120310a4.html

Fukushima soil plutonium traces not seen as threat
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120310a5.html

Debris overture is welcomed
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120310a9.html

Chubu reactor safety improvements mixed bag
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120310cc.html

Pupils excelled on 3/11 but life since a struggle
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120310f2.html

Lessons to learn from the Fukushima disaster
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120310a1.html


Local governments launch debris acceptance project
A group of Japanese local governments is promoting the disposal of debris from northeast Japan, which was hit by an earthquake and tsunami a year ago.
The disaster created an estimated 22.5 million tons of debris in the coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures.
The Environment Ministry says only 6.4 percent of the debris has been incinerated or disposed of in landfill as of Thursday. ...

Children given glass buoys to remember hometown
An elementary school in disaster-hit northeast Japan has handed out old glass fishing buoys to school children as a memento of their hometown.
The Oginohama district of Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, was struck by tsunami 10 meters tall last March.
The district's elementary school held a memorial on Friday, two days before the first anniversary of the disaster.
The school survived the tsunami, but the number of students dropped to 9, less than half the number before the disaster.
School principal Tatsuo Matsuura handed the glass fishing buoys to all 9.
The glass balls, about 15 centimeters in diameter, were actually used by local fishermen until half a century ago. Matsuura discovered them in the debris.
A girl in the sixth grade said she will keep the glass ball after leaving her hometown upon graduation this month.


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Remember March 11, 2011

. Sunday, March 11, 2012 .



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Monday, March 12, 2012


The daily reporting will be much reduced from now on.

3/11 boat returned
A small fishing boat swept away by the March tsunami but later found drifting in the Sea of Japan has been returned to the family of its owner, who perished in the disaster. The boat is believed to have traveled at least 1,200 kilometers on its own.
On Monday, the boat was delivered by truck to the owner's son in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture. The trip took 23 hours. ...


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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Celebrating friendship with Japan and 100 years of U.S. hanami
.
Once an activity for the nobility of the Imperial court in Japan, hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) became a popular tradition among the elite ruling class during the Heian Period (794-1185), and then later, with the encouragement of Tokugawa Toshimune (1684-1751), among commoners.
...
This year, festivities will include several Japan-related exhibitions. The National Geographic Museum will host "Samurai: The Warrior Transformed" (March 7-Sept.); the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will focus on Edo Period painter Kano Kazonobu with "Masters of Mercy, Buddha's Amazing Disciples" (March 10- July 8) and on Hokusai's "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" (March 24-June 17), the National Museum of Art, meanwhile, will present "Colorful Real: Japanese Bird and Flower paintings," a set of 30 scrolls by Ito Jakuchu (March 30-April 29).
. . .
Highlights for the centennial include the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, the Sakura Matsuri street festival and the South West Fireworks Festival with fireworks from Nagaoka in Niigata Prefecture. Tamio Mori, mayor of Nagaoka, described the fireworks as an expression of the desire for world peace, as well as a thank you for the generosity of those who offered help and support after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120313a1.html


Used CRTs help block radiation - NHK
A group of Japanese researchers has developed new materials that block radiation using glass recycled from old cathode-ray tubes.


Team: Radiation exposure in Tokyo far below limit

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Thursday, March 14, 2012

Tokyo has way to go to gird for Big One, consultant says
Tokyo's preparedness for dealing with a major earthquake after last year's record temblor in the Tohoku region that left more than 19,000 dead or missing may not significantly cut deaths or damage, says Kazuchika Asano, who has studied the capital's emergency procedures for two decades.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120314n1.html


A wakeup call Japan ignored
PAUL BLUSTEIN
Yoichi Funabashi: "Our choice," he wrote, "is rebirth or ruin."
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120314a1.html


Tsunami advisories issued after quake
A magnitude-6.8 earthquake hit northeastern Japan on Wednesday evening
Tremors with an intensity of 4 on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7 were felt in the prefectures of Aomori, Iwate and Hokkaido at 6:09 PM.
M 6.8 at 18:09 off Sanriku coast
M 4.6 at 19:29 off Fukushima
M 5:9 at 19:55 off Sanriku coast
M 5.3 at 19:55 off Sanriku coast
M 5.3 at 20:45 off Sanriku coast
M 6.1 at 21:09 off Chiba
M 3.1 at 21:16 off Chiba

until 6:00 of the next morning, there were 16 smaller quakes up to M4.0 off Chiba.

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Thursday, March 15, 2012

The earthquakes continue

Strong quakes jolt Kanto, Tohoku, Hokkaido
The Kanto and Tohoku regions are each rocked by strong temblors, while parts of Hokkaido observe tsunami measuring up to 20 cm.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120315a1.html


2012年3月15日　1時57分 千葉県東方沖 4.0
2012年3月15日　6時44分 関東東方沖 5.0
2012年3月15日　9時14分 三陸沖 5.2


Fukushima soil fallout far short of Chernobyl
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120315a4.html

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Friday, March 16, 2012

Japan's Crown Prince: Share tsunami experiences
The Crown Prince delivered an English video message at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, on Thursday. The forum on water-related issues around the world has been underway since Monday.


Kan blasted Tepco, said no retreat from No. 1
In the early days of the nuclear disaster, then Prime Minister Naoto Kan verbally lashed Tepco officials and ordered them to contain the crisis at all costs, company records show.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120316a3.html

Empress closeby if husband fell

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120316b1.html


Telecom symposium to learn from 3.11 disaster
An international forum has been held in the quake-hit northeastern Japanese city of Sendai to discuss telecommunication networks which can withstand natural disasters.

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Saturday, March 17, 2012

Kan hero, or irate meddler?
Was Naoto Kan a hero who saved eastern Japan from nuclear catastrophe or an ill-tempered prime minister who only exacerbated the meltdown crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant last March?
... Meanwhile Kan and key aides who were at the prime minister's office have claimed he stopped Tokyo Electric Power Co. from withdrawing all workers from the plant by taking control of Tepco's crisis operations, setting up a joint headquarters on March 15, the climatic day of the crisis.
If everyone had been pulled out, the Fukushima plant would have eventually seen meltdowns of all six reactors and seven spent fuel pools, which could have led to massive radioactive fallout that could have contaminated the whole of eastern Japan, including even Tokyo.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120317a3.html


Stories from the water and the mountains
. Grandfather Oyster and Shigebo .
カキじいさんとしげぼう
I am an oyster farmer on Kesennuma Bay ln northern Japan.
「水山の牡蠣」水山養殖場
Mizuyama Oyster Farm


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Sunday, March 18, 2012

Earthquake M 5.0 off Iwate
2012年3月18日　9時39分 岩手県沖 5.0


Time for antinuclear protests
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20120318a1.html


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Monday, March 19, 2012

Aichi to build quake debris incinerator
Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura is in final talks with Chubu Electric on building a tsunami debris incinerator and disposal site at a thermal power plant in Hekinan.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120319a2.html


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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Earthquake M 5.1, Sanriku
2012年3月20日　8時41分 三陸沖 - 5.1


Kepco faces demand to exit nuclear power
A prefectural-municipal committee urges the city of Osaka to demand that Kansai Electric abandon nuclear power and switch to renewable energy when its shareholders meet in June.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120320a2.html

Survey finds soaring cesium level in soil in Iitate
The Environment Ministry reveals that a soaring cesium reading of 154,000 becquerels per kilogram ? the highest yet ? has been found in soil from the village of Iitate near the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120320a3.html


Tsunami victims mourned on equinox
People in coastal areas of northeastern Japan are visiting cemeteries on Spring Equinox Day to offer prayers for victims of last year's tsunami.
The equinox, on Tuesday this year, is a national holiday in Japan. The timing coincides with traditional mid-week gravesite visits that many Buddhists make to pray for their ancestors' souls.
In Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, people visited a temple where around 100 tsunami victims were laid to rest.

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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Restarting reactors key topic in new energy policy debate
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120321f1.html

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Thursaday, March 22, 2012

'Washoku' served up as UNESCO heritage
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120322f1.html


Nuclear security summit to call for safer reactors
Leaders attending the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit in South Korea plan to step up t

TEPCO says some rates still valid from April 1st
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says it will raise electricity rates next month, but that some users could keep paying old rates until their current contracts expire.
... The firm says it will notify users about rate hikes in writing and confirm by phone whether they plan to keep paying their contract rates.


Wastewater leakage found at Tokai nuclear plant
The operator of a defunct nuclear power plant near Tokyo says over 3 tons of radioactive wastewater may have been leaking inside one of the buildings at the plant over the last 18 months.
Tokai nuclear plant in Ibaraki Prefecture is being dismantled by its operator, Japan Atomic Power Company.
On Saturday, about 1.5 tons of water containing low levels of radioactive material was found to have leaked from a tank that holds liquid used to wash workers' protective wear.
Closer inspection of the tank's water levels has revealed that about 2.2 more tons of water may have leaked out since October 2010.
The water is believed to have seeped out of pipes connected to the tank. No leaking outside the building has been confirmed.
The plant's operator plans to pump out the pooled water and determine the cause of the leak.


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Friday, March 23, 2012

NHK news headlines
Land prices fall in quake-hit areas
Noda to vow to boost defense of nuclear facilities
Govt. to gain majority of TEPCO voting rights
Pet rescue vehicle developed in Iwate

NSC endorses stress tests for Ohi reactors
Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission endorsed on Friday the results of stress tests conducted on 2 nuclear reactors on the Japan Sea coast. This marks the first time the commission has given its view on such tests. ...


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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Oi reactors pass stress test, safety panel says
The Nuclear Safety Commission approves the results of the first-stage stress test for two reactors at the Oi power plant in Fukui Prefecture, clearing another key condition for bringing them back online.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120324a1.html

Tepco rehab unlikely to win OK this month
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120324a3.html

Japan draws up plan for severe nuclear accidents
Japan's nuclear agency has compiled a basic plan on regulating power plant operators to prevent serious accidents beyond anything assumed probable.

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Sunday, March 25, 2012

There was snow on my bamboo this morning.


Harvard visitors get eye-opener in Tohoku, meet Noda, key officials
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120325a7.html

Sakura: Soul of Japan
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120325x1.html


One of Japan's last 2 nuclear plants to shut down - NHK
Japan to propose nuclear transport safety pact



2012年3月25日　22時22分
Earthquake M 5.2, off Fukushima

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2012年3月26日　8時03分 南米西部
Earthquake South America M 7.2


Monday, March 26, 2012

Iitate evacuees to pursue greater nuclear redress from Tepco
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120326a6.html


53 of 54 nuclear plants suspends
Tokyo Electric Power Company has stopped the energy output from a nuclear reactor in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, while it carries out regular inspections on Sunday.

Countdown to shutdown of all nuclear plants
All Japan's nuclear reactors face a possible shutdown if none are allowed to resume operations before the last working reactor in northern Japan, is turned off in May.


TEPCO: Just 60cm of water in Fukushima reactor
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has found that the cooling water in one of the damaged reactors at Fukushima is only 60 centimeters deep, far lower than previously thought.
The utility confirmed the water level by inserting an endoscope into the No.2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Monday.

TEPCO: Strontium leaked into the sea off Fukushima
Tokyo Electric Power Company says about 80 liters of water contaminated with radioactive strontium has leaked into the sea off the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Threatening, active faults found off Boso
Two new active faults are found off the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, prompting warnings that an earthquake of magnitude 8 to 9 could strike right off Tokyo.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120327a1.html

Scientists to study mechanism of Tohoku earthquake
The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC, said the deep sea scientific drilling vessel, the Chikyu, will embark on Sunday. Chikyu means "earth" in Japanese.

TEPCO releases video of No. 2 reactor container
Nuclear safety agency to brief nearby prefectures
School books to contain articles on the disaster


Earthquakes today

2012年3月27日　19時25分 千葉県東方沖 4.6 Chiba
2012年3月27日　20時07分 岩手県沖 6.4 5弱 Iwate
2012年3月27日　20時21分 岩手県沖 5.1 Iwate
2012年3月27日　20時24分 岩手県沖 3.8 Iwate
2012年3月27日　22時26分 三陸沖 4.8 Sanriku
2012年3月27日　23時49分 岩手県沖 4.0 Iwate

Magnitude 6.4 quake rocks Iwate, Miyagi
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120328b6.html

2012年3月28日　2時51分 岩手県沖 3.4 Iwate
2012年3月28日　10時59分 岩手県沖 4.1 Iwate

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Noda draws on Fukushima lesson
Japan will boost measures to fight nuclear terrorism by drawing on the lessons learned from the Fukushima crisis, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announces at the global nuclear summit in Seoul.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120328a2.html

No. 2 reactor's interior radiation jumps to as high as 72.9 sieverts per hour
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120328b4.html


Bamboo shoot contamination detected
More radioactive contamination has been found in farm products for human consumption about 200 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Authorities in a northern city of Chiba prefecture on Tuesday sampled bamboo shoots grown for food. They found contamination of up to 250 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram.


Prefecture to fund distressed Fukushima victims
Fukushima Prefecture says it will make cash payments to people in municipalities not eligible for full compensation from Tokyo Electric Power Company for the emotional distress caused by last year's nuclear accident.
The prefecture says it will pay 200,000 yen, or about 2,400 dollars, to each pregnant woman and to children 18 and younger in 17 municipalities in the Aizu region of western Fukushima.
It also says it will pay about 1,200 dollars each to expectant mothers and children in 9 other municipalities in southern Fukushima. ...

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Thurssday, March 29, 2012


Fish within 20 km of Fukushima plant to be studied
Fishing is banned within a 20 kilometer radius of the plant.


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Friday, March 30, 2012

Kyoto governor demands reactor safety guarantee
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120330a5.html

Liquefaction driving away Chiba residents
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120330f1.html


Land ministry provides online elevation data
Japan's land ministry has uploaded on its website detailed elevation data in areas near the seacoast and rivers across the country. The data will be used to help decrease damage from tsunami and floods.

TEPCO seeks additional public money injection
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has asked for more public funds from a government-backed entity to avoid negative net worth and to compensate the victims of the nuclear crisis at the facility.

Hard search for TEPCO's top management
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has postponed the announcement of a firm's turnaround plan due to difficulty of finding its new management.

Launch of new nuclear safety regulator delayed
Japan's nuclear crisis minister says the current agencies on nuclear safety control will continue to function until a new regulator is set up.
The government had planned to launch a new nuclear regulator on April 1st, as part of steps to strengthen safety control and unify supervision of nuclear power generation. But little progress has been made in Diet deliberations on the required bills.

Govt. reviewing Fukushima no-go zones
Residents of 2 communities near the troubled nuclear power plant in Fukushima will be allowed to visit their homes freely starting on Sunday, for the first time in a year.
The prospect emerged on Friday night as a government nuclear disaster task force led by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda decided to review no-entry areas of 3 municipalities near the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
At present, areas within 20 kilometers from the plant are designated a no-entry zone.
Under the new rules, the government will help residents return home as soon as possible in areas where cumulative radiation exposure is certain to be less than 20 millisieverts per year. ...

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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Officials gird for more food testing
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120331a5.html

Mayors of three evacuated towns seek temporary sites
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120331a6.html

Three evacuated municipalities in Fukushima to be reclassified so some residents can return home
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120331b8.html

Too soon to restart reactors
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20120331a1.html


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sources
. . Bulletins from NHK WORLD . .
. . Japan Times - JT . .



February 2011

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Photo : ANDREW KERSHAW

"Taki-zakura 三春滝桜 " ("Waterfall Cherry"),
this more than 1,000-year-old benishidarezakura (weeping higan cherry; Prunus subhirtella var. pendula) at Miharu, Fukushima Prefecture, is a designated national treasure that stands 12 meters high, spreads more than 22 meters across and attracts 300,000 visitors a year.

Sakura: Soul of Japan
Through the ages, cherry trees in blossom have inspired parties and poetry
source : Japan Times
Sunday, March 25, 2012



year after tsunami
waterfall cherry blossom
pride of Fukushima

- Shared by Gennady Nov
Joys of Japan, March 2012


Look at it here:
source : www.youtube.com

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After one year

. Children of Fukushima .


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