Lying to the United nations made easy! -Japan in focus
…..With regard to the Fukushima disaster, the Government had provided financial and medical support to Fukushima residents. Japan would spare no effort in making further improvements in its situation of human rights…….
Image source ; http://www.dianuke.org/tepcos-radioactive-lies-the-arsonist-investigating-the-fire/
BACKGROUND RELEASE
25 April 2013
Experts to Review Reports of Japan, Iran, Jamaica, Azerbaijan, Togo, Rwanda and Denmark
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will meet at the Palais Wilson in Geneva from 29 April to 17 May to examine measures taken by Japan, Iran, Jamaica, Azerbaijan, Togo, Rwanda and Denmark to comply with the standards of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The session will be opened on Monday, 29 April with an address from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or her representative. The Committee will then elect its Chairperson and Bureau, adopt its agenda and discuss organizational matters and its methods of work. In the afternoon meeting, the Committee will hear information from non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions with respect to the reports that it will review during the session.
The forgotten children of Fukushima and the UN conspiracy!
….The UN meetings have gone unreported and the silence has allowed the corruption of a process of justice that the petitioners from Japan were relying on. This is a total whitewashing of recent past and even present history…..
….This charade of a committee with its hidden documents to foil English language searches is a pathetic attempt at stopping the people of Fukushima achieve their Human Rights!……
Update information courtesy of Simplyinfo.org
Posted by nuclear-news.net
By Arclight2011
16 May 2013
For the last week i have been attempting to alert the world to , what i believe, is a miscarriage of justice at the Optional Protocol findings recently held at the UN.
The whole process was not reported in the media or indeed anywhere.
The Japanese delegation had made this statement on the 14 March 2013. This document of the summary of that meeting was placed on a chinese speaking part of the UN website.
In this document we find this statement;
[…]Takashi Okada, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that out of the 174 recommendations it had received, Japan had agreed to follow up or partially follow up on 125 of them, including those promoting the protection of the rights of women, children, and persons with disabilities, but was unable to accept 26 of the recommendations. Regarding the remaining 23 recommendations, Japan already had sufficient measures in place to address the issues raised by those.
[…]
FOUND ON THE CHINESE UN WEBSITE
http://www.ohchr.org/CH/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13142&LangID=E
And on an Arabic speaking part of the UN server we discovered this
[…]
The Committee is composed of the following 18 Experts: Aslan Khuseinovich Abashidze (Russian Federation); Mohamed Ezzeldin Adel-Moneim (Egypt); Clement Atangana (Cameroon); Maria-Virginia Bras Gomes (Portugal); Jun Cong (China); Chandrashekhar Dasgupta (India); Zdzislaw Kedzia (Poland); Azzouz Kerdoun (Algeria); Mikel Mancisidor (Spain); Jaime Marchan Romero (Ecuador); Sergei Martynov (Belarus); Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay (Mauritius);Lydia Carmelita Ravenberg (Suriname); Renato Zerbini Ribeiro Leao (Brazil); Waleed Sadi (Jordan); Nikolaas Jan Schrijver (Netherlands); Heisoo Shin (Republic of Korea); and Alvaro Tirado Mejia (Colombia).
[…]
FOUND ON THE ARABIC UN WEBSITE
http://www.ohchr.org/AR/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13266&LangID=C
There was no mention of Mr Anand Grover on this committee.
Indeed from the replies that concerns the radioactive contamination issues, we get terms like this;
“….maintain a suitable level of living….”
“…radiation was at the level advised…”
“… there was financial support available for refugees…”
“… previous Japanese delegation had said the comments of this Committee were not binding…”
As many reports of misreporting of this disaster flood the internet in video, blog and even main stream media sources, a deafly silence surrounds the plight of the people and environment of the contaminated areas of Japan.
The UN meetings have gone unreported and the silence has allowed the corruption of a process of justice that the petitioners from Japan were relying on. This is a total whitewashing of recent past and even present history.
Tomorrow, in just a few hours, The meeting will be resolved with no attention to the plight of the forgotten people of Fukushima. The pretence of decontamination, run by local Yakusa and other corrupt officials has failed and other more permanent decisions need to be made that include evacuating some areas of young and vulnerable people.
This charade of a committee with its hidden documents to foil English language searches is a pathetic attempt at stopping the people of Fukushima achieve their Human Rights!
Please try to contact anyone you can to let the UN and others know that they failed to hide these disgraceful meetings. Demand a halt to the preceding s until the people of Japan can see for themselves whats is being said and done in their names.. We might have missed the deadline for tomorrow but we can demand a recess on this last meeting if we try to allow some democratic discussion to develop.
A list of names of Japanese government delegation.
http://www2.ohchr.org/English/bodies/cescr/docs/list/List_Japan_CESCR50.pdf
For sending your protest:
1. https://www3.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/mail/qa.html
2. United Nations Information Centre:
UN HOUSE 8F
5-53-70, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
Tel : 03-5467-4451／FAX : 03-5467-4455
And the names of the committee members (above)can be googled with the terms UN contact email or go here; http://www.un.org/en/contactus/
Other info sources
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights considers Report of Japan – 30 April 2013
Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights
30 April 2013
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights today considered the third periodic report of Japan on how that country implements the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Introducing the report of Japan, Hideaki Ueda, Ambassador in charge of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Japan, said Japan had a target for increasing the number of women in leadership positions and an action plan to combat human trafficking. The number of persons with disabilities in employment had risen and persons with disabilities were offered vocational guidance carefully tailored to their abilities and aptitudes. The Government had implemented emergency support measures in the wake of the financial crisis, and support for employment for youth had been strengthened. An integrated reform of the social security system had taken place and insurance payment requirements for pension payments had been relaxed.
The Committee asked about the labour force supply and demand structure, working hours, labour agreements, the National Wage Council, the linkage between the minimum wage and the benefit programme, the health insurance system, social security, nuclear accidents and how the comments of the Committee were considered in Japan. Also issues concerning the impact of the financial situation on Japan’s ability to implement the provisions of the Covenant, austerity measures, the Fukushima nuclear power station accident and alternative forms of energy were raised.
In preliminary concluding remarks, Mohamed Ezzeldin Abdel-Moneim, Committee Rapporteur for the report of Japan, said that at the time of reporting Japan was one of the largest world economies, and inflation in the economy had led to large debt levels. This had made spending cuts attractive but, in the face of economic recession, this approach had failed time and again. He also mentioned that in relation to the need to comply with obligations, the Covenant noted the need to comply with other elements of international law.
Mr. Ueda expressed his gratitude for a vibrant and comprehensive discussion of economic, social and cultural rights. This was a valuable opportunity for a review and Japan would continue with its efforts to improve access to these rights.
Committee Chairperson Zdzislaw Kedzia thanked all members of the delegation for the fruitful and friendly dialogue. He said there remained differences in the evaluation of some points though a better understanding had been reached.
The delegation of Japan included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of the Environment.
The next public meeting of the Committee will be at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 30 April, when it will consider the second periodic report of Iran.
Report
The third periodic report of Japan can be read here: (E/C.12/JPN/3).
Presentation of the Report of Japan;
Where is Mr Anand Grover? ….when you want him?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anand_Grover
DEADLINE FOR ACTION!!
TOMORROW 17 MAY 2013
Mr Anand Grover was last seen in communication with the world in November 2012
He Had something to say
FOUND ON THE ENGLISH UN WEBSITE
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12831&LangID=E
The Japanese Government needed to respond to these vile slurs
So they sent there best men.. who DIDNT SAY MUCH BECAUSE A PREVIOUS DELEGATION HAD SAID:
….. a previous Japanese delegation had said the comments of this Committee were not binding…..
The Optional Protocol of 2008 is NOT binding (i.e. Not worth the paper it is written on)
FOUND ON THE ARABIC UN WEBSITE
IF YOU FIND MR ANAND GROVER,PLEASE RETURN HIM TO;
GENEVA
Takashi Okada, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that out of the 174 recommendations it had received, Japan had agreed to follow up or partially follow up on 125 of them, including those promoting the protection of the rights of women, children, and persons with disabilities, but was unable to accept 26 of the recommendations. Regarding the remaining 23 recommendations, Japan already had sufficient measures in place to address the issues raised by those.
FOUND ON THE CHINESE UN WEBSITE
http://www.ohchr.org/CH/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13142&LangID=E
The Committee is composed of the following 18 Experts: Aslan Khuseinovich Abashidze (Russian Federation); Mohamed Ezzeldin Adel-Moneim (Egypt); Clement Atangana (Cameroon); Maria-Virginia Bras Gomes (Portugal); Jun Cong (China); Chandrashekhar Dasgupta (India); Zdzislaw Kedzia (Poland); Azzouz Kerdoun (Algeria); Mikel Mancisidor (Spain); Jaime Marchan Romero (Ecuador); Sergei Martynov (Belarus); Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay (Mauritius);Lydia Carmelita Ravenberg (Suriname); Renato Zerbini Ribeiro Leao (Brazil); Waleed Sadi (Jordan); Nikolaas Jan Schrijver (Netherlands); Heisoo Shin (Republic of Korea); and Alvaro Tirado Mejia (Colombia).
FOUND ON THE ARABIC UN WEBSITE
http://www.ohchr.org/AR/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13266&LangID=C
Further reading
Page 74 concerns refugee issues and page 101 onwards describes the radiological disaster….
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cescr/docs/ngos/JFBA_Japan_CESCRWg49.pdf
h/t simplyinfo
Update -Japanese citizens respond to attempted UN cover up! With only 24 Hours to effect change!
“The supposedly free democratic nation of Japan, which supposedly values and promotes freedom of speech, has officially issued orders to telecommunication companies and webmasters to remove content from websites that counter the official government position that the disaster is over and there is no more threat from the radiation. 20 April 2011”
Image and caption source ; http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/japan-officially-orders-censorship-of.html
UN Report – Bloggers response! – Japanese delegation to The UN spreads Lies and Deception!
14 May 2013
Published by nuclear-news.net
Below, is a report concerning the petition to the UN on behalf of the Children of Fukushima and their petition to the UN. The UN sent Mr. Anand Grover on a Country Visit to Japan on 15 to 26 November 2012. Mr Anand Grover made some comments regarding the nuclear disaster, as well as some other issues in Japan……
Japanese responses
Comment by Mr. Daisuke Shirane, staff at Geneva office of IMADR (The International Movement Against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism)
The Japanese Government Delegation often apply a so-called “official bureaucrats style of talking” when they speak at UN committees when answering questions. It means that they sometime talk vaguely or answer the questions only partly or repeat the same sort of things from a single aspect from the whole situation. As a member of NGO I got an impression that they didn’t want to deliver their clear answers.
Also, in relation to the Japanese government’s report and their answers to committees’ questions, there had been comments such as that there were no honest answers, not appropriate answers to questions and also that international standard hadn’t been applied correctly in Japan.
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/harumi-s_2005/e/bc90e378cf16da2fd9d38e79fb3bea61
IMADRジュネーブ事務所 白根大輔
Anonymous Japanese citizen from Geneva (from private correspondence)
“… thank you very much for the information. This document is really precious and must be told to the Japanese people. All UN documents are written in official UN languages but not in Japanese and I think no one knew and followed what Japanese Government has been doing currently in UN.
Your friend’s info is extremely important. I will also tweet or update in my FB so that we maintain a pressure on the Japanese Government! Thank you again!
Then after some more investigation she wrote:
It’s a kind of cover-up not to show what the Govnt. is doing abroad to hide the ongoing reality in Japan.
I read the article in the UN Arabic section but Fukushima’s conditions are mentioned only briefly and with lies. So, I decided to translate the blog you sent me and translate some parts of UN doc. I also tweeted that Japanese Govnt ‘s activities in UN are only updated in Arabic section.
Japanese mass media are contaminated by money from Nuke lobby and that’s the reason no mass media followed this important human rights issue. I tried to ask my friends in Geneva if there are any journalists who can have access to UN s coming session about human rights and resolution for Japan. I believe we need alternative journalists who show the world what really happens in Fukushima…..”
Posted by on behalf of anonymous by Arclight2011
A list of names of Japanese government delegation.
http://www2.ohchr.org/English/bodies/cescr/docs/list/List_Japan_CESCR50.pdf
For sending your protest:
1. https://www3.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/mail/qa.html
2. United Nations Information Centre:
UN HOUSE 8F
5-53-70, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
Tel : 03-5467-4451／FAX : 03-5467-4455
Translation and research support for this article from Mia (JANUK) thttp://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/
The Continuing Fukushima Cover-Up – Salon.com
…Buoyed by the WHO study, the Japanese government has already declared Fukushima rice totally safe provided it emits less than 100 Becquerels (Bq) per kilogram (kg). (A Becquerel is one atomic disintegration per second.)
Research conducted after Chernobyl contradicts this directive. According to Starr, children in the Ukraine and Belarus routinely exposed to more than 50 Bq per kg of Cesium-137 (from the Chernobyl meltdown) Chernobyl suffered irreversible heart damage…..
MAY 14, 2013
http://open.salon.com/blog/stuartbramhall/2013/05/13/the_continuing_fukushima_cover-up
The New York Academy of Medicine celebrated the second anniversary of Fukushima’s nuclear disaster with a two day Fukushima Symposium on March 11th and 12th. Sponsored by the Helen Caldicott Foundation and Physicians for Social Responsibility, the event consisted of presentations from a broad range of physician and non-physician researchers specialized in the effects of nuclear radiation on the environment and human health. It was videoed and can be viewed free on-line (see links below).
What the symposium makes crystal clear is that there has been a deliberate effort by Japanese government, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the Obama administration, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) to minimize the long term health consequences of nuclear fallout, especially to children. Instead of backtracking on the billions of dollars he approved to subsidize TEPCO to build more US nuclear power plants, Obama is participating in an international cover-up to conceal the serious long term dangers of this technology. See After 50 Years Nuclear Power Still not Viable Without Subsidies
I found the March 11th presentation by Dr Steven Starr of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program at the University of Missouri the most illuminating. The focus of Starr’s talk was the long term effects of Cesium-137, which is the main long term contaminant of soil and food following a nuclear accident.
The research Starr presents directly contradicts a study WHO published two months ago called The Health Risk Assessment From the Nuclear Accident after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The latter supports the Japanese government’s position that the radioactive contamination deposited immediately after meltdown has dissipated and there is no longer any risk of eating food produced there. Buoyed by the WHO study, the Japanese government has already declared Fukushima rice totally safe provided it emits less than 100 Becquerels (Bq) per kilogram (kg). (A Becquerel is one atomic disintegration per second.)
Research conducted after Chernobyl contradicts this directive. According to Starr, children in the Ukraine and Belarus routinely exposed to more than 50 Bq per kg of Cesium-137 (from the Chernobyl meltdown) Chernobyl suffered irreversible heart damage.
According to Starr WHO and IRCP are guilty of four main scientific errors:
- WHO and IRCP quantify radiation exposure in Sieverts or milliSieverts (mSv). This is extremely controversial because a Sievert isn’t a measure of actual radiation exposure but of presumed radiation “effect” based on mathematical modeling.
- WHO and IRCP studies are based on an assumption that Cesium-137is spread uniformly throughout the body, whereas their own research shows it bioaccumulates in specific organs.
- None of the WHO and IRCP studies incorporate Dr Yuri Bandazhevsky’s detailed research into Belarusian children exposed to Cesium-137 following Chernobyl, which has only recently been translated into English.
- None of the WHO and IRCP studies distinguish between external exposure and chronic internal exposure due to radionuclides that accumulate in vital organs.
Basic Scientific Facts About Cesium-137 and Fallout from Fukushima
UN Report – Bloggers response! – Japanese delegation to The UN spreads Lies and Deception!
14 May 2013
Published by nuclear-news.net
By Arclight2011
Please share this article with your friends and family and/or reblog, (Copy in part or whole) Please refer to copyrighted links in article if used..Only 3 days to make a difference!! Justice will prevail!
Below, is a report concerning the petition to the UN on behalf of the Children of Fukushima and their petition to the UN. The UN sent Mr. Anand Grover on a Country Visit to Japan on 15 to 26 November 2012. Mr Anand Grover made some comments regarding the nuclear disaster, as well as some other issues in Japan.
The above short video shows the real situation on the ground that the Japanese delegation is not responding too!Published on 3 Feb 2013 http://www.a2documentary.com/
In response to Mr Anand Grovers comments the Japanese Government sent a delegation to reassure the UN that the points Mr Anand Grover brought up were being tackled or that clarification on issues could be made.
The document to this response has been oddly placed on the Arabic section of the UN website, though it was listed in the media section that deals with press releases. It is not available in the Japanese language. (Some Japanese translation below, in the comments section by mia)
No mention of this meeting nor any of the statements have been covered or commented on by the main stream media.
The petition for the evacuation of the children of Fukushima was given to the UN in New York in September 2011, the special rapporteur made his visit in November 2012 and extracts of the Japanese delegations responses are below with some background info to help you see the bigger picture.
The Japanese delegation prevaricated and outright lied concerning the present situation on the ground in the most contaminated areas downwind of the stricken nuclear plant Daichi 1 where 3 meltdowns occurred and a MOX Plutonium reactor exploded with devastating results, creating a mile high mushroom cloud!
10 Curies of PU 241 was released PER TON of MOX fuel ejected.. no figures have been done to ascertain the actual quantity of Pu241 that was ejected. In fact the Japanese can only refer to plutonium as “Alpha” (hinting at the type of energy released by plutonium 241).
…..Tepco was not just seeking approval to install 32 MOX fuel assemblies into the core of Reactor 3 at Fukushima – I. It appears that they were intentional about taking it a step further and in fact seeking approval for a quick transition to a 1/3 MOX core at the NPP in question…...(July 31, 2010 http://www.simplyinfo.org/?p=1734 )…
Image source ; http://www.overclock.net/t/963222/various-japan-nuclear-emergency-continuous-coverage-of-damage-and-radiation-risks
The lies and deception of the Japanese government throughout this disaster have been legendary and it is possible to see much of this even in mainstream Japanese media (without the word plutonium (Alpha) and some other censored terms).
The above is a screenshot of yet another take down notice/copyright claim on this small video. Why will they not let people see this explosion? The Japanese were censoring in 2011 and they are censoring now! here is a quick breakdown of the points mentioned on the 30 April 2013
UN Report April 2013 – Japanese delegation to The UN spreads Lies and Deception!
[…]
Regarding those that survived the atomic bombing, their medical needs related to their exposure was subsidised and this would allow them to maintain a suitable level of living.….( 30 April 2013 Japan Government delegation to the UN)
…I would like to recall that in Chernobyl the threshold limit for obligatory resettlement was 5 mSv/year or above, apart from soil contamination levels. There are also a significant number of epidemiological studies, which indicate that cancer and other diseases could occur in low dose radiation below the accumulated does of 100 mSv. According to these studies, there is no low threshold limit for the occurrence of diseases… (Annan Grover UN Japanese rapporteur statement of26 November 2012 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12831&LangID=E )…
……Prime Minister, I know many of your advisors claim that the amount of radiation released at Fukushima No. 1 was far less than at Chernobyl. However, a report released by the U.K.-based nonprofit Institute of Science in Society in November 2012 said: “Analysis based on the most inclusive data sets available reveals that radioactive fallout from the Fukushima meltdown is at least as big as Chernobyl and more global in reach.” That conclusion was reached based on work with state-of-the-art atmospheric dispersion models by an international team led by Andreas Stohl at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research… (9 Apr 2013 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/04/09/voices/rosy-fukushima-health-report-faulted-by-experts/#.UZJHFddx0xA )…
More “rosy” reports here…
…..There will be an increased risk on the health of the children of Koriyama City due to the effects of radiation…. Statement by the Court… 26 April 2013 (...https://nuclear-news.net/2013/04/26/breaking-japanese-government-found-responsible-for-the-evacuation-of-koriyama-city-children/)…
[…]
On a more technical point, it was explained that annual exposure to radiation was at the level advised by the International Commission on Radiological Protection..….( 30 April 2013 Japan Government delegation to the UN)
…The threshold level of 20 mSv/year is in contrast to the statutory legal limit imposed by the 1972 industrial safety regulation for the nuclear industry. For workers at a nuclear power plant, the maximum limit of exposure (in the controlled area) prescribed by law is 20 mSv/year (not exceeding 50 mSv/year) and a cumulative dose of 100 mSv in five years. The law prohibits the entry of ordinary citizens into the controlled area with radiation dose of 1.3 mSv/quarter and further prohibits workers to eat, drink or sleep in that area.
It also prohibits pregnant women to be exposed to radiation dose in a controlled area of over 2mSv/year….. (Annan Grover UN Japanese rapporteur statement of26 November 2012 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12831&LangID=E )…
[Eitors note ] i should point out that residents have been forced to live with more than 5mSv/y zone ,in fact as high as 20msv/y also another isotope not mentioned but has been recorded in high amounts was Pb (Lead) 210. And here are some UK findings on that, looking at MOX pollution from the processing end…
Shocking findings on effects of MOX processes on miscarriage and respiratory illness in the UK
29 April 2013
….“In women lead poisoning can cause stillbirth, miscarriage, premature birth and foetal development problems”
“We postulate that chronic low-level ecological and professional ionizing radiation exposure were causal for haemostasiological imbalance and impaired the cell-cell communication”….( 30 April 2013 https://nuclear-news.net/2013/04/30/shocking-findings-on-effects-of-mox-processes-on-miscarriage-and-respiratory-illness-in-th-uk/ )…
[…]
On another point, the delegation said there was financial support available for refugees as they waited for their file to be processed..….( 30 April 2013 Japan Government delegation to the UN)
…The conditions that come with the compensation money are not clear to the Fukushima evacuees, causing confusion and adding to their stress. While they fill out a 60 page compensation claim form, and wait to see how much their former lives destroyed by the disaster are ‘worth’ – the profits of the nuclear companies involved, like General Electric, Hitachi and Toshiba, remain intact….(February 28, 2013 http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/four-things-you-should-know-about-the-fukushi/blog/44098/ )...
…At the Fukushima court, the petitioners demanded restoration of the region where they lived to its condition before radioactive materials contaminated the area. They also sought 50,000 yen ($520) a month for each resident in damage payments. Total compensation being sought through the courts was about $55 million.
TEPCO refused to comment as it had not yet seen details of the cases. The Industry Ministry, which oversaw the nuclear regulatory body at the time of the accident, also declined to comment.
The 9.0 magnitude earthquake that unleashed a powerful tsunami on March 11, 2011 knocked out the Fukushima nuke plant sending out radiation that contaminated food and water, and forced the evacuation of more than 160,000 residents around a 30-kilometer radius of the stricken plant. Most of the evacuees were still living in makeshift shelters as decontamination work is at a slow pace…(12 March 2013 http://www.rttnews.com/2074876/residents-move-courts-seeking-compensation-for-fukushima-nuke-damage.aspx.)…
[…]
Another Expert said that a previous Japanese delegation had said the comments of this Committee were not binding.….( 30 April 2013 Japan Government delegation to the UN)
…It is therefore important that the chair and commissioners of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority are not only independent but are also seen to be independent. In this respect, it is well established to disclose any conflict of interest by potential incumbents. I recommend the Government to adopt such a procedure at the earliest, which will facilitate the building of confidence in the independence of the scrutinizing process…..(Annan Grover UN Japanese rapporteur statement of 26 November 2012 http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12831&LangID=E )…
Concluding Remarks of the optional Protocol meeting of 30 April 2013
MOHAMED EZZELDIN ABDEL-MONEIM, Committee Rapporteur for the Report of Japan, said that at the time of reporting Japan was one of the largest world economies, and inflation in the economy had led to large debt levels. This had made spending cuts attractive but, in the face of economic recession, this approach had failed time and again. He also mentioned that in relation to the need to comply with obligations, the Covenant noted the need to comply with other elements of international law.
HIDEAKI UEDA, Ambassador in charge of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Japan, expressed his gratitude for a vibrant and comprehensive discussion of economic, social and cultural rights. This was a valuable opportunity for review and Japan would continue with its efforts to improve access to these rights.
ZDZISLAW KEDZIA, Committee Chairperson, thanked all members of the delegation for the fruitful and friendly dialogue. There remained differences in the evaluation of some points though a better understanding had been reached. The concluding remarks of the Committee would be adopted on 17 May 2013, and as a group they looked forward to the follow-up.
Full UN source document for the reply by the Japanese delegation on the 30 April 2013 here..
[Editors note] It is interesting that Anand Gover is not the rapporteur in this meeting and it is Mohamed Ezzeldin Abdel-Moneim (Egypt).
Egypt is a small place and the new administration has excessive powers. Also, the Egyptian Government have made a big deal of the other powers (USA) not complying with the arms reduction treaty in recent statements and have actually withdrawn from talks in protest.I think these are smoke and mirrors to enable Egypt to develop nuclear weapons in the future. As a side note, where will Egypt place these new reactors? On the ever shrinking Nile river or the Mediterranean Sea?
Egypt and South Korea sign agreement on nuclear power programme
Egypt and South Korea will cooperate in the field of nuclear power development
South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Yoon Sang-jick (L) and Khalil Yasso, the chairman of the group of Egyptian nuclear plants during the signing ceremony (Photo courtesy of South Korean Ministry of Trade)
Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea on Thursday during a visit by an Egyptian delegation attending the nuclear power capacity-building programme of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, according to Korean news agency Yonhap.
A list of names of Japanese government delegation.
http://www2.ohchr.org/English/bodies/cescr/docs/list/List_Japan_CESCR50.pdf
For sending your protest:
1. https://www3.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/mail/qa.html
2. United Nations Information Centre:
UN HOUSE 8F
5-53-70, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
Tel : 03-5467-4451／FAX : 03-5467-4455
Nuclear News This Week
Christina Macpherson’s websites & blogs
USA. A federal panel has ruled for a formal license amendment proceeding with full public participation, on the restart of troubled San Onofre Nuclear power Plant in California. It is on the cards that this plant will never restart. This is a pretty important turning point for the entire USA nuclear power industry. Meanwhile Indian Point nuclear plant (near New York) is to be allowed to operate a nuclear reactor that will not be licensed – first time ever allowed.
Japan. Tepco’s radioactive water crisis continues. They can just empty the accumulating waste-water into the sea. There is no international maritime law that prevents this. Japanese Fisheries Associations are strongly opposing it. Reprocessing plants. Japan’s government wants to restart these – at Monju and Rokkasho. Japan’s Nuclear Regulator has ordered against Monju starting up. But Rokkasho, after 20 years, and $20 billion costs, now looks like going ahead. This is causing anxiety among safety conscious Japanese, and in USA – as the plant will produce 8 tonnes of plutonium a year.
UK. Atomic test veterans. For the first time, a judge ruled this week that men ordered into the fallout zone were injured by radiation in the 1950s and 60s. the veterans will at last war pensions after a four-year fight with the Ministry of Defence.
France developing a multi $billion plan for underground radioactive waste storage in North Eastern France, but already there’s not enough money for it. Costs are supposed to be paid by nuclear companies, such as AREVA and EDF.
Uranium companies continue to post losses – Uranium One and Mega Uranium join Cameco in dismal earnings reports .
Dumping tons of Fukushima radioactive water into ocean is not illegal?
‘Absurd’: Intentionally dumping Fukushima nuclear material into ocean from land “is not considered dumping” — Allowed under international law? http://enenews.com/absurd-intentionally-dumping-fukushima-nuclear-material-ocean-land-considered-dumping-allowed-international-law
Source: Oceanus
Author: David Pacchioli
Date: May 6, 2013 The Fukushima disaster is without precedent and will have unprecedented impacts on future policies governing the ocean, both Japanese and international.
[…] the Fukushima accident has revealed some key shortcomings in international law, said Kentaro Nishimoto, who teaches law of the sea at Tohoku University. To illustrate, he used an incident that has brought sharp criticism from Japan’s neighbors: the intentional release of radioactive water into the sea.
[…] Nishimoto said, the relevant international laws proved to be nonbinding. In particular, he noted, the London Convention on marine pollution, although it expressly prohibits ocean dumping of radioactive material, limits these restrictions to vessels at sea. Release of materials from land is not considered dumping.
“When I tell this to people outside the field of international law, the reaction I get is, ‘This is absurd,’ ” Nishimoto acknowledged. […]
See also: Bloomberg: Increasing risk that Fukushima radioactive waste being dumped into Pacific Ocean
San Onofre nuclear plant corrodes, as restart becomes less likely
Death Blow? “Complete rejection” of plan to restart ailing California nuclear reactor without public hearing — Plant corroding as it sits idle http://enenews.com/death-blow-complete-rejection-of-plan-to-restart-ailing-california-nuclear-reactor-without-public-hearing-plant-corroding-as-it-sits-idle 16 May 13
Reuters: An independent nuclear regulatory panel on Monday called for a full public hearing on the proposed restart of one of the two damaged San Onofre nuclear reactors, a move that will delay Southern California Edison’s plan to run the plant this summer. […] Damon Moglen of Friends of the Earth called the ruling “a complete rejection of Edison’s plan to restart its damaged nuclear reactors without public review or input.”
San Diego Union-Tribune:: Murray Jennex, a former systems engineer at San Onofre for nearly 20 years who now teaches at San Diego State University’s College of Business Administration, said the order likely pushes back a final decision on restarting the Unit 2 reactor until after summer. “I won’t say this is a death blow to Unit 2, but it does make restart less likely,” Jennex said. “If approved, the additional downtime makes the Unit 2 restart more complex and costly due to corrosion issues from sitting.”
AP: San Onofre nuke plant restart halted […] A federal panel sided Monday with environmentalists who have called for lengthy hearings on a plan to restart the ailing San Onofre nuclear power plant — a decision that further clouds the future of the twin reactors.
See also: Inside Sources: I was there when San Onofre nuclear plant shut down, I wouldn’t trust them to turn it back on — We’re dealing with unknown territory here (VIDEO)
The danger of Rokkasho Nuclear Reprocessing Plant
Concern in US as Japanese nuclear reprocessing plant completed http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3760280.htm Mark Willacy reported, May 16, 2013 TONY EASTLEY: It’s taken more than 20 years and $20 billion to build, and in a few months time Japan’s state-of-the-art nuclear reprocessing plant will be ready for operation.
The Rokkasho plant in far northern Japan will be capable of turning used nuclear fuel into eight tonnes of plutonium a year, although the Japanese say this weapons-grade plutonium will be used for power generation only.
That hasn’t soothed American concerns though. It’s worried about the security of the plutonium stockpiles and the risk that the new plant could stoke a nuclear race in the region.
North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy was given an exclusive look inside the Rokkasho nuclear complex. MARK WILLACY: In the spring sunshine, Keiko Kikukawa tends to her daffodils. The winter snow has finally melted up here in Japan’s far north and her fields are beginning to burst with colour.
When Keiko Kikukawa isn’t selling her flowers, she’s campaigning to uproot what she sees at the biggest pest in this district – the Rokkasho nuclear complex a few kilometres down the road.
“First of all, Rokkasho village has become a dump for radioactive waste from around Japan,” she tells me. “If there was an accident it’d be catastrophic,” she says.
Keiko Kikukawa is talking about the sprawling Rokkasho nuclear re-processing plant.
Its operator, Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited, has spent two decades and $28 billion building the facility……Japan has 17,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel sitting in pools across the country. If Rokkasho is given the green light to begin operation, it can turn this fuel into eight tonnes of plutonium every year.
The problem is, this eight tonnes of plutonium will be weapons-grade – meaning it could theoretically be used to make nuclear bombs…..
Bad news for some years for the uranium ndustry
Uranium on the nose, The Motley Fool By Mike King – May 16, 2013 More than 26 months after the nuclear accident at Fukushima, Japan, the nuclear industry is still feeling the effects with depressed uranium prices and cost pressures that are squeezing margins……
The price for uranium has fallen 40% since Fukushima to US$40 a pound, as Japan suspended its fleet of nuclear plants, while Germany…
….. the uranium price could stagnate at current levels for many years, much like it did after previous nuclear incidents. Japan may not restart its reactors, preferring instead to seek other energy alternatives, and reactors currently under construction could still be cancelled or postponed.
That is not good news for ASX listed uranium miners Paladin, Energy Resources of Australia (ASX: ERA), Toro Energy (ASX: TOE) or Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL). http://www.fool.com.au/2013/05/16/uranium-on-the-nose/
Scientists almost unanimous – man-made global warming is really happening
Not much climate change doubt, science says : http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/not-much-climate-change-doubt-science-says-20130515-2jmup.html#ixzz2TV6hLn4F Peter Hannam Carbon economy editor, 16 May 13,
Having doubts over climate change and the role of humans? You’re unlikely to find many scientists who share your uncertainty. That is the finding of a University of Queensland-led study that surveyed the abstracts of almost 12,000 scientific papers from 1991-2011 and claims to be the largest peer-reviewed study of its kind. Of those who a stated a position on the evidence for global warming, 97.1 per cent endorsed the view that humans are to blame. Just 1.9 per cent rejected the view.
The report’s lead author, John Cook, a fellow at the University of Queensland’s Global Change Institute and founder of the website skepticalscience.com, said the scientific consensus was overwhelming, growing and had been around since the early 1990s.
He said that while the number of papers rejecting the consensus was “vanishingly small”, his research suggested the public was under the impression the debate was split 50-50. Continue reading
France starting to deliberate on what to do with nuclear radioactive trash
it would be wise to stop making the stuff
France Starts Public Debate on Underground Nuclear Waste Site http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-15/france-starts-public-debate-on-underground-nuclear-waste-site.html By Tara Patel – May 15, 2013 France has started a public inquiry into a plan to build a nuclear waste repository to be buried half a kilometer under the northeastern countryside.
A series of public meetings will be held through Oct. 15, according to the inquiry’s website, and the government and regulators will consider the outcome when they decide whether to approve the site.
If approved, the Cigeo project will store highly radioactive waste from Electricite de France SA’s 58 reactors in a site near Bure that straddles the Meuse and Haute-Marne regions. Andra, the waste-management agency spearheading the plan, wants to start construction in 2019 and begin operations in 2025.
The facility will cost 13.5 billion euros ($17.4 billion) to 16.5 billion euros for construction and operation over 100 years, according to Andra’s website.
The inquiry is “a masquerade and pure exercise in public relations,” anti-nuclear group Sortir du Nucleaire said yesterday in a statement. No one can guarantee the safety of the site for such a long period, it said.
EDF now stores waste at reactor sites and at above-ground facilities at La Hague in northern France. Sweden and Finland are also developing deep repositories after the European Union established nuclear waste disposal standards in 2011.
Under French law, nuclear operators including EDF and Areva SA (AREVA) have to build portfolios or amass funds to pay for the decommissioning of reactors and radioactive waste storage.
A parliamentary report published last year concluded operators may not be setting aside enough money. Cost estimates for the Cigeo site vary from 14.4 billion euros to 35 billion euros, that report said.
Scientists’ doubts on the safety of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
Top scientists express safety concerns over Kudankulam nuclear plant NDTV, by Pallava Bagla, Edited by Mala Das | May 14, 2013 New Delhi: Sixty of the country’s leading scientists have written to chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, expressing safety concerns over the controversial Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant which received the Supreme Court’s nod earlier this month. The scientists, most of who aren’t specialists in nuclear energy, have sought a safety review of the plant by an “independent panel” of experts.
But the scientists, in their three-page petition, have expressed doubts “particularly with reference to possible sub-standard components” that were supplied to the plant. Recently, four faulty valves were detected in the first reactor unit of the plant; they were later replaced. Some Russian officials had also been arrested recently over alleged corruption in sourcing sub-standard materials from some Russian nuclear plants.
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