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Tokyo protesting against South Korea’s Tokyo 2020 radioactive Olympics posters

South Korea is definitely right in calling out this shit. No amount of lies and cover ups can bury the truth: 2020 Tokyo Olympics are the radioactive Olympics. Despite the past years gigantic PR campaign to whitewash the still ongoing Fukushima nuclear disater and all its radiation harmful consequences, claiming that all is under control, totally safe, back to normalcy, back to business. Hell no!

So, the multi-billion-dollar propaganda machine of TEPCO and the Japanese Govt is calling out South Korea for creating propaganda against their own propaganda. Again, like always, there is only one truth: radiation kills.

This time, the truth is that Olympians will get high doses of rads that are on the ground in Tokyo, in Fukushima Prefecture, and in every neighboring prefectures all the way down from Fukushima to Tokyo.

There are hot spots all over Eastern Japan. So many of these hotspots have been well documented by folks like you and me, as Japanese citizens had to organized themselves and learned to protect themselves by mapping the radiation present in their living environment, due to the massive campaign of denial of their government  prioritizing economics expediency over people’s health.

South-Korea-Anti-Japan-Propaganda-2020-Tokyo-Olympics-003-e1579737827651-1024x509VANK put up the posters on the walls of the new Japanese embassy on Jan. 6 before uploading images of the posters on social media. (image: VANK)

Japan’s Top Government Spokesman Protests Against Nuclear Safety Poster
 
SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — The Japanese government has expressed frustration over a poster designed by the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), a Korean civic group, that questions the safety of Japan’s nuclear management prior to the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“It is not real. It shouldn’t happen,” said Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, when asked about the poster at a regularly scheduled press conference on Thursday.
“The Japanese government is mobilizing all means possible to strongly protest against such conduct.”
It is the first time that Japan’s top government spokesman revealed the government’s position on this issue by answering a question at a regular press conference.
VANK created the poster last month to raise the issue of nuclear safety following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster as the Tokyo Olympics is now just around the corner.
In the poster, the Olympic torch is depicted as carrying a radioactive material.
VANK put up the posters on the walls of the new Japanese embassy on Jan. 6 before uploading images of the posters on social media.
In response, Japan reportedly notified the South Korean government of its concern, describing the poster as intending to ‘mock’ the Olympics as well as the disaster.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to use the Olympics as a chance to publicize the government’s efforts to overcome the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.
As a part of its initiative, the 121-day Olympic torch relay in Japan will start at J-Village, a training facility for the Japanese National Football Team and former headquarters of the Fukushima Disaster Relief on March 26.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
 
Suga blasts S. Korean poster of torch bearer in protective suit
 
February 14, 2020
Posters in South Korea of Tokyo Olympic torch bearers wearing anti-radiation protective suits drew a strong rebuke from Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
“The reality is totally different,” Suga said at a news conference on Feb. 13. “We can never overlook the issue.”
The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), a private group in South Korea, created several posters depicting torch bearers wearing protective suits and the words “Tokyo 2020.” VANK posted them on its Facebook page in early January.
On its Facebook page, VANK said it created the posters to warn against radiation in Japan, apparently referring to the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant triggered by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
“We included messages of warning about the safety of radiation, the biggest concern during the Tokyo Olympics,” the group said. “Host country Japan said agricultural products from Fukushima Prefecture are safe and announced that it will provide them for Olympic athletes.”
According to VANK’s website, the group was founded in 1999 to “properly convey South Korea to the world through the internet.”
The group opposes Japan’s use of the “kyokujitsuki” (rising sun) flag to cheer on athletes at the Games.
The Liberal Democratic Party’s Fukushima prefectural chapter slammed the posters for “fostering groundless negative publicity.”
On Feb. 12, officials of the chapter urged Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto to proactively convey accurate information about Fukushima Prefecture’s reconstruction to the international community.
(This article was written by Ryutaro Abe in Tokyo and Takuya Suzuki in Seoul.)

February 18, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , | Leave a comment

Fogwater deposition of radiocesium in the forested mountains of East Japan during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident: A key process in regional radioactive contamination

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– High concentrations of 137Cs activity in throughfall were most likely due to fogwater deposition.
– Forested mountain areas were contaminated by fogwater deposition in East Japan.
– Fogwater deposition may have a role in radiocesium cycling in forest ecosystems.
Abstract
Because of limited environmental monitoring data, the regional-scale impact of the deposition of fogwater radiologically contaminated by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (F1NPP) accident remains unclear.
To redress this situation, we present an observational report of the radiocesium concentration in fogwater and its deposition in a Japanese forest during the early stages of the F1NPP accident (March 2011). The data were acquired by using a passive collector to capture fogwater above the forest canopy on a monthly basis. In addition, the radiocesium concentrations in monthly throughfall and stemflow were measured under the canopies of four tree species.
The 137Cs activity concentration in fogwater during the observational period was 45.8 Bq L−1, which was twice as high as that present in bulk precipitation. The ratio of 137Cs in throughfall to that in bulk precipitation (TF/BP ratio) ranged from 1.0 to 2.5. The high TF/BP ratios may have been caused by the high radiocesium concentration in fogwater deposition.
Based on this assumption, we assessed the TF/BP ratio according to the 137Cs activity concentrations of throughfall and bulk precipitation measured in various mountainous regions in East Japan. Our results reveal that the TF/BP ratio is high at some sites and that it increases with elevation.
Sites with a high TF/BP ratio were almost entirely situated in areas of fogwater deposition, as predicted by an atmospheric dispersion model. In addition, sites with a high TF/BP ratio were above the cloud base at the time when plumes with high atmospheric 137Cs activity concentrations passed through the areas.
Thus, these measurements of radiocesium in fogwater during the early stages of the F1NPP accident provide evidence that fogwater with high radioactive contamination was deposited in the forested mountain areas of East Japan.
Given the major impact of fogwater deposition of radiocesium, its role should be considered carefully to better understand radiocesium cycling in forest ecosystems.

February 18, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , | Leave a comment

Japan wants cruise ship infected separated from country’s total over economy fears

“Exactly what many of us suspected and understood to be happening. J-gov even got the WHO to create a separate category. Somehow the article still manages to avoid using the word “Olympics”. The newest numbers are over 200. Lost track of how many of those are Japanese citizens: around 160?? By keeping the passengers on the ship, they could claim that they weren’t really in Japan even though they are docked at Yokohama harbor in Tokyo Bay. The health and safety of passengers doesn’t seem to have been a concern. Has the ship’s ventilation system been adequately preventing the spread of virus, or promoting it? Nobody knows, since the exact ways the virus spreads hasn’t been pinned down yet, so they were certainly taking chances, endangering the lives of passengers and crew. lying about it to save face. They aren’t taking it seriously. If they took it seriously they would evacuate the passengers to a quarantine facility with isolation and negative air pressure to prevent cross-contamination. And they would test everybody. See how slow they are to gear up to be able to test more than 100 people a day? Only today Abe acknowledged that they need to test everyone and develop the ability to do 1000 tests a day. ” Special credits given to Bruce Brinkman, reporting from Japan.
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People in protective suits head to the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama near Tokyo, on Feb. 11, 2020.
 
February 12, 2020
TOKYO — As the number of people infected with the coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in the Port of Yokohama continues to rise, the Japanese government has scrambled to inform media outlets to report them as separate to infected totals in Japan.
 
Tokyo’s argument is based on the assertion that the passengers are not on Japanese soil. As of 7 p.m. on Feb. 10, the number of people infected on the Diamond Princess stood at 135. Adding the currently confirmed 26 cases in Japan, the total reaches 161; the highest outside China. Concerns are rife that if the virus is perceived to be widespread in Japan, it may cause a blow to tourism and the economy.
 
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Japanese government submitted a request to the World Health Organization (WHO) asking for the separation of numbers of those infected on the cruise ship and in Japan. As a result, from the WHO’s Feb. 6 Situation Report on the virus’ spread, cruise ship infections were split off into an “other” category.
 
The health ministry has been announcing separate results for Japan-based and cruise-based infections, but many media outlets have reported them both together while including a note that it includes the numbers from the Diamond Princess.
 
At a Feb. 10 press conference, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said, “We would like to see each news organization taking into consideration the WHO’s policy of separating infected cases in Japan and on the cruise ship, and report in a way that is more appropriate to the facts.”
 
An individual connected to the government indicated their unhappiness with the situation, saying, “The cruise ship just happened to dock in Japan. If we’re going to include those figures with the number of those infected in Japan, countries will stop accepting cruises.”
 
A senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “There could be a spread in countries putting in controls against people from Japan entering, as there has been against China.”
 
But since the number of confirmed cases in Japan also includes many Japanese nationals who are believed to have been infected before coming home on government-chartered jets from Hubei Province, some criticize that the government has not been consistent in reporting the figures by claiming those on the cruise ship have not been on Japanese soil.
 
(Japanese original by Ryuko Tadokoro, Political News Department)

February 18, 2020 Posted by | Japan | , | Leave a comment

Young woman leads revival of Fukushima’s fishing industry

When economic considerations take precedence over radioactive contamination and people’s health…

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February 9, 2020
FUKUSHIMA: A courageous young graduate recently crowdfunded 3 million yen to help revive Fukushima’s sagging fishing industry.
The fishermen at the Iwaki market can put their money on Hiromi Sakaki, whom they can rely on as the manager of the Osakana Hiroba Hamasui (Fish Plaza Hamasui) shop, which she now jointly operates with them at Hisanohama.
The Japan News by Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Hiromi was given the honour of launching the shop, where she tied a ribbon around a monkfish.
Fukushima’s fishing industry was dealt a severe blow following a nuclear plant leak nine years ago.
Hiromi, 27, had moved to Iwaki from Aomori Prefecture in 2017, after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, that caused a radioactive contamination leak from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plants.
Hiromi Sakaki tying a ribbon around d a monkfish at the opening of an outlet jointly operated by her and local fishermen at the Iwaki market in Fukushima, Japan.
The radiation also affected farmers who are still reeling from huge losses.
“I want to sell delicious fish that people can buy only here, Although this is a port town, fishing here has been on the decline. So I started thinking about creating a place where children would aspire to become fishermen in the future,” said Hiromi, who had graduated from Saitama University, and whose shop sells fish like sea bass and flounder.
Hiromi first became familiar with the Fukushima fishermen after she became a volunteer to send used bicycles to Iwaki.
Her shop has a window where customers can see fish being processed.
“This is intended to help children get an idea about who caught the fish and what happens to bring them to the dining table.
“I intend to offer breakfast featuring fresh fish at the shop under the name “Ryoshi shokudo” (Fisherman’s diner) in the near future,” she said.
The city’s fisheries cooperative association revealed that there were seven fish markets and four fishery processing companies in Hisanohama before the disaster.
Now, there is only one fish retailer, which is a traveling market.
Fukushima’s fishing industry continues to face restrictions, but fishermen in the prefecture are allowed to operate on a trial basis under which they face limitations on the species the catch, fishing areas, and the number of days they can catch.

February 18, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , | Leave a comment

Britain’s trade deal with Japan could lead to Fukushima food restrictions being dropped

Dominic Raab’s Japanese counterpart has indicated that a deal would mean dropping EU food import restrictions imposed after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
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Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (PA)
 
February 8, 2020
Japan has indicated that any future trade deal with Britain would be reliant on food import restrictions imposed after the Fukushima nuclear disaster being dropped.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met with his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo to discuss future relations following Britain’s departure from the European Union.
While in the EU, Britain was part of a comprehensive trade deal with Japan that last year began reducing tariffs across a raft of products, including Japanese autos.
But Britain’s hurry to tie up new trade agreements could be to Japan’s advantage, as it seeks to secure better terms.
Fukushima
Motegi said he had asked Raab at their meeting to lift import restrictions on Japanese food and other products that were imposed by Brussels after the nuclear accident at Fukushima in 2011.
The EU eased those import regulations last year, but still insists on inspections and certificates of origin for some Japanese produce, including seafood.
“Obviously anything that affects food, health and safety standards we would want to look at very carefully, “Raab told Reuters.

February 18, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , | Leave a comment

The ” task force” stage of Olympic cancellation ?

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Tokyo Olympic coronavirus task force set up

February 6, 2020

The organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has launched a task force to respond to the spread of the new coronavirus.

The organizer told reporters on Thursday that it set up the task force on Tuesday headed by Director General Toshiro Muto.

It said officials already held a first meeting and talked about the need for cooperation with relevant organizations such as the central government and Tokyo metropolitan government, as well as the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee over the virus outbreak.

They plan to discuss concrete measures to ensure the safety of athletes and spectators in the run-up to the torch relays that start in March, test events and the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer.

Muto said he finds no problem in holding the Games, and his committee will closely monitor the situation in a calm manner, and take every step necessary to ensure safe conditions for athletes and spectators.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200206_50/?fbclid=IwAR3ltb5he-giqSgOWS49g44G5nFeDnJp1gBhZHidvZvjNDeML5XRV44Aez0

Tokyo 2020 Organisers set up task force to counter coronavirus

TOKYO (Reuters) – Tokyo Olympics organisers have set up a task force to coordinate with public health authorities on how to respond to the growing coronavirus epidemic.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said at a press briefing on Thursday that he chaired the newly created Novel Coronavirus Countermeasures Task Force, which held its first meeting on Feb. 4. A second briefing would be held as early as tomorrow, he said.

Muto said on Wednesday that the coronavirus spread could throw “cold water” over the 2020 Games momentum. At Thursday’s briefing, he pledged that the event “would go on as planned.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-olympics-taskforce/tokyo-2020-organisers-set-up-task-force-to-counter-coronavirus-idUSKBN2001DN?fbclid=IwAR1_CgUFP19OUsZI76HPBXNn_Z2vokOkCF3cybrVDVvIHhnGRyZnlK_jjAU

February 6, 2020 Posted by | Japan | , | Leave a comment

Fukushima and the 2020 Olympics

by Shaun Burnie –  5 February 2020

As 2020 is the year the Olympics and Paralympics come to Japan, this is an exciting time for sports and for the people of Japan. Amidst all the excitement however, there is the ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima prefecture. Labeled as the ‘Reconstruction Olympics’, Prime Minister Abe in 2013 declared that the situation at Fukushima Daiichi was under control. Seven years later there still remains a nuclear emergency at the nuclear plant and surrounding areas. In addition to the enormous challenges of how to safely manage over 1 million tonnes of contaminated water at the site and as much as 880 tonnes of molten nuclear fuel for which there is no credible solution, there remain wider issues regarding radioactive contamination of the environment, its effect on workers and Fukushima citizens, including evacuees and their human rights.

01Greenpeace radiation survey team in Fukushima, Japan

 

These issues were the subject of a 28 January 2020 documentary

broadcast by the U.S. network HBO as an investigative report by the program ‘Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel ’, the U.S.’s most-honored sports journalism series (with 33 Sports Emmy Awards, including 19 for Outstanding Sports Journalism) during the opening episode of its 26th season. 

What does it mean to host the Olympics and Paralympics in the context of an ongoing nuclear disaster, the effects of which are still being felt by tens of thousands of Japanese citizens? What does it tell about the Japanese government and its commitment to respecting the values of transparency and the human rights of its citizens? These are some of the important questions raised by HBO and they warrant careful consideration in the months leading up to this year’s summer games.

02Greenpeace radiation survey team in Fukushima, Japan

 

Greenpeace Japan applauds Olympic values and spirit, while recognizing that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has the responsibility to ensure the Olympic Games have a minimum impact on the environment and leave a positive legacy for those hosting the Games. The IOC has an opportunity to do this in a way that fulfills the ideals of the environment as the third pillar of Olympism – sustainability – by making the Games a showcase for environmental solutions. Simultaneously, we recognize that hosting the Olympics and Paralympics requires the Japanese Government to ensure absolute safety for athletes, international visitors, and the Japanese public alike. 

The decision to host two sporting events in Fukushima city raises genuine and important questions over radiation risks. The route of the Olympic Torch relay in all the municipalities of Fukushima prefecture includes the districts of Iitate, Namie, and Okuma where Greenpeace Japan’s Nuclear Monitoring & Radiation Protection Team has discovered radioactive hotspots, both in the open areas as well as in the remaining radiation exclusion zones, that remain too high even by revised governmental standards. What does all this mean for the hosting of Olympic events, including for athletes and visitors?

03Greenpeace radiation survey team in Fukushima, Japan

 

By conducting extensive radiation investigations, Greenpeace Japan attempts to explain the complex radiological environment, where nothing is straightforward, and where judging precise risks to health at the individual level is near impossible. In an effort to better understand and explain the radiological situation in parts of Fukushima, as well as the ongoing issues of human rights for both Fukushima citizens and decontamination workers, Greenpeace Japan will be publishing its latest radiation survey results in early March 2020.

Shaun Burnie is Senior Nuclear Specialist at Greenpeace Germany.

https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/28509/fukushima-and-the-2020-olympics/

February 6, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , , | Leave a comment

Radioactive 2020 Olympics Torch Run – WTFutaba? Beverly Findlay-Kaneko

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February 5, 2020

Radioactive 2020 Olympics Torch Relay will run through Futaba, town next to Fukushima Daiichi, near former location of PR sign, “Nuclear Power: Energy for a Bright Future.” (pictured above) Runners and tourists will NOT be wearing decontamination garb, unless they’re smart – and if they’re really smart, they won’t be there..

This Week’s Featured Interview:

  • Radioactive 2020 Olympics UPDATE: Beverly Findlay-Kaneko again joins us with on-the-ground information about the Olympics torch relay, including blog post interviews with former residents of Futaba, the town that hosted the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility, translated from the Japanese exclusively for Nuclear Hotseat.

http://nuclearhotseat.com/2020/02/05/radioactive-2020-olympics-torch-run-wtfutaba-beverly-findlay-kaneko/?fbclid=IwAR0sanV0xfZS1dcclbbSEoacP69H4iNTozz93ghjADgFzq7_xxRS_cItKAk

February 6, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , , , | Leave a comment

A trip to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant: Full-body suits and three layers of socks

This article is just another slick piece of propaganda, downplaying the dangerosity of the situation, a situation still not resolved that after  9 years of lies and cover-up, still not under control.

Among the many B.S.  a very good example of its deceitful spin: ” Tepco officials later showed me containers of crystal clear water that had been through ALPS. They said it would be safe to release the liquid into the environment after mixing it with fresh water to meet regulations.”

Sorry Mister, crystal clear water does not make it safe when you’re talking about radioactive water, because remember radiation is invisible. Invisible indeed are the various types of radionuclides contained in that “crystal clear water” that they intend to dump into our ocean. Because as TEPCO admitted last year, their ALPS failed to remove  all the Cesiums, Strontium and others, beside Tritium…

The Olympics are near… So the spinned propaganda is up in all japanese media trying to make us all believe how good everything is at Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant, and in contaminated Fukushima prefecture and Tokyo…

 

Employees of TEPCO wearing protective suits and masks are seen inside a radiation filtering  ALPS at tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, JapanEmployees of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. wear protective suits and masks inside a radiation filtering Advanced Liquid Processing Systems (ALPS) at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in January.

Feb 5, 2020

OKUMA, FUKUSHIMA PREF. – Reuters was recently given exclusive access to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, where three reactors melted down in 2011 after a powerful earthquake and tsunami overwhelmed the seaside facility.

It was my fourth visit to the plant since the disaster to report on a massive clean-up. Work to dismantle the plant has taken nearly a decade so far, but with Tokyo due to host the Olympics this summer — including some events less than 60 km (38 miles) from the power station — there has been renewed focus on safeguarding the venues.

Nearly 10 years into the decadeslong clean-up some progress has been made, with potentially dangerous spent fuel removed from the top of one damaged reactor building and removal underway from another.

But the melted fuel inside the reactors has yet to be extracted and areas around the station remain closed to residents. Some towns have been reopened farther away but not all residents have returned.

This time I was taken to the site’s water treatment building, a cavernous hall where huge machines called Advanced Liquid Processing Systems (ALPS) are used to filter water contaminated by the reactors.

 

Reuters journalist Aaron Sheldrick wearing a protective suit, visits the Tokyo Electric Power Co's (TEPCO) tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma townJournalist Aaron Sheldrick visits the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

On my first visit in 2012 I had to wear full protective gear put on at an operations base located in a sports facility about 20 km south of the nuclear plant called J-Village, where the Olympic torch relay will start in March. Then I was taken to the site by bus.

This time I was driven by van from a railway station in Tomioka — a town that was re-opened in 2017 — about 9 km away, with no precautions. More than 90 percent of the plant is deemed to have so little radioactivity that few precautions are needed. Nevertheless, reporting from there was not easy.

Before entering the plant itself, which is about the size of 400 football fields, I was asked to take off my shoes and socks, given a dosimeter to measure radiation levels, three pairs of blue socks, a pair of cloth gloves, a simple face mask, a cotton cap, a helmet and a white vest with clear panels to carry my equipment and display my pass.

I put on all three pairs of socks and the rest of the gear given to me, later including rubber boots. I was to change in and out of different pairs of these boots many times — I lost count — color coded according to the zone we passed through, each time putting them in plastic bags that would be discarded after use.

After reaching the ALPS building in a small bus, I was decked out in protective equipment, a full-body Du Pont Tyvek suit along with two sets of heavy surgeon-like latex gloves that were taped fast to the outfit.

I also had to put on a full-face mask after taking off my glasses since it would not fit otherwise and told to speak as loudly as possible due to the muffling effect of the gear.

Will you be able to see?” asked one official from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., the plant’s operator. I nodded with as much conviction as I could muster and we entered the building, which was quite dark, making it even harder to see.

 

An employee of Tokyo Electric Power Co's uses a geiger counter next to storage tanks for radioactive water at tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefectureA Tepco employee uses a geiger counter next to storage tanks for radioactive water. 

In the ALPS building I was taken up and down metal stairways that passed around piping, machinery, testing stations, changing in and out of the rubber boots as we crossed yellow and black demarcations, warning signs everywhere for areas that could not be entered.

As well as being dark, it was surprisingly quiet, given the machinery. My dosimeter alarm kept going off as the radiation levels rose. Tepco officials later showed me containers of crystal clear water that had been through ALPS. They said it would be safe to release the liquid into the environment after mixing it with fresh water to meet regulations.

About 4,000 workers are tackling the cleanup at Fukushima, including dismantling the reactors. Many wear protective gear for entering areas with higher radiation.

The plant resembles a huge construction site strewn in areas with twisted steel and crumpled concrete, along with cars that can no longer be used, while huge tanks to hold water contaminated by contact with the melted fuel in the reactors increasingly crowd the site.

Some wreckage is still so contaminated it is left in place or moved to a designated area for the radiation to decay while the important work on the reactor buildings is underway.

As we moved back into the so-called green zone we passed through a building where I was to take off the protective gear in a precise order in stages, with each piece going into a particular waste basket for each item. Gloves were first, then the facemask, after which the suit and socks were taken off at different locations until I was left with one pair for passing back through the various security cordons.

I was then given my external dosimeter reading, which was 20 microsierverts, about two dental x-rays worth.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/05/national/fukushima-no1-nuclear-plant-trip/?fbclid=IwAR296KIn5lW-tvFkB12QN0hnMQrcyNbsblJCJrijZehyWmo87WnsEK3DgoQ#.XjsO5iNCeUl

February 6, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , , | Leave a comment

High-level radiation at Fukushima Daiichi No.2 reactor

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February 4, 2020

Japan’s nuclear regulators say high-level radiation was detected last month in the No.2 reactor building of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority last October resumed its probe into what caused the accident at the plant following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The results of a survey carried out last Thursday on the top floor of the building were disclosed at a meeting of commissioners and experts on Tuesday.

A meltdown took place at the reactor after the 2011 accident.

A robot on the floor directly above the reactor detected 683 millisieverts of radiation per hour.

The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, had also detected high levels of radiation there after the accident.

The site remains inaccessible to humans nine years later.

Commissioners and experts were also shown video of the No.4 reactor, which avoided a meltdown but experienced a hydrogen explosion. The video shows a steel frame believed to have been exposed by the blast.

The regulation authority plans to compile the data into a report this year, not only to determine the cause of the accident but also for work to decommission the reactors.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200204_41/

February 6, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , | Leave a comment

Japan tries to explain to embassies that releasing Fukushima Radioactive water into ocean is ‘safe’

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Japan assures diplomats tainted Fukushima water is safe

Feb. 3 (UPI) — The Japanese government said Monday the planned release of tainted water from Fukushima would have no impact on oceans.

During an information session for foreign embassy officials in Tokyo, the Japanese foreign ministry sent signals of reassurance regarding a plan to release tritium-tainted water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the Mainichi Shimbun and Kyodo News reported.

A total of 28 diplomats representing 23 countries were in attendance, according to reports.

The water comes from Fukushima, where 170 tons of water is contaminated every day at the plant that was severely damaged during a catastrophic earthquake in March 2011. Water has been poured to cool the melted fuel, according to Kyodo.

Japan has been purifying the contaminated water using an advanced liquid processing system, or ALPS. The process does not remove tritium and leaves traces of radioactive elements.

Tokyo has defended its plan to release the water, but neighboring countries, including South Korea, are opposed to the measure.

On Monday, officials from Japan’s ministry of economy, trade and industry said they do not think there would be an impact on surrounding countries.

Japanese fishermen also oppose the measure. Releasing the water into the ocean could affect sales of local seafood, they say.

Japan is planning to release the tritium-tainted water at a time when it is taking stricter measures against travelers from China.

Jiji Press reported Monday Japan turned away five foreign nationals originating from Hubei Province following new restrictions at the border.

Foreigners who have stayed in the Chinese province in the past 14 days or who hold passports issued in the province are banned from entry, according to the report.

Japan has confirmed 20 coronavirus cases since the outbreak in China in December. Japanese airports have built new quarantine stations exclusively for travelers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to local press reports.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/02/03/Japan-assures-diplomats-tainted-Fukushima-water-is-safe/7381580755235/

 

Japan tries to explain to embassies merits of releasing Fukushima water into ocean

February 4, 2020

TOKYO – The Japanese government on Monday tried to impress upon embassy officials from nearly two dozen countries the merits of a plan to release radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.

A briefing session was held at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo to give an update on how more than 1 million tons of water that have been treated and kept in tanks at the crippled complex will be disposed of as storage space is quickly running out.

Both releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean and evaporating it are “feasible methods” as there are precedents for them in and out of Japan, though the former, in particular, could be carried out “with certainty” because it would be easier to monitor radiation levels, the government explained.

It has said the health risks to humans would be “significantly small,” as discharging the water over a year would amount to between just one-1,600th to one-40,000th of the radiation that humans are naturally exposed to.

But the discharge could cause reputational damage to the fishing and farming industries in the surrounding area, raising the need for countermeasures, the government said in the briefing, which came after the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Friday submitted a draft report on the methods to a subcommittee on the issue.

About 170 tons of water is contaminated at the Fukushima plant every day as it is poured onto the wreckage to cool the melted fuel or as it passes through as groundwater.

The contaminated water is being purified using an advanced liquid processing system, or ALPS, though the process does not remove tritium and has been found to leave small amounts of other radioactive materials.

Tanks used to store the treated water are expected to reach capacity by summer 2022.

Local fishermen have voiced opposition to releasing the water into the ocean out of fears that consumers would stop buying seafood caught nearby. Neighboring countries, including South Korea, which currently bans seafood imports from the area, have also expressed unease.

But no embassy officials voiced such concerns at Monday’s briefing, according to the industry ministry.

The briefing was attended by 28 embassy officials from 23 countries and regions — Afghanistan, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Britain, Cambodia, Canada, Cyprus, East Timor, France, Germany, Italy, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Moldova, Panama, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the European Union.

https://japantoday.com/category/national/japan-tells-embassies-merits-of-releasing-fukushima-water-into-ocean

February 6, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘An Appalling Act of Industrial Vandalism’: Japanese Officials Do PR for Plan to Dump Fukushima Water Into Ocean

The Japanese government told embassy officials from nearly two dozen countries that releasing the water into the ocean was a “feasible” approach that could be done “with certainty.”

fukushima-embassy-officials-dump-water-oceanStorage tanks for radioactive water stand at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s (TEPCO) Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant on Jan. 29, 2020 in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Tepco hosted a media tour to the nuclear plant wrecked by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

February 03, 2020

As cleanup of the 2011 Fukushima disaster continues, the Japanese government made its case to embassy officials from 23 countries Monday that dumping contaminated water from the nuclear power plant into the ocean is the best course of action.

According to Kyodo News, officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry claimed releasing the water and evaporating it are both “feasible methods” but said the former could be done “with certainty” because radiation levels could be monitored.

There’s more than one million tons of contaminated water already stored at the plant, with 170 tons more added each day. Utility TEPCO says there will be no more capacity for tanks holding contaminated water by 2022.

As Agence France-Presse reported, “The radioactive water comes from several different sources—including water used for cooling at the plant, and groundwater and rain that seeps into the plant daily—and is put through an extensive filtration process.”

That process still leaves tritium in the water and “has been found to leave small amounts of other radioactive materials,” Kyodo added.

The session for embassy officials followed Friday’s recommendation by a Japanese government panel that releasing the water into the ocean was the most feasible plan. As Reuters reported Friday:

The panel under the industry ministry came to the conclusion after narrowing the choice to either releasing the contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean or letting it evaporate—and opted for the former. Based on past practice it is likely the government will accept the recommendation.

Local fishermen oppose the plan and Reuters noted it is “likely to alarm neighboring countries.”

They’re not alone.

Nuclear policy expert Paul Dorfman said Saturday, “Releasing Fukushima radioactive water into ocean is an appalling act of industrial vandalism.”

Greenpeace opposes the plan as well.

Shaun Burnie, a senior nuclear specialist the group’s German office, has previously called on Japanese authorities to “commit to the only environmentally acceptable option for managing this water crisis, which is long-term storage and processing to remove radioactivity, including tritium.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/03/appalling-act-industrial-vandalism-japanese-officials-do-pr-plan-dump-fukushima

February 6, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , | Leave a comment

Virus poses stark challenges to Abe’s tourism goals as Tokyo Olympics loom

Some experts say the coronavirus crisis is likely to continue for several months, possibly affecting the Tokyo Olympics starting July 24 — a nightmare scenario for Abe, who has tried to use the world’s largest sporting event to promote the Japanese economy and thereby further drum up voters’ support for his government.

According to a simulation by a medical team led by Gabriel Leung, the dean of the University of Hong Kong’s faculty of medicine, the number of infections in five Chinese mega-cities — Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chongqing — would peak between late April and early May, meaning the crisis would still continue further beyond that period.

 

n-inbound-b-20200201-scaledTourists stroll near Kiyomizu Temple, a popular sightseeing spot in Kyoto, on Thursday. Japan’s recent tourism boom is being tested amid the coronavirus outbreak.

January 31, 2020

The coronavirus outbreak is posing myriad challenges for the Japanese economy, including a key Abe administration policy initiative — the promotion of inbound tourism.

In recent years, inbound tourism has been one of the few sectors to see rapid growth in the long-stagnant Japanese economy. Top government officials, especially Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, have touted the country’s “exploding” inbound tourism as a successful example of their “structural reform” deregulation initiatives.

In fact, everything looked to be on track until recently. The number of foreign tourists skyrocketed from 8.36 million in 2012 to 31.88 million in 2019, largely thanks to the yen’s depreciation and Suga’s initiative to ease Japan’s visa conditions for tourists from other Asian countries, most notably China.

Total spending by foreign tourists in Japan likewise surged from an estimated ¥1.1 trillion to ¥4.8 trillion during the same period, with Chinese tourists spending as much as 36.8 percent of total tourism expenditures in 2019, followed by Taiwanese at 11.4 percent and South Koreans at 8.7 percent.

It has been confirmed that the effects from inbound tourism … is turning into one of the main growth engines of the Japanese economy,” declared the Japan Tourism Agency in its 2018 white paper.

By becoming a tourism-oriented country, we have created a large and robust industry that is driving regional revitalization throughout Japan,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe boasted in his annual policy speech in January last year.

But that rosy vision of “a tourism-oriented country” has recently been put in doubt.

Since July, the number of South Korean tourists, typically the second-largest ethnic group among visitors, plummeted by more than 50 percent as nationalistic sentiment in both countries flared up over thorny history and trade issues.

In December, the number of tourists from the country who came to Japan stood at 248,000, down 63.6 percent from the same month in the previous year. Experts had already said it had become impossible for Abe’s government to meet its target of 40 million foreign tourists in 2020.

And then the coronavirus hit. Beijing has taken the extraordinary step to ban all Chinese from going overseas on group tours, effective Jan. 27. The number of Chinese tourists, the largest group by nationality, is expected to fall drastically as a result.

Some experts say the coronavirus crisis is likely to continue for several months, possibly affecting the Tokyo Olympics starting July 24 — a nightmare scenario for Abe, who has tried to use the world’s largest sporting event to promote the Japanese economy and thereby further drum up voters’ support for his government.

According to a simulation by a medical team led by Gabriel Leung, the dean of the University of Hong Kong’s faculty of medicine, the number of infections in five Chinese mega-cities — Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chongqing — would peak between late April and early May, meaning the crisis would still continue further beyond that period.

The best case scenario, you would have something … where we go through the spring into the summer, and then it dies down,” David Fisman, a professor at the University of Toronto, was quoted as saying by media reports.

During an Upper House Budget Committee session Wednesday, Liberal Democratic Party member Motoyuki Fujii pointed out it took about six months to contain the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) crisis in 2003, which was caused by a similar virus and infected about 8,000 people and killed 774 from Nov. 2002 to Aug. 2003.

The new coronavirus, which was first officially confirmed in Wuhan on Dec. 31, has already infected at least around 9,800 and killed 213, according to the tally compiled by the South China Morning Post as of Friday.

I’m concerned. … Now we have exactly about six months before the Olympic Games will start in July,” Fujii said.

I’d like the government to make its maximum efforts to get rid of the effects of the infectious disease by the time we will have the Olympic Games,” he added.

In response, Seiko Hashimoto, the minister in charge of the Olympics and Paralympics, said that “measures against infectious diseases including the new coronavirus are very important” in organizing the event.

I believe safety and the sense of security must be ensured to make the Tokyo Olympics successful,” Hashimoto said.

It is still probably too early to predict any effects on the Tokyo Games, as many key details of the new coronavirus still remain unknown.

But the outbreak has also highlighted a legal loophole and Japan’s apparent unpreparedness to deal with serious outbreaks of infectious disease in general.

Medical experts were shocked to learn that a carrier of the novel coronavirus could infect others even during the incubation period, when no symptoms are apparent. However, under the law, quarantine officers are not allowed to force a person showing no symptoms to undergo a medical test to determine whether that person is a carrier of a designated infectious disease.

In fact, two Japanese citizens who arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport from Wuhan on a government-chartered airplane Wednesday refused to be tested for the virus. They went home from the airport and did not stay at a housing facility prepared by the government.

Two people have refused to undergo a virus test. We tried to persuade them for hours but there was no legally binding power. It’s very regrettable,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe admitted during an Upper House budget committee session Thursday.

On the political front, a setback in the promotion of inbound tourism is likely to deal a heavy blow to Abe as he struggles to carve out a legacy for his administration, which began in December 2012. Abe’s term as the president of the ruling LDP will expire in September next year.

His Abenomics policy mix consists of three main components: ultraloose monetary easing by the Bank of Japan, aggressive fiscal spending by the government and structural economic reforms, most notably deregulation.

Many economists have regarded monetary easing and fiscal spending as temporary measures to buy time, given the ballooning central government debt.

Structural economic reforms, in particular deregulation, is the key to achieve sustainable growth, they say, and promotion of inbound tourism has been often pointed out as one of the few successful cases of Abe’s structural reform initiatives.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/31/national/virus-abes-tourism-goals-tokyo-olympics/#.XjWiJSNCeUk

February 6, 2020 Posted by | Japan | , | Leave a comment

Japan’s METI recommends releasing Fukushima Daiichi radioactive water into sea

That substance is not ‘water’. It is liquid radioactive waste. It is radioactive water with tritium, radioactive Cesium and Strontium, and other nasty toxic stuff. So better call it ‘waste’ not ‘water’…
Some neighboring countries have also voiced their opposition to the idea of discharging the water into the ocean or atmosphere, citing environmental concerns
 
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A subcommittee under the industry ministry holds a meeting Friday in Tokyo. It recommends releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the ocean.
 
Japan’s METI recommends releasing Fukushima radioactive water into sea
 
Jan 31, 2020
The industry ministry Friday recommended releasing treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the ocean, saying it would be preferable to releasing it into the atmosphere by boiling it.
The government has been exploring ways to dispose of more than 1 million tons of water used to cool the melted-down cores at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, including groundwater near the site, as the complex is running out of storage space.
The water is being treated using an advanced liquid processing system, or ALPS, before being stored in tanks at the plant. But this does not remove tritium and has been found to leave small amounts of other radioactive materials.
Local fishermen have voiced strong opposition to releasing the water into the ocean, saying consumers will be afraid to buy seafood caught in the area.
Both methods of releasing the water are “realistic options,” the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry told a government subcommittee Friday, but noted that dumping the water into the ocean would make it easier to monitor radiation levels.
This method could be carried out “with more certainty,” it said, because the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., already carried out the process, albeit on a much smaller scale, prior to the powerful earthquake and tsunami that triggered the triple meltdown at the Fukushima plant in March 2011.
The ministry has said the health effects of either approach would be minimal, estimating it would result in between 0.052 and 0.62 microsievert annually for a discharge into the ocean, and 1.3 microsieverts if released into the atmosphere. That compares with the 2,100 microsieverts people are exposed to daily in a normal living environment, according to the ministry.
Other methods the subcommittee has considered include injecting the water deep into the ground, solidifying and burying it, and extracting only the hydrogen and releasing it into the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the ministry stressed the importance of gaining the understanding of the local community before making a decision, and of preventing the spread of misinformation that would raise undue fears.
The amount of the water is increasing by about 150 tons per day and Tepco is fast running out of tanks to store it in. The utility is looking to expand capacity to 1.37 million tons by the end of 2020, but has no plans beyond then.
 
 
 
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An employee of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) holds a geiger counter to measure radiation on the top floor of the company’s reactor Number 3 at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture.
 
Japan panel finds Fukushima nuclear plant water release to sea is best option
 
Jan 31, 2020
A Japanese government panel on Friday roughly accepted a draft proposal for releasing into the sea massive amounts of radioactive water now being stored at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant.
The economy and industry ministry’s draft proposal said releasing the water gradually into the sea was the safer, more feasible method, though evaporation was also a proven method. The proposal in coming weeks will be submitted to the government for further discussion to decide when and how the water should be released.
Nearly nine years after the 2011 meltdowns of three reactor cores at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, it was a small step toward deciding what to do with the water and follows expert recommendations.
It is meant to solve a growing problem for the plant’s operator stuck between limited storage space for the water and an imminent backlash from the public and possibly neighbouring countries.
 
A Japanese government panel on Friday said releasing into the sea massive amounts of radioactive water now being stored at the tsunami-wrecked the nuclear plant was the safer, more feasible method.
 
Fishermen and residents fear possible health effects from releasing the radioactive water as well as harm to the region’s image and fishing and farm industry.
The water has been treated, and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), says all 62 radioactive elements it contains can be removed to levels not harmful to humans, except for tritium. Experts say there is no established method to fully separate tritium from water, but it is not a problem in small amounts. Government officials also say tritium is routinely released from existing nuclear power plants around the world.
In Friday’s proposal, the ministry said the controlled release to the sea is superior because its travelling route is predictable and easier to sample and monitor. The method, however, could immensely impact Fukushima’s still-struggling fishing industry.
The report acknowledges the water releases would harm industries that still face reluctant consumers despite diligent safety checks. It promised to reinforce monitoring of tritium levels and food safety checks in order to address safety concerns.
 
In 2011, three of Fukushima Dai-ichi’s reactor cores melted down following a tsunami.
 
TEPCO currently stores about 1.08 million tonnes of radioactive water and only has space to hold up to 1.24 million tonnes, or until the summer of 2022. The water — leakage of cooling water from damaged reactors mixed with contaminated groundwater — has accumulated since the accident.
The report ruled out long-term storage outside the plant — a method favoured by many Fukushima residents. It cited difficulties obtaining permission from landowners and transportation challenges, as well as the risk of leakage from corrosion, a tsunami or other disasters and accidents.

February 1, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , | Leave a comment

Tokyo 2020 at real risk as China coronavirus truths come to light

People worry about the possible coronavirus and completely forget the Fukushima radiation present in Tokyo, especially the radioactive contamination of the food, which risk to affect in various mannersTokyo 2020 Olympics’ visitors and athletes health.
 
The 2020 Olympics would have never been attributed to Tokyo if not some paid bribery to the Olympics committee high ranking officials and the lies that Tokyo was safe by PM Abe who needed the Olympics coming so as to whitewash the ongoing Fukushima nuclear disaster to the face of the whole world.
 
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A man stands in front of a Tokyo 2020 poster created by artist Tomoko Konoike, one of 20 officially selected for the Olympics and Paralympics.
January 31, 2020
War has been the only reason to prevent previous modern Olympics but revelations over Wuhan outbreak pose problem
Qualifiers have already been moved outside of China but scale of movement around region and visitor numbers add layers
Human to human contact at the Games is unavoidable. The fans are packed in tight at stadiums, athletes come into contact in the sports and, as we know from the rise in condoms given out at the athletes village at every Olympics, often outside of sporting events. No wonder that the president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, Alfons Hormann, has called the virus “the biggest risk” ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games. “This is a serious problem because no other part of life is so dependent on international exchange than sport,” he said in Frankfurt at a meeting. Hormann also called on “affected countries and international sport to do everything possible” to find a solution. He pointed to Zika, a mosquito-borne virus, that overshadowed the run-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. In the end, Zika was of limited concern when Brazil hosted the Games but the potential for the Wuhan coronavirus is much worse. … Olympic boxing qualifiers have been moved from Wuhan to Amman, while the women’s AFC football event was first moved to Nanjing and then to Sydney. Meanwhile, the women’s basketball has been taken from Foshan to Belgrade. The move to Sydney for the women’s football had a deeper effect on the China team. They headed to Australia without star player Wang Shuang and starting midfielder Yao Wei. The pair are both from Wuhan and spent the Lunar New Year in the city visiting their families.
In the long history of the Olympics the Summer Games has been cancelled three times.
On each occasion since the Modern Olympics returned in 1896, it was because of war. The first world war accounted for 1916 and the second world war took out both the 1940 and 1944 Games and their sister Winter Games.
Now, as we near six months out from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which run from July 24 to August 9 in the Japanese capital, it might be time to think that another one of the four horseman of the apocalypse – pestilence – could claim the next Games.
This is fuelled by revelations around the ongoing global spread of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus, fuelling fears of a global pandemic.
The first of those is a report published in the medical journal, The Lancet, on January 24. This study, written by researchers and doctors on the ground in Wuhan, suggests that what we all thought we knew might not be the case at all.
They are still understanding the virus and its origins. An article on Vox citing the findings reported in The Lancet suggests that the first patient was not only ill much earlier than previously published but that they had no contact with the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market that had been assumed to be the epicentre.
Who knows how many people have been carrying the virus and to where since its inception?
Add to that, the number of people from Wuhan who spent their Lunar New Year in Japan, a country whose largest visitor numbers come from Chinese tourists. That’s not to mention that Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang said some five million of the 11 million populace left the city during the festive period.
Zhou has also admitted that mistakes were made at the outset when it came to this virus, while Pulitzer winning journalist and virus expert Laurie Garrett pointed out that the virus “could have been controlled fairly easily” but “now it’s too late”.
We are yet to see the aftermath of the world’s largest annual human migration that is China’s Lunar New Year celebrations but it is sure to be a factor in the spread of the disease.
Human to human contact at the Games is unavoidable. The fans are packed in tight at stadiums, athletes come into contact in the sports and, as we know from the rise in condoms given out at the athletes village at every Olympics, often outside of sporting events.
No wonder that the president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, Alfons Hormann, has called the virus “the biggest risk” ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games.
“This is a serious problem because no other part of life is so dependent on international exchange than sport,” he said in Frankfurt at a meeting.
Hormann also called on “affected countries and international sport to do everything possible” to find a solution.
He pointed to Zika, a mosquito-borne virus, that overshadowed the run-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. In the end, Zika was of limited concern when Brazil hosted the Games but the potential for the Wuhan coronavirus is much worse.
Zhong Nanshan, the Chinese scientist who revealed the scale and severity of the Sars epidemic in 2002-03, believes the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic is likely to reach its peak in “a week or 10 days”. Hong Kong University’s predictions put the potential peak at either late April or early May.
It seems the one thing we do know is that no one yet trulyknows the scale and severity of this outbreak.
That and it is already having an effect.
Olympic boxing qualifiers have been moved from Wuhan to Amman, while the women’s AFC football event was first moved to Nanjing and then to Sydney. Meanwhile, the women’s basketball has been taken from Foshan to Belgrade.
The move to Sydney for the women’s football had a deeper effect on the China team. They
headed to Australia without star player Wang Shuang and starting midfielder Yao Wei. The pair are both from Wuhan and spent the Lunar New Year in the city visiting their families.
China need to finish in the top two of their group to advance to the final play-off and the silver medallists of 1996 would be better served with two of their best with them in Australia.
Other Chinese athletes might also miss out on qualifying.
The Asia wrestling qualifiers, which are scheduled for Xi’an from March 27-29, could yet be moved to “Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and South Korea,” according to International Wrestling Federation President Nenad Lalovic.
He also told AFP in the same interview that should the qualifying event move then Chinese wrestlers would need to be “in quarantine” in order for them to compete.
There are many more sporting events around the region to come before the Summer Games in Tokyo but as they drop the fear is that the biggest of them all is at real risk.

February 1, 2020 Posted by | Fukushima 2020 | , , | Leave a comment