nuclear-news

The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Low levels of radioactive cesium produced insect deformities at Fukushima

New study reveals deaths and mutations ”increased sharply’ from exposure to Fukushima contamination, “especially at low doses” — ‘Small’ levels of cesium may be ‘significantly toxic’ — Smithsonian: “In other words, things don’t look good for the animals living around Fukushima” http://enenews.com/just-in-new-study-reveals-sharp-increase-in-deaths-and-mutations-from-exposure-to-fukushima-contamination-especially-at-low-doses-small-levels-of-cesium-may-be-significantly-toxic?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

butterflies-mutant-0812Smithsonian Magazine, May 14, 2014: Even Tiny Amounts of Radioactive Food Made Caterpillars Become Abnormal Butterflies […] Researchers in Japan […] discovered, even a small amount of radiation is too much. […] The scientists collected plant material from around Fukushima and fed it to pale grass blue butterfly caterpillars. When the caterpillars turned into butterflies, they suffered from mutations and were more likely to die early [… even if they] had only eaten a small amount of artificial caesium […] In other words, things don’t look good for the animals living around Fukushima.

Nature — Scientific Reports (pdf), Published May 15, 2014: [We] examined possible relationships between the dose of ingested cesium per larva and the mortality and abnormality rates. Both the mortality and abnormality rates increased sharply, especially at low doses […] the mortality and abnormality rates increased sharply, especially at low doses. Additionally, there seemed to be no threshold level below which no biological response could be detected. […] the dose-response data suggests that the relatively small level of artificial cesium from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP may be significantly toxic to some individuals in butterfly populations […] the half lethal [i.e. LD50, amount that will kill 50% of a test subjects] dose [is 1.9 Bq per larva] and the half abnormal dose [is 0.76 Bq per larva] […] relatively small [levels] of artificial cesium from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP may be significantly toxic to some individuals in butterfly populations […] we assert that the half lethal and abnormal doses we obtained were quite high. […] it should be noted that we sampled contaminated leaves from Fukushima City, which many people inhabit as though nothing had happened […] Implications of the half lethal and abnormal doses we obtained in the present study will impact future discussions on the effects of radioactive exposure on other organisms, including humans. […] In conclusion, it is important to recognize the risk of internal radiation exposure due to ingested radioactive cesium, at least for the pale grass blue butterfly, and likely for certain other organisms living in the polluted area, possibly including humans. […]

View the study published by Nature here (pdf)

May 17, 2014 Posted by | environment, Japan, radiation, Reference | 1 Comment

US nuclear companies keen to work on Fukushima clean-up

Kennedy vows U.S. help to Japan for Fukushima nuclear clean-up  Planet Ark 5-May-14 Country: JAPAN Author: Yoko Kubota U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy pledged U.S. support for the clean-up at Japan’s tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Wednesday after her first visit to the site……..

Contaminated water accumulates at a rate of 400 tonnes a day at the plant as groundwater flows into the destroyed basements of the reactor buildings and mixes with highly radioactive water used to cool melted fuel.

Row upon row of huge blue and gray tanks that store contaminated water are lined up while pink, white and purple azalea bushes are in full bloom nearby. Overgrown plants curl onto the streets while pipes snake across the site where numerous cranes still stand.

About 1,200 to 1,300 tanks storing about 450,000 tonnes of contaminated water are on site and over the next two years Tepco wants to set up enough tanks to store 800,000 tonnes of water, said Kenichiro Matsui, a spokesman for the utility.

Up to 5,000 workers are on site each day, according to the Tepco spokesman, Matsui, up from about 4,000 a year ago. In future, that number is likely to increase to about 6,000, he said.

money-in-nuclear--wastesOverseas companies including U.S. ones are eager to get in on the clear-up work and the decommissioning of the six reactors at the wrecked plant but most contracts have gone to Japanese companies……..

It’s good that she’s here because the situation at the plant needs to be reported worldwide,” said one man who now works as a driver for plant workers after hitting his annual radiation exposure limit in his former job at the site.http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/71554

May 16, 2014 Posted by | Fukushima 2014 | Leave a comment

Hundreds ill after Fukushima radioactive trash burned in major Japanese city

exclamation-flag-japanMedical Expert: Hundreds ill after Fukushima nuclear plant rubble burned in major Japanese city — Suffering nosebleeds, problems with eyes, throats and skin — Gov’t: Radiation levels were ‘low enough’ to be safe (PHOTO) http://enenews.com/medical-expert-hundreds-ill-after-fukushima-nuclear-plant-rubble-burned-major-japanese-city-suffering-nosebleeds-problems-eyes-throats-skin-govt-radiation-levels-low-enough-be-safe?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

Asahi Shimbun, May 13, 2014: The manga series [‘Oishinbo’] has been in print since 1983 [selling] 120 million copies […] the May 12 installment includes a segment in which residents of Osaka complain about health problems after a nearby incinerator processes rubble transported from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Japan Times, May 13, 2014: Osaka Prefectural Government took issue with the assertion, expressed by a character based on real-life medical expert Eisuke Matsui, that about 800 people living around an incinerator there have been affected by burning tsunami debris tainted with radiation from Tohoku. […] Osaka Prefectural Government claimed that no local doctors or authorities have received reports of ill health due to debris incinerated in the city’s Maishima area, contradicting the assertion made by the manga’s character Matsui. […] At every stage of the disposal, the radiation level was stable and low enough to be safe, the government said. —CAPTION: [Matsui’s] character portrayed in the manga ‘Oishinbo’ claims that about 800 residents living near an incinerator in the city of Osaka have exhibited symptoms of illnesses caused by radioactive fallout

Kyodo News, May 13, 2014: Citing [an] expert [Oishinbo] said hundreds of people living near an incineration site in the city of Osaka […] experienced nosebleeds or unpleasant symptoms affecting their eyes, throats and skin.

See also: Report from Japan: Radioactive fallout around Fukushima incineration plant being hidden — “It’s very odd” (VIDEOS)

“Extremely Unjust”: Osaka professor arrested — Publicly opposed burning radioactive debris

Doctor: 300 times more radiation released to atmosphere when burning debris than gov’t claims

The Atlantic: Is gov’t trying to contaminate every region of Japan by burning radioactive debris? “If everyone is ‘contaminated,’ then, in a relative sense, no one is”

From 2012: Fukushima will start burning radioactive waste — 100,000 Bq/kg to be incinerated

Watch — Gundersen: Lots of serious ramifications from burning of nuclear waste — We are basically creating Fukushima all over again (VIDEO)

May 15, 2014 Posted by | Fukushima 2014, health, Japan | 1 Comment

“Potentially dangerous criminal”? – Mari Takenouchi who condemns nuclear power

Takenouchi,-MariVICE: Japan mother may be jailed for “tweet critical of nuclear lobbyist” — Fukushima police travel 1,000 miles to interrogate her, examine computer — Officer: We only go outside prefecture for “potentially dangerous criminal” — “May be held without bail… without right to see lawyer”http://enenews.com/vice-japan-mother-fled-radiation-jail-tweet-critical-nuclear-lobbyist-fukushima-police-travel-1000-miles-interrogate-her-examine-computer-officer-only-prefecture-potentially-dangerous-criminal?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

flag-japanVICE, Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky, May 11, 2014: Mari Takenouchi […] wrote a tweet critical of a nuclear lobbyist. Takenouchi may go to jail […] Prosecutors confirmed they will be flying to Okinawa […] to question her on May 13. Police have already traveled from Fukushima to Okinawa to interrogate her […] [She] fled her hometown of Tokyo with her infant son days after the disaster, hoping to avoid fallout from Fukushima. […] Takenouchi said police came to her apartment in Okinawa and examined her computer […] The prosecutor’s office will decide by July whether to indict […] she may be held without bail […] without a right to see a lawyer or have one present during questioning.

Lieutenant Tadashi Terashima, Fukushima police spokesman: “We only send police officers from one prefecture to another if the subject is really a potentially dangerous criminal.”

Translation of Takenouchi’s tweet: There’s a common point between the 2 criminals of the century. Yasuhiro Nakasone, who introduced nuclear plants in Japan, said: “I didn’t expect Japan in 2011 to become such a battered country.” Ryoko Ando, a (pro-establishment) citizen activist who hosts Ethos’ human experiments in Fukushima, said: “Is this the kind of world we’ve arrived at over the 67 years since the end of World Ward Two?”

VICE on Ryoko Ando: “The Japanese head of Fukushima Ethos, a project […] funded by the French nuclear energy lobby. Fukushima Ethos encourages residents to continue living in contaminated areas as long as decontamination procedures and radiation measurements continue to be done […] Ando reported it to the Fukushima Prefectural Police, accusing Takenouchi of either criminal defamation or criminal contempt.”

Takaaki Hattori, legal expert:“Unprecedented for the police to launch a contempt investigation against a journalist for a single tweet, made in the public interest. If all debates about nuclear energy in this country are going to become grounds for criminal investigations, freedom of speech will vanish. The fact that police even sent the case to the prosecution is disturbing.”

Japan Times, Feb. 12, 2014: “Japan fell from 22nd to 53rd place on [Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index] for “the ban imposed by the authorities on independent coverage of any topic related directly or indirectly to the [Fukushima] accident.”

Sydney Morning Herald: “The cloud was at its thickest during the three hours Takenouchi and her son, Joe, spent outside […] Joe was exposed to 145 times the normal [radiation] level”

Watch Takenouchi describe her baby’s subsequent health problems here

May 13, 2014 Posted by | civil liberties, Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Nose bleeding attacks prevalent in some people exposed to Fukushima nuclear radiation

flag-japanPress Conference by Former Official: I’m bleeding from nose every day, many in Fukushima have similar symptoms — Author: My nose bled for days, it wouldn’t stop; Staff had same problem… Do people want me to lie? I can only write truth — Gov’t: The nosebleeds aren’t caused by nuclear crisis (PHOTO) http://enenews.com/press-conference-former-official-nose-bleeds-every-day-many-others-fukushima-developed-similar-symptoms-govt-nosebleeds-caused-nuclear-crisis-author-bleeding-nose-days-wouldnt-stop-others-same-s?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

Jiji Press, May 10, 2014: Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara has criticized a manga story for linking nosebleeds to exposure to radiation […] He underscored the importance of keeping unfounded rumors in check [and] that doctors with special knowledge have denied a causal relationship between exposure to radiation after the nuclear accident and nosebleeds.

Mainichi, May 10, 2014: Katsutaka Idogawa, 67, [Futaba’s] former mayor […] is featured in the popular comic series “Oishinbo.” […] Idogawa says his nose bleeds regularly and that there are many others in Fukushima who have developed similar symptoms. […] Idogawa told a news conference on May 9 in Tokyo […] his nose bleeds every day, especially in the mornings. “There is no way I would retract my comments in the manga,” Idogawa said. Responding to Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara […] Idogawa commented, “The minister has no business with my physical condition.”

Author Tetsu Kariya interview, translated by Toshi Nakamura, Jan. 13, 2014: […] after I got back [from Fukushima] and was having dinner, I suddenly started bleeding from my nose, and it wouldn’t stop. I thought, “what on Earth?” I’ve rarely ever had a nosebleed so it was quite a shock. After that, I had nosebleeds at night for days after. But when I went to the hospital, they said “there’s currently no medical connection between nosebleeds and radiation” and they severed a capillary in my nose membrane with a laser. Also, after I went, I felt a great deal of fatigue. The staff who went with me and the chief of Futaba-machi suffered from nosebleeds and fatigue. They say the radiation levels are low so there’s no harm, but I wonder about that.

Statement from Tetsu Kariya summarized by Yoshihiro Kaneda, May 7, 2014: It is possible that those who have supported me would walk away from me. I don’t understand why people criticize the truth which I have collected data in Fukushima 2 years and I write it as it is. Do people want to close my eyes against the truth and write something good lies for somebody or other? […] I can only write the truth. I hate self-deceiving. Today’s Japanese society is surrounded by the atmosphere of hating inconvenient truth and desiring lies of feeling good.

See also: Author had bouts of nosebleeds, plagued by unusual fatigue after Fukushima plant visits — Group of newspaper journalists “confess to suffering similar symptoms” —

May 13, 2014 Posted by | Fukushima 2014, health, Japan | Leave a comment

Japan’s authorities don’t like it, but Manga art pushes on with anti-nuclear story

flag-japanManga pushes ahead with antinuclear storyline, Japan Newsw, May 13, 2014 Jiji Press Japanese gourmet manga “Oishinbo” went further down its antinuclear path in the most recent serialized chapter released on Monday, after sparking controversy with the previous chapter on fallout from the nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

In the latest episode in Shogakukan Inc.’s Big Comic Spirits magazine, characters warned against living in Fukushima Prefecture.

The previous chapter of Oishinbo, published on April 28, drew criticism for linking nosebleeds—including one suffered by the manga’s lead character—to radiation from the northeastern Japan power station where a triple reactor meltdown occurred shortly after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

At a news conference Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said experts deny any causal relationship between nosebleeds and exposure to radiation following the accident. Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara made a similar remark on Friday…….

In the latest story, the real former Futaba Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa returns as a character who says that many locals suffer from symptoms such as nosebleeds and fatigue “because they were exposed to radiation.”

In the manga, Idogawa also criticizes the responses from TEPCO and the central government to the worst nuclear accident in Japan’s history. Futaba is one of two municipalities that host the Fukushima No. 1 plant.

Another character in the newest chapter says that Idogawa made his remarks after giving thorough thought to the issue and based on his own experience, explaining that the remarks “are immune from any lie or falsehood and are weighty.”

“You simply can’t decontaminate a wide area in Fukushima and make it a place where people can live again,” a character portraying Takeru Arakida, associate professor at Fukushima University, says in the manga. “This is the truth of Fukushima,” another character responds.The latest episode drew backlash from Fukushima Prefecture and other local governments concerned……..http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001274657

May 13, 2014 Posted by | Japan, media | Leave a comment

Japan’s govt not happy about Manga art depicting radiation effects of Fukushima nuclear disaster

Manga story about radiation criticized Japan News, Jiji Press, 10 May 14 Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara has criticized a manga story for linking nosebleeds to exposure to radiation at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

“I cannot understand the intention behind the story or what the author wants to say,” Ishihara said at a news conference. He underscored the importance of keeping unfounded rumors in check…….

Ishihara also said Friday that doctors with special knowledge have denied a causal relationship between exposure to radiation after the nuclear accident and nosebleeds.

Jap-Env-Ministry

The Environment Ministry is conducting research on the human health effects of radioactive substances released from the plant…….http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001269114

May 12, 2014 Posted by | Japan, media | Leave a comment

Fukushima reactors molten fuel cores – where are they? Robots might find them

exclamation-Robots To Investigate Fukushima N-reactors http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v7/wn/newsworld.php?id=1036936 TOKYO, May 9 (Bernama) — Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) plans to use robots for investigating the inside of reactor containment vessels at its stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The investigation is expected to take place as early as in the fiscal second half that begins in October, sources were quoted as saying by Japan’s Jiji Press news agency.

Internal conditions of the containment vessels at the plant’s No. 1 to 3 reactors remain unknown.

If the robots — made by Hitachi Ltd. and others — are able to identify where melted nuclear fuel is located, this would lead to progress in work to decommission the plant damaged in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

But it is unclear how much information can be obtained by the robots due to high radiation levels and steams inside the vessels.

TEPCO said the investigation is aimed at assessing temperatures and radiation levels inside the vessels.

The government plans to start removing melted fuel in 2020.

May 10, 2014 Posted by | Fukushima 2014 | 1 Comment

Fukushima groundwater radioactive contamination getting worse, but not properly measured

water-radiationOngoing Impact of Wastewater from Fukushima Nuclear Power Station
Hydro International, By Shunji Murai Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo, Japan08/05/2014
Three years on from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 11 March 2011, air contamination is decreasing and is now concentrated in a limited area. Land contamination has also decreased through decontamination processes. However, despite all the efforts by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Japanese government, water contamination in surface and ground water is getting worse, simply because there are no effective countermeasures. …….
Even though the wastewater issue is taken seriously by Japanese people as well as people worldwide, the real status of the effect of the contamination is still unknown because neutral third-party organisations have no access to within a 20km radius of Fukushima NPS. The author has tried to make clear what the status of the wastewater issue is by using various sources including a Fishermen Union’s report, which appears to be more reliable than the government report or the report by TEPCO.  http://www.hydro-international.com/news/id6913-Ongoing_Impact_of_Wastewater_from_Fukushima_Nuclear_Power_Station.html

May 10, 2014 Posted by | Fukushima 2014, Japan, water | Leave a comment

New research shows that TEPCO underestimated radioactive cesium released from Fukushima

Cesium-137Radioactive cesium levels at Fukushima higher than TEPCO claims, Voice of Russia, 6 May 14 A new study conducted by Japanese researchers revealed that cumulative amount of radioactive cesium at the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant is nearly 1,5 times higher than previous estimates of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), RIA Novosti reports. According to the research, between 17.500 and 20.500 terabecquerels of radioactive cesium-137 was released into the atmosphere from the Fukushima reactors against less than 13.600 terabecquerels declared by the plant operator TEPCO.

Earlier in April Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a report that showed significant drop of radiation levels in areas surrounding Fukushima to under 20 millisieverts per year. These figures, however, exceed the long-term target of Japanese government of 1 millisievert per year.
………..: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_09/Radioactive-cesium-levels-at-Fukushima-higher-than-TEPCO-claims-0913/

May 10, 2014 Posted by | Fukushima 2014 | Leave a comment

Japan’s shock as Manga art depicts the reality of Fukushima radiation and health

flag-japanJapanese Manga Stirs Up Fukushima Nuclear Controversy http://kotaku.com/japanese-manga-stirs-up-fukushima-nuclear-controversy-1573381718 (Manga pictures on original article) 8 May 14 A famous Japanese food manga takes on the “truth about Fukushima.”

The Japanese manga, Oishinbo (美味しんぼ) is a long-running food manga that has been ongoing since 1983. In his latest chapter that was recently published in the magazine Big Comic Spirits, author Tetsu Kariya depicted the manga protagonist, Shiro Yamaoka, as he returned from a visit to the nuclear-disaster-suffering prefecture when he suddenly has a random nosebleed.After the incident, there is a discussion with another character who says that he, too, has suffered from such unexplained nosebleeds and fatigue, finishing with the comment, “There are a lot of people in Fukushima who suffer from the same symptoms. They just don’t talk about it.”

This depiction managed to stir up the hornet’s nest. According to Japanese news site Ebisoku, soon after the magazine hit the racks, the publisher, Shogakukan, was flooded with complaints and criticism that the manga was showing Fukushima in an exaggerated negative light.

The town of Futaba-machi wrote an official complaint, stating that there was no truth to the claim that “lots of people suffer from nosebleeds and other symptoms” and that the manga was damaging the image of Fukushima that they were trying hard to rebuild. The complaint notes that ever since the manga came out, there have been cancellations of visits and product orders and that Fukushima residents were afraid that the manga was cultivating discrimination against the prefecture and its residents.

Shogakukan has responded, saying that the depictions in the manga are based on real-world coverage by the author and that the manga had been published respecting the author’s expression.

The latest chapter of the manga seems based on personal experience by Kariya that he noted in an interview with Nichigo Press earlier this year. In the interview, Kariya talked of how the damage from the 2011 earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster was much worse than he had imagined.

In response to the negative criticism against his manga, Kariya stated that while he expected some backlash, the extent of the response has surprised him. In a statement covered byNetarika, Kariya warned that there are still 2 more chapters to come and that he plans on writing harsher things. “People who are in an uproar about a nosebleed might go berserk.” Kariya stated. However, Kariya remains firm in his stance, saying that people are trying to sugar-coat the disaster with euphemisms and falsely positive language to hide the truth – something he hates more than anything else.

The author of Oishinbo recognizes that a lot of people will not like what he has to say, however, he maintains his position and has said that he will release his rebuttal after the last chapter is published.

May 9, 2014 Posted by | Japan, media | 1 Comment

Two ex-PMs launch Japan Assembly for Nuclear Free Renewable Energy

flag-japanJapan’s ex-PMs team up for anti-nuclear drive, Channel News Asia, 8 May 14 Two former Japanese prime ministers — Morihiro Hosokawa and Junichiro Koizumi — have teamed up to increase the pressure on incumbent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to stop the resumption of nuclear power in the country. TOKYO: Two former Japanese prime ministers — Morihiro Hosokawa and Junichiro Koizumi — have teamed up to increase the pressure on incumbent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to stop the resumption of nuclear power in the country.

A new organisation, called the “Japan Assembly for Nuclear Free Renewable Energy”, has been launched with the main objective of calling for a nuclear free Japan, and promoting the development and use of renewable energy — and it has been getting a lot of media attention………Heading the group is Mr Hosokawa, who recently ran for Tokyo governor on an anti-nuclear platform.

He was backed by another former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who also plays an important role in the organisation.

protest-nuclear

“First, we are against the restart of Japan’s nuclear reactors. We want to transfer nuclear power to natural energy, build an economy that can capitalise on it and build a society where we do not have to worry about radiation,” he said.

Mr Koizumi said: “All nuclear plants have stopped, not only for 3 months, or 6 months, but for almost a year. Has Japan been unable to survive without nuclear power? We have prevailed.

“People may say I am a person of the past. But I will, with the generation of the future, work towards creating a country without nuclear power.”

Joining them in the anti-nuclear drive is a long list of celebrities, including actors, authors, people from the music industry and local authorities……the group said it plans to hold regular meetings and forums, to generate momentum and pressure the government to stop the generation of nuclear energy in Japan.  

May 9, 2014 Posted by | Japan, politics | 1 Comment

First lawsuit against TEPCO by a worker exposed to radiation

justiceflag-japanFukushima worker sues TEPCO for exposure to radiation http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201405080045 A worker at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant who was exposed to high levels of radiation in the early days of the disaster is seeking compensation from plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. and other parties.

It is the first such lawsuit by a Fukushima worker, according to the man’s lawyers. Their client’s identity was withheld.

“I wish (the utility) had informed us of possible risks in advance,” the 48-year-old man said at a news conference in Tokyo on May 7. “I want (TEPCO) to create safer conditions for workers because the decommissioning of the reactors will not finish anytime soon.”

Arguing that he was unnecessarily exposed to high levels of radiation due to slipshod instructions from TEPCO, the man is seeking 11 million yen ($107,000) in compensation. The lawsuit was filed at the Iwaki branch of the Fukushima District Court.

Just 13 days after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the man was among the six workers from TEPCO’s original contractor and its subcontractor who entered the basement of the No. 3 reactor turbine building, which had been flooded by tsunami, to install cables.

Three of the workers waded through contaminated water up to their ankles and were exposed to up to 180 millisieverts of radiation. They were later hospitalized.

According to the man’s complaint and other documents, he did not enter the radioactive water, but worked near a puddle of contaminated water for 90 minutes. He estimated that he received a radiation dose of at least 20 millisieverts at that time. The man argued that TEPCO should have been aware of the risks of working in the basement because it had previously discovered highly contaminated water around the No. 1 reactor on March 18. The man insists that the utility, however, told the six workers that the basement was safe to work in.

“That is a breach of responsibility to ensure safety,” the man said. “(The utility) put us in a position of being exposed to high doses of radiation unnecessarily.”

So far, the man has suffered no health issues.

“After carefully examining the contents of the demand and his arguments, we will sincerely respond to the claim,” TEPCO said in a statement issued the same day.

May 9, 2014 Posted by | Japan, Legal | Leave a comment

Large earthquake felt across wide area of Japan

Tokyo hit by worst quake since 3/11 — Felt throughout more than half of Japan prefectures — Expert: “People should take precautions for next several days” — AP: ‘Unusual’ quakes shake Alaska http://enenews.com/tokyo-hit-by-worst-quake-since-311-felt-throughout-moe-than-half-of-japans-prefectures-expert-people-should-take-precautions-for-next-several-days-ap-unusual-quakes-hit-alaska?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

Yomiuri Shimbun, , May 5, 2014: The quake, which struck at about 5:18 a.m., measured lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo […] the strongest seismic intensity level measured in central Tokyo since the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. […] Yohei Hasegawa, a Japan Meteorological Agency official in charge of monitoring earthquakes and tsunami, said at a news conference: “The earthquake is believed to have occurred inside the Pacific plate and it doesn’t seem to be related to an earthquake that could occur directly beneath Tokyo, which would have a different mechanism. It is unlikely to be followed by active aftershocks, but people should take precautions for the next several days.”

AP, , May 4, 2014: It was the strongest earthquake since the 9.0 quake in March 2011. […] The quake was felt across a wide area of Japan […] There were no reports of damage or other abnormalities from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant […] Reuters reported a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean […] a second earthquake of magnitude 6.1 about 10 minutes later, further south. […] On Saturday, a series of small earthquakes and aftershocks has rattled northern Alaska. […]  the earthquakes are unusual, because the region isn’t a seismically active part of Alaska.

Standart News, May 5, 2014: jolts were felt in 26 out of 47 prefectures of Japan.

See also: Expert in 2010: Megathrust quake predicted to hit Fukushima around Nov. 2013… Recurrence interval of 75 years with last rupture Nov. 1938 — Planet’s most powerful type of seismic event

May 7, 2014 Posted by | incidents, Japan | 1 Comment

Japanese nuclear utilities call for tax-payer support as they post losses

text-my-money-2Japanese utilities post losses, seek state support  Star Online 2 May 14 TOKYO: Japan’s nuclear-reliant utilities reported losses for the third straight year and warned of further electricity rate hikes to pay for surging fuel imports as they face an uncertain outlook for restarting idled reactors.

Six of Japan’s nine big regional power companies, all of which own reactors, reported a combined net loss of US$3.3bil as they face the rising fuel costs and also spend billions of US dollars to flag-japanupgrade nuclear facilities to meet new regulatory standards. “We can no longer deny the possibility that we will not be able to restart a nuclear plant for some time,” Kansai Electric Power president Makoto Yagi told an earnings briefing, adding that another electricity rate hike might become inevitable. It raised rates by 9.75% last May.

Kansai Electric, Japan’s second-largest utility by revenue which supplies nearly one-fifth of the nation’s electricity, reported a 97.4 billion yen (US$950mil) net loss for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, its third consecutive year of losses.

Kyushu Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Power said on Wednesday they would request financial support from the government-affiliated Development Bank of Japan, asking it to buy 150 billion yen in preferred shares in the two utilities.

Kyushu Electric serves Japan’s southern main island which is home to several auto and chip plants, while Hokkaido Electric serves the northern-most island.

The three consecutive years of net losses for utilities will make it difficult for them to secure further private-sector loans under standard Japanese banking practices, pushing firms like Kyushu and Hokkaido to seek public support……..Even in the most optimistic scenario, analysts and industry watchers say Japan may only be able to restart one-third of its reactors, while 17 are unlikely ever to come back online due to their age, location or proximity to suspected active fault lines. — Reuters http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/05/02/Japanese-utilities-post-losses-seek-state-support/

May 3, 2014 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »