Shortage of workers at Fukushima nuclear plant resulted in high radiation exposure
Worker shortages revealed at nuclear plant after disaster
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T130113003104.htm 14 Jan
A manager’s calls for reinforcements to help contain a series of
crises at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power
plant were ignored, newly released TEPCO teleconference footage has
revealed.
Although Masao Yoshida, then manager of the plant damaged by the March
11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, repeatedly asked TEPCO headquarters
in Tokyo to send more workers, the request was not met in a timely
manner. As a result, the plant’s workers suffered extreme fatigue and
heightened radiation exposure, the footage showed. Continue reading
Japan’s new government hand in glove with the old “nuclear village”
the public
remains sceptical about industry promises to mend its ways after
decades of collusion with regulators and pro-nuclear politicians.
But those concerns are unlikely to hold much sway with the LDP, which
helped develop Japan’s “nuclear village” – the web of power utilities,
bureaucrats and MPs who peddled the nuclear dream and shunned rigorous
regulation…..
Japan seeks to reverse commitment to phase out nuclear power, Justin
McCurry in Tokyo guardian.co.uk, Friday 11 January 2013 The Fukushima
Daiich meltdown prompted the previous government to pledge a phaseout
of all 50 reactors in Japan Almost two years after the triple meltdown
at Fukushima Daiichi power plant sent shockwaves around the world,
Japan’s government is attempting to resell the nuclear dream to a
traumatised public. Continue reading
Full radiation decontamination of Fukushima region an impossible task
Asahi: We are reminded anew of the huge scale of contamination released from Fukushima plant — Impossible to recover pre-disaster environment — Radiation levels not dropping in certain areas http://enenews.com/asahi-reminded-anew-huge-scale-contamination-released-fukushima-plant-impossible-recover-pre-disaster-environment-radiation-levels-dropping-areas
(Subscription Only) Title: EDITORIAL: More data needed to make decontamination work effective
Source: Asahi
Date: January 09, 2013
Decontamination work is in progress in areas affected by the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, but cases have been uncovered of workers dumping contaminated soil, vegetation and water into nearby rivers or other places without properly collecting them.
[…] One problem is that radiation levels are not dropping in certain areas. Another problem is that additional manpower is required, but hiring more workers isn’t financially viable.
Thinking about those problems, we are reminded anew of the huge scale of contamination caused by the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
It is impossible to recover the pre-disaster environment, and it is unrealistic to think that all affected areas can be decontaminated. […]
Poor conditions, poor morale of Fukushima radiation clean-up workforce
Fukushima ‘decontamination’ workers threatened — We were punished if we tried to resist http://enenews.com/fukushima-decontamination-workers-threatened-we-were-punished-if-we-tried-to-resist
January 9th, 2013
(Subscription Only) Title: CROOKED CLEANUP: Decontamination workers say cutting corners came naturally
Source: THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
Author: Compiled from reports by Tamiyuki Kihara and Toshio Tada
Date: January 09, 2013
[… Workers] cited a lack of training, unreasonable deadlines, threats of isolation, and persistent feelings that their efforts were pointless. […]
Asahi Shimbun reporters and the company have received more than 100 e-mails and phone calls from people involved in the decontamination project in Fukushima Prefecture. […]
50-year-old worker involved in decontaminating Tamura between Nov. 5 and Dec. 28 who was born in Fukushima Prefecture and graduated from Waseda University in Tokyo
“We were pressed to finish the work as quickly as possible”
“If we tried to resist, we would become isolated from other workers, although it did not reach the extent of losing the job”
“With sub-zero temperatures in the mountains, being placed in such circumstances would have led to feelings of loneliness among many people”
“Radiation levels returned even after we completed the work, so there was a sense that what we were doing was worthless”
“There will be no end to the shoddy work even if oversight is strengthened”
Japan’s nuclear phase-out has already happened:will it really phase-in again?
several fundamental nuclear-policy questions await answers—answers that could have significant consequences for the communities hosting Japan’s nuclear facilities, broader Japanese society and, to some extent, the global nuclear order. Beyond Japan’s two operating reactors, how many more of Japan’s fifty viable reactors will be allowed to restart? Will Japan continue its current effort to close the nuclear fuel cycle? What is the future for the industry’s fuel-cycle facilities in Aomori Prefecture and the nuclear materials currently stored there and at reactor sites around the country?
nuclear energy continues to be deeply unpopular in Japan, with opposition remaining well above 70 percent
the phase-out has already happened. The prescient concern would be a nuclear phase-in,
Japan’s Nuclear Muddle, The National Interest Ryan Shaffer | January 10, 2013 Japan’s December election put an end to the brief rule of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). It also handed an overwhelming victory and lower house majority to Japan’s traditional political leaders, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). However, still lacking a majority in the upper house, the LDP’s ability to push through legislation is dependent on its alliance with New Komeito, a party with significant policy differences on some of the immediate questions facing the LDP.
Between now and the next scheduled elections for Japan’s upper house in July 2013, the LDP’s first priority will be posturing for an upper house majority in the next election, not taking hard stands on controversial policy issues. One such issue concerns the country’s heated debate on nuclear energy. Continue reading
Inadequate radiation checkups for population near Fukushima area
As radiation fears dwindle, so do checkups Doctor wants more residents
to get followup full-body scans, Japan Times, By MIZUHO AOKI, 10 Jan
13, “……..As residents have come to understand more about radiation
and that their internal exposure levels are low, an air of calm has
been noticeable. At the same time, residents’ interest in knowing
their exposure levels has waned.
“I’m surprised to see such a dramatic loss of interest in just about a
year and a half,” said Tsubokura, 30, who works several days a week at
Minamisoma hospital and the rest of the week at the University of
Tokyo. “The biggest issue we have now is finding ways to secure
continuous checkups for internal radiation exposure.” Continue reading
Fukushima cleanup led by company that built the nuclear reactors
NY Times: Japan’s cleanup denounced — “A disgrace… absolutely irresponsible” — Company that built all six Fukushima reactor buildings is leading ‘decontamination’ http://enenews.com/nytimes-japans-cleanup-denounced-disgrace-absolutely-irresponsible-company-built-all-six-fukushima-reactor-buildings-control-decontamination
January 8th, 2013
Title: Japan’s Cleanup After a Nuclear Accident Is Denounced
Source: NYTimes
Author: HIROKO TABUCHI; Makiko Inoue contributed reporting
Date: January 7, 2013
The decontamination crews at a deserted elementary school here are at the forefront of what Japan says is the most ambitious radiological cleanup the world has seen […]
Recent reports in the local media of cleanup crews dumping contaminated soil and leaves into rivers has focused attention on the sloppiness of the cleanup.
[…] the central and local governments have handed over much of the 1 trillion yen decontamination effort to Japan’s largest construction companies. […]
Kajima also built the reactor buildings for all six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, leading some critics to question why control of the cleanup effort has been left to companies with deep ties to the nuclear industry. […]
“What’s happening on the ground is a disgrace” -Masafumi Shiga, president of Shiga Toso, a refurbishing company based in Iwaki, Fukushima
“This isn’t decontamination — it’s […] absolutely irresponsible” -Tomoya Yamauchi, an expert in radiation measurement at Kobe University
See also: Gundersen: Truly appalling nuclear event in Japan — A lot of people are very, very concerned (AUDIO)
Fukushima clean-up mess – a disaster on top of the nuclear disaster
Fukushima Cleanup Workers Have Been Dumping Contaminated Debris Into Rivers http://www.businessinsider.com/fukushima-radiation-cleanup-still-primitive-22-months-after-the-tsunami-2013-1#ixzz2HX4rP6eZ Michael Kelley | Jan. 8, 2013, After a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011, officials promised to use cutting-edge technology from across the globe to mount the most ambitious radiological cleanup humanity has ever seen.
But it appears that the $11.5 billion, multi-decade effort has become part of the nuclear disaster. Continue reading
Japan’s government gambling with climate/nuclear disaster risks
Japan’s Pro-Nuclear Cabinet Fight Future Disaster With Reformed
Policies, The International, By Abbie Saunders JANUARY 07,
2013“……..The American Nuclear Society suggests that “one of the
most effective ways to reduce global carbon-dioxide emissions in the
future is by making increasing use of nuclear energy to replace fossil
fuels”. But Kurt Kleiner for Nature Reports maintains a different
stance.
Kleiner suggests that while the operation of a nuclear power plant
itself has “near-zero carbon emissions”, it is the initial
construction of these plants that damages their eco-friendly
reputation. He points to the sources of nuclear energy as the problem:
“uranium has to be mined, processed and transported, waste has to be
stored, and eventually the plant has to be decommissioned. All these
actions produce carbon emissions.”
Whilst nuclear energy itself may be considered more eco-friendly than
exhaustible energy sources, renowned Japan correspondent Lucy
Birmingham points to the country’s history of natural disasters as a
potential danger. In November 2012, following the destruction of
Hurricane Sandy, she poignantly remarked that “nuclear power and
superstorms don’t mix”. She suggests that both floods and droughts can
severely damage nuclear reactors, causing them to release potentially
fatal radioactive materials.
It is this reality that prompts the Japanese population to protest.
Since Fukushima, the citizens of Japan have become increasingly
concerned about the dangers of nuclear energy. If the government’s
primary responsibility is the security of its citizens, is Shinzo
Abe’s attempt to bolster the economy and Japan’s carbon footprint one
risk too far for the environment and the welfare of the people
residing in potential risk areas?….”
Japanese government’s nuclear reprocessing plans likely to be colossal waste of money
But the continued operation of the Monju reactor is uncertain due to
frequent malfunctions. The Japanese government has admitted that it
may not be put into commercial use until 2050, prompting criticism
that the Rokashomura facility was a colossal waste of money.
Japan Could Reprocess Nuclear Fuel from Korea
http://www.energytribune.com/69930/japan-could-reprocess-nuclear-fuel-from-korea-2
January 07, 2013 From Chosun Ilbo The Japanese government is
considering reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods from Korea, Vietnam
and other Asian countries, the Tokyo Shimbun reported Sunday. Japan is
the only country in the world that has no nuclear weapons but the
facilities to reprocess spent nuclear fuel rods capable of producing
weapons-grade plutonium.
An advisory council to the Democratic Party of Japan in a report last
May said reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods would “strengthen”
Japan’s diplomacy, security and the country’s economy as well as
“contribute to the peaceful use of atomic energy.”
The report suggests using the Rokashomura nuclear reprocessing plant
in Aomori Prefecture, which will become obsolete if Japan scraps all
its own nuclear power plants in the 2030s. Continue reading
Abuses, deceptions, cover-ups in the Fukushima clean-up operations
Citizen journalism also brought to light that workers as young as 18 were sent to the Fukushima site without adequate training. Some reported that they were told to write resumes with fictitious work experience. The new citizen media site 8bit uploaded a video interview with a worker in September who had applied for a job entitled “backup logistics support,” but was actually dispatched to the stricken plant, and exposed to high doses of radiation. (Global Voices, Sept. 20)
Back in July, journalists and scientists who undertook to inspect the droids found that the immediate environs of the monitoring posts had been deliberately decontaminated so as to produce low readings. For instance, clean, non-radioactive soil was spread over the ground below the posts so the contamination below would not be registered
by Bill Weinberg 01/06/2013– Contractors could be illegally dumping radioactive soil, vegetation and water into rivers and open areas near the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Japan’s Environment Ministry admitted Jan. 4. The ministry said it will summon senior officials from companies contracted by the Fukushima Office for Environmental Restoration to answer questions on how they manage contaminated waste following claims of illegal dumping in the coastal town of Naraha, the evacuated village of Iitate, and the inland in the city of Tamura. Under a law passed in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, illegal dumping of contaminated substances may be punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to ¥10 million. “It is very regrettable if that is true,” Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato said of the suspected dumping at his first news conference of 2013. (Kyodo, Jan. 5)The charges came to light when a young worker for one of the contractors, Dai Nippon Construction, alerted the Environment Ministry after repeated complaints to management were apparently met with such replies as “Yeah, yeah, it’s OK. It can’t be helped.” The young man, who was recruited at a job placement center in Tokyo, even reported that contaminated vegetation was being dumped loose, rather than being collected in bags. (Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 4) Local residents also reported witnessing radioactive mud being dumped directly into Fukushima prefecture’s major river, the Abukuma. (Fukushima Diary, Jan. 5) Continue reading
Daily 400 tons of underground water flows into Fukushima reactor buildings
NHK: Radiation levels increasing at Fukushima plant — “No solution to tainted water” — Hundreds of tons flowing into reactor buildings every day (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/nhk-radiation-levels-increasing-fukushima-plant-solution-tainted-water-hundreds-tons-flowing-reactor-buildings-every-day-video
January 5th, 2013
Title: No solution to tainted water at Fukushima plant
Source: NHK WORLD English
Date: Jan. 4, 2013
No solution to tainted water at Fukushima plant
[…] Each day about 400 tons of underground water has been flowing into reactor buildings […] The water becomes contaminated with radioactive materials.
[…] the volume of the water is continuing to rise, increasing radiation levels at the plant. […]
The company plans to pump underground water to prevent it from flowing into reactor buildings. It will also install steel walls underground to block contaminated water from leaking into the sea. […]
Watch the video here
Japan can survive without nuclear power, by smart energy saving
When he returns to
Japan in the spring, Okamura will be able to tell METI what would be
necessary to achieve its energy savings goal of 20 percent in the
years ahead, especially as the effectiveness of voluntary pleas wears
off.
Sacrifice and luck help Japan survive without nuclear power, Stanford
visiting scholar says, Stanford News, Stanford Report, January 4, 2013
In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, nuclear-dependent Japan began
shutting down its other reactors. Toshiya Okamura, a Tokyo Gas
executive and visiting scholar at Stanford University, explains how
the country survived the summer, and expresses deep concerns about
this winter and his country’s energy future. Continue reading
Japan’s energy conservation success, post Fukushima
How Japan Discovered Conservation: Fukushima Forbes, 6 Jan 13, Japan lost a quarter of its electric capacity when it shuttered its nuclear reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Predicted blackouts have not materialized, though, thanks to a national conservation effort that reduced demand by as much as 15 percent….. “People did everything they could,” said Okamura. “To minimize air conditioning, they raised thermostats in homes, offices and stores to 83 degrees Fahrenheit, as the government asked. They set every appliance and electronic device to the most energy-efficient settings. They kept the lights off as much as possible. Escalators were shut off.” Continue reading
Fukushima govt’s new law to force stores to sell local produce?
New law to force stores to sell produce from Fukushima? http://enenews.com/report-japan-govt-force-stores-sell-fukushima-food Fukushima Minpo’s Jan. 3, 2013 report on their recent interview with Masako Mori, the ‘minister in charge of dealing with declining number of children’ (elected to the Upper House from District in Fukushima Prefecture), translated by EXSKF:
[…]
[Mori said] the government will aim to pass the legislation to promote the sale of Fukushima produce and goods, in order to clearly show [to the public] how the national government stands on the issue of baseless rumor damages. It is considered that Mr. Mori’s agency [Consumer Affairs Agency] and related agencies and ministries will decide on the details [of the legislation]. In summary, the legislation would “designate Fukushima Prefecture as the “special zone”, and enable the national government to order retailers to sell locally-produced goods and to extend preferential treatment to retailers who sell such goods in the storefronts”, Ms. Mori explained.
The Constitution guarantees “freedom of commerce”. It remains to be seen whether the legislation can legally force retailers.
[…]
EXSKF adds, “It’s not very clear […] whether this legislation is intended for retailers only in Fukushima, or any retailers anywhere. (The more I read it, it feels the legislation will be for the retailers everywhere in Japan, but not 100% sure.)”
1 This Month
Read the Public Inquiry Report, the Commissioners’ report, Surrendering Australia: The AUKUS Deception is available to download for free at aukuspublicinquiry.com. Or just watch the replay of the National Press Club Luncheon.
19 November – Webinar – The Reality of Reprocessing
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada) / 2:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM UK / 8:00 PM CET
Register for the Zoom Event Here
Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
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