Haphazard storage of radioactive rubble in Japan
local officials are breaking the law by failing to inform residents and ensure the sites are properly monitored.
Koriyama’s case illustrates that much related to nuclear power – and its very powerful business interests – remains hidden from an increasingly distrustful public.
Laws don’t require signs to be posted at these sites or ground water nearby to be monitored
“I’m very angry,” “The city isn’t protecting us.”
Japan’s nuclear dilemma: What to do with all that nuclear waste?
Japanese citizens are balking at the lack of information and supervision of waste stored in public places, such as playgrounds. By Winifred Bird | Christian Science Monitor, 5 Nov 12, The small sandy square in front of Yasushi Takemoto’s apartment in Koriyama, a city of 328,000 about 150 miles north of Tokyo , looks like a normal public park. On a recent weekday morning, a group of children played on the swings while the retired dentistry professor strolled under the trees.
Beneath the soil in one unmarked, unfenced corner, however, lie hundreds of bags packed with radioactive dirt, sludge from drainage ditches, and other contaminated debris. Continue reading
Active fault under Oi nuclear power plant – restart decision is postponed
Decision on fault under Oi nuclear plant deferred http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T121104002958.htm Jiji Press, 5 Nov 12Nuclear regulators deferred a decision Sunday as to whether an active fault runs under Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.
Outside experts who participated in the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s on-site inspection of the plant Friday were divided in their evaluations of whether a crush zone underneath the plant is an active fault. The authority decided to hold another meeting Wednesday.
Mitsuhisa Watanabe, a professor at Toyo University, said he was certain there is an active fault under the Oi plant. But Norio Shigematsu, a research scientist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Atsumasa Okada, a professor at Ritsumeikan University, said it would be premature to draw a conclusion and called for further surveys.
If the authority determines the crush zone is an active fault, the Oi plant’s No. 3 and No. 4 reactors, currently the only active reactors in Japan, would face a possible shutdown.
The crush zone runs directly under a seawater intake channel to cool the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors in the event of emergencies. If the crush zone moves in an earthquake, the emergency system could become unavailable. In an interim report to the government, Kansai Electric said there are no data suggesting the crush zone is an active fault.
The reactors were brought back online in July. The rest of the country’s 50 reactors remain idled in the wake of the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Japan’s nuclear watchdog members funded by nuclear industry
Atomic industry bankrolls Japan’s nuclear watchdog RT 04 November, 2012 Members of Japan’s nuclear watchdog who are charged with drafting nuclear safety rules have received sizable funds from the atomic industry. The reports raise concerns that regulations may be diluted after last year’s Fukushima nuclear disaster. Continue reading
Japan might shut down its only operating nuclear reactor
AP: Japan’s only operating nuclear power plant may be closed http://enenews.com/ap-japans-only-operating-nuclear-reactor-may-be-closed November 2nd, 2012
NHK, Nov. 2: Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority ha surveyed the country’s only operating nuclear power plant to determine whether a seam under the facility is an active fault. The authority says it may ask the Ohi plant’s operator — Kansai Electric Power Company — to suspend operations, depending on the survey results.
By 2014, Fukushima victims lose right to claim for compensation
Tepco has the right to reject compensation in 2014 http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/11/tepco-has-the-right-to-reject-compensation-in-2014/ by Mochizuki November 2nd, 2012 · Fukushima governor Sato asked Tepco not to claim for the right of extinctive prescription for compensation.
According to the civil code, Fukushima victims will lose the right to claim for the compensation from Tepco 3 years after 311 if Tepco claims for extinctive prescription.
Tepco president Hirose commented, it is difficult to make a statement about that yet.
In Chernobyl, major symptoms started appearing 4 years later after the accident…Tepco paid only 30,000 yen for 200 million yen of compensation claim
Japan sets 30 Km radius evacuation zones for nuclear accidents
(I understand that the USA evacuation zones have a lower radius. 10 km? – C.M. )
N-accident zones set at 30-km radius / NRA decides to use IAEA standards The Yomiuri Shimbun, 2 Nov 12 The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday issued new guidelines to establish 30-kilometer-radius zones in which intensive disaster-prevention measures will be taken in preparation for a serious nuclear accident.
About 4.8 million people in 135 municipalities are in these zones and will need particular protection under the new guidelines. Previously, only 45 municipalities were affected.
In a simulation released by the NRA on Oct. 24, the spread of radioactive substances from the nation’s nuclear power plants was recorded beyond the 30-kilometer radius in some cases.
The NRA, however, decided not to expand the key zones beyond the 30-kilometer mark, sticking to the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Within this year, the NRA will set such standards as radiation levels to determine at what level it would be necessary to evacuate residents.
Local governments, which could be affected in a nuclear plant disaster, will draw up disaster-prevention plans by the end of March….. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy national/T121031003759.htm
Hitachi, desperate for nuclear sales, will own Britain’s nuclear power enterprise!
Masaharu Hanyu, head of Hitachi’s nuclear division, hinted that the Japanese conglomerate had little choice but to win business abroad.
Hitachi enters Britain’s nuclear sector TOKYO, Oct. 31 (UPI) –– Japan’s Hitachi Ltd. will build up to six new nuclear reactors in the United Kingdom as part of its agreement to acquire Horizon Nuclear Power from German energy companies RWE and
E.ON.
The $1.1 billion deal announced this week propels Hitachi into the “new and uncomfortable” role as the owner of an entire atomic-power enterprise instead of just a contract reactor builder, says a report in the Financial Times.
Domestically, in the wake of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan aims to phase out nuclear power by 2040. Continue reading
Nuclear worker takes legal action against TEPCO, for radiation negligence
“So I decided I’ve had enough of this unjust treatment. That’s why I decided to come forward,”
Plant worker: Radiation injuries during crisis at Japan nuke plant not mishap, files complaint Fox News,October 31, 2012 Associated Press IWAKI, Japan – The operator of a Japanese nuclear plant that went into a tsunami-triggered meltdown knew the risks from highly radioactive water at the site but sent in crews without adequate protection or warnings, a worker said in a legal complaint. Continue reading
Tepco will make all 100,000 employees work at Fukushima annually
Report: 100,000 Tepco employees being sent to Fukushima in 2013 http://enenews.com/100000-tepco-employees-expected-to-go-to-fukushima-in-2013-all-of-companys-workers-to-be-sent
Report: 100,000 Tepco employees being sent to Fukushima in 2013
October 27th, 2012
Oct. 27 ,2012 report in Nikkei with summary translation by Fukushima Diary:
In the mid-term administration plan, Tepco decided to send all of their employees to Fukushima for decontamination from 2013.
They are sent to Fukushima for 2~3 times a year, about 100,000 people in total will go to Fukushima annually.
This is not volunteer, this is obligation.
Google translation of an excerpt from the Nikkei report:
Japan’s nuclear companies desperate to sell nukes overseas
Hitachi shifts focus of nuclear business overseas, Asahi Shimbun October 27, 2012 By TOMOYA FUJITA Hitachi Ltd. is set to acquire Britain’s Horizon Nuclear Power, underscoring the company’s shift of focus to the nuclear plant sector overseas.
The move comes as no surprise as Japan’s other nuclear plant manufacturers are also struggling after last year’s disaster put a potentially permanent halt to domestic construction of new facilities. Continue reading
Fukushima cooling water might be released into ocean
Tepco: Water used to cool Fukushima reactors could be released into ocean — Outside experts worried http://enenews.com/tepco-water-cool-fukushima-reactors-could-be-released-ocean-experts-worried-about-lasting-impact
October 25th, 2012 Title AP Interview: Japan Nuke Plant Water Worries Rise (PHOTOS)
Source: Associated Press
Author: MARI YAMAGUCHI (Malcolm Foster contributed to this report)
Date: October 25, 2012
Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant is struggling to find space to store [… a]bout 200,000 tons of radioactive water […]
TEPCO is close to running a new treatment system that could make the water safe enough to release into the ocean. […]
Outside experts worry that if contaminated water is released, there will be lasting impact on the environment. […]
TEPCO claims the treated water from this new system is clean enough to be potentially released into the ocean, although it hasn’t said whether it would do that. […]
Tepco building wall between Fukushima nuclear plant and ocean
100 foot deep wall at Fukushima plant still being built, says Tepco — Trying to keep underground contamination from ocean — Years from completion? http://enenews.com/tepco-100-foot-deep-underground-wall-being-built-to-try-and-stop-water-from-seeping-out-of-plant-and-into-ocean-will-take-until-mid-2014 October 25th, 2012
Title: Fish Off Fukushima, Japan, Show Elevated Levels of Cesium
Source: New York Times
Author: HIROKO TABUCHI
October 25, 2012
To stop water from seeping out of the plant, Tokyo Electric is building a 2,400-foot-long wall between the site’s reactors and the ocean. But [Yoshikazu Nagai, a spokesman for Tepco] said the steel-and-concrete wall, which will reach 100 feet underground, will take until mid-2014 to build.
Seabed off Fukushima radioactive for decades to come
Radiation settles on seabed off Japan Radio Australia 26 October 2012, New research suggests radiation from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has settled on the ocean floor off Japan, and could contaminate sea life for decades.
Contamination may be due to low-level leaks from the Fukushima nuclear plant. (Credit: AFP) Marine chemist Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reviewed official Japanese data on radiation levels in fish, shellfish and seaweed collected near the crippled nuclear plant. He concluded the lingering contamination may be due to low-level leaks from the facility, or contaminated sediment on the ocean floor.
His research, published on Thursday in the US magazine Science, estimated that about 40 per cent of fish caught near Fukushima are considered unfit for consumption under Japanese
regulations…..http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2012-10-26/radiation-settles-on-seabed-off-japan/1036750
Fukushima radioactive water could fill 50 Olympic sized swimming pools
To deal with the excess tainted water, the utility has channeled it to more than 300 huge storage tanks placed around the plant.
Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Plant’s Contaminated Water Storage Running Out Of Space HUFFINGTON POST, By MARI YAMAGUCHI 10/25/12 TOKYO — Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant is struggling to find space to store tens of thousands of tons of highly contaminated water used to cool the broken reactors, the manager of the water treatment team said.
About 200,000 tons of radioactive water – enough to fill more than 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools – are being stored in hundreds of gigantic tanks built around the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant. Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. has already chopped down trees to make room for more tanks and predicts the volume of water will more than triple within three years. Continue reading
Nuclear power obstacle in Japan: new evacuation plans
under the new radiation forecast, many more local governments will have to compile disaster management plans for areas that could require evacuation.
Radiation forecast creates hurdle in resuming nuclear plant operations UPDATE: Forecast predicts wider evacuations needed if nuclear disaster repeated October 25, 2012 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN Municipalities are demanding a greater say in whether utilities can restart their reactors after the new industry watchdog placed more communities in the danger zone of possible nuclear accidents. Continue reading
1 This Month
PLEASE OPPOSE HR 8255 AND S.3639 – bills would accelerate satellite deployment, with no environmental review or safeguards – https://ncstd5li.quorum.us/campaign/169331/
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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