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Japan’s March 11 radiation forecast was too scary to be released

Ministry hid data on fallout from public,SPEEDI forecast judged too chilling to be released: internal memo, Japan Times, 5 March 12, Kyodo Former science minister Yoshiaki Takaki and other top ministry officials decided to withhold radiation forecast data from the public four days after the March 11 disasters triggered the nuclear crisis, an internal document shows.

Takaki, lawmakers serving as top ministry officials and senior bureaucrats decided March 15 to withhold data about the predicted spread of radioactivity, including an assumption that all radioactive material would be discharged from the crippled reactors’ cores at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

The prediction of the spread of radioactive substances, compiled through the System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI), “could by no means be released to the public,” the document, dated March 19, shows….. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120304a1.html

March 6, 2012 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Tighter radiation limits for food in Japan

Japan tightens limits on radiation in food , The New Age, Mar 4 2012 Japan is to place stricter limits on the amount of radiation in vegetables sold for human consumption from April 1. The new maximum limits of radioactive cesium will be between one-twentieth and one quarter of the provisional limits imposed after the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant was crippled by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the gigantic tsunami that it triggered on March 11 last year.

Under the revised regulations, the upper limit on foods such as meat, vegetables and fish will be set at 100 becquerels per kilogram. The limit will be 50 becquerels per kg for milk and infant food and a maximum of 10 becquerels for drinking water.

At present, the levels are set at 500 becquerels per kg for the majority of foodstuffs and 200 becquerels for milk, dairy produce and water. There is presently no specific figure for infant food. Continue reading →

March 6, 2012 Posted by | health, Japan, Reference | Leave a comment

Japanese farmers caring for their radioactive cows

“Rebel Farmers” Feed Cows Condemned To Death After Fukushima, by , March 3, 2012 http://www.care2.com/causes/rebel-farmers-feed-cows-condemned-to-death-after-fukushima.html#ixzz1oHTSSaAM   “….. 69-year-old Yukio Yamamoto is one of ten farmers from Namie, which is within the “no go zone,” who is defying government orders to euthanize his 36 black-haired wagyu cows. The cows — once prized for their high-quality beef; each was once worth $10,000 — ingested radioactive caesium and Yamamoto was supposed to kill them by lethal injection. In an interview with the Guardian, Yamamoto discussed getting a permit to enter the zone to feed his animalion. Says Yamamoto about the six-hour trip he now routinely makes:

“I left like everyone else after 11 March, “I couldn’t stop worrying about my cows, so I started coming back in every other day to feed them.”…

“Straight after the disaster, my cows had nothing to eat or drink … many of them starved to death right where they were tethered.I had to decide whether to leave the ones still alive or keep them healthy, even though we were separated.”

But Yamamoto, who is very likely the last of generations of his family to raise wagyu cows, has not received any feed from the Japanese government. Private donors, including farmers in Australia, have provided him with food for his cows.

“Eventually the feed will run out, and the government has said it will kill every last cow. But that is something I can’t allow to happen. “I could never kill these cows. They are like members of my family.”

Yamamoto is pinning his hopes on studies that can properly measure the level of contamination among his cows. As Ryoichi Harada, another “rebel farmer” helping Yamamoto feed his cows, says “We accept that the meat will never go on sale, but the cows could be put to some other commercial use.”

March 6, 2012 Posted by | Japan, Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

Radioactive cesium contamination in Japan

Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for February 28th – March 1st, 2012, Greenpeace by Christine McCann – March 2, 2012 “……..Contamination (Includes Economic Impact and Human Exposure) A study by the Meteorological Research Institute estimates that 40,000 trillion (or 40 quadrillion) Becquerels of radioactive cesium were released as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster last March. That amount is two times what scientists originally estimated.

Consumers are expressing concern about cesium contamination in rice, in light of a government decision to relax new rules about contamination levels of planting soil after local farmers exerted pressure on the government to do so. In December, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries ruled that rice could not be planted in land where cesium exceeding 100 Bq/kg was discovered last year. However, it now says that rice may be planted in land where cesium measures between 100 Bq/kg and 500 Bq/kg, provided that the land is decontaminated and every bag of rice is tested. Many residents remain unconvinced that the rice will be safe for consumption. The chair of a national consumer advocacy association noted, “There have already been cases of rice with contamination over the government limit being shipped, even though it was promised that it wouldn’t happen. Won’t some sneak through this time as well?….” http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-update-for-february-/blog/39340/

March 3, 2012 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Current status of Fukushima’s nuclear reactors

Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for February 28th – March 1st, 2012, Greenpeace by Christine McCann – March 2, 2012“”…..Reactor Status The Fukushima Daiichi plant chief, Takeshi Takahashi, admitted this week that the plant is fragile, and its reactors remain highly vulnerable to ongoing earthquakes and the risk of a tsunami. “I have to admit that it’s still rather fragile. Even though the plant has achieved what we call cold-shutdown conditions, it still causes problems that must be improved,” Takahashi said.

TEPCO is continuing to struggle with how to handle large amounts of radioactive water, the byproduct of keeping nuclear fuel in the crippled Fukushima Daiichi reactors cool. The utility is pumping several hundred thousand gallons of water into the reactors each day; the water then becomes contaminated. Experts estimate that 10,000 tons of radioactive water leak from the reactors each month; in January and February alone, 28 new leaks were discovered. TEPCO says it will take at least six years to repair the leaks, and approximately 25 years to remove the fuel. Storage of the radioactive water is becoming an increasingly urgent issue. TEPCO currently has space to store 165,000 tons; 125,000 tons are already being stored. The utility has destroyed nearby forests to create room for more storage containers.

TEPCO announced that Quince II, a Japanese-made robot, has discovered radiation levels measuring 220 millisieverts per hour in reactor #2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The robot, which was designed by researchers at the Chiba Institute of Technology, was created to explore the interior of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors, where radiation levels remain too high for humans to enter. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-update-for-february-/blog/39340/

March 3, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Humans can’t enter. Robot finds high radiation in Fukushima No.2 reactor

Robot detects high radiation levels at Fukushima Daiichi plant, Mainichi Daily News, 29 Feb 12, TOKYO (Kyodo) –– A remotely operated robot has detected high radiation levels of up to 220 millisieverts per hour at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s No. 2 reactor building, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday.

The Japanese-made Quince 2 robot, which began checking radiation levels on Monday, was exposed to 153 millisieverts of radiation in just less than three hours of operation, according to the utility.

“It is difficult for a human being to go inside and do work,” a Tokyo Electric official said of conditions inside the reactor building, adding that the humidity inside is also high at around 70 percent…. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120229p2g00m0dm056000c.html

February 29, 2012 Posted by | Japan, wastes | Leave a comment

Japan has no solution to disposing of its nuclear wastes

The country is yet to build a final disposal site for nuclear fuel.

Meanwhile, Katsutaka Idogawa, mayor of the town of Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, which hosts the troubled Daiichi plant, criticized the panel for drafting a new atomic energy policy platform before an investigation into the cause of the nuclear crisis is concluded…..

Panel calls for study on direct disposal of spent nuclear fuel,  Mainichi Daily News, 29  Feb 12, Nothing is decided yet but TEPCO told the press at its Tokyo headquarters Wednesday morning that this is one option TEPCO officials are considering to use at the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan.

TOKYO (Kyodo) — A government panel commissioned to compile the country’s basic atomic energy policy said in its draft nuclear power platform Tuesday that Japan should study the possibility of burying spent nuclear fuel deep underground, instead of the current disposal
method of reprocessing spent fuel. Continue reading →

February 29, 2012 Posted by | Japan, wastes | Leave a comment

Danger continues at Fukushima nuclear plant

Employees usually work for about two to three hours at a time, but in some areas, including highly contaminated Unit 3, they can stay only a few minutes…..

“We were just lucky that Japan was able to avoid the worst-case scenario. But
there is no guarantee this kind of luck will prevail next time.”

Japan nuclear plant still fragile: chief, SMH, February 29, 2012, Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima power plant remains fragile nearly a year after it suffered multiple meltdowns, its chief says, with makeshift equipment – some mended with tape – keeping crucial systems
running. Continue reading →

February 29, 2012 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Evacuation of Tokyo considered during Fukushima nuclear disaster

Nuclear Crisis Set Off Fears Over Tokyo, Report Says, NYT, By , February 27, 2012 TOKYO — In the darkest moments of last year’s nuclear accident, Japanese leaders did not know the actual extent of damage at the plant and secretly considered the possibility of evacuating Tokyo, even as they tried to play down the risks in public, an independent investigation into the accident disclosed on Monday.

The investigation by the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, a new private policy organization, offered one of the most vivid accounts yet of how Japan teetered on the edge of an even larger nuclear crisis than the one that engulfed the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. A team of 30 university professors, lawyers and journalists spent more than six months on the inquiry into Japan’s response to the triple meltdown at the plant, which followed a massive earthquake and tsunami last March 11 that shut down the plant’s cooling systems……. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/world/asia/japan-considered-tokyo-evacuation-during-the-nuclear-crisis-report-says.html

February 28, 2012 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Mayors of 3 major cities want a switch away from nuclear power

Japan cities press utility to switch from nuclear, Feb 27, 2012  

* Mayors say no utility should depend on single energy source

* Only two of 54 reactors on stream a year after nuclear disaster

By Risa Maeda TOKYO, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Three of Japan’s major cities called for Kansai Electric Power Co, its second largest nuclear generator, to draw up a plan to switch to other energy sources nearly a year after the country suffered the world’s worst nuclear accident in 25 years.

The mayors of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, home to a total of 5.7 million people, on Monday submitted questions on prospects for alternative energy supplies and price incentives to curb demand…..

February 28, 2012 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Radiation around Fukushima still at uinhabitable levels

Radiation still high around Fukushima No. 1 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120226a5.html Japan Times, , Feb. 26, 2012, Kyodo High levels of radiation, including a rate of 470 millisieverts per year at one location, have been detected in municipalities near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to an interim Environment Ministry report. A survey conducted from Nov. 7 to Jan. 16 showed that the readings topped 50 millisieverts on an annual basis — a level deemed uninhabitable under a proposed new classification — in many spots north-northwest of the crippled power station. Continue reading →

February 27, 2012 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Japan banking on non-viable reprocessing, because it has nowhere to put nuclear wastes

the government has delegated the task of dealing with waste to the private sector, so there is no central decision-maker 

“Why does the government stick to the very costly recycle policy? That is because if they give it up, they should explain where a final repository will be located,” 

Beyond Fukushima Japan faces deeper nuclear concerns, Vancouver Sun, By RISA MAEDA, Reuters February 24, 2012 TOKYO“…..A DECENT BURIAL With Japan’s recycling efforts running so far behind the required pace
to deal with the waste problem, Japan needs to find another resting place for its waste, away from nuclear power plants, which are typically located on the coast.

But unlike France and the United States, the world’s biggest atomic power generators, Japan does not have much in the way of geologically stable and empty landscapes in which to bury nuclear waste for centuries. Given its population density is 10 times higher than the United States and almost three times higher than France, Japan faces a “not in my backyard” problem like no other big nuclear-power nation. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | Japan, reprocessing, wastes | Leave a comment

Nuclear reprocessing not a viable option for Japan

Fast-breeder said realistic no more, Japan Times, 25 Feb 12,  Kyodo A panel of experts reviewing the nuclear fuel cycle policy in light of the Fukushima crisis has agreed that while a fast-breeder reactor has advantages, from a technology viewpoint it can’t be considered a realistic option for the next 20 to 30 years. The nuclear fuel policy involves reprocessing spent fuel to produce plutonium that can be reused to produce electricity.

The subcommittee of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission said in a draft document summarizing its discussions that two viable options during the next few decades would be to not reprocess spent nuclear fuel, and to recycle plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel, or MOX fuel.

The former option is called the “once-through” cycle, in which uranium fuel is used in nuclear reactors just one time and disposed of by burying it in the ground. In the latter option, MOX fuel is manufactured from plutonium recovered from spent nuclear fuel and used
in ordinary reactors. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | Japan, Reference, reprocessing | Leave a comment

Japan’s nuclear recycling plant, a probable failure

“an 80 to 90 percent chance of the [nuclear recycling] plant being a failure”

even if Rokkasho gets up and running, two problems remain: it alone cannot recycle enough fuel to stop the waste mounting up, and there is still the issue of burying the vitrified waste permanently in a crowded, quake-prone country.

Beyond Fukushima Japan faces deeper nuclear concerns, Vancouver Sun, By RISA MAEDA, Reuters February 24, 2012 TOKYO – On a hillside in northern Japan, wind turbines slice through the cold air, mocking efforts at a nearby industrial complex to shore up the future of the demoralised nuclear power industry.

The wind-power farm at Rokkasho has sprung up close to Japan’s first nuclear reprocessing plant, a Lego-like complex of windowless buildings and steel towers, which was supposed to have started up 15 years ago but is only now nearing completion.

Dogged by persistent technical problems, it is designed to recycle spent nuclear fuel and partly address a glaring weakness in Japan’s bid to restore confidence in the industry, shredded last year when a quake and tsunami wrecked the Fukushima Daiichi power station to the south, triggering radioactive leaks and mass evacuations.
But the Rokkasho project is too little, too late, according to critics who say Japan is running so short of nuclear-waste storage that the entire industry risks shutdown within the next two decades unless a solution is found.

“You don’t build a house without a toilet,” said Jitsuro Terashima, president of the Japan Research Institute think tank and member of an expert panel advising the national government on energy policy after the Fukushima disaster….
Long-term storage of highly radioactive waste is a problem common to all nuclear-powered nations, including the United States, but experts say Japan’s unstable geology and densely populated terrain mean that its challenges are far bigger. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | Japan, reprocessing | Leave a comment

55,000 Osaka residents want plebiscite on nuclear power

Hashimoto’s opposition a big hurdle in Osaka nuclear plebiscite drive, Japan Times,  By ERIC JOHNSTON Staff writer, 24 Feb 12,  OSAKA — Efforts by a citizens’ group to hold a plebiscite in Osaka on the future of nuclear power hit a major stumbling block when Mayor Toru Hashimoto formally announced his opposition to the plan this week.

Earlier this month, the group pushing for a plebiscite to allow residents to vote on whether to abolish local atomic power plants submitted a petition with the signatures of more than 55,000 Osaka residents eligible to vote. The total is more than the number required to force the municipal assembly to vote on whether to hold the referendum. Continue reading →

February 24, 2012 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

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