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Japanese fears on radioactive debris


Radiation fears behind debris refusals / Remaining refuse may cause secondary damage, hinder reconstruction efforts, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 4 Nov 11 The start Wednesday of shipments of debris from the Great East Japan Earthquake to Tokyo, the first destination for such refuse outside the Tohoku region, was a long-awaited first step toward wider disposal of the wreckage.

However, an Environment Ministry survey released Wednesday showed that only 54 local governments and garbage-disposal unions, less than 10 percent the figure in a previous survey, were considering accepting debris from disaster-hit areas. Continue reading →

November 4, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

New bursts of fission at the crippled Fukushima power plant

The three reactors — together with spent fuel rods stored at a fourth damaged reactor — have been leaking radioactive material since the initial disaster, and new episodes of fission would only increase their dangers.

Fears of Fission Rise at Stricken Nuclear Plant in Japan, NYT, By HIROKO TABUCHI  November 2, 2011 TOKYO — Nuclear workers at the crippled Fukushima power plant raced to inject boric acid into the plant’s No. 2 reactor early Wednesday after telltale radioactive elements were detected there, and the plant’s owner admitted for the first time that fuel deep inside three stricken plants was probably continuing to experience bursts of fission. Continue reading →

November 3, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011, Japan, safety | Leave a comment

One nuclear reactor restarts in Japan

First nuclear power plant restarted in Japan since tsunami, Herald Sun  November 02, 2011 A NUCLEAR reactor in southern Japan was to begin producing electricity again today, its operator company said, in the first restart of a stalled atomic power plant since the Fukushima disaster. Continue reading →

November 3, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Foolhardy action to drink radioactively contaminated water

“Oh God,” said John Large, a British nuclear expert who has helped assess disasters including the wreck of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, when told of Mr. Sonoda’s actions. “That is incredibly foolhardy and somewhat patronizing to members of the public,”

 if you drink the water you’re potentially providing radioactive particles a pathway into your gut system. It’s then down to how your gut system deals with it. It might ignore it and urinate it out. Or it might say ‘that’s a nice piece of cesium, I’ll store that in muscle tissue’ which is not a goodthing.”….

Japanese Official Drinks Water From Fukushima Reactor Buildings, NYT By ROBERT MACKEY and RAVI SOMAIYA, November 1, 2011, After insisting for weeks that water collected from reactor buildings at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant posed no threat to human health once it was decontaminated, a Japanese government official poured himself a glass of the liquid and drank it on livetelevision on Monday. Continue reading →

November 2, 2011 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Japan finds ways to have adequate power without nuclear energy

Japan winter power enough despite nuclear lack: government, By Risa Maeda,TOKYO Nov 1, 2011  (Reuters) – Japanese utilities will largely avoid power shortages this winter despite prolonged reactor shutdowns amid public concerns over nuclear safety, but hurdles remain for next summer, the government said on Tuesday.

It also unveiled ways to bridge the gap next summer, when peak-hour demand is expected to exceed supply by 16,560 megawatts, compared with the biggest gap this winter of 2,530 MW in one area, if no reactors restart by then. Continue reading →

November 2, 2011 Posted by | ENERGY, Japan | Leave a comment

Not In My Backyard! – nuclear waste disposal problem in Japan

Nuclear Cleanup Faces ‘NIMBY’ Challenge, WSJ By Yumiko Ono, 31 Oct 11, In handling the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis, Japan has gotten help from American scientists and imported American robots. Now comes a popular American phrase: NIMBY….Japan is trying to get around the NIMBY problem by planning to move the contaminated waste from one place to another. The government has asked each municipality to store its own contaminated waste for now until it comes up with an “interim” storage facility. In the meantime, it will debate the more sensitive issue of where to store the waste permanently. Continue reading →

November 1, 2011 Posted by | Japan, wastes | Leave a comment

Twice as much radiation released from Fukushima as previously estimated

 

the institute warned that a significant degree of pollution would remain in waters off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture as caesium-137 has a half-life of around 30 years….

New Norwegian report says Fukushima radiation releases twice initial estimates, Two new European reports on the Fukushima Daiichi disaster released over the last week take large steps in proving that radioactive caesium-137 released after the nuclear power plant was slammed by 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami last March was twice as much as initially thought. Bellona   Charles Digges, 31/10-2011 Continue reading →

November 1, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan, Reference | 1 Comment

Endless radioactive cleanup problems – Chernobyl, Hanford, Fukushima

In Chernobyl, 25 years after the nuclear accident, radiation is still detected in the surrounding forests, experts say. The U.S. government has spent more than $34 billion over two decades at a nuclear-cleanup site in Hanford, Wash., a 586-square-mile site contaminated over four decades. 
[in Japan]  the government expanded the cleanup area to a zone with exposure of one millisievert or more—an estimated 4,500 square miles of land……
Radiation Cleanup Confounds Japan, WSJ, By YUMIKO ONO, 1 Nov 11, KORIYAMA,Japan—Nearly eight months after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident scattered radioactive material over surrounding communities, Japan still is struggling to figure out how to clean up the mess, exacerbating fears about health risks and fanning mistrust of the government.

Government guidelines provide scant detail about the $14-billion-plus effort. A new cleanup law doesn’t take effect until January. Cities across Fukushima prefecture are scraping contaminated topsoil off school grounds and parks, but Tokyo hasn’t yet decided where to store the tainted material. Frustrated residents of some towns have planted sunflowers in a fruitless effort to suck radioactive cesium out of the farmland. Continue reading →

November 1, 2011 Posted by | Japan, wastes | 1 Comment

Japan planning to export nuclear technology to India, Vietnam

Japan Closer to Exporting Nuclear Technology to India, Vietnam, WSJ By TATSUO ITOTOKYO, 30 Oct 11 —Nearly eight months after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, Japan is resuming steps it hopes will lead to exports of commercial nuclear technology to India and Vietnam, even as Japan itself is scaling back the use of nuclear energy at home.

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and his Indian counterpart, S.M. Krishna agreed to move ahead with talks toward a civilian nuclear power agreement—a precondition that would enable Tokyo to export nuclear power plant technology to the South Asian nation.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dung, will likely discuss nuclear power cooperation when they meet Monday, a government official said. Japan has already signed off on talks toward a nuclear power pact with Vietnam, but the parliamentary approval needed to ratify the agreement has been put on hold…..The agreement with India may draw criticism, as it comes at a time when the Fukushima crisis isn’t yet resolved. Moreover, India isn’t a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and technology, while promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy…. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204528204577007712071441558.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

October 31, 2011 Posted by | Japan, politics international | Leave a comment

India and Japan planning a deal on rare earths

Japan, India to jointly develop rare earths, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 31 Oct 11 Japan and India agreed Saturday to promote at the private level joint development of rare earths, which are indispensable for automobiles and information technology products.

Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and Indian Foreign Minister Shri S.M. Krishna also agreed to step up negotiations toward conclusion of an India-Japan nuclear agreement during a meeting at the Foreign Ministry’s Iikura Guest House in Minato Ward, Tokyo, according to officials.

In addition, they agreed to enhance cooperation in security policies by carrying out joint exercises by the Maritime Self-Defense Force and Indian Navy and in other ways, they said.

The exercises are likely to focus on ensuring the safety of sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean, observers said…..   India, which has nuclear weapons but does not participate in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, is cautious about Japan’s stance in promoting nuclear arms reduction and nonproliferation through conclusion of a bilateral nuclear pact.

Japan wants to hold negotiations with India on the export of nuclear technologies and nuclear-related equipment, but it may be some time before an agreement is reached, the observers said… http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111029002574.htm

October 31, 2011 Posted by | India, Japan, politics international, Uranium | Leave a comment

To avoid TEPCO bankruptcy, Japanese government will pay up

Japan Likely to Pass Tepco Aid Package, WSJ By MITSURU OBE, 30 Oct 11
TOKYO—The Japanese government is expected to approve financial assistance toTokyo Electric Power Co. this week, after the embattled utility sought about ¥1 trillion, or about $13 billion, in public funds Friday to deal with compensation claims from the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The government’s objective is to keep the company afloat. Without public funds, Tepco would have to report a capital deficit for the July-September quarter, results of which are due by Nov. 14. Even the slightest hint of bankruptcy of a company with ¥13 trillion in liabilities could trigger major financial turmoil. Public assistance is expected to sustain Tepco in a state of positive net worth of about ¥700 billion at the end of the current business year in March, even after booking an expected annual net loss of about ¥570 billion.

But if the bleeding continues at the current pace, much of the capital would be lost in the next business year. This makes it crucial for Tepco to secure either an electricity-rate increase or an early restart of idled nuclear reactors to deal with the cost increases resulting from the prolonged stoppage of nuclear power plants and greater reliance on expensive thermal power, a government official familiar with the matter said….Public funds will be provided via the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund, an organization set up jointly by the government and power companies last month to provide insurance for nuclear accidents.

Under the interim plan, a supervisory committee comprising the top executives of the fund and Tepco will monitor cost-cutting progress. Tepco is required to produce a more comprehensive business plan in March, when there should be more clarity on rate hikes and reactor restarts…

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204528204577007731904779726.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

October 31, 2011 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Japan – protest by Fukushima women


VIDEO    http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/women-from-fukushima-gather-to-find-hope-in-t/blog/37555/             Women from Fukushima gather to ‘find hope in the despair’ of nuclear disaster  by Laura Kenyon, Greenpeace International – October 28, 2011 Yesterday close to two hundred women from Fukushima began a three-day sit-in outside the Tokyo office of Japan’s Ministry of Economy calling for the evacuation of children from areas with high radiation levels and the permanent shut down of nuclear reactors in Japan currently switched off. Their peaceful protest is a powerful – almost radical – act in a country where standing up for something can often mean ostracism from one’s community. These are not women who regularly participate in civil protest. These are mothers who fear for their children’s safety and future. These are grandmothers separated from their families. The fact that they have put their own lives and families on hold for these three days reflects the harrowing situation these women and their families have found themselves in since the nuclear disaster.  Continue reading →

October 29, 2011 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear, Resources -audiovicual | 1 Comment

Japanese govt’s costly, desperate measures to save TEPCO from bankruptcy

Stopgap measures for TEPCO / Utility’s liabilities may exceed assets without government’s help,  Kunihiko Yasue and Chiaki Toyoda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers, 29 oct 11, Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s application Friday for more than 1 trillion yen in government funds was meant to help the utility swiftly compensate people for damage caused by the crisis at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

TEPCO has already started making full-fledged compensation payments, and without the government’s assistance its liabilities could exceed its assets. Continue reading →

October 29, 2011 Posted by | Japan, politics | 1 Comment

Japan to decide on level for lifetime exposure to ionising radiation

The report pointed out effects of radiation exposure on children are more serious than those on adults, 

Govt to cap radiation limit / Report recommends lifetime exposure of no more than 100mSv, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 29 Oct 11, A report by the Cabinet Office’s Food Safety Commission has recommended a person’s cumulative lifetime radiation exposure from food should be limited to about 100 millisieverts.

The report compiled Thursday covers possible effects on health from internal exposure from food containing radioactive substances. Based on the report, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will begin considering individual regulatory figures for foods.

It is likely the new limits will be stricter than interim limits, hurriedly implemented shortly after the crisis began at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Continue reading →

October 29, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan | Leave a comment

Japan ceases policy of promoting nuclear energy

Japan drops nuclear promotion, Today, Oct 29, 2011 TOKYO – Japan’s government abandoned its policy of promoting atomic power, saying it will reduce reliance on the sector in its first annual review of energy since the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Continue reading →

October 29, 2011 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

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