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TEPCO not paying up for radiation fallout cleanup in local municipalities

New! Worker has minor injury at Fukushima Nuclear site due to snow build up - Tepco reportTepco refusing to pay fallout-hit municipalities for most decontamination work, Japan Times, 30 Mar 15  Tokyo Electric Power Co. has only covered 2 percent of the ¥76.1 billion that municipalities have spent on decontamination work since the Fukushima nuclear crisis began in 2011, according to Environment Ministry officials.

Tepco, operator of the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, has effectively refused to cover the costs of removing tainted soil and other debris gathered by the fallout-hit governments, saying it is confirming whether such payments are required by law.

The central government has paid for the cleanup work on Tepco’s behalf, but if the utility continues to balk, more taxpayer money will be needed to cover the interest payments.

Tepco has so far basically paid for decontamination work conducted directly by the central government in areas close to the nuclear plant, but it has treated decontamination work carried out by local governments in other areas in a different manner………

Tepco posted its first pretax profit in three years in the business year ended in March 2014 after plunging into financial difficulties following the triple core meltdowns in March 2011.

The utility is projecting a group pretax profit of ¥227 billion for the business year ending Tuesday. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/30/national/tepco-refusing-pay-fallout-hit-municipalities-decontamination-work/#.VSIiYdyUcnk

April 6, 2015 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Japan forced to give USA nuclear corporations legal immunity, in order to get help with Fukushima cleanup

blackmailUS: Japan should accept liability to receive international help at Fukushima Daiichi  Enformable, Lucas W Hixson
Website 4 Nov 2013 As reported last week, United States Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz requested that Japan join a treaty called the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damages.  This treaty collects funds from participating nations to assist with payments for damages resulting from nuclear disasters.

What most mainstream media sources failed to relate, was that the treaty also assigns accident liability to the operators of the nuclear power plant, rather than the vendors which develop the technology or construct the equipment.

To receive help, the United States essentially told Japan that they would have to incur the losses and sign a treaty which would prevent them from seeking compensation from contracted companies, like those which built and constructed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and instead must satisfy itself only with seeking repayment from the operator, Tokyo Electric – who is facing bankruptcy and relies largely upon the Japanese government for funds to prevent a financial meltdown.  In the wording of the treaty, “the operator’s liability for nuclear damage shall be absolute”, and “the right to compensation for nuclear damage may be exercised only against the operator liable.”……..

Seeing as Tokyo Electric will be unable to pay back the money they owe in the near future, this means Japan must accept to largely handle the financial costs themselves, aside from the amount that they would receive from the international funds.

Readers may ask why Japan would accept this deal that obviously appears to be the short end of the stick.  Even if Japan were to attempt to seek compensation from the American companies that designed and constructed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, like General Electric, they are not guaranteed to get judgment in their favor.  By signing the treaty, Japan will receive some monetary compensation, and while it will likely be far less then they could seek as damages – it is more certain of a process then the legal system. http://enformable.com/2013/11/us-japan-accept-liability-receive-international-help-fukushima-daiichi/

April 6, 2015 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Deceptive push by Japan’s ruling Party to bring back dependence on nuclear power

Abe,-Shinzo-nukeflag-japanLDP stealthily seeking to raise nuclear energy dependence THE ASAHI SHIMBUN 3 Apr 15 The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is pushing a policy of heightening Japan’s dependence on nuclear energy but has buried this stance under a calculation trick.

An LDP research commission on energy issues on April 2 called on the central government to ensure that base-load electricity sources–nuclear energy, coal-fired thermal plants, hydroelectric and geothermal plants–account for about 60 percent of Japan’s energy needs in 2030.

The proposal does not mention any specific ratio for nuclear energy. But considering the difficulties in increasing the supply from the other base-load electricity sources, the dependence on nuclear power would have to rise to about 20 percent.

The proposal is expected to be presented to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as early as next week as the formal recommendation of the LDP. The central government wants to decide on the energy mix for Japan in 2030 and beyond by June.

The government’s designation of the base-load electricity sources means their costs for power generation are comparatively low and electricity can be produced around the clock.

In fiscal 2013, Japan depended on base-load electricity sources for about 40 percent of its power: 1 percent for nuclear energy; 30 percent for coal-fired thermal plants; and a combined 9 percent for hydroelectric and geothermal plants……..

The LDP panel’s proposal said, “Energy policy must serve to strengthen Abenomics.”

It pointed out that electricity rates increased after nuclear power plants went offline following the Fukushima nuclear crisis triggered by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

But to achieve that level of dependence on nuclear energy, nuclear plants would have to be operated beyond the current 40-year operating life set by the government or the government would have to approve the reconstruction or new construction of nuclear plants……..http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201504030042

April 4, 2015 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Increasing percentage of radioactive cesium in water in basement of Fukushima nuclear reactor 1

Author-Fukushima-diaryCs-134/137 density of Reactor 1 basement water continues to increase since last July, Fukushima Diary Iori Mochizuk1, 3 Apr 15  790,000,000Bq/m3 According to Tepco, Cs-134/137 density of contaminated water that is retained in the basement of Reactor 1 has been increasing since last July.

On 3/4/2015, Tepco published the latest data of Cesium-134/137 density of retained water in Reactor 1 turbine building.

This water is assumed to be the mixture of leaked coolant water and groundwater that keeps coming in from the outside of the crippled building.

The report reads Cs-134/137 density was 1,790,000,000 Bq/m3 from the sample taken on 1/28/2015.

It was 1,670,000,000 Bq/m3 in November, 1,470,000,000 Bq/m3 in September, 1,460,000,000 Bq/m3 in July, which shows it has been constantly increasing though they release data only every two months.

It is not identified what keeps making the contamination level higher for 7 months in water retained in Reactor 1 basement.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2014/images/tb_water_140730-j.pdf

http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2014/images/tb_water_140926-j.pdf

http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2014/images/tb_water_141128-j.pdf

http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2015/images/tb_water_150304-j.pdf

 

 

April 4, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015 | Leave a comment

TEPCO kept silent for a full year about massive radioactive waste leak at Fukushima

logo-TEPCOTEPCO under fire after hiding massive radioactive waste leak at Fukushima for a full year

Friday, April 03, 2015 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer (NaturalNews) A major bombshell has dropped concerning the failed cleanup efforts at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. The shuttered plant’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), has apparently been hiding for an entire year the fact that radioactive waste has been quietly pouring into the ocean from an onsite drainage ditch.

Sputnik News reports that TEPCO, which is also managing remediation efforts at the site (with guidance from the Japanese government), concealed from the public the fact that highly contaminated radioactive water has been flowing from the drainage ditch directly into the ocean. Local fishermen and others have since expressed outrage over the news.

“I don’t understand why you (TEPCO) kept silent about the leakage even though you knew about it,” stated Masakazu Yabuki, chief of the Iwaki fisheries cooperative, according to Sputnik. “Fishery operators are absolutely shocked.”

The news comes as TEPCO continues to sustain criticism over the way it’s handled cleanup efforts since the 2011 tsunami and earthquake took their toll. In recent months, TEPCO has been exposed for attempting to cover up the fact that U.S. Navy sailors were exposed to harmful radiation, as well as concealing true levels of radioactive waste releases into the Pacific Ocean.

And this latest revelation only reiterates TEPCO’s tarnished legacy, proving that the company can’t be trusted with adequately addressing the looming problems that are still present at Fukushima more than four years since the disaster occurred.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/049226_TEPCO_radioactive_waste_Fukushima.html##ixzz3WHznDNCB

April 4, 2015 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Plea for retired journalists to return and save Japans press freedoms in the face of censorship and control!

imageImage source ; http://www.stripes.com/news/legal-experts-worry-japan-s-secrecy-law-may-silence-journalists-1.257943

“Those journalists that used to stand by the side of someone crying,

now stand by those in power.”

Hidetoshi Kiyotake 2015

Summarised by Shaun McGee

Posted to Nuclear-news.net

posted 3 April 2015

Video Published on 2 Apr 2015 by the FCCJ

Featuring;

Minoru Tanaka: Investigative Journalist
Hidetoshi Kiyotake: Investigative Journalist and Author

Comments from the Chairman of the press committee
The reason for the Press freedom Award in Japan is because of the fact that in 2010 Japan was 11th in the rankings for press freedom according to Reporters Without Borders. Japan now has a position of 61st (just behind South Korea and far behind Croatia) out of 180 countries.

The State Secrets Act of 2013 makes nuclear power and relations with the USA taboo for journalists. Journalist freedoms are being eroded to stop embarrassing details from being made public. The governments and Corporations also have been directly influencing Broadcasters and Journalists.

Japanese Media are more fearful and are more wimpy than ever before.

For instance the story of the Education ministers links to the Yakuza has been grossly under reported and there are other scandals not reported also.

The Freedom of the Press Awards will be formally announced on the 3rd May 2015 (World Press Day)
There will be one Award for investigative journalism and another award for non journalism but have contributed to Freedom of information causes.
The prizes are to confer due recognition that is supportive of Open Society, Free Speech and democratic accountability.

Minora Tanaka(Investigative journalist also on the judging panel for the Award)
Tanaka San has been investigating a range of subjects over the years including issues surrounding the nuclear energy industry.
Tanaka San begins outlining a problem called SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) against journalists getting too near the truth and these defamation cases have had a chilling effect on journalism. Even if the case is withdrawn because it is a weak case it could be years before that happens and by then time , money and stress will have taken their toll.
Added to the fact that the imposition of the Orwellian State Secrets Act of 2013, Journalism in Japan is in dire straights.
Tanaka San finishes of his statement by exclaiming;
“I am Kenji” (In reference to the recently murdered journalist)

Hidetoshi Kiyotake (Investigative journalist and author)
Currently he has six lawsuits on the go and has 2 of them due in court next week (SLAPPs). Whilst not attending court Kiyotake San likes to do some journalism research and writing. He also leaves time for the freedom of the press issues also. He worked for the Yomuri Shimbun for many years as a financial analyst and has held managerial positions. In 2011 he was dismissed from his post and is now an independent journalist. He one a non fiction prize last year.
He quotes as an example his research into the Sony corporation where he reported on the use of “Isolation Rooms” being used as a punishment for employees.
He then goes onto say that reporting on government and corporate scandals and stories is getting harder and harder all the time, whilst the number of investigative journalists are going down.
It would appear that journalists have become numb to the big changes within these media corporations.
As an example he states that a story of 10,000 or 20,000 people being sacked is not a shock to them anymore.
There have been many job loses also in the media and that also would have been frowned on in the recent past in Japan.
Kiyotake San goes onto ask the question if Japan uses a managerial style that takes into account human dignity and long term perspective as it once did?
As an example he relates a story in the past where a Japanese CEO of Sony asks the CEO of GE on what might be the best managerial style. The CEO of GE announced that if a worker wakes up and is upbeat and positive about his oncoming work day than the right managerial style has been used.

“Those that used to stand by the side of someone crying now stand by those in power.”

Kiyotake San then went on to explain his hopes for the future.

He calls for retired investigative journalists to leave retirement and to come back to the job of reporting and to find some platform in the media or on the internet to publish their articles.

He also calls for working journalists to research topics and publish on other formats to increase competition and improve the quality of reporting and the oversight of government and corporations.

He finishes by asking journalists to not be content with being in a closed club but to go out and publish as independent journalists as well.

Questions and answers on the source video

UPDATE

Edited version by missmilkytheclown1 on YouTube for easy listening

April 3, 2015 Posted by | Japan, media | 4 Comments

Below Fukushima nuclear plant – pools of molten nuclear fuel

AP: Melted fuel may have “dropped even beyond” the bottom of Fukushima plant — ‘China Syndrome’ predicted by US gov’t analysis — IAEA Expert: Pools of corium beneath reactors are up to 2 stories high (VIDEO)http://enenews.com/ap-melted-fuel-could-dropped-beyond-bottom-fukushima-plant-iaea-expert-pools-corium-could-be-taller-2-story-house-video?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

AP, Mar 27, 2015 (emphasis added): [It] was billed as a way to decipher where, exactly, the morass of nuclear fuel might sit at the bottom of reactors… But what went wrong, even in a simple demonstration for reporters… was a sobering reminder of the enormous challenges that lie ahead… a programming glitch could not be fixed in time for Friday’s demonstration… No one knows where the molten fuel debris lies, and in what shape or state. [TEPCO] has said itlikely sank to the bottom of the plantBut the fuel could have dropped even beyond. Tadashi Yotsuyanagi, an official in charge of the muon project at Toshiba… acknowledged the technology will not be able to get the complete image toward the bottom of the reactor… David Ireland, a professor who heads the Nuclear Physics Group at the University of Glasgow, said muons may be the only way to probe inside atomic reactors. “There are not really any other noninvasive options that will allow inspection,” he said in an email.

The Japan Times published the AP report above, however one sentence was altered. Tepco has said it likely sank to the bottom of the plant. But the fuel could have dropped even beyond” vs. “But the fuel could possibly have escaped even beyond the containment facility to the outside environment.”

IAEA technical meeting Managing the Unexpected, Harri Tuomisto, Sr. Nuclear Safety Officer at Finland’s Fortum Power, 2012:

  • Part 4: “If the cooling is not successful, it means the corium melts through the vessel… When this massive amount of corium enters into the containment zone, there are very, very many different energetic consequences… Interaction of molten core and concrete starts… concrete is eroding, and this eroding of concrete, for a long time it was known as China Syndrome.”
  • Part 5: “The corium will be in 3 parts, there is a solid crust formation in the bottom of the pool, then there’s a pool of oxidic materials… The metals and oxides are not soluble with each other and the metals will be separated… which is bad news in the sense that theheat transfer to the vessel is much higher, and it’s much more difficult to guarantee the integrity of the [containment] vessel in that case.”
  • Part 6: “Molten corium on the containment floor, it’s eroding the concrete and going partially downward. Actually it will never go to China, because it also erodes sideways… The final size of the pooling maximum case is 10 to 15 meters in diameter, and 6-7 meters [20-23 ft or 2 stories] deep — or even deeper.”
  • Part 9: “There are quite many challenges… There are different energetic phenomenon… which can lead to different combustions… accelerating flames, or even detonations — which can cause a very high pressure in the containment and even break the containment… Then there’s this China Syndrome — attack of containment liner by corium — which can also bypass containment.” (See US gov’t analysis: Fukushima containment breached due to “failure of the drywell liner by melt-attack“)
  • Slides 3-4: If corium melts through the vessel, there are various energetic consequences caused by ejected high-temperature molten corium… Molten corium on the containment basemat initiates core-concrete interaction that releases aerosols and non-condensible gases to containment atmosphere and erodes the concrete (‘China syndrome‘)

Watch the IAEA presentation here

April 1, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015 | 1 Comment

Japan’s PM pretended that Fukushima disaster was ‘under control’ – in order to get 2020 Olympic Games

logo-Tokyo-OlympicsJP PM Abe “My saying Under-control was only to reassure the world to let Japan host 2020 Olympics”  http://fukushima-diary.com/2015/03/jp-pm-abe-my-saying-under-control-was-only-to-reassure-the-world-to-let-japan-host-2020-olympics/  Following up these article..

Tepco inquired JP Gov about PM Abe’s statement to IOC “Contaminated water is entirely blocked” [URL 1]

[Column] How JP Prime Minister Abe lied to IOC about sea contamination [URL 2]

The Prime Minister of Japan, Abe stated he only wanted to “improve the atmosphere” by commenting “contaminated water situation is under control”.

In the summer of 2013, Abe stated to IOC that contaminated water problem is under control and it is entirely blocked within the 0.3 km2 area of Fukushima nuclear plant.

However in the House of Councilors of 3/3/2014, Abe was stating that there internationally was a political atmosphere that if Japan is not capable of settling contaminated water problems, it should not be allowed to host 2020 Olympics.

Abe added, it was his responsibility to remove such an atmosphere by saying the situation is under control, which does not mean more than he is in charge of reviewing the contaminated water situation.

http://kokkai.ndl.go.jp/SENTAKU/sangiin/186/0014/18603030014005.pdf

http://kokkai.ndl.go.jp/cgi-bin/KENSAKU/swk_list.cgi?SESSION=51337&SAVED_RID=1&MODE=1&DTOTAL=1&DMY=51361

April 1, 2015 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Brave Japanese bureaucrat speaks out for reform of energy policy

Japan’s Lonely Brave Bureaucrat Speaks Out on TV Asahi Nuclear Free by 2045? 31 Mar 15 A former high level bureaucrat in the Japanese Ministry of Trade was one of the few public officials to bravely speak up for radical change in the wake of the earthquake-tsunami-meltdown catastrophe. The Economistwas one of the first in the English language media to report on Shigeaki Koga’s radical proposals for reform of national energy policy. In September 2011, The Economist reported his views:

“I believe this is the final chance for Japan to change,” Mr. Koga said in May, when I asked him during a wide-ranging interview why he was speaking out. “If I shut my mouth and obtain a good post in the ministry—even if I did that, in a few years Japan’s economy would plunge,” he said. “That is why I am taking on risks, and I don’t care if I have to resign. Because if I don’t speak out, Japan will not change. It is meaningless for me to be in the government if I cannot advocate reform.”
Since this time he has been shut out of meaningful participation in reform, but he has been a regular guest commentator on news programs. He has been a regular on TV Asahi’s evening news programHodo Station, but things took a bad turn in January, when, taking inspiration from the “Je suis Charlie” frenzy, he held up a placard during the broadcast stating “I’m not Abe.”
At a press conference afterwards at the Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club, Mr. Koga explained the way he was being excluded from further appearances on Hodo Station:
(Reporter) Mr. Koga, just to follow up on this because your case may be very important for the future of Japan. Could you tell us if you are officially and publicly being “sacked” from your job?……….
Shigeaki Koga may be banished from certain media outlets for the time being, but I have a feeling we haven’t heard the last of him.

UPDATES: 

MARCH 30, 2015: The Japan Times reported on the controversial broadcast a few days afterwards: Ex-bureaucrat blasts Abe on news program.

MARCH 29, 2015: Asahi Shimbun reported on the controversial broadcast the day after I wrote the above: Abe critic claims on air he was axed from TV program at behest of management.


Sources:
The GoodBureaucrat.” The Economist. September 14, 2011.
Japanese Perspective, February 27, 2015

April 1, 2015 Posted by | civil liberties, Japan | Leave a comment

200 years before Japan can hope to clean up Fukushima

Japan faces 200-year wait for Fukushima clean-up The chief of the Fukushima nuclear power station has admitted that the technology needed to decommission three melted-down reactors does not exist, and he has no idea how it will be developed.

In a stark reminder of the challenge facing the Japanese authorities, Akira Ono conceded that the stated goal of decommissioning the plant by 2051 may be impossible without a giant technological leap. … (subscribers only) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article4394978.ece

April 1, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2014 | Leave a comment

Japan’s ‘nuclear village’ is back in control

The corruption and collusion of Japan’s nuclear village led to numerous accidents before the Fukushima disaster.

And the corruption and collusion of Japan’s nuclear village was a root cause of the Fukushima disaster itself. On that point the Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission could not have been blunter: “The accident was the result of collusion between the government, the regulators and TEPCO, and the lack of governance by said parties.”

A big part of the post-Fukushima spin is that lessons were learned from the nuclear disaster and improvements made. But the real lesson from this saga is that the nuclear industry – in Japan at least – has learned nothing from its catastrophic mistakes.

As Yotaro Hatamura says, an accident will surely happen again.

nuclear-village-

After Fukushima: Japan’s ‘nuclear village’ is back in chargeEcologist Jim Green28th March 2015 Public opposition to nuclear power in Japan remains strong, writes Jim Green, but piece by piece, Shinzo Abe’s right-wing government has been putting the country’s infamous ‘nuclear village’ back in control – boosted by draconian press censorship laws, massive interest-free loans, and a determination to forget all the ‘lessons’ of Fukushima. Is another big accident inevitable?

Public opposition to reactor restarts (and the nuclear industry more generally) continues to exert some influence in Japan.

Five to seven of the oldest of Japan’s 48 ‘operable’ reactors are likely to be sacrificed to dampen opposition to the restart of other reactors, and local opposition may result in the permanent shut down of some other reactors.

Currently, all 48 of Japan’s ‘operable’ reactors are shut down – and the six reactors at Fukushima Daiichi have been written off.

However, slowly but surely, the corrupt and collusive practices that led to the Fukushima disaster are re-emerging. The ‘nuclear village’ is back in control……..

The Basic Energy Plan approved by Cabinet in April 2014 contains nothing more than a meaningless nod to widespread public anti-nuclear sentiment, stating that dependence on nuclear energy will be reduced ‘to the extent possible’.

Junko Edahiro, chief executive of Japan for Sustainability and one of the people removed from the energy policy advisory committee, noted in November 2014: Continue reading

March 30, 2015 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Plutonium-241 from Fukushima nearly 70,000 times more than atomic bomb fallout in Japan.

exclamation-Fukushima: Uranium and Plutonium Contamination of Large Areas of Oceans, Ground-water, Soils.By Edmondo Burr Global Research, March 29, 2015 Your News Wire   Scientists have raised concern over the rate of radioactive contamination of the Pacific, due to the Fukushima nuclear accident.

  • Expert : Plutonium-241 from Fukushima nearly 70,000 times more than atomic bomb fallout in Japan.
  • Officials : Molten fuel now ‘particle-like’, contains ‘special’ nuclear materials.
  • Gov’t Labs : Large areas of oceans contaminated by plutonium from events such as Fukushima; Build-up in biosphere expected; Considerable hazard to humans.

Energy News statement :

Detection of long-lived plutonium isotopes in environmental samples by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) — Plutonium isotopes 239Pu, 240Pu and 242Pu are anthropogenic radionuclides emitted into the environment by nuclear activities. Pu is accumulated in the human body and hence, poses a considerable hazard to human health. Due to the long half-lives, these isotopes are present in the biosphere on large time scales and a build-up can be expected. Therefore it is important to study the contamination pathway of Pu into the drinking water… a method to detect long-lived Pu isotopes by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is being developed. AMS requires only few milligrams of sample material… Consequently, more samples from different locations can be taken which is essential when searching for locally increased Pu concentrations as in the Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima accident… Samples from different locations in the Pacific Ocean and from the snow-hydrosphere are planned…

Statement by: Taeko Shinonaga, head of Radioanalytical Laboratory at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen (research institution founded jointly by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education & Research and Bavaria’s Finance Ministry), scientists from Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany), Verhandlungen der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft 2013 meeting (emphasis added)

Presentation by: Taeko Shinonaga, head of Helmholtz radioanalytical lab (pdf), Nov 2014: Comparison of activity between [nuclear bomb testing] fallout Pu particle and Fukushima origin Pu particle:…..http://www.globalresearch.ca/fukushima-uranium-and-plutonium-contamination-of-large-areas-of-oceans-ground-water-soils/5439271

March 30, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015, oceans | Leave a comment

How Japan’s government financially props up TEPCO nuclear company

New! Worker has minor injury at Fukushima Nuclear site due to snow build up - Tepco reportAfter Fukushima: Japan’s ‘nuclear village’ is back in charge, Ecologist Jim Green28th March 2015 “…….Many have called for TEPCO to be nationalised, or broken up into separate companies, but the LDP government has protected and supported the company. The government has also greatly increased financial support for TEPCO.

For example in January 2014 the government approved an increase in the ceiling for interest-free loans the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund is allowed to give TEPCO, from 5 trillion yen to 9 trillion yen (€39.0-70.2 billion)

The government will also cover some of the costs for dealing with the Fukushima accident which TEPCO was previously required to pay, such as an estimated 1.1 trillion yen (€8.6 billion) for interim storage facilities for waste from clean-up activities outside the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

The government has also amended the Electricity Business Act to extend the period for collecting decommissioning funds from electricity rates by up to 10 years after nuclear plants are shut down. The amendments also allow TEPCO to include in electricity rates depreciation costs for additional equipment purchased for the decommissioning of the Fukushima plant………http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2810545/after_fukushima_japans_nuclear_village_is_back_in_charge.html

March 30, 2015 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

35-ton piece of machinery debris impedes gate at Fukushima No 1 nuclear reactor

Setback at Fukushima No. 1 plant threatens reactor 3 rod removal Tokyo Electric Power Co. has disclosed that a 35-ton piece of machinery debris might be resting on the inner gate of the spent fuel pool for reactor 3 of the Fukushima No. 1 power plant and that the gate is slightly out of position.

Tepco said Thursday that a fuel-handling machine dislodged during the March 2011 quake, tsunami and meltdown-triggered hydrogen explosions is touching one of two gates that stand between the pool and the reactor containment vessel……http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/27/national/debris-poses-risk-spent-fuel-pool-gate-fukushima-1s-reactor-3-tepco/#.VRiPYPyUcnk

 

March 30, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015 | Leave a comment

It didn’t work: Toshiba’s state of the art technology to find Fukushima nuclear cores

Cutting-edge tech to scan Fukushima for nuclear fuel flops in front of reporters, Rt.com March 27, 2015 A presentation of state-of-the-art technology aimed to show the location of nuclear fuel molten debris at the crippled Fukushima plant in Japan ended in a flop, raising concerns about the $5 million project.

Fukushima operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) tasked Japanese tech giant Toshiba to come up with a solution after the nuclear plant was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

After four years of research, Toshiba has developed a technology, which relies on muons in finding the nuclear fuel’s location.

Those tiny cosmic-ray subatomic particles are capable of going through almost anything except for the heavy elements like uranium and plutonium used for nuclear fuel.

The company plans to erect two tall walls right next to each reactor to shoot out muons through them to create an image of what’s inside – similar to medical X-rays.

Previously, the muons have been successfully used to scan volcanoes, ship’s cargoes and even the Egyptian pyramids.

But the technology’s presentation Friday turned into an epic fail as a programming glitch, which wasn’t fixed in time, prevented it from displaying any images of muons at all…….http://rt.com/news/244717-fukushima-muons-scan-toshiba/

March 30, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015 | Leave a comment