Japan’s nuclear agreement with Turkey contradicts Japan’s policy on nuclear weapons proliferation
Japan’s energy pact with Turkey raises nuclear weapons concerns Asahi Shimbun, This article was compiled from reports by Sachiko Miwa in Tokyo and Kazuyuki Kanai in Istanbul., 7 Jan 14, A pact required for Japan’s first nuclear plant export after the Fukushima disaster faces opposition over concerns about a possible proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Debate over the issue is expected when the government seeks Diet approval for the nuclear energy agreement with Turkey during a session that convenes this month. Japan and Turkey agreed to conclude the nuclear energy pact, a precondition for exporting nuclear technology, in May. It requires the recipient country to use technology, as well as equipment and materials, only for peaceful purposes.
However, the pact includes a provision allowing Turkey to enrich uranium and extract plutonium, a potential material for nuclear weapons, from spent fuel if the two countries agree in writing. A senior Foreign Ministry official said the clause was added at the request of Turkey.
The agreement would also pave the way for exporting Japan’s enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing technologies if revisions are made.
The provision has sparked criticism that it contradicts Japan’s stance against nuclear weapons. Continue reading
Cause of steam from Fukushima reactor 3 – corium burning through containment?
Nuclear Chemistry Expert: Steam at Fukushima reactor could be from corium burning through containment into groundwater http://enenews.com/nuclear-chemistry-expert-steam-at-unit-3-could-be-from-corium-burning-throug-containment-into-underlying-groundwater
| Judy Haar, former nuclear industry worker with a master’s degree in nuclear chemistry, Jan. 6, 2014: […]the story continues to linger, and the speculations have not stopped. […] With a high potential of fear-mongering, just the facts, please. […] First noticed in July, 2013, the plant, [Fukushima Daiichi] Reactor 3, suddenly started releasing steam. […] TEPCO […] hypothesized it was caused by rain waters seeping into the reactors damaged containment vessel which hit thermal hot spots […] On December 19, 24, 25, and 27, Reactor 3 started releasing steam, again. […] this is a strong indicator of the fragile state the site is in […] Reactor 3 ran on a mix of uranium and uranium/plutonium mixed fuel […] which experienced a complete meltdown. We don’t know for sure at this time, but the corium could have burned its way through the reactor vessel due to extreme heat, thus reaching the underlying ground water and producing steam. […] |
In the months after 3/11, Haar concluded, “The Answer is Clear: Nuclear Power is Safe — The three major reactor accidents have shown the industry that even among the worst accidents, few and far between, there is little loss of life, as compared to other fuels.”
And it appears Tepco won’t be the only company in the area emitting plumes related to hot radioactive material — NHK WORLD, Jan. 6, 2014: Nuclear waste incinerator to be built in Ibaraki […] The personnel of JCO, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Metal Mining, began constructing an incinerator to dispose of low-level radioactive substances at its plant in Tokai Village, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Monday. The firm lost its business license for such processing after 2 workers died of radiation poisoning during the disposal process in September, 1999. More than 660 others in and around the plant, including residents, were exposed to radiation. […] The firm is hoping to begin using the incinerator in November […] Used work clothes and documents are among the item to be treated. […] The firm’s officials say the facility’s air-filtering system will prevent any radioactive substances from leaking outside. […]
India’s nuclear capable missiles and submarines program
India test-fires nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missileRajat Pandit,TNN | Jan 7, 2014, NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday morning test-fired its nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile, which has a strike range of 350-km, from the integrated test range at Chandipur off the Odisha coast as part of “a scenario-based live launch training exercise”. ……
Rebellious Fukushima farmer who cares about his cows
ABC News: Gov’t, scientists ‘baffled’ over white spots on cows around Fukushima plant — Farmer: No one knows what they are, I think it’s from radiation; “Our town’s contaminated like Chernobyl… We were just thrown away like trash” — Officials order the animals to be slaughtered (VIDEOS) http://enenews.com/abc-news-govt-baffled-over-white-spots-on-cows-around-fukushima-plant-farmer-no-one-knows-what-they-are-i-think-its-from-radiation-our-towns-contaminated-like-chernobyl-we-were-j
ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Jan. 4, 2014 (Emphasis Added):
Mark Willacy, ABC News (Australia) correspondent: He calls himself […] the leader of the Fukushima nuclear resistance movement […]
Masami Yoshizawa, ‘Ranch of Hope’ 14 km from Fukushima Daiichi: I won’t obey what the government says, because we were betrayed. Our community was destroyed by the nuclear disaster. […]
What we saw and heard in Fukushima, “The Ranch of Hope”, Namie
Willacy: A radiation decontamination team arrives […] Yoshizawa has defied a government order to slaughter his cows.
Yoshizawa: Instead of being slaughtered, these cattle should be used to study the long-term effects of radiation. Killing them is destroying evidence. […]
Willacy: Scientists have descended on his property, saying it is important his herd is studied. […] Some of Yoshizawa’s cattle have developed white spots. The ministry of agriculture has begun an investigation, but so far everyone is baffled.
Yoshizawa: “I showed these spots to many vets who came to my farm. But none of them knows what they are. I think it’s the result of radiation.” […]
Masami Yoshizawa in Tokyo last May, published Dec. 26, 2013 13 (at 5:30 in): Our town is over. The end. It is like Chernobyl. […] Our town has been contaminated like Chernobyl. […] Our lives are totally destroyed. How depressed we are! So sad and empty. […] We were just thrown away like the trash. […] With all the rest of my life, I would like to fight against TEPCO and the government.
Anti-nuclear power law sought by community for Shimane Prefecture
Citizens seek nuclear-free Shimane http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/01/06/national/citizens-seek-nuclear-free-shimane/#.UsweM9JDt9U BY ERIC JOHNSTON STAFF WRITER Shimane Prefecture citizens seeking to enact a local ordinance that would phase out nuclear power and develop renewable energy sources have collected more than 92,000 signatures of support from registered voters, well over the minimum needed to force the governor to introduce the ordinance to the prefectural assembly.
The latest move is part of a series of attempts by citizens’ groups around the nation to pass anti-nuclear power ordinances, none of which has succeeded so far.
Kenji Nanki, a spokesman for the group pushing for the ordinance, said local governments are checking the signatures against their voter registration lists but will present them to Shimane Gov. Zenbei Mizoguchi in early February. The governor is then expected to bring the issue to the assembly.
The ordinance calls on Shimane to establish a plan of action for getting out of nuclear power by an unspecified date, to up the use of natural and renewable energy sources, and to establish a committee to develop a concrete policy for that purpose.Chugoku Electric Power Co.’s Shimane nuclear plant, in Matsue, has two reactors. About 469,000 people in Shimane and Tottori prefectures live within 30 km of the plant. Last month, Chugoku Electric formally asked the Nuclear Regulation Authority to inspect reactor 2 to determine whether it meets new safety standards established last year.
Reactor 2 was built in 1989, making it one of Japan’s newer reactors. Shimane’s reactor 1, on the other hand, turns 40 years old this year and its future is uncertain.
“Solar sharing”= agriculture and sunshine, brings new prosperity to Fukushima farmers
Renewable village offers lifeline to Fukushima farmers New Scientist. 06 January 2014 by Rob Gilhool It seems the most unlikely place to try to put a utopian blueprint into practice. Yet a patch of land in Fukushima, the Japanese prefecture contaminated by nuclear fallout in 2011, holds the foundations of a model village of the future.
The prefecture was affected by the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011. Now construction has started on a community-run project in the coastal city of Minamisoma to reuse farmland contaminated by fallout. About two-thirds of the city’s farmland lies within the nuclear evacuation zone.
So far the Renewable Energy Village (REV) boasts 120 photovoltaic panels, generating 30 kilowatts of power which is sold to a local utility. Plans are afoot to put wind turbines on some of the land. Recreational and educational facilities as well as an astronomical observatory will also be built if further funding can be secured.
Solar sharing Central to the project is what the Japanese call “solar sharing” – growing crops beneath raised solar panels. One crop that has already been planted, namely rapeseed, was chosen, say project organisers, because its oil is free of contaminants even though the plants themselves take in some radioisotopes such as those of caesium. Generous feed-in tariffs set by the government support the project……..http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24816-renewable-village-offers-lifeline-to-fukushima-farmers.html#.UsyZe9JDuik
Steam from Fukushima nuclear reactor no.3 is still an important matter
Nuclear Expert: Why Steam From Reactor 3 at Fukushima Matters nsnbc International, Susanne Posel (OC) 5 Jan 14– In September of 2013, steam was observed coming from Reactor 3. The average temperature in Fukushima was 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) during the daytime high. Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (CCNR) spoke about the steam and warned that it could be indicative of an under-reported problem. Edwards explained that “nobody quite understands what’s going on . . . in fact there’s been several incidents of steam escaping.”…….
On 17 December 2013, TEPCO began to “remove fuel assemblies from the Reactor 3 Spent Fuel Pool, (and began with the) removal of large-size debris in the Spent Fuel Pool”. Not long after TEPCO began this operation, steam once again began to emanate from Reactor 3.
Since 24 December 2013, reports, directly from TEPCO’s website, have confirmed that steam has been emanating from Rector 3. The daytime high temperature during the 3 days in question was 6 degrees Celsius or43 degrees Fahrenheit.
Over the course of 3 days, reports continued, claiming that no “abnormal plant conditions” have been identified at Rector 3, where the steam has been observed via a camera.
A recent commentary on the steam rising from Rector 3, claims that because it is currently winter in “much of the northern hemisphere” that the steam is simply “hot water vapor [being] released daily”, from the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant.
Under normal conditions, with temperature differences between the environment and the nuclear plant, this explanation would make sense. Although the steam, rising from Reactor 3, is undeniably more visible during the winter months, it is certainly not just ordinary “hot water vapor” as some media outlets may suggest.
Indeed, the winter weather water vapor theory does not account for TEPCO surveillance cameras recording steam rising from Reactor 3 in the middle of summer, as was shown in this video.
The specific elements contained within the steam should be the focal point of discussion in terms of properly appreciating the potential consequences yet to manifest at Reactor 3.
In 2011, at Reactor 3, the water in the reactor vessel evaporated. Fuel became uncovered, and heated up to a temperature of 2,300 degrees Celsius. It mixed with the materials of the structure to form magma called Corium.
The Corium flowed down to the bottom of the reactor vessel, which is made of steel. According to Japanese investigators, the Corium pierced the reactor vessel before falling on the concrete basement inside the containment.
Questions about how much erosion to the concrete has occurred because of the Corium still remain unanswered. The steam emanating from Reactor 3 is most assuredly radioactive. In fact, TEPCO lied at first about Corium melting through concrete and steel casings.
The Institute of Applied Energy (IAE) pointed out that, at least in Reactor 1, the Corium did indeed melt through the barriers, causing the vessel to “tilt”.
Reactor 3 could be showing sings that Corium may be the cause of a possible future disaster if the Corium comes into contact with radioactive water, causing a violent reaction such as a steam explosion…….. http://nsnbc.me/2014/01/04/nuclear-expert-steam-reactor-3-fukushima-matters/
Fukushima nuclear reactor No 3 gives off new plumes of steam
Plumes of Mysterious Steam rise from Crippled Fukushima Nuclear Reactor By Russia Today
Global Research, January 03, 2014 Fresh plumes of most probably radioactive steam have been detected rising from the reactor 3 building at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, said the facility’s operator company.
The steam has been detected by surveillance cameras and appeared to be coming from the fifth floor of the mostly-destroyed building housing crippled reactor 3, according to Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), the plant’s operator.
The steam was first spotted on December 19 for a short period of time, then again on December 24, 25, 27, according to a report TEPCO published on its website.
The company, responsible for the cleanup of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, has not explained the source of the steam or the reason it is rising from the reactor building. High levels of radiation have complicated entry into the building and further inspection of the situation…….
Secret agreement between Fukushima Govt. Fukushima Medical University and IAEA
Fukushima Govt. & Fukushima Medical University Signed Secrecy Pact With IAEA fukuleaks.org January 1st, 2014 Tokyo Shimbun is reporting the results of their investigation into the dealings of the Fukushima prefecture government, the medical university and the IAEA. There has been
ongoing suspicion about the openness and honesty of what has been ongoing in Japan. Tokyo Shimbun has confirmed that these government entities did sign a secrecy agreement with the IAEA. The Fukushima Medical University has been the main source of all public data on exposure and had been dictating what medical care many in the region were allowed to receive related to radiation issues.
Both the prefecture and the medical university have been the subject of growing distrust from the public due to their efforts to downplay problems and withhold information from the public. Tokyo Shimbun’s work has confirmed this problem to be the case. A machine translation of the article is below.
………The Memorandum of Understanding with the IAEA, in December last year, Fukushima Prefecture were signed respectively in October this year, Fukui Prefecture.
In Fukushima Prefecture, Prefectural University of Medicine has concluded with the IAEA for the health impact study prefecture, radiation for the management of radioactive waste and decontamination. There are “exemplary arrangements” document as detailed MOU provisions marked to be “to ensure the confidentiality of information designated as confidential by the other party” is included in the document……..http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/?p=11993
Japan quietly removing debris from Reactor 3 Spent Fuel Pool at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
Fukushima I NPP Reactor 3: Debris Removal from Spent Fuel Pool Has Started JANUARY 1, 2014 There were a few news outlets in late November and early December last year that reported TEPCO would start removing the debris from the Reactor 3 Spent Fuel Pool at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in mid December. Hardly anyone paid attention. (No one probably thought it was possible.) Then there was no news of it actually starting.
Well, news or not, the work started on December 17, 2013. That information was shared at the meeting on December 26, 2013 on “Roadmap to Decommissioning”, which was available via live feed on the net. However, unless you are one of the dwindling number of reporters and net citizens who continue to follow the accident by attending/watching such meetings, you wouldn’t know……..(excellent graphics)…
Kyodo also reports that two cranes will be used, and up to 11 monitoring cameras will be used. All the work will be done by remote-controlled vehicles and equipment. No information whether the human workers are to be posted near the work for further safety monitoring.
All of the MOX fuel that TEPCO had at the plant was in the reactor itself at the time of the accident. http://ex-skf.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/fukushima-i-npp-reactor-3-debris.html
Keeping the lid on Fukushima information: the reason for Japan’s new Secrecy laws
t cannot be overly emphasized that the law undermines freedom of the press, people’s right to know and freedom of expression
Japan & the Truth About Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station Armstrong Economics, January 2, 2014 by Martin Armstrong, I have received a many requests about Japan and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station disaster. I have many friends there and it deeply concerns me that the failure of the government to seal that site like the Russians did is threatening the world and Japan itself.
The reports of radiation hitting the West Coast of the USA are alarming and the debris that has been floating toward the USA is another issue unreported. However, the great concern is the secrecy laws imposed in Japan. Governments do not imprison people for criticizing officials unless there is really something they are trying to suppress. This in itself seems to be confirmation of our worst fears.
A Source from Japan Writes: Continue reading
Indefinite delay for restart of Japan’s idled nuclear reactors
Restart of nuclear facilities and policy for nuclear waste disposal in Japan unlikely to be settled soon http://enformable.com/2014/01/restart-nuclear-facilities-policy-nuclear-waste-disposal-japan-unlikely-settled-soon/ In Japan, utilities are working to restart idled nuclear power plants across the nation and regain public support post-Fukushima. The Nuclear Regulation Authority, a newly established regulator, set new safety standards in July of 2013 which call for greater preparedness in regards to severe accidents, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
So far, 7 utilities have applied for regulatory officials to conduct safety screenings required to restart 9 plants. Officials still say that none of the plants are ready to restart because utilities have not adequately revised their estimations of potential earthquake activities.
This week, Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority told reporters that there was no time limit on how long the safety screening process might take.
Even if operators are able to pass safety screens, they still need to obtain consent from local governments before the reactors can be restarted.
The task will not be easy in a nation which before the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster had very little experience with management of severe accidents. The challenge is even greater considering the fact that the most experienced members of the workforce are aging and the new workforce has little to no prior experience with nuclear power.
As a nation Japan still has to revise a basic policy for the long-term disposal of nuclear waste. While government plans call for storage in deep underground repositories, experts caution that finding such locations in Japan will be difficult due to the seismicity of the area and lack of public trust. So far, no municipalities have come forward with any candidate sites.
Steam from Fukushima reactor No. 3 is not due to explosion, but to hot radioactive rubble
Gundersen: Very visible steam at Fukushima Unit 3 is from constant radioactive releases — Coming from hot rubble, not related to new explosion http://enenews.com/gundersen-very-visible-steam-releases-at-fukushima-unit-3-are-radioactive-coming-from-hot-rubble-not-new-meltdown-or-explosion
Fairewinds Energy Education, , Jan. 1, 2014: […] the Internet has been flooded with conjecture claiming that Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 is ready to explode. Fairewinds Energy Education has been inundated with questions about the very visible steam emanating from Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3. […] Hot water vapor has been released daily by each of the four Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants since the accident. We believe that is one of the reasons TEPCO placed covers over Daiichi 4 and 1. […] radioactive rubble (fission products) was left in each unit […] heat from this ongoing decay of radioactive rubble is constantly releasing moisture (steam) and radioactive products into the environment. […] [Unit 3] is still producing slightly less than 1 megawatt (one million watts) of decay heat […] it is creating radioactive steam […] hot radioactive releases […] have occurring [sic] for the entire 33 months […] The difference now is that the only time we visibly notice these ongoing releases is on the cold days […]
The Ecologist reported on this unsubstantiated rumor which was then used as a source by ‘Gizmodo. The Ecologist has now changed their original report without any notice or explanation.Here’s the original ending: “The Turner Radio Network is advising people on the West Coast of North America to”prepare for the worst” in case a meltdown of the waste fuel is in fact commencing. No official warnings have been released on either side of the Pacific.”
Fukushima nuclear reactor No 3 could be melting down now, TEPCO admits
TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW nsnbc International Susanne Posel (OC) , 30 Dec 13, – The Turner Radio Network (TRN) has issued a report regarding the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plantstating that it is expected to affect the entire Northern Hemisphere.
According to the report: “Persons residing on the west coast of North America should IMMEDIATELY begin preparing for another possible onslaught of dangerous atmospheric radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site in Japan.”
TEPCO has confirmed via camera surveillance, that steam has begun to pour from Reactor 3, although they have “not been identified abnormal plant conditions.”
TEPCO is reporting that “radioactive steam has suddenly begun emanating from the previously exploded nuclear reactor building #3 at the Fukuishima disaster site in Japan.”
The corporation is not clear on the details of the sudden change at Reactor 3 because of “lethal radiation levels in that building.”
Summations from experts conclude that this may “be the beginning of a ‘spent fuel pool criticality (melt down)’ involving up to 89 TONS of nuclear fuel burning up into the atmosphere and heading to North America.” Steam has been viewed coming from Reactor 3.
Educated guesses suggest that the steam is “coming from what’s left of the fifth floor of the mostly-destroyed building.”
TEPCO has admitted that “they do not know why this steam is being generated, but matter-of-factly revealed on December 28 that the steam was first spotted on December 19 for a short period of time, then again on December 24 and again on December 25.”
The accord is that “pellets of radioactive fuel, ejected when the reactor exploded, went into the spent fuel pool located above the reactor and have begun melting down so seriously that they are boiling off the water in the spent fuel pool.”
Should this be the case “the situation could escalate rapidly out of control.”
TRN is warning of preparatory measures that should be taken by those living on the West Coast of America because after the “releasing 89 tons of deadly radioactive fuel directly into the air”, it would be a matter or 2 to 3 days before the deadly material would fry North America “by [the] levels of airborne radiation and ‘hot particles’ which could kill………http://nsnbc.me/2013/12/30/tepco-quietly-admits-reactor-3-melting-now/
Mystery of steam rising from Fukushima nuclear reactor No 3
Mystery Steam Over Fukushima Could Be Sign Of Another Meltdown http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/01/radioactive-mystery-steam-over-fukushima-could-mean-another-meltdown/ ASHLEY FEINBERG 2 Jan 14, The newest update in the highly disconcerting series of devastating failures that is the Fukushima cleanup effort is troubling to say the least. Tepco has confirmed that (unexplained) plumes of steam have been rising from the mangled remains of Reactor Building 3. In other words, there’s a chance Fukushima could be in the middle of another meltdown.
The thing is no one has been able to find out the exact cause of the rising, mysterious radioactive steam because the combination of physical damage and, more importantly, lethal radiation levels have made investigating the reactor impossible. Tepco has known that a followup meltdown was a severe possibility though. The Reactor 3 fuel storage pond is still home to about 80 tonnes of plutonium-based mixed-oxide fuel according to the The Ecologist, and should that fuel storage pond dry out, the highly radioactive rods will melt down with devastating results.
Still, there are two other slightly less severe possibilities outlined by The Ecologist. First, the molten fuel could have burnt its way through the base and into the soil below, producing steam as it comes into contact with groundwater (while simultaneously releasing radioactive contaminants into the ocean). Second, reactor rod fragments could have come into contact with rainwater, producing extreme amounts of heat and, consequently, steam. As The Ecologist notes, “Of the three choices this is probably the least serious.”
While some of the possible outcomes might be better than others, nothing we’re facing is exactly ideal. But of course, that seems to be the recurring theme for Tepco’s efforts at containing the Fukushima disaster. Why change now. [Tepco viaThe Ecologist via Fark]
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19 May – Webinar No To Nuclear: Why Nuclear Power Destroys Lives, Derails Climate Progress and Provokes War
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