Japan postpones the perilous start to removing nuclear fuel rods from Fukushima reactor no.4
Postponed: Fuel removal attempt at Fukushima Unit 4 delayed, possibly for weeks — Gov’t safety agency wants tests conducted, as another ~M5 quake hits Eastern Japan http://enenews.com/postponed-fuel-removal-attempt-at-fukushima-unit-4-delayed-possibly-for-weeks-govt-safety-agency-wants-tests-conducted
The Japan Times, Nov 4, 2013: Tepco to conduct fuel removal test at reactor 4 […] Tokyo Electric Power Co. will conduct a fuel removal test at the No. 4 reactor building of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 power plant, delaying the start of the actual operation by up to two weeks, sources close to the matter said Monday. […]
The test was requested by the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization. […] It has also urged Tepco to have its work evaluated by a group of Japanese and overseas experts formed by the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning, a Tokyo-based organization founded by Japanese government agencies, nuclear facility manufacturers and electric power companies.
Kyodo News,, Nov. 4, 2013: TEPCO to conduct test for Fukushima No. 4 unit fuel removal […] The operator of the plant, crippled in the March 2011 quake and tsunami disaster, planned to start removing nuclear fuel from a cooling pool at the reactor building as early as next Friday. The decision comes after a government-affiliated nuclear safety agency called for an initial test operation, including transporting a protective fuel cask from the storage pool to another pool in a different building about 100 meters away for more stable conditions for cooling spent fuel, the sources said. The administrative agency, the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, has already inspected equipment to be used in the fuel removal work […]
From last Friday: Removal of Fukushima’s spent fuel on target: U.S. Energy Secretary -Reuters
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will probably need a concrete tomb
Japan Nuclear Engineer: I don’t think they’ll ever get Fukushima’s melted cores; Will probably start covering reactors in concrete — German Expert: May encase areas in sarcophagus http://enenews.com/japan-nuclear-engineer-dont
November 4th, 2013
Helmholtz Special, 2012: Dr Walter Tromm is Spokesperson of the […] Nuclear Energy and Safety at the Karlsruhe Insititue of Technology, collaborates on international expert committees on the safety of nuclear reactors: “Debris and scrap metal are to be removed from the plant bit by bit in order to finally dismantle it and/or encase the areas with the highest degree of radioactivity in a sarcophagus.”
‘Fukushima‘ by Mark Willacy, book published July 1, 2013 (Excerpt): […] there was much -expert scepticism about whether the government’s 40-year road map would be achievable. ‘I also hope decommissioning can be completed in 40 years,’ said [nuclear-reactor engineer] Hiroaki Koide. ‘But I do not think it is possible.’ […] In an interview with me 20 months after the meltdowns, TEPCO also appeared to be backing away from its four-decade decommissioning road map, admitting that the task in front of the company was unprecedented. ‘We hope to accomplish it in 40 years as per our engineering schedule,’ said Junichi Matsumoto. ‘But we will need to develop manipulators and other jigs and containers to put the bits in.’ […] the gravest challenge would be locating and removing the melted cores inside reactors 1, 2 and 3. ‘I don’t think they can pick up the melted nuclear cores,’ said Koide.
‘Instead, they’ll probably start work to cover the reactors in a concrete sarcophagus. It will take them more than ten years to even begin this work. And then it will take decades to finish each sarcophagus.’
Cover-ups and lies about Fukushima radiation amazed Australian reporter
Reporter in Japan: I’m stunned by brazen cover-up and lies over effects of Fukushima radiation; An epic, unfolding tragedy — Physician: Response has been ‘unthinkable’ (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/reporter-in-japan-im-stunned-by-brazen-cover-up-and-lies-over-effects-of-fukushima-radiation-physician-response-has-been-unthinkable-video
Title: Japan – The Next Wave – Foreign Correspondent – ABC
Source: ABC’s Foreign Correspondent
Date: Nov. 5, 2013
Transcript Excerpts
Mark Willacy, reporter: I’ve been stunned by the brazen and often clumsy efforts to cover-up and lie about the effects and extent of the radiation damage. […] It’s abundantly clear many aspects of this epic, unfolding tragedy are yet to be written — the nuclear fallout will see to that.
Tomoko Koike. mother of 2 and 4 year old in Fukushima Precture: We do not know the real situation. We don’t know whats going on. I can’t trust them. […] My children had never contracted influenza before, even without vaccination. But they contracted it last year. Their vulnerability to illness has increased. […]
Willacy: Her children have already been screened and cleared in tests run by the Fukushima local government. But a follow up screening here at the private Hirata hospital revealed cysts on the thyroid gland of 4 year old Saki.
Koike: A couple of cysts were found. I was very shocked. I don’t know whether the examination by the prefecture was sloppy, or that she wasn’t examined properly.
Dr. Minoru Kamata: It was disclosed that the Fuksuhima health investigation committee was having several secret meetings. I feel the response to this issue has been unthinkable for a democratic nation.
Watch the broadcast here
Japan, USA, France, (not India) gain from nuclear sales to India
India shouldn’t buy what Japan is selling, Live Mint, 4 Nov 13, Materials of substandard quality have already been installed in Kudankulam plant, says former chairman of AERB Pankaj Mishra ……… there are also broader political and economic compulsions behind the new proliferation of nuclear technologies.Japan’s conservative leaders want to preserve their nuclear option, even if that risks provoking South Korea and a devastating arms race in north Asia. Worried by Japan’s unused plutonium supply, the US, as the Wall Street Journal reported in May, is pushing to restart nuclear reactors in Japan.
With Fukushima’s emergency cleanup – it’s no time to be advocating new nuclear power!
nothing short of a full-on global presence will do. The bring-down of the fuel rods from Unit Four is a terrifying unknown. There’s no precedent for an operation of this scope, precision or potential fallout.
At very least it demands fullest possible attention from all the world’s best scientists and engineers. The global media must power through the Abe Administration’s crack-down on the flow of information. And we must all direct our full awareness to what is about to happen at Fukushima.
before anyone advocates MORE nuclear power, they should take a good long look at what’s going at Fukushima. And if they are claiming atomic expertise, maybe they should jump in to help.
Global Warming vs Global Nuclear Radiation: Climate Scientists Dismiss Fukushima, Lobby for Nuclear Energy Global Research 4 Nov 13 Four climate scientists have made a public statement claiming nuclear power is an answer to global warming. Before they proceed, they should visit Fukushima, where the Tokyo Electric Power Company has moved definitively toward bringing down the some 1300 hot fuel rods from a pool at Unit Four.
Which makes this a time of global terror.
In response more than 150,000 petition signatures from www.nukefree.org and others will be delivered at the United Nations this Thursday, November 7, asking for a global response to this disaster.
Since March 11, 2011, fuel assemblies weighing some 400 tons, containing more than 1500 extremely radioactive fuel rods, have been suspended 100 feet in the air above Fukushima Daiichi’s Unit Four. “If you calculate the amount of cesium 137 in the pool, the amount is equivalent to 14,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs,” says Hiroaki Koide, assistant professor at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute. Former US Department of Energy official Robert Alvarez, an expert on fuel pool fires, calculates potential fallout from Unit Four at ten times greater than what came from Chernobyl.
Tokyo Electric Power says it may start moving these fuel rods as early as November 8. Continue reading
For USA help, Japan must first sign up to free USA nuclear equipment providers from accident liabilty
U.S. Says Japan Signing Liability Pact Would Aid Nuclear Cleanup Bloomberg, By Jacob Adelman – Nov 3, 2013 Japan will receive international help with the cleanup at the Fukushima atomic station once it 
joins an existing treaty that defines liability for accidents at nuclear plants, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said.
The treaty, known as the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage,assigns accident liability to plant operators rather than equipment and technology vendors,Moniz said in a Nov. 2 interview in Tokyo. Continue reading
Fukushima clean-up an “unprecedented challenge” says shocked USA Energy Secretary Moniz
US Energy Secretary “shocked” and “stunned” after being at Fukushima plant — “Unprecedented” and “daunting” task ahead for Japan — America has “direct interest” in Tepco doing things safely (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/energy-secretary-shocked-stunned-after-being-fukushima-plant-unprecedented-daunting-task-ahead-japan-america-direct-interest-tepco-doing-safely-video
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz Regarding Fukushima, Nov. 1, 2013 “On Friday, I made my first visit to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It is stunning that one can see firsthand the destructive force of the tsunami even more than two and a half years after the tragic events.[…] TEPCO President Hirose, and his dedicated staff […] face a dauntingtask in the cleanup and decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi, one that will take decades and is being carried out under very challenging conditions. The TEPCO workforce is facing unprecedented challenges and is clearly focused on devising and implementing solutions. […] It appears that spent nuclear fuel will begin to be removed from Unit 4 as scheduled in mid-November. […] As Japan continues […] the cleanup at the Fukushima site […] the United States stands ready to continue assisting our partners in this daunting yet indispensable task […]“
NHK WORLD, (removed from Internet) Oct. 31, 2013: Ernest Moniz […] in his speech in Tokyo on Thursday […] said the success of the cleanup of areas around the Fukushima plant and decommissioning of reactors have global significance. Moniz said the US has a direct interest in seeing the next steps are done efficiently and safely.
Fukushima to Remove Tritium, IAEA To Send “Help” Update 11/2/13
AP, Nov. 2, 2013: In a speech Thursday in Tokyo, [Moniz] said “the success of the cleanup also has global significance. So we all have a direct interest in seeing that the next steps are taken well, efficiently and safely.”
NHK,, Nov. 2, 2013: Ernest Moniz spoke to NHK on Saturday in Tokyo, one day after visiting the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Moniz said he was shocked to see the scale of the damage that remains more than 2 and half years after the tsunami disaster and the nuclear accident. He said he also sensed how difficult work at the plant is with workers required to wear full face masks and other protective gear.
Watch the NHK interview here (removed from Internet
Fukushima area gets another earthquake
Another earthquake: New 4.9 tremor near Fukushima Rt.com : November 04, 2013 A 4.9 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter close to Fukushima Prefecture has struck the eastern coast of Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The tremor was registered at a depth of 20 km. There have not been immediate reports of damage or injuries. No tsunami warning has been issued.
It is the second earthquake to hit Fukushima neighboring prefecture in the past two days. A 5.0earthquake was registered on Japan’s east coast, with Sunday’s tremors felt as far away as Tokyo.
The news comes amid preparations for a tough and dangerous cleanup operation to remove fuel rods from Unit 4 at Fukushima Daiichi plant. ……http://rt.com/news/fukushima-japan-earthquake-nuclear-194/
Public and scientists do not believe Shinzo Abe’s statement that Fukushima nuclear radiation is controlled
For former nuclear engineer Michael Friedlander, who describes himself as “an avid supporter of responsible nuclear power,” these comments are damaging to the atomic industry.
“It’s a very Japanese way of handling the situation, the authorities telling everybody that everything’s OK, don’t worry, we’re in control,” Friedlander said in an interview from Hong Kong.
Abe’s comments haven’t persuaded the Japanese public. A Kyodo News poll conducted Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 found that 83 percent of respondents said they didn’t believe his “under control” statement.
The residents of Namie, a town 8 kilometers from the Fukushima nuclear station that was evacuated, said that Abe is making “irresponsible comments.
Abe’s stance on Fukushima water fuels skepticism Claim radioactivity contained scoffed at by public, scientists The Columbian, By Tsuyoshi Inajima and Yuriy Humber, Bloomberg News November 2, 2013, TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says radioactive water flowing into the sea from the crippled Fukushima atomic station is being contained within the plant’s harbor, a view maintained by operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.
Marine scientists, Fukushima residents and Japan’s general public don’t agree. Continue reading
Japan’s taxpayers to cop huge expense in fukushima radiation clean-up
State to spend over ¥1 trillion of taxpayer money for Fukushima decontamination work http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/02/national/state-to-spend-over-%C2%A51-trillion-of-taxpayer-money-for-fukushima-decontamination-work/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=state-to-spend-over-%25c2%25a51-trillion-of-taxpayer-money-for-fukushima-decontamination-work#.Unli23Bwo7o KYODO NOV 2, 2013
In a major policy shift, the government will use more than ¥1 trillion in public funds to clean up contaminated areas around the Fukushima No. 1 plant, according to sources.
The plan revealed Friday to alleviate the financial burden Tokyo Electric Power Co. was supposed to shoulder is in line with a ruling Liberal Democratic Party proposal compiled Thursday on ways to accelerate the sluggish recovery from one of the world’s worst nuclear crises.
Tepco is still expected to stump up to some ¥3 trillion because the government has no intention of exempting it from decontamination payments that have already been planned by the state and local governments.
The central government, for its part, plans to use taxpayers’ money to respond to additional decontamination needs for infrastructure restoration, such as cleaning schools, parks and other public facilities that have been left to go to seed after residents fled from their homes. It will also use public funds to build interim storage facilities to keep radioactive soil and other waste from the cleanup efforts.
The Environment Ministry has earmarked a total of ¥1.5 trillion for radioactive decontamination through fiscal 2013, ending next March, and has asked Tepco to pay back ¥40 billion of the funds it has so far used. But the utility has only returned ¥6.7 billion, citing delays in clerical work and tough business conditions.
Tepco is struggling amid soaring costs for fuel imports to boost thermal power generation to cover the loss of all its nuclear plants. It also needs funds to compensate people and companies affected by the nuclear crisis and to decommission the crippled reactors of the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
TEPCO struggles with plans to avoid bankruptcy
Japan’s Fukushima operator mulls overhaul to counter break-up plans http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/04/japan-fukushima-tepco-reorganisation-idINL2N0IP09C20131104 By Yoshifumi Takemoto and Kentaro Hamada TOKYO | Mon Nov 4, 2013 (Reuters) – The operator of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant is working on a reorganization plan to fend off more drastic proposals, including possibly dragging the company through bankruptcy in return for a publicly funded clean-up and shutdown of the reactors. Continue reading
India’s nuclear industry not really safe – new book
In recent years, some of the crucial Russian suppliers of components to the plant have been detained in Russia and indicted for shoddy business practices.
A new book, The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India by Princeton University physicist M.V. Ramana, takes a sober—and sobering—look at the fantasies and perils attached to this mirage, and finds the promise of nuclear energy empty in every way: environmental, economic and technological.
The more disturbing parts of Ramana’s book deal with the neglect of safety by the nuclear establishment. Recounting various alarming “incidents” in recent decades, he inspires little confidence in India’s ability to avoid a major disaster such as Chernobyl or Fukushima.
India shouldn’t buy what Japan is selling, Live Mint, 4 Nov 13, Materials of substandard quality have already been installed in Kudankulam plant, says former chairman of AERB Pankaj Mishra 
An obsession with nuclear power makes many political elites secretive, ruthless and delusional, even as their cherished projects threaten millions of people with disaster. But the egregious examples I have in mind here aren’t Iran, Pakistan and North Korea. They are Japan and India, two countries with democratic institutions.
Japanese government lags on developing renewable energy
Viewpoint: Japan dawdles on a clear energy policy, The Spec.com Viewpoint: The Japan Times (excerpt), 4 Nov 13 Uncertainties hang over Japan’s energy policy 40 years after the global panic over oil supplies shocked the nation and prodded it to diversify into nuclear power. This reliance on nuclear power came to a halt following the March 2011 triple meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The government has yet to set a new direction.
While dismissing the idea of nuclear power phase-out as unrealistic and “irresponsible,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said his administration will try to “reduce as much as possible” Japan’s reliance on nuclear power. But little progress has been made toward this goal and the prime minister appears to consider nuclear energy to be a key part of his administration’s economic growth strategy.
The government is in the process of crafting a new medium- to long-term energy plan by the end of this year. In working out the plan, it should set a clear timeline to end Japan’s reliance on nuclear power while making serious efforts to expand renewable energy resources as much as possible……..
Diversification of energy supply remains a major challenge. Japan still relies on imports from the Middle East for more than 80 per cent of its oil. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power still account for only a tiny portion of Japan’s power needs. Japanese companies must make strenuous efforts to further improve energy-saving technologies and the government should vigorously promote renewable energy sources. These efforts will help create the basis for building a stable economy. http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/4190255-viewpoint-japan-dawdles-on-a-clear-energy-policy/
Fukushima “aid” from French nuclear industry – calls radiation illnesses “psychological”
Chernobyl Children Fukushima Children The French nuclear industry establishes Fukushima “aid” programs right now, with co-support by Fukushima Medical University. The aim is: All Fukushima diseases are psychological and “pure panic reaction” – people overreact. NGOs who talk of danger are irrelevant and irresponsible. These “aid” programs work closely together with local government and are even supported by some anti-nuclear activists and vip’s – national and abroad. Scientists and journalists also cooperate. Meanwhile radioactive atoms remain invisible in breast milk, and bone sarcomas grow fast.
Lawmaker tells Japan’s Emperor the truth about Children affected by Fukushima radiation
Lawmaker warns emperor of reality facing Japan: “Children are suffering from health problems” — Another official reveals “the incidence of cancer in children has been increasing” and is heckled (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/lawmaker-warns-emperor-of-reality-facing-japan-children-are-suffering-from-health-problems-another-official-reveals-the-incidence-of-cancer-in-children-has-been-increasing-and-is-heckled
Kyodo News, Nov. 1, 2013: “I wrote the letter because I wanted the emperor to know the situation of children who have suffered from radiation exposure, the appalling labor conditions for workers at the nuclear plant, and the poor way radiation (exposure) is being managed,” [Japanese lawmaker Taro] Yamamoto said. When the emperor came near him, Yamamoto expressed fear that the children are suffering from health problems, saying, “The future of the children is in danger” and gave the letter to the emperor […]
Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 1, 2013: “I, as an individual, only wanted to tell the emperor the truth about the health hazard posed to children and the workers who are exposed to radiation and being abandoned” […] “I wanted to explain the plight of children exposed to radiation […] From a common sense point of view, handing a letter to His Majesty may be rude. However, even though it is, I could not contain my desire to have him understand what is happening,” the lawmaker said.
Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 2, 2013: “I wanted to explain the plight of children exposed to radiation released after the nuclear accident and the health condition of people who are working at the facility in the worst conditions”
Reuters, Nov. 1, 2013: “I wanted him to know about the children who have been contaminated by radiation”
Jiji Press,, Nov. 2, 2013: […] he wanted to inform the Emperor of the real situation facing the nation following the March 2011 nuclear crisis […]
Watch footage of Yamamoto handing the letter to the emperor here
MP Katsumasa Suzuki, Oct. 17, 2013: “In Fukushima, the incidence of cancer in children there has been increasing.” Watch Suzuki’s speech at the Diet here
1 This Month
19 May – Webinar No To Nuclear: Why Nuclear Power Destroys Lives, Derails Climate Progress and Provokes War
1 June Webinar – The High Cost of Nuclear Power – Register
of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
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