Japan’s economy can move forward without nuclear power
Electricity in Japan Power struggle The Economist, Sep 21st 2013 | TOKYO “……….The LDP’s anti-nuclear coalition partner, New Komeito, also constrains the government somewhat. Meanwhile, rising business optimism appears to undermine the case that economic recovery depends on nuclear power. Probably no more than 12-15 reactors will be switched back on, says Kazuhiro Ueta, a renewable-energy specialist who sits on the government’s energy-advisory board. For the nuclear village, which once expected to supply at least half of Japan’s power, that would be a grave disappointment.
Instead, Japan is preparing for other long-term energy supplies. Since 2011 the number of independent power producers tapping renewable sources, such as solar power, has tripled, thanks in part to a new “feed-in” tariff system for renewables. Including hydro-electricity, renewables now represent 10% of the energy mix, leading to hopes that they might one day replace the share that nuclear power once claimed…………..
Long-overdue proposals to liberalise the electricity market may do much to diversify energy sources and lower electricity bills. The government’s plan, easier to push through now that TEPCO, the biggest utility, has been brought low by its handling of the Fukushima fiasco, is to split generation and transmission, with the residential electricity market open to new competition. If the reform succeeds, says Hiroshi Takahashi of the Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo, the share of nuclear power in the energy mix would fall as new, non-nuclear providers won customers. It would, at long last, give the public some say over Japan’s energy choices. http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21586570-shadow-fukushima-worlds-worst-nuclear-disaster-after-chernobyl-hangs-over-japans-energy
Fukushima rocked by earthquake
Earthquake rocks Japan’s Fukushima http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=907741 20 Sept 13, A magnitude 5.3 earthquake has rocked Japan’s Fukushima prefecture.
The epicentre of the earthquake was 22km below the ground, according to the US Geological Survey.
It struck 20km west of the city of Iwaki, bordering the Pacific Ocean, at 2.25am (3.25am AEST) on Friday.
The epicentre was about 50km southwest of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which was crippled by the major quake and tsunami in March, 2011.
The Japan Meteorological Agency, which put the quake at magnitude 5.8, said no tsunami warning had been issued.
The tremor caused buildings to shake in the capital Tokyo, 175km away, an AFP reporter there said.
It came just hours after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe toured the Fukushima nuclear plant on Thursday, ordering its operator Tokyo Electric Power to fix radioactive water leaks there.
TEPCO said in a statement to Kyodo news agency that no abnormalities in radiation or equipment were observed at the plant after the quake.
Leaks, cracks, and more lies at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant
TV: Officials concerned about 400 ft. tall pipe near Fukushima reactors collapsing during quake — 8 cracks found in support brace — Gov’t orders immediate investigation — Tepco unsure how to access area as radiation levels around it are 10 sieverts per hour (PHOTO & VIDEO) http://enenews.com/tv-officials-concerned-400-ft-tall-pipe-next-to-fukushima-reactors-will-collapse-during-quake-8-cracks-found-in-support-brace-govt-orders-immediate-investigation-tepco-unsure-how-to-acces
Fukushima Update: Leaks, Cracks and More Lies
NHK Newsline,, Sept. 19, 2013 (Transcript Excerpts): The people in charge of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have yet another problem on their hands. They say they found cracks in the brace supporting an exhaust pipe. Authorities are concerned the pipe could collapse in another earthquake […] Officials with Tepco say they spotted cracks in 8 places on the steel brace that holds the pipe upright. […] Overseers at the nuclear regulation authority are demanding that company officials investigate immediately. They want to know if the structure can withstand another earthquake.
NHK WORLD English, Sept. 18, 2013: […] workers on Wednesday discovered the cracks and cuts at 8 places in the buttress about 66 meters above the ground. The Nuclear Regulation Authority has ordered the company to assess the capacity of the pipe to withstand an earthquake as quickly as possible. The 120-meter vertical pipe stands between the number-1 and number-2 reactor buildings. […] they believe the 2011 earthquake damaged the steel framework. They say they have not observed any obvious damage in the pipe itself. The officials say they are considering how to access the pipe to assess its strength. The area around the pipe is contaminated with high levels of radiation measuring 10 sieverts per hour. Watch the broadcast here
Planned ice wall at Fukushima will make soggy ground worse, risking nuclear reactors collapsing
Asahi: Buildings at Fukushima plant can start floating from too much groundwater — Expert: Blocking groundwater with ice wall may weaken soil and cause buildings to topple (AUDIO) http://enenews.com/asahi-buildings-at-fukushima-plant-could-start-floating-from-continuous-flow-of-groundwater-expert-ice-wall-may-weaken-soil-and-cause-buildings-to-topple-audio
Asahi Shimbun,, Sept. 18, 2013: […] The site receives so much groundwater that special equipment–rendered useless by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami–was set up to prevent the plant’s buildings from floating on the continuous flow. […] The original site of the Fukushima No. 1 plant was a cliff more than 30 meters high. But 20 meters was lopped off […] putting the groundwater level only a few meters below the surface. The plant itself was constructed on land containing gravel layers through which water can easily pass through. In the past, a brook trickled by the No. 4 reactor. […] Without that pumping, the buildings faced the danger of being buoyed by rising groundwater. […] TEPCO officials have pinpointed only two locations, including the turbine building of the No. 1 reactor, where groundwater is entering the building basements. They believe there are many more breaches. […]
Atsunao Marui,, head of Groundwater Research Group at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology: “About 4 million tons of rain falls on the plant site over the course of a year. Of that figure, it is believed that between 1 million and 1.5 million tons seep into the ground.”
Gordon Edwards, nuclear expert (at 39:45 in): This underground river that we talked about flowing 
thorough — the problem with this is they don’t really know how to stop it. […] They really don’t know how to stop this flow because it’s a major aquifer. One of the plans that they are talking about is… a wall of ice a mile long to act as a barrier to prevent the groundwater from going in to the cores of these damaged reactors, in order to try and solve the problem… And nobody knows if it’s actually going to work. In fact, some of the experts in Japan have said that by diverting the groundwater around the sides of the building, you may weaken the soil to the point where the buildings themselves topple — and that could be a far worse problem. So, they really don’t know what they’re going. They literally don’t know what they’re doing.
TEPCO was warned 2 years ago about ground radiation at Fukushima
Tetsu Nozaki, the chairman of the Fukushima fisheries federation, said the revelations show TEPCO was acting to protect corporate interests.
Fukushima operator TEPCO ignored advice two years ago to control ground contamination http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-19/fukushima-operator-tepco-ignored-advice-two-years-ago-to-contro/4968614 By North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy, 19 Sep 2013, A memo prepared by the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant has revealed the company ignored advice about controlling ground contamination, fearing the cost would spook investors. Continue reading
Japanese government spreading misinformation about radiation – says famous actress Norika Fujiwara
Famous Japanese Actress: Gov’t is covering up Fukushima crisis — “Our nation has a right to know” — People who write the truth on Internet will be punished under new law — TV stars in Japan are to never discuss political views http://enenews.com/famous-japanese-actress-accuses-govt-of-fukushima-cover-up-our-nation-has-a-right-to-know-says-people-who-write-the-truth-on-internet-will-be-punished-under-new-law-stars-expected-to-ne
Japan Times, Sept. 18, 2013: Norika Fujiwara [former Miss Japan] has broken an unwritten rule of the television business: sharing her political views. The popular model and actress has come out against a bill that stiffens penalties against civil servants who leak classified information. […]
In a message posted on Friday, Fujiwara accused the government of covering up the truth about the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant, and spreading misinformation about radiation and leaks of radioactive water there. “As a citizen I am really concerned about it,” Fujiwara wrote in another message. “Our nation has a right to know.” […] “Once the bill is signed, the people who will write the truth on the Internet (or through other means) will be punished,” she stressed. […]
Tokyo Reporter,, Sept. 15, 2013: Norika Fujiwara says Secret Security Act could allow government to withhold information, such as radiation readings […]
Blacklisting of Japanese artists who oppose the nuclear industry
Report: TEPCO paid for creation of a blacklist of actors and musicians who are against nuclear industry http://enenews.com/report-tepco-paid-creation-blacklist-actors-musicians-against-nuclear-industry
Toxic truth about Japan’s ‘miracle’: Post-tsunami harmony is a myth and the reality is startlingly different, Daily Mail by Richard Jones, June 18, 2011:
According to a well-known Japanese documentary maker, TEPCO paid for the creation of a blacklist of actors and musicians who are against the nuclear industry.
When one actor, Taro Yamamoto, joined an anti-nuclear protest, he lost his part in a popular soap opera. Yamamoto’s ‘crime’ was to say that schoolchildren in Fukushima should not be subjected to the same annual radiation dose (20 microsieverts per year) as nuclear power workers in Europe.
Anger in India, as government goes for a “sweetheart deal” with US nuclear companies
‘Sweetheart’ nuclear deal for US companies sparks furore Indrani Bagchi, TNN | Sep 20, 2013, NEW DELHI: The government’s effort to find an honourable way around the constraint of the nuclear liability law without actually violating it ran into rough weather on Thursday with the opposition accusing it of seeking to dilute the law for the sake of US and other foreign suppliers.
nuclear plant, to allege that the government was seeking to dilute the provision in the nuclear liability law that would hold foreign reactor suppliers liable in cases of mishaps caused by faulty and defective equipment………. Continue reading India’s Opposition Party critical of PM’s gift to US nuclear companies
PM compromising on nuclear act is India’s gift to US companies: BJP http://www.firstpost.com/politics/pm-compromising-on-nuclear-act-is-indias-gift-to-us-companies-bjp-1120813.html?utm_source=ref_article Sep 19, 2013 New Delhi: The BJP today said reports of India compromising on crucial clauses in the Nuclear Liability Act regarding fixing of liability is “worrisome” and alleged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has allowed this to give a gift to American companies during his forthcoming visit to the US.
The main opposition insisted a decision on the issue should be taken after due diligence and no step should be taken that imperils the safety of Indians or compromises the nation’s security.
“The reported media observation that government is trying to compromise the importance of Section 17 (b) of the Nuclear Liability Act passed by Parliament is very worrisome and a cause of serious concern,” Deputy Leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad told PTI.
He maintained that Section 17 (b) of the Nuclear Liability Act specifically fixes the responsibility of the manufacturer of nuclear reactors and provides for their liability in the event of an accident involving design or manufacturing fault. The Opposition parties, including the Left, have been up in arms against an opinion of Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati to the Department of Atomic Energy that it is for the operator of a nuclear plant in India to decide whether it wished to exercise the “right of recourse” provided under Section 17 of the Act. “By this, the whole liability of the manufacturer is sought to be compromised and the entire mandate of Parliament is being disobeyed,” Prasad said.
Arms and uranium trade pact between Zimbabwe and North Korea
Zimbabwe in ‘arms for uranium’ pact with North Korea Nehanda Radio 19 Sept 13, President Robert Mugabe’s military henchmen have reportedly signed an arms trade agreement worth millions of dollars with North Korea, in return for allowing Pyongyang access to Zimbabwe’s controversial Kanyemba district, which has sparked a uranium mining race pitting Iran and other powers, Nehanda Radio has been told.
Kanyemba district is about 160 miles north of the capital, and is believed to be holding significant uranium reserves, first discovered in the 1970s by German prospectors, but never exploited due to low world prices at the time.
Several other countries have sought the rights to mine Zimbabwe’s untapped uranium deposits, and these include Russia, China and a failed bid by neighbouring South Africa and Namibia, as they scramble for the Yellow cake which is a key ingredient needed for the production of nuclear bombs. Continue reading
TEPCO still hopes to restart 2 intact Fukushima nuclear reactors
Japan premier urges full decommissioning of Fukushima nuclear site LA Times, By Carol J. Williams September 19, 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe toured the crippledFukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex Thursday and urged its owner to abandon hopes of restarting the only two intact reactors and concentrate instead on unfinished cleanup operations, Japanese media reported.
Three of Fukushima’s six reactors suffered meltdowns after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, and the fuel-cooling containment pool was seriously damaged at a fourth unit.
Japan is currently nuclear-free, as all 50 of its reactors are closed for maintenance, repairs, safety checks or inoperability.
But Fukushima owner Tokyo Electric Power Co., like most Japanese utilities with nuclear production facilities, has maintained hope of restarting its undamaged reactors if and when a new independent regulatory agency gives the green light after inspection…… http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-japan-nuclear-fukushima-20130919,0,2520396.story
Melting through reactor floors – Fukushima’s molten nuclear fuel cores
Nuclear Expert: We believe molten fuel already melted through floors of Fukushima reactor buildings, or is still in process of melting through (AUDIO) http://enenews.com/nuclear-expert-believe-molten-fuel-already-melted-floors-fukushima-reactor-buildings-process-melting-audioTitle: THE DEEPENING CRISIS AT FUKUSHIMA
Source: Green Power and Wellness
Host: Harvey Wasserman
Date: Aug. 12, 2013
Harvey Wasserman, host: We don’t even know where these cores are, do we? That’s a really amazing situation.
Gordon Edwards, nuclear expert and president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility: That’s correct. What’s happening is, how far these cores have penetrated through the floor of the reactor building, or not, is really unknown because the radiation levels are so intense, that not only can humans not go in there […] but even robots that they sent in there, the gamma radiation is so intense that it fries the electronic components after a few minutes. So the robots are of only very limited use for a short time.
The result is they just don’t know what the state is, but we believe that the molten core has melted through the bottom of the containment vessel, it’s onto the floor, and it’s probably either melted through the floor, or is in the process of melting through the floor… Units 1, 2, and 3. Now some of those units are perhaps in worse condition than others.
Manmohan Singh tries to kow tow to USA on Nuclear Liability Law
Since 17(b) suggests Parliament intended to hold suppliers responsible even if there is no contractual liability, it is not clear how a public sector undertaking like NPCIL, which is answerable to Parliament, could give its suppliers a free pass.
Manmohan may carry nuclear liability dilution as gift for U.S. companies THE HINDU, SANDEEP DIKSHITJ. VENKATESAN It is for operator to exercise ‘right of recourse’ under section 17 of Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act
Under sustained pressure from the Obama administration, the Manmohan Singh government is looking to use the opinion of the Attorney- General to effectively neutralise a key provision of India’s nuclear liability law that would hold American reactor suppliers liable in the event of an accident caused by faulty or defective equipment.
In an opinion to the Department of Atomic Energy, which referred the matter to him on September 4, Goolam Vahanvati has said it is for the operator of a nuclear plant in India to decide whether it wished to exercise the ‘right of recourse’ provided to it by section 17 of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act.
The AG’s opinion effectively paves the way for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, which will operate any nuclear plant using imported reactors, to repudiate a right that Parliament explicitly wrote into section 17(b) of the law to ensure that foreign suppliers don’t get away scot-free if a nuclear accident is traced back to “equipment or material with patent or latent defects or sub standard services.” Continue reading
Move away from nuclear power – Head of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry METI
Japan Govt. “Wants To Lower Dependence On Nuclear Power” http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/?p=11428 September 17th, 2013 Not what anyone expected to hear out of the current LDP government in Japan. The current head of METI made this statement to the press that Japan should lower their dependence on nuclear power. This is an unusual statement considering the utterly pro-nuclear agenda of the current government.
A weapons proliferation threat: India’s nuclear submarine
India’s Undersea Nuclear Deterrent Poses Proliferation Challenges WPR, By Yogesh Joshi, on 18 Sep 2013 Despite India’s graduation from outlier to tepidly accepted member of the global nuclear order, one area of New Delhi’s nuclear activities continues to raise alarm: its undersea nuclear deterrent. India unveiled its first nuclear submarine, the INS Arihant, in July 2009. Though the ship was largely indigenous, Russia helped in designing the miniaturized nuclear reactor. Just last month, the nuclear reactor in INS Arihant went critical, clearing the way for its final operational trials in the Bay of Bengal. India has designs to produce four to five nuclear submarines by the end of this decade. When integrated with nuclear-tipped sea-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), these submarines will provide India with an underwater nuclear deterrent capability.
This technical development has posed two new challenges to the nuclear nonproliferation regime. First, the highly enriched uranium (HEU) used in naval nuclear propulsion for India’s nuclear submarines could be diverted for weapons purposes. India has a dedicated enrichment facility for its naval nuclear program at Rattehali, and some of the uranium from this facility was used for India’s 1998 nuclear weapons tests. According to Princeton nuclear scientist and scholar M.V. Ramana, Rattehali has the capacity to produce 22 kilograms of 90 percent enriched uranium annually, or the equivalent of 40-70 kilograms of 45 percent enriched uranium. However, new analysis reveals (.pdf) that qualitative changes in India’s enrichment technology may have increased this capacity to 48 kilograms of 90 percent enriched uranium annually. This capacity is destined to grow as India prepares to launch more nuclear submarines in the future. ..(.subscrbers only) http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/13222/india-s-undersea-nuclear-deterrent-poses-proliferation-challenges
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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