ASIA « nuclear-news

Japan’s leaders face the political crisis of public anti nuclear sentiment

In a direct snub to the central government, Mr. Hashimoto has appointed a panel of nuclear engineers and seismologists, who have faulted the stress tests for being conducted even before the government has finished its own inquiry into what went wrong at Fukushima. That criticism has resonated among many Japanese, who say the tests, conducted out of their view, were nothing more than a fig leaf..

Japan’s Leaders Fret as Nuclear Shutdown Nears By MARTIN FACKLER Japan Times, May 3, 2012 OSAKA, Japan — Barring an unexpected turnaround, Japan on Saturday will become a nuclear-free nation for the first time in more than four decades, at least temporarily. Japan’s leaders have made increasingly desperate attempts in recent months to avoid just such a scenario, trying to restart plants shut for routine maintenance and kept that way while they tried to convince a skittish public that the reactors were safe in the wake of last year’s nuclear catastrophe.

But the government has run up against a crippling public distrust that recently found a powerful voice in local leaders who are orchestrating a rare challenge to Tokyo’s centralized power. Continue reading →

May 5, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

South Korea’s push to export nuclear technology hampered by corruption scandal

Lee’s nuclear push meets obstacle Korea Times, 4 may 12, By Kang Hyun-kyung President Lee Myung-bak’s drive to win nuclear deals abroad has met an unexpected, formidable challenge from within as a state-run nuclear operator has been embroiled in malfunctions and corruption cases. Continue reading →

May 5, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, secrets,lies and civil liberties, South Korea | Leave a comment

Heroism of Japan’s saviour of Fukushima’s animals

Man stays to help animals left to die in Japan nuclear zone, by Susan Wyatt King 5.com May 2, 2012 This is truly a heartbreaking story – a 52-year-old man who lives in the shadow of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant is struggling – all alone – to help the animals left behind after the earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster.

CNN reported in January that Naoto Matsumura, a life-long resident and fifth generation farmer, has refused to heed the mandatory evacuation since the nuclear meltdown. The government evacuated 78,000 residents around the exploding plant without a plan to rescue pets and livestock. As Matsumura began to feed his own animals, the neighborhood’s desperate cats and dogs started showing up. He started to feed them too and decided he couldn’t leave them behind to die. When Matsumura ran out of food, he slipped out of the exclusion zone and bought dog and cat food and then snuck back into town….. Matsumura has been tested for radiation and said his body is “completely contaminated.” But he said he will die in his hometown.

A ChipIn page has been set up to raise funds for Matsumura. Click here to help
You can get updates about Matsumura via a Facebook page http://www.king5.com/community/blogs/the-pet-dish/Man-stays-in–149917285.html?c=n

May 5, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

Consumers ultimately paid up for nuclear bribery in japan

Consumers ultimately footed bill, Utilities gave nuclear plant hosts billions http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120502x1.html Kyodo Electric utilities, their subsidiaries and related organizations provided at least ¥28.7 billion to local governments, mostly as donations, during the five years through to March 31, local government sources and data obtained by Kyodo News revealed.

The electric power companies incorporated most of the expenses into their electricity
charges for consumers and business clients as necessary costs for power generation. Such donations are not required to be made public and may amount to more than the latest finding revealed Tuesday, experts said. Continue reading →

May 3, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, Reference, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Costs and safety problems in Japan’s older nuclear reactors

Six reactors in Japan, including Tsuruga’s unit No. 1, have the same design as those that failed at Fukushima—a General Electric Co. model called Mark I originally designed based on tests from the late 1950s and early 1960s.

In 2009, Chubu Electric Power Co. based in central Japan, decommissioned the No. 1 and 2 reactors at its Hamaoka nuclear-power plant because they were too expensive to keep up to safety standards.

Japan Assesses Older Nuclear Plants WSJ, By MARI IWATA and ELEANOR WARNOCK, May 2, 2012, TOKYO—Japan is grappling with the question of whether older nuclear reactors are more prone to spinning out of control when a disaster hits, as the nation pushes to restart units for the first time since last year’s accident in Fukushima. Continue reading →

May 3, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Inadequate insurance for Koodankulam nuclear power plant

Koodankulam N-plant insured for Rs 8,000 cr
http://www.mydigitalfc.com/insurance/koodankulam-n-plant-insured-rs-8000-cr-846 By R Srividhya May 02 2012 , Chennai, The controversial Koodankulam Nuclear Plant in Tamil Nadu has been insured by United India Insurance for a sum of Rs 8,000 crore carrying a premium of Rs 35 crore. However, the insurance covers only the equipment and infrastructure and does not include the nuclear reactor and possible human losses arising out of a possible reactor failure.

The installation and erection process of the plant has been insured with the company for the past seven years, company officials said and would continue till the commissioning of the plant.

“After the commissioning of the plant, which is expected to happen in a few months, the coverage would only be for the cold zone, outside the reactor area and would not include the reactor region, known as the hot zone,” said PK Mahapatra, deputy general manager, United India Insurance. About 60 per cent of the risk has been reinsured with Swiss
Re.

May 3, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, India | Leave a comment

Indonesia – earthquake zone – not good for nuclear reactors

Indonesia should consider the fact that it is located on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, making it prone to disaster.

Indonesians ‘should think twice’ before going nuclear http://www thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/03/indonesians-should-think-twice-going-nuclear.html The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 05/03/2012 Japanese experts have warned the Indonesian government to be very careful when deciding whether to generate power from nuclear energy, arguing that the archipelago is prone to natural disasters. Continue reading →

May 3, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Indonesia, safety | Leave a comment

Activists, particularly women, resume their fast against Kudankulam nuclear plant

Indefinite fast against Kudankulam nuclear plant resumes NDTV Indo-Asian News Service May 01, 2012 Chennai: At least 24 activists of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) launched an indefinite fast on Tuesday at four villages in Tirunelveli district, around 650 km from Chennai, in protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP).

While 14 indefinite fasters are in Idinthakarai village, eight are in Kuthenkazi village and one each in Kudankulam and Kuduthazhai villages.

According to M Pushparayan, a PMANE leader, more women have proposed to join the indefinite fast protest based on the outcome of a scheduled meeting with the Tamil Nadu government on May 3….. http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/indefinite-fast-against-kudankulam-nuclear-plant-resumes-204888

May 2, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy demands transparent study on Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project

PMANE resumes anti-nuclear protests against Kudankulam Project
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_pmane-resumes-anti-nuclear-protests-against-kudankulam-project_1683047 May 1, 2012, Resuming their indefinite fast against commissioning of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, People’s Movement Against Nuclear
Energy,which is spearheading the stir, listed six major demands, including setting up a national committee of experts to study the region around KNPP.

“Our primary demand is the government should institute an independent and transparent national committee on hydrology, geology, oceanography and seismology of the region,” PMANE leader M Pushparayan told PTI at nearby Idinthakarai. Continue reading →

May 2, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Nuclear Power Corporation of India ordered to make Kudankulam safety reports public

Make public safety reports of Kudankulam nuclear project: CIC DNA, May 1, 2012, The reports relating to safety, site evaluation and environmental impact assessment of controversial Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant should be made public, the Central Information Commission has held.

The Commission also directed the Nuclear Power Corporation of India to publish safety analysis reports, site evaluation reports and environmental impact assessment reports prepared by the Department, before setting up any nuclear plant, within 30 days of receiving them as part of mandatory disclosure clause of the RTI Act. Continue reading →

May 2, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Rogue nuclear scientist A. Q. Khan promoted for Pakistan’s Presidency id

Return of the mad nuclear scientist Toronto Sun, BY TAREK FATAH, MAY 01, 2012 “……..The man Pakistan promised would never be allowed to peddle his nuclear wares again, is today a free man and has teamed up with the notorious pro-Taliban Pakistani politician, Imran Khan donning the title of ‘Patron’ of cricketer-turned politician’s political party.

While the anti-American Imran Khan is being groomed by Pakistan’s military-judicial-jihadi complex to take over as the country’s next prime minister after the 2013 elections, the mad scientist Dr. A. Q. Khan is being promoted as the country’s next president.

Already a Facebook page has emerged with the title “We want Imran Khan as PM and AQ Khan as president.” The possibility of President A. Q. Khan of Pakistan is already creating waves in The Netherlands; Holland is to host the 2014 World Nuclear Security Summit where Pakistan will be at the table and some members of the Dutch media are raising the issue with alarm.

It seems neither the U.S. nor Israel have woken up to the scenario of a nuclear-armed Pakistan headed by a pro-Taliban prime minister and a rogue nuclear scientist as the president; one who admits to have sold nuclear parts and know-how to both Iran and North Korea. http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/01/return-of-the-mad-nuclear-scientist

May 2, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Pakistan, politics | Leave a comment

North Korea preparing for 3rd nuclear test

NK nuclear test seen ‘imminent’ The Korea Times, By Kang Hyun-kyung, 1 May 12 North Korea appears to be preparing for a third nuclear test amid high tensions on the Korean Peninsula after the reclusive nation’s failed launch of a satellite when it fell into the West Sea on April 13. Continue reading →

May 2, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Fukushima: young women at 5 times greater cancer risk than general population

Nuclear Expert: Fukushima risk underestimated ENE News, — 5% of young girls will get cancer living in 20 milliSv/y for 5 years — “Actually worse than that” — Hot particles NOT included & only counts cancers, not other effects : Cancer Risk To Young Children Near Fukushima Daiichi Underestimated Source: Fairewinds Associates, Inc Author: Arnie Gundersen Transcript Excerpts That gets me to the issue of BIER, Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation. […]

Now in Japan, the Japanese government is allowing people to go back into these radiation zones, when the radiation exposure is 2 rem. What that means is that they are willing to say that your chances of getting cancer are 1 in 500 if you go back into these areas that are presently off limits, and the exposure levels are 2 rem or 20 milisieverts in a year.

But it is worse than that. The number that we are using in the BIER Report is for the entire population, old people and young. And old people are going to die of something else before a cancer gets to them, whereas young people have rapidly dividing cells and they live a longer time, so they are more likely to get cancer. So if you go into the BIER Report and you look at Table 12-D, you will see that young women have a 5 times that number chance of getting cancer than the population as a whole. So young girls in the Fukushima Prefecture are going to get 5 times the exposure they would get from 2 rem. That means that about one in 100 young girls is going to get cancer as a result of the exposure in Fukushima Prefecture. And that is for every year they are in that radiation zone [at 20 milliSv/y]. If you are in there for 5 years, it is 5 out of 100 young girls will get cancer.

Now the BIER Report only addresses cancer, and of course, there are other effects of radiation that are not included in BIER, so it is actually worse than that.

Two more items: The first is that the BIER Report does not address hot particles. Now we have been over that extensively on the site, and you will see that imbibing it (a kid gets radioactive cesium on their hands and they swallow it, or breathing it in), is not included in the BIER Report.

And the last piece brings us over to Ian Goddard’s video, and that is this assumption by the Japanese and International Atomic Energy Agency, that at some point, this radiation is really so hard to measure that it does not count anymore. Well, the data indicates that just the opposite is happening…… http://enenews.com/gundersen-fukushima-cancer-risk-underestimated-5-of-young-girls-will-get-cancer-living-in-20-millisvy-for-5-years-actually-worse-than-that-hot-particles-not-included-only-counts-cance

May 1, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, women | Leave a comment

Migrating birds from Japan to be tested for radiation

Kamchatka testing migrant birds for radiation Zee News, India, April 30, 2012, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: Migrant birds arriving in Kamchatka from the side of Japan will be tested for radiation, the Kamchatka government said..

.. Up to 1,00,000 geese and about 1 million ducks come to Kamchatka in spring. Many of these birds might have nested on Japanese islands or flown over lands polluted with radiation in the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in spring 2011, which makes the tests necessary.

The Kamchatka territory already tested migrant birds for radiation in 2011. No radioactive birds were found back then. http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/kamchatka-testing-migrant-birds-for-radiation_772517.html

May 1, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, India | Leave a comment

Nuclear balance of terror makes India and Pakistan less safe

Nuclear missiles don’t give security The Daily Star, Praful Bidwai, 1 May 12, “…….Nuclear weapons have made India and Pakistan more, not less, insecure. Millions of civilians in both are vulnerable to, but defenceless against, attacks by nuclear-capable missiles. Both are stockpiling large quantities of bomb fuel. Pakistan is building new plutonium facilities even as it expands its uranium enrichment programme. Continue reading →