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Radiation standards for children should be lower than for adults

 “Safety standards established in nuclear power countries are currently set for adults,” .. “It is a given fact that children are far more vulnerable to exposure.” 

New Radiation Limits Demanded for Children, By Suvendrini Kakuchi TOKYO, Sep 29, 2011 (IPS) – The threat of radioactive contamination faced particularly by children after the Mar. 11 nuclear disaster in Japan has touched the heart of the Japanese public, and become a major political and social issue.

Mothers are inevitably in the forefront of citizen groups working to protect children. At a meeting this week at the Ministry of Welfare, they presented an appeal that included a demand for the world’s first radiation safety standards for minors.  Continue reading

September 30, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan, psychology - mental health | Leave a comment

Taiwan moves to increase the liability of nuclear operators

the draft proposes that operators be responsible for natural disaster damage. The draft also raises the time in which an injured individual can seek compensation from nuclear power plant operators to 10 years from the current three years. 
Nuclear damage caused by natural disasters could be compensated, Taiwan News, Taipei, Sept. 29 (CNA) Operators of nuclear facilities could be required to provide compensation for emergencies caused by major natural disasters, according to a draft revision approved by the Executive Yuan on Thursday. Continue reading

September 30, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Taiwan | Leave a comment

India’s clash between democracy and nuclear power

The government is not able to comprehend the scale of challenge it’s facing at the moment..
Right now one big roadblock is the civilian liability bill that was passed by the Indian Parliament. It puts the majority of the onus of any disaster on the companies, an idea that is anathema to the Western companies who say the bill in its present form makes all investments unviable.
Is Democracy Thwarting India’s Nuclear Power Ambitions?, WSJ, By Megha Bahree, SEPTEMBER 26, 2011, India’s democratic process is changing the country’s nuclear energy program at startling speed.

First it was protests at the proposed nuclear power plant at Jaitapur in Maharashtra. Now it’s protests at the plant under construction at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, and at practically every site across the country that has been designated for a new power plant. And at most places, people’s concerns about the risks of nuclear power are clashing with the government’s plans to power the country with nuclear energy….. Continue reading

September 27, 2011 Posted by | India, politics | Leave a comment

The catastrophic level of radiation to Japanese from Fukushima nuclear disaster

 In March, 2006, 20 years after the accident, the people whose health had been damaged in Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus numbered 7,000,000. 

excerpt from: Fukushima Meltdown: The World’s First Earthquake-Tsunami-Nuclear Disaster[Kindle Edition] Takashi Hirose http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OD75J2/?tag=theasipacjo0b-20

Japan’s Earthquake-Tsunami-Nuclear Disaster Syndrome: An Unprecedented Form of Catastrophe, Japan Focus 26 Sept 11, Hirose Takashi  “……From day one the situation had reached the highest level for nuclear accidents, Level 7, and from day one the government knew this, but it concealed that information from the people, thus causing far more people to be irradiated than otherwise would have been the case.

Continue reading

September 27, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan, media, Resources -audiovicual | 1 Comment

Collusion still, between Japanese government and nuclear industry

The collusive ties between government and industry were what undermined nuclear safety regulations. One would think that given the nuclear disaster, the practice of “amakudari” (literally “coming down from the heavens”), in which retiring bureaucrats acquire jobs in the industries that they formerly regulated, would have diminished, but that hasn’t been the case…..

Noda must make promoters of nuclear power take responsibility for disaster, Mainichi Daily News, By Takao Yamada, 26 Sept 11, “……..there’s something I want to ask Noda, and that is this: Haven’t you forgotten one very crucial issue? The big question that was on everyone’s minds just six months ago? That is, to clarify what responsibility the main promoters of nuclear power — also known as Japan’s “nuclear village” spanning industry, government and academia — have over the still ongoing disaster? Continue reading

September 27, 2011 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | 1 Comment

South Korea’s history of seeking nuclear weapons

CIA documents shed light on S Korea’s nuke ambition in 1970s, The Korea Herald/Asia News Network, Sep 26, 2011 As the international community continues to grapple with how best to thwart North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, a Seoul-based publication has revealed declassified US Central Intelligence Agency documents shedding light on South Korea’s own efforts to acquire nuclear weapons four decades ago.

Global Asia, a publication of the East Asia Foundation in Seoul, said the previously secret US documents show that South Korea continued to develop nuclear weapons at least two years after Washington thought it had ceased during the 1970s……..

Park’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons may have influenced North Korea’s own threat perception at the time, and fuelled the North’s desire to acquire its own nuclear weapons ? a fact that continues to be relevant today……

these historical documents illustrate that engaging North Korea from a position of political, economic and military strength ? not extended nuclear deterrence ? remains the best policy option…http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110926-301465.html

September 27, 2011 Posted by | history, South Korea | Leave a comment

Put nuclear plant in Tokyo – say protestors

Anti-nuclear demonstrators demand plant in Tokyo. Google News, (AFP) –25 Sept 11,    TOKYO — Dozens of demonstrators rallied in Tokyo on Sunday, challenging Japanese authorities to build an atomic power plant in the capital to demonstrate their sincerity about nuclear safety.

About 50 anti-nuclear power demonstrators shouted: “Let’s build a nuclear power plant in Tokyo!”

“If they are not lying about nuclear safety, they might as well bring a nuclear power plant to Tokyo, right?” said organiser Angelo De Rosa, a 45-year-old Italian language teacher based in Tokyo. “In this rally, I also want to question if the government has provided people correct information on nuclear safety.”

The rally came a week after tens of thousands held one of the biggest anti-nuclear demonstrations in Tokyo, calling for an end to nuclear energy after the March 11 disaster sparked the worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl.

Demonstrators at Sunday’s rally carried banners showing remarks of authorities, politicians and professors that organisers said promoted nuclear power.

The crowds also mocked several politicians and scientists, including a Fukushima Medical University professor who reportedly said that radiation does not affect people who smile.With widespread public distrust of nuclear technology, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has pledged a shift away from atomic power, which accounted for a third of Japan’s energy supply before the disaster. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gSEdloFcehuqDDOaf2HPlJCeH1fQ?docId=CNG.b1c65bdc1e0bef497e1f81f732897709.ce1

September 26, 2011 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Fukushima radiation levels – danger to children

Global resources needed to combat radiation  levels,  Statesman.journal.com  by Warren Binford, Sep. 25, 2011  This month marked the half-year anniversary of the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami, and TEPCO and the Japanese government remain unable to control the nuclear emergency that continues to unfold.

Radiation levels exceed the Chernobyl disaster and now reach a level that is unknown to humans or machines. Radiation leakage from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was so high in August it exceeded the monitoring equipment’s maximum measuring capacity. Continue reading

September 26, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan | Leave a comment

Indian public willing to pay more for renewable energy

Majority of survey respondents (90 percent) argued government should support renewable energy. A significant share (82 percent) of survey respondents overwhelmingly supports renewable energy projects…..

Indians Ready to Pay More for Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources: Mercom Survey, Technology World,  Rajani Baburajan  24 Sept 11 A recent survey conducted by Mercom Capital Group on renewable energy awareness in India finds that only 56 percent of Indian consumers have heard of ‘renewable energy’ or ‘clean energy.’ Further only 27 percent of customers have heard of ‘energy efficiency.’

Despite the low awareness, 71 percent of Indian consumers said they are willing to pay higher rates for electricity from renewable energy sources, according to the ‘India Renewable Energy Awareness Survey’ conducted on more than 500 commercial, residential and rural consumers in India….. Continue reading

September 26, 2011 Posted by | India, renewable | Leave a comment

Kudankulam nuclear power project in earthquake prone area

 We do welcome development projects, but the nuclear plant site is earthquake-prone,” he said…..
 He also wondered whether the government was working for the people or extraneous forces….
The seismic zone of India is depicted in the map. It clearly shows that southern India is located at highly earthquake area….

‘Project unwise as area quake-prone’, Times of India, TNN | Sep 26, 2011,  MADURAI: Activists opposing the Kudankulam nuclear power plant have alleged that the implementing authority has violated certain essential rules in the establishment of the project. Anti-nuclear committee member Dr R Ramesh has claimed that Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project officials got a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for setting up two reactors for generating 440 mega watts of power but had instead built two 1,000 mega watt units. He urged the state government either to suspend or cancel the NOC granted to the plant. Continue reading

September 26, 2011 Posted by | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

India evacuates over 2,000 to test its nuclear capable missile

India tests nuclear-capable missile, Dawn.com 26 Sept 11, BHUBANESHWAR: India tested a medium-range nuclear-capable missile along its eastern coast on Saturday, an official said, as part of the nation’s efforts to build up its atomic deterrent…..

With a striking range of 434 miles, the missile uses solid propellant and is capable of carrying a 1,000 kilogram warhead. Due to security concerns, authorities evacuated over 2,000 people, including women and children living close to the testing range, and shifted them to temporary shelters.. http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/25/india-tests-nuclear-capable-missile-3.html

September 26, 2011 Posted by | India, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Fukushima: five local governments anxious about radiation to residents

Fukushima municipality heads concerned over lifting of evacuation advisory, Mainichi Daily News, 26 Sept, FUKUSHIMA (Kyodo) — Heads of five municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture affected by the ongoing nuclear crisis have aired concerns over the government’s plan to lift its evacuation advisory in the event of an emergency, saying not enough has been done to ensure the safety of residents. Continue reading

September 26, 2011 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Fukushima area: ionising radiation in rice

High Radiation Found in Japanese Rice, WSJ, By YOSHIO TAKAHASHI, 26 Sept, TOKYO—Japan has detected high levels of radiation in rice growing near the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, a government official said Saturday.

A preparatory test ahead of the official examination of the safety of rice in Nihonmatsu, a city about 30 miles west of the stricken power plant, found that a sample of unharvested rice contained 500 becquerels of cesium per kilogram, the maximum permissible level, the Fukushima Prefecture official said. Rice with up to 500 becquerels of cesium per kilogram is considered safe for consumption, but shipments of rice exceeding that level are banned in Japan.

The cesium level found in the rice sample in Nihonmatsu is the highest discovered since the regulations were set in April, and no rice shipments have been banned, an official at Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. Rice with 500 becquerels of cesium per kilogram still can be shipped.

Fukushima Prefecture will conduct the official tests of rice for radiation in Nihonmatsu as soon as possible at 300 spots—many more than the initially planned 38 spots—as a a result of the latest discovery. Preparatory tests are aimed at determining how many spots rice should be tested in each area……http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903791504576590724000963708.html

September 26, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

Kaminoseki village election a pointer to nuclear power’s future in Japan

With the national government feeble and divided, the future of nuclear power now is being shaped more in communities where reactors are located or planned. 

Nuclear Power Drives Japan Village Election, Mayor Who Has Backed Reactor Plan Faces Anti-Nuke Challenger, WSJ, By JAMES SIMMS, 22 Sept 11 KAMINOSEKI, Japan—This small fishing village has become the next front in Japan’s battle over nuclear power, with an anti-nuke protester threatening to oust the pro-nuke mayor in an election Sunday.

At stake: the fate of a long-planned reactor for which ground-breaking is supposed to take place next year.

More broadly, the defeat of a mayor whose economic development strategy has centered around a controversial power plant could fuel the country’s increasingly influential anti-nuclear movement. Continue reading

September 23, 2011 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Doubts on safety of Koodankulam nuclear project, and of others too

 “there should be a moratorium on all further nuclear activity, and revocation of recent clearances for nuclear projects”, given without regard to India’s ramshackle infrastructure and largely untested emergency procedures…

The issue is far larger than just Koodankulam. There are lingering doubts about the safety measures being reliable, workable and effective….

Discordant voices on safety of nuclear power, THE HINDU, B.S.RAGHAVAN, 22 SEPT 11, Following the agitation, including mass fasting, by the people of Idinthakarai, the village adjacent to the Koodankulam atomic power project, who are in panic over the possibility of the occurrence of a disaster similar to the one at Fukushima and consequent dangers from radiation, there has been a cacophony of voices over the pros and cons of nuclear power. Continue reading

September 23, 2011 Posted by | India, safety | Leave a comment