David Wagner reports on the nuclear crisis in Japan

Report From Tokyo: My Final Report, Huffington Post, David Wagner, 11 July 11, “……….I have a list of my own remaining concerns I share here along with my take on how things may play out:

1) Food Chain: I have talked about this issue numerous times and just the past week further evidence of radiation’s spread in to the food chain was confirmed. This will grow in magnitude as time goes on, leading to pressure to establish an effective food monitoring system. Currently, less than 1 percent of all food in Japan is tested for radiation.

2) Child Safety: As I have written in the past, it is the children of Japan that are in harm’s way near the plant. Faced with the dilemma of staying (mortgage, job, family) or leaving (safety, peace of mind), I suspect more and more families will leave affected regions.

3) Hot Spots: The explosions in two nuclear reactors in March created many “hot spots” where radiation gathered and remains. Mapping these, determining who has had exposure to them, and cleaning them up will be a top priority. Recent reports confirm that the clean up process from the mess in Fukushima will take decades. That sounds about right.

4) Brain Drain: Rising numbers of non-Japanese and Japanese alike will leave Japan. The result will be a notable loss in human talent and creativity, both of which Japan needs to remain competitive. Not a good sign for the future for a country I love.

5) Responsibility: A well-known book by Karel Van Wolferen, written in 1989, highlighted the lack of responsibility taken in decision-making in Japan. Nothing has changed since then. I would not count on much movement in this area. If anything, count on more manipulation of public opinion…….http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wagner/japan-radiation-_b_893955.html.

July 11, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Japan to announce new “stress tests” for its idled nuclear reactors

Japan to detail nuclear plant “stress tests” Monday-minister, TOKYO, July 10, 2011 , (Reuters) – Japan will unveil on Monday details of “stress tests” idled nuclear power plants must undergo before they can be restarted, a senior official said on Sunday, as the government seeks to reassure the public over safety after the Fukushima disaster.

Gohsi Hosono, the minister appointed to oversee Japan’s response to the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, told Fuji TV in an interview the government would also announce on Monday a plan for electricity supply over the next “one or two years” to allay businesses’ fears over power shortages. “The results of the new stress tests and the decision on restarts cannot be treated separately,” Hosono said.

He said the tests, intended to assess whether Japan’s nuclear plants could withstand the kind of massive earthquake and tsunami that pushed Fukushima into crisis, would have different standards to those proposed by the European Union, adding: “This will be a Japanese-style test.”

In a sudden shift in policy, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said last week that Japan would administer stress tests for nuclear plants similar to those conducted by the European Union after the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant…..http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/10/idUSL3E7IA03G20110710

July 10, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Japanese government far too involved in nuclear industry

Too Much Government Support Distorted Nuclear Industry: Inquiry Panel Member, FOX Business News, By Mitsuru Obe,  July 08, 2011,  Dow Jones Newswires

— Government continues to play overbearing role in nuclear industry, inquiry panel member says

— Generous state assistance, protection encouraged exaggerated move by power companies into nuclear power

— Power plant operators failed to learn lessons from Chernobyl disaster

TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- The Japanese government’s heavy involvement in the nuclear power business has distorted the decision-making of plant operators and led to the construction of nuclear plants without regard to real economic costs, indirectly contributing to the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi complex, a member of a fact-finding committee said Friday……

“This has distorted the economic incentives and risk profile of nuclear power. Without massive government assistance, utilities would never have gotten into nuclear power so heavily,” Yoshioka said at the second meeting of the committee, which was set up to investigate the causes of the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

The 10-person panel was launched early last month and is set to produce an interim report by the end of the year and a final report by next summer……..http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2011/07/08/too-much-government-support-distorted-nuclear-industry-inquiry-panel-member/

July 8, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Finish nuclear power – says Japan’s potential next Prime Minister

Japan PM contender says ditch nuclear, FT.com, By Mure Dickie and Tom O’Sullivan in Tokyo 4 July 11,   A leading contender to replace Naoto Kan as Japan’s prime minister has called for the country to phase out nuclear power over the next two decades.

Seiji Maehara, one of the most popular figures in the ruling Democratic party, told the Financial Times in an interview that construction of new nuclear reactors should “basically be stopped” following the crisis at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant……A Japanese retreat from atomic power would have far-reaching implications for domestic utilities and companies such as Toshiba, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which are seeking to sell nuclear technology overseas.….

Opinion polls suggest a majority of voters support a gradual reduction in the use of atomic energy. Mr Maehara said Japan should aim to phase out nuclear power completely. “That is what is going to happen and … what should happen, but given that we depend on nuclear power for 30 per cent of electricity generation, we can’t get rid of it right away,” he said. “While increasing the safety of nuclear power, we need to use preferential policies to reduce our dependence on it over 10 or 20 years.”

Mr Maehara’s relative popularity and status as a former leader of the DPJ mean his call for a nuclear phase-out could put the issue at the centre of any party election to replace Mr Kan.  Mr Maehara’s status as a possible successor to Mr Kan has been boosted by recent opinion polls. One survey by the Nikkei Shimbun suggested one-fifth of voters thought him the most suitable person to become DPJ leader and thus premier….   http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/caa106b6-a581-11e0-83b2-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1R7kQ1HSH

July 4, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics | Leave a comment