NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN such as the QUAKE AND ENSUING TSUNAMI ON 11 MARCH 2011 but also other natu

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO THE JAPAN NUCLEAR DISASTER WHICH OCCURRED ON 11 MARCH 2011

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18662892

 

1 July 2012 Last updated at 13:34 GMT

 

Japan switches on Ohi nuclear reactor amid protests

 

Japan has restarted the first nuclear reactor since the meltdown at the Fukushima power plant last year.

 

Hundreds gathered near the plant in the town of Ohi to protest against the move, which has divided public opinion.

 

Last month, the prime minister urged support, saying a return to nuclear power was essential for the economy.

 

All 50 of Japan's nuclear plants were shut after the meltdown at Fukushima, which was triggered by a tsunami and earthquake.

 

The crisis was regarded as the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

 

Road blocked

 

It will take until Wednesday before the No 3 reactor at Ohi, in Fukui prefecture on the west coast, can start supplying electricity.

 

The reactor is expected to be fully operational by the end of the week, the operator, Kansai Electric Power Co (Kepco) says.

 

About 100 of the 650 protesters at the nuclear plant blocked a nearby road overnight, but a Kepco spokesman said the reactivation was not affected, according to the Reuters news agency.

 

The restart of the 1,180-mW reactor follows an order by Mr Noda last month authorising the reactivation of both it and another reactor at Ohi - No 4 - following stress tests. Reactor No 4 is to be restarted on 14 July.

 

At the time, he called on the Japanese to support the move, saying it was needed to bolster the economy and prevent energy shortages over the summer.

 

The decision was welcomed by businesses who had voiced concern over the lack of power for industry.

 

Dissent

 

On Friday, tens of thousands took part in anti-nuclear rallies in Tokyo outside Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's official residence, chanting "Saikado hantai," or "No to nuclear restarts", in what correspondents say was a rare show of dissent in Japan.

 

The BBC's Mariko Oi, in Tokyo, says it was one of the largest demonstrations seen since the reactors at Fukushima were damaged in March 2011.

 

Reports differ on the number of attendees, but organisers say 200,000 people took part, our correspondent says.

 

The government is continuing to assess whether other nuclear plants are safe to be reactivated.

 

But demonstrators say they are not convinced by assurances over safety. They argue that Japan should take the opportunity to move to alternative energy sources.

 

Tokyo-based protester Nobuhiko Shudo told the BBC the problem of disposing of radioactive waste was key.

 

"The most important thing for us is sustainability of the Earth for the next generation so if we have some problems to keep the planet clean and beautiful, then we have to change the industrial structure" to foster alternative energy sources, he said.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN (EARTHQUAKE AND ENSUING TSUNAMI / NUCLEAR DISASTER AT FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT) ON 5 JULY 2012

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18718057

 

5 July 2012 Last updated at 11:09 GMT

 

Japan panel: Fukushima nuclear disaster 'man-made'

 

The crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant was "a profoundly man-made disaster", a Japanese parliamentary panel has said in a report.

 

The disaster "could and should have been foreseen and prevented" and its effects "mitigated by a more effective human response", it said.

 

The report catalogued serious deficiencies in both the government and plant operator Tepco's response.

 

It also blamed cultural conventions and a reluctance to question authority.

 

The six-reactor Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was badly damaged after the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems to reactors, leading to meltdowns and the release of radioactivity.

 

Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from an exclusion zone around the plant as workers battled to bring reactors under control. Tepco declared the reactors stable in December 2011.

 

Members of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission were appointed to examine the handling of the crisis and make recommendations.

 

The investigation included 900 hours of hearings and interviews with more than 1,000 people.

 

'Insular attitude'

 

In the panel's final report, its chairman said a multitude of errors and wilful negligence had left the plant unprepared for the earthquake and tsunami.

 

"Although triggered by these cataclysmic events, the subsequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant cannot be regarded as a natural disaster," it said.

 

"It was a profoundly man-made disaster - that could and should have been foreseen and prevented."

 

After six months of investigation, the panel concluded that the disaster "was the result of collusion between the government, the regulators and Tepco" founded in the failure of regulatory systems.

 

It said that the situation at the plant worsened in the aftermath of the earthquake because government agencies "did not function correctly", with key roles left ambiguous.

 

It also highlighted communication failures between Tepco and the office of then Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose visit to the site in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake "diverted" staff.

 

The report said regulators should "go through an essential transformation process" to ensure nuclear safety in Japan.

 

"Japan's regulators need to shed the insular attitude of ignoring international safety standards and transform themselves into a globally trusted entity," it said.

 

The report made several recommendations including:

 

Permanent parliamentary monitoring of the nuclear regulatory body

 

Reforming the crisis management system, with more government responsibility for public welfare

 

Reforming nuclear energy laws to meet global safety standards

 

Monitoring nuclear operators and developing a system for independent investigative bodies

 

 

All of Japan's nuclear plants were shut down in the wake of the disaster. But on Sunday the first reactor was restarted in the town of Ohi in Fukui prefecture.

 

The restart sparked large protests in Tokyo but Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda urged support for the move, saying a return to nuclear power was essential for the economy.

 

The government is continuing to assess whether other nuclear plants are safe to be restarted.

 

 

KEY FINDINGS

 

Collusion and lack of governance by government, regulators and Tepco

 

Insufficient knowledge and training within Tepco

 

Lack of preparation on part of government, regulators, Tepco, and prime minister's office to allow adequate response to accident of this scope, including mounting effective evacuation

 

Laws and regulations based on stopgap measures in response to previous accidents - need comprehensive review

 

 

 

Fukushima disaster

 

Reactor cooling systems damaged after 11 March earthquake and tsunami

 

Explosions occurred on 12-15 March at four reactors after gas build-up

 

Tepco engineers injected seawater into reactors for cooling

 

Contaminated waste-water leaked on several occasions

 

Meltdowns later confirmed at three reactors

 

Tepco declared 'cold shutdown' - meaning reactors were stable - in December 2011

[nancyk58]

3 DEATHS IN CONNECTION WITH BAD WEATHER IN SOUTH-WEST JAPAN - 48,000 PEOPLE IN KUMAMOTO URGED TO LEAVE THEIR HOUSES

 

In south-west Japan, heavy rain has cost at least 3 human lives.

 

At least 18 people are missing in the worst-hit island of KYUSHU.

 

The authorities in the city of KUMAMOTO urged 48,000 citizens to leave their houses / homes.

 

Also OITA is hard hit.

 

Rescue teams received many emergency calls reporting LANDSLIDES, SUBMERGED HOMES and SUBMERGED / FLOODED STREETS.

 

According to the Japanese weather service, the area has never ever had such heavy rain before.

 

Source: German ZDFtext on Thursday, 12 July 2012

[nancyk58]

20 DEAD IN JAPAN IN CONNECTION WITH FLOODING AFTER HEAVY RAIN (100 MM IN ONLY 1 HOUR)

 

Source: Danish TV2 News live

 

 

 

50,000 FLEEING CLOUDBURST IN SOUTH JAPAN

 

South Japan got a record-high amount of rain. 20 died and 18 are missing after flooding and fatal landslides.

 

In particular the island of KYUSHU - Japan's third-largest island - is hard hit by the massive & powerful rainfalls.

 

The authorities had issued evacuation orders for about 48,000 inhabitants in the city of KUMAMOTO according to the news agaency Kyodo.

 

About 10,000 homes are without power / electricity.

 

Source: Danish TV2 News

[nancyk58]

AT LEAST 20 DEAD IN CONNECTION WITH RAINFALLS IN JAPAN

 

At least 20 have died in connection with the continous heavy rainfalls in Japan. According to reports17 people were killed in the city of ASO alone on the southern island of KYUSHU as their houses were buried during LANDSLIDES.

 

TV pictures showed flooded/submerged streets, uprooted trees and rivers that had burst their banks.

 

The rescuers are trying to remove the rubble by means of heavy equipment in heavy rain.

 

Worst hit by the heavy rain were the 2 prefectures of KUMAMOTO and OITA.

 

Source: German ARDtext

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON SATURDAY, 14 JULY 2012

 

240,000 ARE FLEEING CLOUDBURST IN JAPAN - 160,000 OTHER URGED TO PREPARE FOR EVACUATION

 

240,000 Japanese have been ordered / urged to leave their homes in the south-western part of japan which has got record-high amounts of rain for three consecutive days.

 

160,000 have been asked to prepare for evacution - therefore SVT Text and later also German text-TV (ARDtext + ZDFtext) mentioned the number of 400,000.

 

So far 20 have lost their lives and 7 are missing according to the Japanese authorities.

 

Japan's Meteorological institute warns ofmore landslides and flooding on the island of KYUSHU (Japan's third-largest island).

 

180 landslides have been reported.

 

On the island of KYUSHU alone, 240,000 people have been urged to leave their homes.

Early today (Saturday 14.7.12) 11 cm of rain per hour has been mesured.

 

Several rivers have burst their banks according to several media.

 

Emergency shelters have been established in schools and in other public buildings.

 

One area got 75 cm in 72 hours, and more rain is forecast.

 

Sources: Danish text-TV on public service channel DR + Swedish SVT Text + German ARDtext and ZDFtext

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 14 / 15 JULY 2012

 

Yesterday (Saturday 14.7.12) 240,000 were urged to leave their homes at once, and 160,000 were asked to prepare for evacuation bringing the total number up to 400,000 (a figure reported by SVT Text and German text-TV (ARDtext + ZDFtext).

 

 

5,000 ISOLATED AFTER RAINFALLS

 

Torrential rainfalls continues in the south-western Japan.

 

More than 5,400 people have been cut off from the outside world by massive mudslides in the south-western Japan after landslides and fallen trees blocked roads and water supply.

 

TV pictures show the military transporting vital supplies of food, water and medicine to those affected by the torrential rainfalls that have already cost 22 human lives and forced 250,000 people to flee their homes. Helicopters are transporting patients and elderly to hospitals.

 

For several days now, Japan's Meteorological Institute has warned of landslides and flooding on the island of Kyushu - Japan's third-largest island.

 

On Saturday 14 July, rainfalls of up to 11 cm per hour was measured.

 

 

LATEST NEWS. THE AUTHORITIES IN SOUTH-WESTERN JAPAN HAVE WITHDRAWN / ANNULLED THE EVACUATION DECREE ORDERING 400,000 JAPANESE ON THE ISLAND OF KYUSHU TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES DUE TO FLOODING AND TORRENTIAL RAIN.

 

3,500 other people had to be evacuated.

 

Sources: Danish text-TV (DR + TV2 News), Norwegian text-TV (NRK) + German text-TV (ZDFtext) + Swedish text-TV (SVT Text) + BBC World News

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18845931

 

15 July 2012 Last updated at 04:56 GMT

 

Japan floods: Search for missing on Kyushu

 

Japanese soldiers and police are searching for missing people on the southern island of Kyushu following flooding and landslides caused by record rainfall.

 

The severe weather conditions are now spreading to the country's old capital Kyoto on the main island of Honshu.

 

Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected. Many of them are staying in evacuation centres.

 

So far, 22 people have reportedly been killed.

 

About 250,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes to avoid floods, officials say.

 

TV footage showed muddy waters sweeping through homes and streets as rivers burst their banks in the north of the island.

 

The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned of further rain and landslides.

 

At least seven people were said to be missing on Friday, Japanese media said. Japan's Self-Defence Forces have been brought in to help search for the missing.

 

The evacuation orders affect 85,000 households in the prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga, Kumamoto and Oita, the Kyodo news agency reported.

 

In Fukuoka prefecture alone, about 190,000 people from 65,000 households were issued the order, with the entire area of the cities of Yanagawa, Yame and Miyama to be evacuated.

 

Another 140,000 have been advised to vacate their homes as well, AFP quoted local officials as saying.

 

Those being asked to leave their homes have been told to go to designated shelters such as schools and other facilities, according to the agency.

 

LATEST NEWS: THE AUTHORITIES IN SOUTH-WESTERN JAPAN HAVE WITHDRAWN / ANNULLED THE EVACUATION ORDER URGING 400,000 JAPANESE ON THE ISLAND OF KYUSHU TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES DUE TO FLOODING AND TORRENTIAL RAIN.

 

3,500 other people had to be evacuated.

 

This update is from Swedish text-TV / SVT Text on 15.7.12 before noon

 

 

BBC World News Sunday evening:

 

Race to help Japan flood victims

 

Japanese troops airlift supplies to thousands trapped in mountainous districts cut off by floods on the southern island of Kyushu.

 

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18845931 15 July 2012 Last updated at 14:28 GMT

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 16.7.12

 

JAPANESE PROTESTS AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER

 

Ten thousands of people in Tokyo have protested against the return of nuclear power and the use of nuclear power as power production.

 

Up to 200,000 people - including Oe who won the Nobel Price in Literature - gathered in Tokyo for the demonstration according to the organizers.

 

This week, Japan will connect a second reactor in the nuclear power plant Ohi to the network.

 

For some time the government had ordered the shut down / disconnection of all 50 reactors for security checks after the nuclear accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

 

In June, the first reactor of the nuclear power plant Ohi had been restarted.

 

So now 2 reactors are operative in the Fukui district - an unpopular decision.

 

Source: German text-TV / ARDtext + Norwegian NRK

 

 

JAPANESE RETURN HOME TO CLEAN UP

 

Victims of the Japanese flooding have started a thorough clean-up operation after the record amounts of rain.

 

At least 32 have either died or are missing.

 

Around 2,600 houses in the northern part of Kyushu are without power.

 

The local governments have sent rescue teams to the villagers who are isolated after landslides.

 

The death toll after the landslides and flooding has risen to 26.

 

The meteorological institutet reports that the rain has decreased, byt new torrential rainfalls on the northern Kyushu could trigger more landslides.

 

Source: Danish text-TV / DR

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON WEDNESDAY 18 JULY 2012

 

 

2 FUEL RODS REMOVED FROM DESTROYED NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN JAPAN

 

The operator of the destroyed Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi ( TEPCO) has started removing 2 fuel rods - each 4 m long - from a cooling pond / basin by means of big cranes.

 

All 1,535 fuel rods are to be removed from the cooling pond / basin next to reactor 4 and brought to a safe place for storage.

 

In the building containing the cooling pond / basin, it had come to several melt-downs and explosions after the earthquake and ensuing tsunami in March 2011.

 

Source: German text-TV / ZDFtext

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 21 JULY 2012

 

 

Reactor 4 in OHI is now operational as the second reactor to resume production after the earthquake and ensuing tsunami on 11 March 2011. Reactor 3 in Ohi was restarted on 5 July. Since Saturday, the reactor has provided Japan with electricity. Source: Swedish SVT Text

 

 

 

 

JAPAN TO INVESTIGATE REPORTS STATING THAT WORKERS WERE TOLD TO LIE ABOUT POTENTIALLY HIGH RADIATION DOSES

 

Japan's Ministry of Health is to study reports stating that workers employed by the disaster-stricken nuclear power plant Fukushima were urged to lie about potentially high radiation doses. So the newspaper Asahi Shimbun reports.

 

The head of one of the subcontractors for the nuclear power plant is said to have told about 10 employees to cover their equipment for measurement of radiation with lead when working in areas with high doses of radiation.

 

According to information, this was to ensure that the workers could continue their work on the site.

 

Source: Swedish text-tv / SVT Text

 

 

http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5362618

 

21 July 2012 Last updated at 11:15 GMT

 

Japan to probe Tepco radiation cover-up claim

 

The Japanese government says it will investigate a report that workers at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were urged to disguise their exposure to radiation[/b].

 

Build-Up, a subcontractor for plant operator Tepco, admitted one of its executives told workers to put lead shields on radiation detection devices.

 

Otherwise, they would have rapidly exceeded the legal limit for exposure.

 

The Fukishima plant was devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

 

Cooling systems to reactors were knocked out, leading to meltdowns and the release of radioactivity.

 

Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from an exclusion zone around the plant.

 

Between November and March this year, a group of Build-Up employees were working at Fukushima, trying to restore facilities.

 

In December, a Build-Up executive told them to cover their dosimeters with lead casings when working in areas with high radiation.

 

Otherwise, he warned, they would quickly reach the legal limit of 50 millisieverts' exposure in a year, and they would have to stop working.

 

Build-Up president Takashi Wada told Japanese media nine of the workers complied.

 

Dosimeters - used to measure cumulative exposure - can be worn as badges or carried as devices about the size of a smartphone.

 

The workers had a recording of their meeting, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.

 

"Unless we hide it with lead, exposure will max out and we cannot work," the executive was heard saying in the recording, as quoted by the paper.

 

The executive apparently said he used one of the lead shields himself.

 

A Tepco spokesman told Reuters on Saturday the company was aware from a separate contractor that Build-Up made the lead shields, but that they were never used at the Fukushima plant.

 

Earlier this month, a Japanese parliamentary panel concluded the disaster at Fukushima was "profoundly manmade" and its effects could have been "mitigated by a more effective human response".

 

All of Japan's nuclear plants were shut down in the wake of the disaster but one, in the town of Ohi, has now partially restarted.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 23 JULY 2012

 

 

JAPANESE AUTHORITIES AND TEPCO BELIEVED (IN) THE MYTH THAT NUCLEAR POWER WAS SAFE

 

The Japanese authorities and the company operating the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, i.e. Tepco, ignored the danger of a nuclear accident because they believed (in) the myth on the safety of nuclear power. They were thus unprepared for a potential nuclear disaster.

 

According to the report then TEPCO and the authorities were not aware/did not realize that the plans for handling the worst possible situation were in fact inadequate.

 

That is the conclusion in a report about the accident in the nuclear power plant last year - an accident that occurred after a gigantic earthquake (magnitude 9.0) and ensuing tsunami.

 

The report was ordered by the Japanese government.

 

- The company and the government did not see the danger as real because they believed the myth of the safety of nuclear power. So the report states.

 

Source: Danish text-TV / DR.dk / news + Norwegian text-tv / NRK News

 

 

SEVERE FAILURES IN CONNECTION WITH THE ACCIDENT AT THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN FUKUSHIMA IN JAPAN ON 11 MARCH 2011

 

An investigation committee of the Japanese government has blamed the operator of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima - Tepco - of OBSTRUCTION of the investigation after the reactor accident and of COVERING UP THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED.

 

The former Prime Minister Kan and his government are blamed for having informed the public in small bits at a time.

 

The danger of a nuclear accident was underestimated when the government believed "in the myth of nuclear safety".

 

Noda, the head of the current government, promised that lessons will be learnt from the report.

 

Source: German text-tv / ARDtext

 

 

 

From CNN (live) on 23.7.12: Every Friday thousands of demonstrators protest in front of the home of the Japanese Prime Minister - they are against the use of nuclear power.

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 29 JULY 2012

 

10,000 JAPANESE FORMED A HUMAN CHAIN round the Japanese parliament in a protest against use of nuclear power.

 

This demonstration / protest is the latest one since PM Noda in June ordered restart of 2 reactors in reply to a threatening shortage of electricity.

 

Source: Swedish SVT Text

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 14 AUGUST 2012

 

 

POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE - MAGNITUDE 7.3 - IN NORTH JAPAN

 

A powerful earthquake shook northern Japan this morning. According to the Japanese meteorological institute the quake had a magnitude of 7.3 whereas the US Geological Survey (USGS) stated the magnitude to be 7.5. .

 

The epicentre was off the coast of HOKKAIDO in the Sea of Okhotsh.

 

The quake stretched from off the Russian east coast to the northern Japan according to the USGS.

 

It occurred 580 km below the surface of the earth and thus at big depth.

 

No tsunami warning was issued.

 

There are no reports of casualties or material damaged.

 

The quake stretched from off the Russian east coast to the northern Japan [/b][/color]- so sources in the USA.

 

On 11 March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 quake and an ensuing tsunami shook Japan killing thousands and crippling a nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

 

Sources: German text-tv (ARDtext + ZDFtext) + Swedish SVT Text + Norwegian NRK News (text-tv)

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19245818

 

13 August 2012 Last updated at 15:17 GMT

 

'Severe abnormalities' found in Fukushima butterflies

 

By Nick Crumpton / BBC News

 

Exposure to radioactive material released into the environment has caused mutations in butterflies found in Japan, a study suggests.

 

Scientists found an increase in leg, antennae and wing shape mutations among butterflies collected following the 2011 Fukushima accident.

 

The link between the mutations and the radioactive material was shown by laboratory experiments, they report.

 

The work has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

 

Two months after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in March 2011, a team of Japanese researchers collected 144 adult pale grass blue (Zizeeria maha) butterflies from 10 locations in Japan, including the Fukushima area.

 

When the accident occurred, the adult butterflies would have been overwintering as larvae.

 

Unexpected results

 

By comparing mutations found on the butterflies collected from the different sites, the team found that areas with greater amounts of radiation in the environment were home to butterflies with much smaller wings and irregularly developed eyes.

 

"It has been believed that insects are very resistant to radiation," said lead researcher Joji Otaki from the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa.

 

"In that sense, our results were unexpected," he told BBC News.

 

Prof Otaki's team then bred these butterflies within labs 1,750km (1,090 miles) away from the accident, where artificial radiation could hardly be detected.

 

It was by breeding these butterflies that they began noticing a suite of abnormalities that hadn't been seen in the previous generation - that collected from Fukushima - such as malformed antennae, which the insects use to explore their environment and seek out mates.

 

Six months later, they again collected adults from the 10 sites and found that butterflies from the Fukushima area showed a mutation rate more than double that of those found sooner after the accident.

 

The team concluded that this higher rate of mutation came from eating contaminated food, but also from mutations of the parents' genetic material that was passed on to the next generation, even though these mutations were not evident in the previous generations' adult butterflies.

 

The team of researchers have been studying that particular species butterfly for more than 10 years.

 

They were considering using the species as an "environmental indicator" before the Fukushima accident, as previous work had shown it is very sensitive to environmental changes.

 

"We had reported the real-time field evolution of colour patterns of this butterfly in response to global warming before, and [because] this butterfly is found in artificial environments - such as gardens and public parks - this butterfly can monitor human environments," Prof Otaki said.

 

But the findings from their new research show that the radionuclides released from the accident were still affecting the development of the animals, even after the residual radiation in the environment had decayed.

 

"This study is important and overwhelming in its implications for both the human and biological communities living in Fukushima," explained University of South Carolina biologist Tim Mousseau, who studies the impacts of radiation on animals and plants in Chernobyl and Fukushima, but was not involved in this research.

 

"These observations of mutations and morphological abnormalities can only be explained as having resulted from exposure to radioactive contaminants," Dr Mousseau told BBC News.

 

The findings from the Japanese team are consistent with previous studies that have indicated birds and butterflies are important tools to investigate the long-term impacts of radioactive contaminants in the environment.

[nancyk58]

LATEST NEWS IN RELATION TO THE GIGANTIC EARTHQUAKE AND ENSUING TSUNAMI PLUS NUCLEAR DISASTER IN JAPAN THAT OCCURRED ON 11 MARCH 2011

 

NEWS ON 11 SEPTEMBER 2012

 

1½ years to the date after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, hundred policemen and the coast guard have been searching for missing.

 

According to the media, 800 people were deployed along the northeastern Pacific coast looking for the about 2,800 people who have been missing since the natural disaster on 11 March 2011.

 

According to the authorities 18,684 people died or are missing.

 

Last month, police in the port city of Kesennuma had found several skeletons.

 

Source: German ARDtext, page 146 http://www.ard-text.de/index.php?page=146

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO THE JAPANESE NUCLEAR DISASTER ON 11.3.11

 

Now the energy entreprise Tepco - operator of the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima - admits that Tepco knew that a tsunami like the one in 2011 would have devastating consequences for the nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

 

Tepco understated deliberately the risk - this in order to avoid a damaged reputation. Tepco was also worried about the political and economic costs of admitting the technical flaws.

 

The clean-up operation after the disaster is expected to take decades. Several cities / towns in the area are still abandoned.

 

Source: Swedish SVT Text

[nancyk58]

NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 1.12.12

 

Residents of Koriyama, Japan face the real possibility of nuclear pollution of their parks, schools and neighborhoods -- but they don't know exactly where.

 

Tell Japanese Nuclear officials to stop secret storage plans of nuclear waste.

 

Link: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/730/000/792/?z00m=20456644

 

Japanese law does not require nuclear storage sites to be labeled or groundwater to be tested for contamination. In Koriyama, more than 1,000 schools and hundreds of parks and residential areas where kids play are nuclear storage sites.

 

The affects of radiation pollution is far too serious to tolerate such laissez-faire regulation of waste storage. It's time for Japanese officials to come up with a new, transparent way to store nuclear waste.

 

 

Tell Japan to stop its under-the-radar and dangerous nuclear storage near schools, parks and homes.

 

Emily V.

Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

 

Source: Care2

 

 

More from Care2:

 

Japan has a literal ton of nuclear waste that needs storing. Ideally, all of this waste would sit safely in storage facilities around the country. Until then, nuclear waste is being buried and piled in residential areas, local parks, and schools - often unbeknownst to the public.

 

These legal "on-site storage" places add up to 1,027 schools, 788 parks, as well as 597 residential areas in Koriyama. The city's reluctance to broadcast the locations of these nuclear waste storage sites has made many citizens suspicious of government regulation.

 

Japan's laws do not require that warning signs be put up on these on-site storage spaces, nor do they require groundwater testing to make sure buried nuclear waste isn't contaminating drinking water. Unmarked spaces holding contaminated debris lie all over, as kids play right beside them.

 

Tell Japan to stop quietly storing dangerous nuclear waste at schools, parks, and residential areas!

[nancyk58]

NEWS ON 7 DECEMBER IN RELATION TO JAPAN

 

TSUNAMI ALERT AFTER POWERFUL/STRONG EARTHQUAKE OFF JAPAN's EAST COAST

 

A tsunami alert has been issued Friday after a powerful earthquake off Japan's east coast. According to the GeoResearchCenter Potsdam the quake had a magnitude of 6.9. According to the US Geological Survey the quake had a magnitude of 7.3. (Reuters: Initially the magnitude was stated to be 7.4, but later downgraded to 7.3). The alert covered the north-eastern coast of Japan, but was later lifted.

 

The quake caused buildings in Tokyo to sway according to eye witnesses.

 

So far there is no information of potential victims or damage.

 

According to news agency AFP citing Japanese media the tsunami waves have been calculated to be about one meter high. According to Reuters there should be no risk of a widespread tsunami in the Pacific region.

 

EDIT: According to Japanese media an 1m high tsunami wave hit the town of Ishinomaki in the Miyagi prefecture. Ishinomaki is situated 400km north of Tokyo and was very much affected by the gigantic tsunami following the powerful magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the same region on 11 March 2011.

 

All tsunami warnings have been lifted at about 19.20 local time, i.e. about 2 hours after the submarine earthquake.

 

The epicentre was close to the region where a devastating magnitude 9.0 quake occurred on 11 March 2011 triggering a gigantic tsunami. Thousands were killed, and a nuclear disaster took place in Fukushima.

 

Sources: German ZDFtext + ARDtext and Swedish SVT Text and Danish dr.dk/news + TV2 News

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NEWS IN RELATION TO THE DISASTER IN JAPAN ON 11.3.11

 

 

RADIOACTIVE / CONTAMINATED FISH CAUGHT IN JAPAN INSIDE THE FUKUSHIMA PLANT

 

A fish contained radioactivity / contamination at a level of 2,500 times the legal level. It was caught near Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant - so the operator Tepco reports.

 

According to Tepco, the level of cesium in the fish corresponds to 254,000 becquerel per kilogram which is 2,540 times the legal level in the sea.

 

The fish was caught in a harbour / port inside the Fukushima plant, says a spokesman for Tepco.

 

The nuclear power plant had a melt-down following a disastrous tsunami on 11 March 2011.

 

Source: Danish dr.dk/news + Swedish SVT Text

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Later on 19.1.13 Swedish SVT Text brought the same story.

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NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 2.2.13

 

 

MAGNITUDE 6.9 EARTHQUAKE SHAKING THE JAPANESE ISLAND OF HOKKAIDO

 

Today - Saturday, 2.2.13 in the afternoon - a magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook the Japanese island of Hokkaido - so several news agencies report.

 

It is not yet known whether the quake caused any deaths or any material damage.

 

The epicentre of the quake is reported to be at a depth of 103 km / 10 miles - about 15 km west of the town/city of Obihiro.

 

No tsunami alert was issued after the quake.

 

The nuclear power plants in the neighbourhood are believed to have coped without any damage

 

Sources: Swedish SVT Text + Swedish TV4 Text

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NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 25 FEBRUARY 2013

 

 

MAGNITUDE 6.2 EARTHQUAKE SHAKES ISLAND OF HONSHU / EAST JAPAN - BUILDINGS WERE SWAYING IN TOKYO FOR 30 SECONDS

 

A powerful earthquake has shaken the Japanese main island of HONSHU.

According to Japanese television reports the magnitude was 6.2.

 

The earthquake caused buildings in the capital TOKYO to sway for 30 seconds. There are no reports of injuries or any major damage, and no tsunami alert was issued.

 

According to Tepco, the operator of nuclear power plants, inclusive of the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima, there were no problems with the nuclear plants in the neighbourhood of the epicentre that was 10 km below the surface of the earth in the Tochigi province / prefecture about 12 miles north of Tokyo.

 

2 years ago, on 11 March 2011, a gigantic earthquake and ensuing tsunami led to one of the worst reactor disasters in the history of using nuclear power. Almost 19,000 people were killed.

 

Sources: German ZDFtext + ARDtext, Norwegian NRK News, Swedish SVT Text + TV4 Text, Danish TV2 News

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NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 10.3.13 = THE DAY BEFORE 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE MAGNITUDE 9 EARTHQUAKE AND ENSUING TSUNAMI

 

 

EVACUATED PEOPLE ARE STILL LIVING IN BARRACKS 2 YEARS ON

 

Tomorrow, Monday 11.3.13 is the second anniversary pf north-eastern Japan being struck by a gigantic tsunami following a magnitude 9 earthquake. The gigantic tsunami washed away entire urban communities in the coastal towns.

 

The water masses streamed into the nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi and triggered a crisis that led to considerable leaks of contaminated / radio-active substances.

 

Today, 300,000 evacuated people are still living in interim barracks, and many of them will live there for years to come.

 

The interim shanty towns are financed by the state. According to the rules / legislation you are not allowed to live in such places for more than 4 years, but last week it was decided to ignore this rule.

 

It is obvious for everyone that half of the 24,000 planned new residences / houses in the 3 hit counties along the coast will not be completed before 2014.

 

Danish dr.dk/nyheder + Norwegian nrk News

 

 

ONE THIRD (1/3) OF JAPAN's WASTE OKAY

 

9.43 million tons of waste from the enormous Japanese tsunami disaster 2 years ago has/have been treated - so the Japanese Ministry of Environment reported last week.

 

So 2 thirds remain to be treated. Heaps of garbage and waste can be found everywhere in the affected countiies / prefectures.

 

Local plants for treatment of garbage and waste in Japan have taken over some of the waste that was transported through Japan in trucks.

 

But the affected prefectures (counties) in north-east have had to deal with the major part of the waste.

 

Sources: Danish dr.dk/news (dr.dk/nyheder)

 

 

PROTESTS IN JAPAN TODAY AGAINST CONTINUED USE OF NUCLEAR POWER

 

Today saw protests in many Japanese towns against continued use of nuclear power.

 

Around 30,000 gathered in the Hibiya Park in central Tokyo. Here they listened to activists, trade union leaders and music.

 

The protesters want the new prime minister Shinzo Abe (that has been in office since December 2012) to close down all nuclear power plants in Japan.

 

Tomorrow, there will be other activities to remember those dead.

 

Sources: Swedish SVT Text + Swedish TV4 Text + Norwegian NRK News + German ZDFtext

 

 

TODAY, SUNDAY 10.3.13, TOKYO WAS HIT BY AN ENORMOUS SANDSTORM

 

Parts of Tokyo was covered by a layer of brown sand. The phenomenon was caused by a sudden cold front from the north that quickly moved southwards bringing strong winds that whirled dry material from the earth.

 

The sandstorm is expected to be followed by rainy weather.

 

Source: Swedish TV4 Text

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POWER OUTAGES KNOCKING OFF COOLING SYSTEM OF FUEL RODS AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN FUKUSHIMA

 

According to operator Tepco it is without any risk.

 

Sources: Norwegian NRK news + Swedish SVT

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NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 5 APRIL 2013

 

 

TEMPORARY DISRUPTION OF COOLING SYSTEM AT CRIPPLED NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN FUKUSHIMA

 

The cooling system that keeps used nuclear fuel / spent fuel rods cool in the nuclear power plant in Fukushima in Japan stopped working today.

 

The alarm of reactor no. 3 sounded in the afternoon local time, but technicians could remedy the defect after 3 hours according to the operator Tepco.

 

It took 30 hours to remedy the defect more than 2 weeks ago in March at a similar disruption of the cooling system in connection with a power outage at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

 

A spokesman for operator Tepco said that the cooling system in theory could be disrupted / cut off for 2 weeks before the environment / the outside world would be at risk.

 

This nuclear power plant was gravely damaged / crippled by the gigantic tsunami that followed the magnitude 9.0 earthquake on 11 March 2011.

 

Sources: Swedish SVT Text + German ARDtext

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NEWS IN RELATION TO JAPAN ON 6 APRIL 2013

 

CONTAMINATED (RADIO-ACTIVE) WATER LEAKING IN JAPAN

 

As much as 120 tons of contaminated (radio-active) water may have leaked out of the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan. This is informed by the operator, Tepco = Tokyo Energy Power CO.

 

The operator has not yet traced the cause of the leak from one of the 7 containers (tanks) storing water for cooling the reactors of the plant. So Masayuki Ono, spokesman for the operator, said Saturday.

 

The operator now plans to pump the remaining 13,000 cubic meters water into other tanks. The water from the leaking tank that is situated 800 m from the coast is not expected to leak into the sea.

 

Sources: Danish dr.dk/nyheder (nyheder = news ) / Norwegian NRK News + Swedish SVT Text + German ZDFtext