Generalcomments

Dear all,

Thank you all for visiting, reading and sharing the news with me on the Fukushima Appeal Blog. I’ve kept it running since February 2012. Unfortunately, I will need some break now to attend to some of my health issues.

I would like to thank this blog and its supporters for giving me an opportunity to become a part of the slowly awakening global community during this very important time of global change. I had zero knowledge of nuclear before the Fukushima disaster, and was and still am a just normal citizen. It’s been hard to see Japan becoming a criminal, immoral and authoritarian country since the Fukushima Disaster. So it’s been a huge awakening and healing process to have a platform to speak out instead of feeling powerless, angry and sad about it. With the new secret law that is going to be introduced in Japan soon, Japanese people will need more help than at any other time in its history from foreign bloggers, doctors and scientists. Please remember Fukushima. I hope that the more difficulties we may encounter, the stronger and connected we will become to fight against injustice and be able to act from our heart space. (Mia)

日本の皆さん、がんばってください。 再稼動反対、子供を守れ! 1mSv/yの約束を守れ!

For more Fukushima update go to: www.nuclear-news.net, http://fukushima-diary.com/, https://www.facebook.com/fukushima311watchdog, http://enenews.com/, http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/, http://www.nuclearhotseat.com/ http://ex-skf.blogspot.co.uk/

Petition: Support Mari Takenouchi and Radiation Protection

日 本の皆様へ、個人的な感情面から、竹ノ内真理さんのことを批判したい方は、すでにそうしたのだから、これからは、その時間とエネルギーをエートス批判に向 けるべきではないでしょうか? そしてボランテイアで、海外に向けて、英語発信する真理さんは、海外の情報源にとって、貴重な存在だと思います。 (Mia)

(English) https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Office_of_the_Prosecutor_Iwaki_Branch_Fukushima_Japan_Support_Mari_Takenouchi_and_Radiation_Protection/?pv=4

(Japanese) https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Fu_Dao_Xian_Jian_Cha_Ting_Dian_ziyanarisutonoZhu_Ye_Nei_Zhen_Li_Shi_Save_Kids_JapanwoQi_Su_sinaidekudasai/?pv=8

Urgent Petition: ttp://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/ask-japanese-government-promise-for-necessary-aid-for-children-who-are-still-exposed-radiation-more-than-1msv-year-3


National Parents Network to Protect Children from Radiation

I hope that every child in Japan is given comprehensive thyroid blood testing including at the minimum TSH, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies. Their thyroid function should be regularly tested on an ongoing basis. “ By Dana Trentini http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/thyroid-testing-for-japanese-children.html

*latest Fukushima Thyroid examination results released on Nov 12. (Complete English translation) (Source) http://fukushimavoice-eng2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/thirteenth-prefectural-oversight.html
National Parents Network to Protect Children from Radiation

*Fuel Removal From Fukushima's Reactor 4 Threatens 'Apocalyptic' Scenario In November, TEPCO set to begin to remove fuel rods whose radiation matches the fallout of 14,000 Hiroshima bombs

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/10/24-3

*Kashiwazaki Nuclear Plant: Fukushima Governor stands in the way to stop restarting! 柏崎原発:再稼動させないよう立ちはだかる新潟県知事泉田氏 http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/kashiwazaki-nuclear-plant-fukushima.html

*Statement: Japanese civil society requests that the reports of the United Nations Scientific Committee on Fukushima be revised 日本の64の市民団体が福島事故に関しての国連科学の報告内容を改訂するよう要請 www.http://hrn.or.jp/eng/a tivity/area/worldwide/japanese-civil-society-requests-that-the-reports-of-the-united-nations-scientific-committee-on-fukus/

Anand Grover, Esq., UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, criticizes UNSCEAR report on Fukushima -10/24/2013 (1 of 4)国連「健康に対する権利」の特別報告者のアナンド・グローバー氏: 国連科学の報告を批判 Video - http://vimeo.com/78483070 October 24, 2013 (NYC, NY)

*Medical experts criticize UNSCEAR report for playing down consequences of Fukushima nuclear accident ドイツの専門家が国連科学の報告書を、「福島事故の影響を過小評価している」と批判! http://www.save-children-from-radiation.org/2013/11/05/medical-experts-criticize-unscear-report-for-playing-down-consequences-of-fukushima-nuclear-accident/

*Frightening Report from the UNSCEAR (The United nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation UNSCEAR-国連科学委員会による、恐るべき報告http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/frightening-report-from-unsear-united.html

*Heavily Criticized Recent WHO Report on Health Risk Assessment from the Fukushima Disaster 厳しく批判された最近の福島事故による健康被害についてのWHO報告 http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/who-report-on-health-risk-assessment.html

*UN Report – Japanese Delegation to The UN Spreads Lies and Deception! 国連報告書2013年4月  国連への日本政府代表団のうそとごまかし! 抗議締め切り517日! http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/un-report-japanese-delegation-to-un.html

*まとめ:国連報告書2013年4月  国連への日本政府代表団のうそとごまかし! 抗議締め切り517http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/un-report-japanese-delegation-to-un.html

*A letter to all young athletes who dream of coming to Tokyo in 2020 東京オリンピックを目指している若い選手の方々へ Some Facts You Should Know About Fukushima 0.086Bq/kg was normal amount of ionizing radiation in fish before the Fukushima accident. Now it is 100Bq/kg 1160times more radioactive. http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/a-letter-to-all-young-athletes-who.html

Fukushima Petitions ☢ Please Sign and Share! Japan needs Worldwide Help NOW! Stop Fukushima Radiation – UN Action Needed

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/STOP_FUKUSHIMA_RADIATION_UN_ACTION_NEEDED/

Mobilize the U.N. Security Council to declare Fukushima a global emergency;
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/mobilize-the-un-security

*Tokyo radiation is worse than Gomel - Mika Noro’s speech on the impact of radiation in Japan http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/tokyo-radiation-is-worse-than-gomel.html

*Police arrest animal rescuers inside Fukushima evacuation zone — “They cannot be contacted and are being charged with crimes” http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/police-arrest-animal-rescuers-inside.html

Resistance posted by Ian Thomas Ash, a director of Fukushima Documantary Film "A2-B-C"

As one does not train with weight that is too light,….. And as I write this, I realize something for the first time: the more I embrace the resistance, the more I am becoming it. http://ianthomasash.blogspot.jp/2013/11/resistance.html

*福島原発で働く皆さんへ、世界からの暖かいメッセージ http://nuclear-news.net/2013/12/01/to-the-fukushima-workers-we-support-you-address-to-j-village-supplied/

(Japanese translation)http://goo.gl/re5822

*Fukushima Farmers negotiate with Japanese Government/Tepco 福島農家の若者、政府と東電に対して勇気ある発言 http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/fukushima-farmers-negotiate-with.html The current government limit is 100Bq/kg... 0.1Bq/kg for cesium in rice before the Fukushima disaster. … We feel guilty about growing it and selling it...

*Atomic bombs survivors received fair compensation, not so in Fukushima!

広島・長崎の被爆者援護法:追加1ミリ被曝で被曝者認定、福島事故被害者にも認定を、するべき

The Japanese Gov recognizes radiation related illnesses! http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/atomic-bombs-survivors-received-fair.html


Sunday 30 June 2013

Fukushima - 27 children developped thyroid cancer!

(Source) 

The most recent data on thyroid cancer 甲状腺がんの最新データ
(Source) 
takenouchimari.blogspot.com

2013年6月時点での福島県での18歳未満での甲状腺検査結果 を記します。2005年には日本で10万人に1人であった未成年の甲状腺がんが、まだ正確な数値はデータを取っている途中なので、確定しませんが、少なく とも数十倍規模で事故1,2年後から増えていることが読み取れます。
First of all, let me give you the latest data of thyroid cancer test in Fukushima as of June 2013.  Though we do not know the exact number since the examination is still underway and especially 2nd tests had not been completed with many suspected subjects, we can tell that the incidence rate has already jumped dozens of times compared to the 2005 statistics of 1 thyroid cancer out of 100,000 among Japanese minors.


以下が最新の福島県甲状腺検査の結果報告です。
http://www.pref.fukushima.jp/imu/kenkoukanri/250605siryou2.pdf

Below is the latest Fukushima Prefectural Thyroid Examination Report.http://www.pref.fukushima.jp/imu/kenkoukanri/250605siryou2.pdf
 

現在2011年の11人、2012年度の16人、合計27人の甲状腺がんが確定しています。
As of now, 11 thyroid cancer kids in fiscal year of 2011 and 16 in 2012, in total 27 thyroid cancer cases were found.
11ページをご覧ください。
See the page 11.


 
2011年度には、40704人中、11人の甲状腺がんが発生しています。
(ただし、表3によりますと、205人中166人しか2次検査を受けていないため、残りの39人が検査を受けると、11人より増える可能性があります。)
In the fiscal year of 2012, already 16 thyroid cancer cases were found out of 134735 (however, once again, only 255 out of 935 children went through the 2nd examination at this stage, so if the remaining 680 go through the 2nd exam, this number could boost later.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Wholebody counter has been used for cover-up for the danger of internal exposure - Prof. Yagasaki of Ryukyus University WBCの高い検出限界値でND「内部被曝隠し」科学的粉飾 矢ケ崎教授

http://fukushimaappeal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/wholebody-counter-has-been-used-for.html

Saturday 29 June 2013

Atsuko Ogasawara, Owner of Asako House, built in the center of the Ohma Nuclear Power Plant Premises

(Source) http://cnic.jp/english/
by Mayumi Nishioka


A major earthquake hit eastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The Fukushima Daiichi NPP was critically damaged and has been emitting large amounts of radionuclides since that time. This earthquake-vulnerable country has nuclear power plants nationwide. A small but increasing number of municipalities are adopting antinuclear policies. Regarding the Ohma NPP project, however, politicians and local municipalities are clear about having no plan to give it up.

The town of Ohma, where the nuclear power plant is under construction, is situated at the northernmost tip of Honshu, the largest Japanese island. There are two large plots of land, about one hectare in total, in the middle of the planned NPP premises. Their former owner was the late Asako Kumagai, who opposed the NPP project and did not agree to sell the land to the Electric Power Development Company (J-Power), the would-be operator of the plant. Because of the disagreement with Ms. Kumagai, the company reviewed the construction plan and moved the reactor core position, which was originally very close to her land, about 200 meters. (The reactor core will still be only 300 meters away from the land, if completed.)

Atsuko Ogasawara is Asako Kumagai's daughter. The mother and daughter together built a log house on one of the plots to show their resistance, but Asako passed away in 2006, before moving into the house. Atsuko Ogasawara has been guarding Asako House ever since.
Ms. Ogasawara, whose home is located in Hakodate, the city facing Ohma across the Tsugaru Strait, visits Asako House several times a week to take care of the house and the vegetables she raises there. The antinuclear action she is most committed to is to request people to write to her at Asako House. She always carries prepaid postcards on which the address of Asako House is printed. The one-kilometer pathway J-Power prepared to allow access to Asako House is unpaved and fenced in on both sides. If someone writes to her, a mail carrier must visit the house, treading the pathway. This whole routine implicitly tells the company, and the neighborhood that cannot see the house from the outside, that Asako House is there, and has not been abandoned.

When I visited Asako House in 2008 for the first time, soon after the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry granted a reactor construction license to J-Power, the movement against the Ohma project was rather small. Subsequently, however, geomorphologists have reported that it is highly possible that there are active faults in the areas near the planned NPP site, and in 2010 a group of Hakodate residents filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government and J-Power to suspend construction. Ogasawara joined the group and delivered a speech during the first oral proceedings.

While having a bright and cheerful character, Ogasawara is often filled with emotion and moved to tears when talking in public. I believe that at such a time she strongly wishes she could show the audience to her late mother. When the Ohma NPP project was announced, many local landowners were against it and refused to sell their land at first. However, one after another, they gave up and finally Asako became the only landowner to own major plots of land in the very center of the premises. In the town, where a great majority of the population was in favor of the project, Asako faced a very lonely struggle.

In late May 2011, a rock festival was held on Atsuko's plots, surrounded by cranes and plant facilities under construction, including the bizarre containment vessel. The festival attracted many supporters and music lovers, and was covered by multiple media outlets. Atsuko, who took over her mother's lone struggle, is no longer alone.


If you wish to send a postcard to Atsuko, please address it to:

The address:
Ms. Atsuko Ogasawara
Asako House
396 Aza-kookuto , Oma-machi
Shimokita-gun,
Aomori Pref.
039-4601, Japan

----------------------------------------

大間原発反対に孤軍奮闘「あさこはうす」/Lonely Battle Against Ohma Nuclear Plant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpEF-VJboq4 

Kumagai Asako fought against the establishment of Ohma nuclear power plant next to her property.  She refused to leave her base.  The new building was moved about 250m.  Today  her house is susrrounded by ground that was purchased by J-Power.  The operator is seeking to block the driveway to her property by counting the people who used them.  If no one goes the driveway, operator will block it.  To avert this threat, the daughter and granddaughter of Asako ask, that every day someone goes this way.  And that person will be the postman.  To do this, ask them, simply to send them a letter...

www.asakohouse.com/EN/index.php


 


Ohma Nuclear Power Plant for using full MOXed fuel under Construction - A Woman Who Refuses to Give In to A New Nuke Plant 大間原発反対に孤軍奮闘「あさこはうす」


<大間原発>MOX燃料稼働に慎重姿勢 田中規制委員長

原子力規制委員会の田中俊一委員長は26日の記者会見で、Jパワー(電源開発)が建設中の大間原発(青森県)について、使用済み核燃料から取り出したプルト ニウムをウランと混ぜたMOX燃料を100%使用する世界初の商業炉であることから「今の日本で、世界でやったことがないことをやるのは一般論として難し い」と慎重な姿勢を示した。  毎日新聞 6月26日




The Japan Electric Power Development Corp (J-Power) resumed construction of the Ohma nuclear power plant in Aomori prefecture of the north of Tohoku area in Japan on 1st of October, 2012.  It was 40% complete in March 2011 when the Fukushima disaster happened.Ohma would be the first Japanese reactor built to run solely on MOX fuel incorporating recycled plutonium.
Mr. Shunichi Tanaka, a head of nuclear regulation Agency mentioned in the press conference on June 26th, 2013 that it's going to be first time in the world that more than 1/3 of MOXed fuel is going to be used in the reactor.  We would need to have a thorough check its safety once we receive their application of operation.  They said that there is more risk in MOXed fuel reactors than uranium fuel reactors such as: poor absorption of neutron and threshold temperature of melting fuel might go down during inserting the control rod into the fuel rod.

ww.foejapan.org/energy/action/121026.html

原子力規制員会の田中俊一委員長は、繰り返し「政治的なことには関与しない」と述べており、再稼働などの判断は日本政府や事業者が負うものとしています。 結果的に大飯原発の運転続行や大間原発の建設再開を容認してしまっています。原子力規制員会が科学技術的なことのみに責任を負うにしても、福島原発事故を 踏まえた科学技術的な審査が終わっていない、大飯原発の運転続行、大間原発の建設再開を容認すべきではありません。
However Mr. Tanaka also repeatedly commented that he wouldn't interfere with the Japanese Government's political decision over continued operation of Ohi nuclear power plants and the operation of Ohma reactor once it's builtHe let J-Power restarted to build Ohma reactor in Last October even if it wasn't scientifically proved that it's safe to build on the site in the wake of Fukushima nuclear disaster.

-----------------------------------

大間原発反対に孤軍奮闘「あさこはうす」/Lonely Battle Against Ohma Nuclear Plant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpEF-VJboq4 

Kumagai Asako fought against the establishment of Ohma nuclear power plant next to her property. She refused to leave her base. The new building was moved about 250m. Today her house is surrounded by ground that was purchased by J-Power. The operator is seeking to block the driveway to her property by counting the people who used them. If no one goes the driveway, operator will block it. To avert this threat, the daughter and granddaughter of Asako ask, that every day someone goes this way. And that person will be the postman. To do this, ask them, simply to send them a letter...

www.asakohouse.com/EN/index.php




Ohi nuclear power plants(Japan's two operating reactors) - not meeting New Post-Fukushima Standards


Japan’s Two Operating Reactors won’t meet New Post-Fukushima Standards
Will the Nuclear Regulation Authority Still Allow Them to Operate?


Working for a Nuclear Free Japan -- Green Action
グリーン・アクション


Kyoto, Japan—-The Nuclear Regulation Authority today approved new post-Fukushima regulatory standards. The standards will now be sent to the Cabinet for approval. They are scheduled to take effect on 8 July.
Will the NRA ignore compliance with its new standards from day one by allowing the two currently operating nuclear reactors in Japan, Ohi Units 3 and 4 to continue to operate, thus setting the precedent for further non-compliance?
At issue is whether Japan has learned the lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident and whether Japan’s nuclear power will really be “the safest in the world” as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe claims.
Japanese NGOs yesterday sent questions to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) through a House of Councillors Diet member demanding answers on whether the NRA intends to comply with its own new regulatory standards. The questions are to be answered by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency on Friday, 21 June. (See below for English translation of the questions and time/location of the meeting.)
The final results of the review on Ohi Units 3 and 4 concerning whether or not these two operating reactors will be allowed to operate after the new regulatory standards take effect will probably be announced at the weekly NRA meeting on Wednesday, 26 June. It has been reported that the NRA will approve the reactors’ continued operation until their scheduled outage in September.

—-
Questions Concerning Compliance of Ohi Units 3 and 4 to New Regulatory Standards
The following questions were submitted on 18 June to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) via the Mizuho Fukushima Diet office by four NGOs
To the Nuclear Regulation Authority:
1.Concerning the conference room located at Units 1 and 2 which is to serve as the earthquake-resistant control room for Ohi Units 3 and 4
The earthquake-resistant control room for Ohi Units 3 and 4 (maximum capacity 1000 persons) to be located on the south side of the intake outlet of the Ohi nuclear power plant site will only become operational in the autumn of 2015. In the meantime, Kansai Electric states that it will use a conference room located at the Unit 1 and 2 site.
(1)The conference room at the Unit 1 and 2 site which is to serve as the center for emergency operations in the event of an accident is located right next to Units 3 and 4. Isn’t this too close to be functional? Is it not correct that the earthquake-resistant control room should be located at some distance from the reactors?
(2)The conference room is approximately 105 square meters with capacity for 38 persons. The sole equipment to monitor the state of the Unit 3 and 4 reactors and other equipment under an emergency is one personal computer. Is this sufficient for full emergency response?
(3)The earthquake-resistant control room facility is to be completed around the autumn of 2015. Without such a facility in place, Ohi Units 3 and 4 do not meet the requirement under the new regulatory standard. Is that correct?
2.Concerning the Date of Sea-Wall (Tsunami Breakwater) Completion at Ohi Nuclear Power Plant Site
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has stated that completion of a sea-wall (tsunami breakwater) is a prerequisite for applying to restart nuclear power plants.
The breakwater for the Ohi site is not scheduled for completion until March 2014. This means the Ohi plant site does not meet the requirement to apply for restart under the new regulatory standard. Is that correct?
3.Concerning the Investigation of the Shattered Zone (Earthquake Fault) Under the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant
The Nuclear Regulation Authority( NRA) states that nuclear power plant sites currently undergoing investigation of their shattered zones (earthquake faults) are required to have their investigation completed (conclusion reached) before they can apply for permission to restart.
The Ohi F-6 shattered zone (earthquake fault) on-site investigation is still on-going and experts undertaking the investigation have not reached a conclusion. Because of this, is it correct that Ohi does not meet the new safety regulation?
4.Concerning Vent with Filter
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) states that for PWR’s, completion of a vent with filter is a prerequisite for applying for restarts.
The vent with filter at the Ohi plant will be completed in March of 2016. Because of this, Ohi does not meet the new regulatory standards. Is that correct?
5.Concerning Basic Earthquake Ground Motion
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has sought that Kansai Electric “establish a earthquake motion based on 3 earthquake faults interacting.” However, Kansai Electric continues to use as reference the basic earthquake ground motion based on 2 earthquake faults interacting and stated a 3-earthquake fault analysis was only “just in case.” The utility came out with a new (self-created) category called “earthquake ground motion for the purpose of the review.”
Since Kansai Electric refuses to meet the demand of the Nuclear Regulation Authority to establish a basic earthquake ground motion based on a 3-earthquake fault interaction, this means it does not meet the new regulatory standards. Is that correct?
6.The Ohi Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 & 4 do not meet the new regulatory standards, the NRA should therefore require them to be shut down
It cannot be said that the Ohi nuclear power plant meets the new regulatory standards when it does not even meet the demands made by the NRA as indicated above. Because of this, should not the NRA demand that the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant site immediately cease operations?
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
The above questions were submitted by:
Green Action
Mihama-no-Kai
Lawsuit Group to Shut Down the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant
The Nuclear Regulation Authority Citizen Watchdog
For Japanese original of questions see:
http://greenaction-japan.org/internal/130618_question.pdf
Download: Japan’s Two Operating Reactors won’t meet New Post-Fukushima Standards
Will the Nuclear Regulation Authority Still Allow Them to Operate?
(PDF)
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Reprocessing and the Pluthermal program, using MOX fuel are little more than a makeshift solution for Japan's nuclear waste disposal problems.

(Source) Aileen Mioko Smith Green Action-Japan
"Pluthermal" is a Japanese word which combines two English words, "plutonium" and "thermal". Pluthermal refers to the utilization of 'plutonium' fuel in commercial ('thermal') nuclear power plants. The fuel is commonly referred to as plutonium uranium mixed oxide fuel, or MOX fuel.
[...]
A decade ago, the pluthermal program was called an interim program, a 'bridge' to consume plutonium until fast breeder reactors were developed for full-scale plutonium utilization. However, since the 1995 accident at the prototype fast breeder reactor Monju, Japan's fast-breeder reactor development program has come to a standstill, and there are no concrete plans to build a commercial fast-breeder reactor in sight.
Over the last several years the government and electric utilities have argued that the pluthermal program is a method of recycling precious resources. 
[…]
What is Wrong with the Pluthermal Program?
The use of MOX fuel increases the risk and severity of a nuclear accident. When using MOX fuel, the control rods' capacity to function is reduced and power output is less stable and harder to control. The Japanese government claims that there has been many years of MOX fuel utilization experience in Europe, but fails to inform the Japanese public that experience with MOX fuel is minimal when compared to uranium fuel. Importantly, the government fails to inform the public that the scale of MOX fuel use in Japan will be unprecedented. There will be a higher concentration of plutonium in the fuel, a higher burn-up rate ---experimentation has shown that there are serious safety concerns with high burn-ups, and no reactor adaptations such as increasing the number of control rods.



The real need for the Pluthermal Program
Then why have the Pluthermal Program? Although plutonium is a major liability for electric utilities, the pluthermal program remains in place because at present reprocessing facilities are the only place for Japanese electric utilities to send their spent nuclear fuel. Failing to carry out the pluthermal program would imply that there is no need for plutonium, thereby making the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant now being constructed in Aomori Prefecture unnecessary.
This would then leave the utilities with no place to send their spent nuclear fuel. If this were to happen, some of the reactors at nuclear power plant sites would have to be shut down since there would be no space to store the used fuel coming out of them.
Clearly, reprocessing and the pluthermal program are little more than a makeshift solution for Japan's nuclear waste disposal problems.






Former Futaba mayor, Mr. Idogawa sternly criticized the Japanese Government and Tepco for their cheap compensation for evacuees 井戸川前双葉町長国と東電を痛烈批判、「国は避難者を兵糧攻めにして安い賠償金で泣き寝入りさせようとしている」、

Friday, June 28,

(Source)

http://www.chibanippo.co.jp/c/news/local/143979

国と東電を痛烈批判、「国は避難者を兵糧攻めにして安い賠償金で泣き寝入りさせようとしている」、井戸川前双葉町長が講演(6/27 千葉日報)

A citizen's group 「子どもと一歩の会」 held a film event of "Nuclear Nation" at the Health and Culture center in Ohtsunashirozato-city in Chiba prefecture.   About 180 people attended the event.  Former Futaba Mayor, Mr. Idogawa was invited to make an speech in front of the audiences after the film was shown.  Mr. Idogawa commented that  the Japanese Government and Tepco have been just thinking of how they can get away with their responsibilities of the nuclear accident and starving the evacuees into surrender by giving a small amount of money.  Mr. Idogawa is worried about the deal that the evacuees have been accepting:  it's been more than 2 years since they have been forced to live in the temporarily accommodation.  They have been going ahead with receiving a small amount of compensation to end their life in the temporarily accommodation and being compelled to accept the whole thing.   He condemned the deal as a negative precedent for the residents with cheaper compensation settlement over the nuclear accident, but with a long term suffering for their future. 

 市民団体「子どもと一歩の会」は、大網白里市保健文化センターで、福島 第1原発事故で町民全員が避難を余儀なくされた双葉町のドキュメンタリー映画「フタバから遠く離れて」の上映会を開き、約180人が出席した。会場では前 双葉町長の井戸川克隆氏(67)が講演し「国はわれわれ避難者を兵糧攻めにして賠償金をいかに安くするかしか考えていない」と国と東京電力を痛烈に批判し た。

 井戸川氏は、仮設住宅などでの避難暮らしが長期化している双葉町民の現状について、「避難生活から逃れるための金を早く手に入れよ うとして、あんな安い賠償金額で泣き寝入りし、はんこを押している」と憂慮。「原発事故は住民を困らせて賠償金を安くする悪しき前例となる」と訴えた。

Friday 28 June 2013

MOX (mixed plutonium uranium) Fuel Shipment Arrives in Japan with No End-Use Determined

(Source)
http://www.greenaction-japan.org


 For immediate release: 27 June 2013
27 June 2013, Takahama Town, Fukui Prefecture, Japan—-A shipment of MOX (mixed plutonium and uranium oxide) fuel arrived at Kepco’s Takahama nuclear power plant today located in Fukui Prefecture facing the Japan Sea.
Today’s shipment violates the Japan Atomic Energy Commission’s determination, issued in 2003, requiring utilities to specify the end-use of MOX fuel before it is imported.
Kepco has not been given permission to restart its Takahama nuclear power plant. On top of that, the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has not even established post-Fukushima accident regulatory standards for MOX fuel and its use.
According to the IAEA, unirradiated MOX fuel is direct-use nuclear weapons material. This shipment adds yet another 900kg (approx.) to the already 960kg of unused plutonium in MOX fuel located at 5 nuclear power plants in Japan.
As of today, over 70 nations have opposed MOX fuel shipments and past shipments of separated plutonium. Japan, the UK, and France have neglected to undertake an environmental impact assessment on Japanese nuclear shipments. Furthermore, no compensation plan exists for damages in the event of an accident, and emergency planning is grossly inadequate.
Many Japanese prefectures are also on the shipment route. Citizens of local governments which face the Japan Sea have petitioned Kepco and the Japanese government for information on emergency planning and compensation for damages in the event of such an accident.

On 26 June, the Joint Action for Nuclear Free Korea composed of 78 groups including the nationwide Korean Federation of Environmental Movement (KFEM) issued a statement opposing the MOX shipment.
“"Crucial quality control data for the MOX fuel has not been released by the fabricator of the fuel, the French company Areva SA. Not even Kepco, its client, has been given details on the kind of impurities in the fuel and other important data that could affect the fuel safety. The French nuclear authority’s remit does not include checking the quality of foreign fuel. Therefore, only Areva is privy to that information” stated Aileen Mioko Smith, executive director of Green Action.

———
References:
12, April 2013
Joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry regarding MOX fuel shipment to Japan
http://www.greenaction-japan.org/internal/130412_MOX_US_State_Letter.pdf
5 March 2013
Letters sent to countries potentially on the route of the MOX fuel shipment
http://www.greenaction-japan.org/internal/130305_Letter_en_route_MOX.pdf
Download: MOX (mixed plutonium uranium) Fuel Shipment Arrives in Japan with No End-Use Determined (PDF)

Film: The Land of Hope at the Riverside Studios, London



 

"The Land of Hope"
Another Film Showing


Tuesday 23 July
8pm-


The Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, London, W6 9RL

 Prolific Japanese director SONO Sion takes a step back from his usual over-the-top film-making style for a restrained drama dealing with a family's struggles after the aftermath of a Fukushima-style nuclear power plant explosion in their town.
A family finds themselves torn apart when a large earthquake strikes and sends the local nuclear power plant into meltdown. The 20km exclusion zone right through their front yard and for their family's future they make the hard decision for the son and his wife to flee while the older parents stay to keep their heritage alive.
You can book tickets at Riverside Studios
---------------------------------------------

Haringey CND Public Meeting

Monday 22 July, 7pm -
at Jacksons Lane Community Centre, Jacksons Lane, London N6 5AA

Speaker:
Chitoshi Moriguchi, JAN UK


Theme: "Fukushima and Hiroshima, the Continuing Disasters"

The disaster in Hiroshima is often understood only with the damage of heat and blast. But there was another problem: radiation. Even those who entered the city after the bomb began to die because of radiation.
Everybody is welcome! Especially, those who live in East London, come and listen to Chitoshi's speech. 
  ----------------------------

10% increase of death rate in Fukushima prefecture (6/2012 - 5/2013) 福島県の死者数は10%増


(Source) 
mekenekotama.blog38.fc2.com/blog-entry-743.html

福島県の死者数は10%増(20012年6月からの1年間)

福島県の5月末までの人口動態が福島県のHP(1)にアップされていました。ここで過去1年間の死者数を集計してみました。
 2009年6月~翌年5月 21,326名 June,2009 - May, 2010   21,326
 2012年6月~翌年5月 23,672名 June, 2012 - May, 2013  23,672
で10%増えています。また5月の比較では


brg130627a.gif
 図―1 福島県の各年6月から1年間の死者数の推移

(Reference) Home page of Fukushima prefecture 福島県ホームページ - 組織別 - 福島県の推計人口

http://wwwcms.pref.fukushima.jp/pcp_portal/PortalServlet;jsessionid=25C2B29A63BBA3775FF0E88CED96556F?DISPLAY_ID=DIRECT&NEXT_DISPLAY_ID=U000004&CONTENTS_ID=15846

Much more powerful solar cells on the way



sun-championSolar Cells That Could Produce More Power Than Uranium http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3814  27 June 13  (Reblogged from  http://nuclear-news.net)
New research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology into graphene, one of the thinnest and most conductive photovoltaic materials in existence, could lead to the production of highly efficient solar panels that, weight-for-weight, could be capable of producing more energy than reactor-grade uranium.
In a paper published in the journal Nano Letters, MIT scientists describe the stacking of two atom-thick nanomaterials, graphene and molybdenum disulfide, to create a one-nanometre (billionth of a metre) thick solar cell capable of converting sunlight to energy at two percent efficiency.
Lead author of the research, Jeffrey Grossman, the Carl Richard Soderberg Associate Professor of Power Engineering at MIT, says while this is a very low number compared to conventional photovoltaic efficiencies, the solar cell is so thin that pound-for-pound the new material produces up to 1,000 times more power than current solar technology.
“It’s 20 to 50 times thinner than the thinnest solar cell that can be made today,” says Grossman. “You couldn’t make a solar cell any thinner.”
The research team also believe layering the ultra-thin solar cells could significantly improve their efficiency level”Stacking a few layers could allow for higher efficiency, one that competes with other well-established solar cell technologies,” says Marco Bernardi, a postdoc in MIT’s Department of Materials Science.
The team foresee many applications for solar panels “thousands of times lighter and thinner than tissue paper”, such as on delicate structures like spacecraft and in the field of aviation. Shipping and installation cost could also fall dramatically.
Grossman says the results of this research into two-dimensional nanomaterials like graphene has exceeded expectations – and the field is still in its infancy. Molybdenum disulfide and molybdenum diselenide, used to produce the MIT results, are just two of an unexplored realm of highly-conductive photovoltaic nanomaterials, which could lead to groundbreaking discoveries in the field of solar energy.
“There’s a whole zoo of these materials that can be explored,” Grossman says. “My hope is that this work sets the stage for people to think about these materials in a new way.”

International Energy Agency predicts bright future for solar and wind energy 国際エネルギー機関は、太陽光と風力エネルギーに明るい将来を期待している。

(Reblogged from 

Quiz: What You Don’t Know About Solar Power http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/energy/great-energy-challenge/solar-power-quiz/

Global Renewable Energy on Track to Soon Eclipse Natural Gas, Nuclear A new report predicts that renewable power energy generation will exceed that of gas and nuclear by 2016. Ker Than National Geographic June 26, 2013
The future appears to be bright for renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and water.In fact, power generation from such renewables will exceed that of gas and nuclear by 2016, according to a report published Wednesday by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
“As their costs continue to fall, renewable power sources are increasingly standing on their own merits versus new fossil-fuel generation,” IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven said in a statement. Read more »
---------------------------------------------------------------

Renewable energy worldwide to overtake gas by 2016

http://nuclear-news.net/2013/06/27/renewable-energy-worldwide-to-overtake-gas-by-2016/

renewable-energy-world-Sm
The report comes on the heels of recent research suggesting the threat of climate change is greater than earlier estimates.
An IEA report released earlier this month warned the world is on track to surpass by more than double the two-degree Celsius warming goal set by the United Nations, unless urgent measures are taken.
The IEA’s recommendations include curtailing coal-fired power stations and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.
Renewable energy use gaining worldwide:IEA http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/breaking-news/renewable-energy-use-gaining-worldwideiea/story-e6frg90f-1226670621465 AAP  June 27, 2013  RENEWABLES like solar and wind power represent the fastest-growing source of energy generation and will make up a quarter of the global power mix by 2018, the International Energy Agency IEA says. Read more »
---------------------------------------------------------

Chernobyl’s Children

(Reblogged from http://nuclear-news.net


Seattle TV: Children now sicker than ever from Chernobyl disaster — Contamination to go on for centuries to come — Many with heart and digestive problems http://enenews.com/seattle-tv-children-are-now-sicker-than-ever-from-chernobyl-disaster-contamination-to-go-on-for-centuries-to-come-many-with-heart-and-digestive-problems-video(VIDEO)Title: Local program helps children receive treatment years after Chernobyl
Source: KING 5 News
Author: MITCH PITTMAN
Date: June 25, 2013 a 
h/t moxnews

For most of us, the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster is history. But the reality is its effects linger for thousands still living around the site, which will be contaminated for centuries to come.
Two decades ago, a program was started locally to help those in Belarus receive treatment, and now Hope for Chernobyl’s Child is continuing that mission in Renton.
[...] organizers say children now are sicker than ever from Chernobyl’s lasting effects.
Transcript Excerpts
Many have heart and digestive problems and they’ll be treated by doctors who donate their time
Now over the years the Hope for Chernobyl’s Child program has helped over 350 kids and organizers say they’re sicker now than ever and they’re still looking for more doctors to help provide care

Watch the broadcast here

Thursday 27 June 2013

World looks to Germany in the energy revolution 世界はドイツのエネルギー革命に目を向けている

(Source) 
http://nuclear-news.net/2013/06/25/world-looks-to-germany-in-the-energy-revolution/
The people of Berlin seem to gravitate towards an environmentally conscious energy discussion. Bike commuters abound, energy efficiency and environmental concerns are a tenant of the informed public. In the relatively hot summer – 37 degree highs on average – the most noticeable omission from most building’s energy profile is air conditioning……..
Germany spearheads global renewable energy awareness Mohammed Alshoai   Saudi Gazette, 24 June 13 BERLIN – The streets of Berlin face a different kind of traffic than those of Riyadh: bicycle traffic, which speaks multitudes in a city cultured with environmental awareness, so much so that Energiewende – literally: energy transformation – has become a word recognized in every household and office building in the German capital.
Following the Fukushima incident in 2011, the Germans took an almost unanimous vote on moving away from nuclear energy and promoting renewables. This vote has lead to a consensus on nuclear phaseout, which has become a tenant of Energiewende, emphasized by the high public tension surrounding nuclear energy.

Following the Fukushima incident in 2011, the Germans took an almost unanimous vote on moving away from nuclear energy and promoting renewables. This vote has lead to a consensus on nuclear phaseout, which has become a tenant of Energiewende, emphasized by the high public tension surrounding nuclear energy.

text-renw-Germany

Tritium level rising in Fukushima plant port – Ground subsidence issues on land



MsMilkytheclown1

Tritium level rising in Fukushima plant port
Officials from Tokyo Electric Power Company say the level of radioactive tritium has been rising in sea water near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
They say they can’t rule out the possibility that contaminated groundwater seeped into the sea.
TEPCO officials said contained 1,100 becquerels of tritium per liter.That is 10 times the amount detected in previous tests.
But they said the figure is still less than one-fiftieth of the government-set limit for water to be released into the sea.

Fukushima residents (more than 16,000) received incorecct estimates by the official!1万6千人以上の福島住民に、低い被爆量の数値を、通知していた!


Wow! Share Holders say "NO MORE NUCLEAR ENERGY" TEPCO Fukushima update 6/26/13
  MsMilkytheclown1

(Source)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/englis…

- 3m40s
TEPCO shareholders want out of nuclear power

3m45s-
"The government official said that more than 16,000 residents received incorrect estimates.  The official has been carrying out the ongoing survey among Fukushima prefecture, 2 million residents.  They asked them to fill out the form about their activities during the first 4 months following the nuclear accident.   Scientists of the  radiological Institute used this form to calculate the exposure estimates.  The official gives the residents their results as the data comes in.   They said that among those who got faulty estimates  more than 12,000 people were given their figure 0.4 mSv/y lower than what was actually correct.
 They said that the calculate was based on the wrong dates in the computer program.  Fukushima  official said even with the correct figure it's unikely the estimated doses would pose the health risk.  The annual limit of radiation exposure for the general public in Japan is 1mSv/y. "

(Editor's comment)
I don't understand how the official could say that those who got faulty estimates wouldn't pose any health risk.  if it was calculated 0.4mSv/y lower than what was actually correct, surely some of 12,000 people's real exposure estimate could be more than 1mSv/y.  In fact some of Fukushima residents actually have been living in the area up to or more than 20mSv/y (= being exposed to external ionizing radiation up to or more than 20mSv/y) without taking into consideration of internal exposure through radioactively contaminated food and drink because the Japanese government has been applying UNSCEAR recommendation (up to 100mSv/y is safe).  Talking about 1msv/y regulation in this case doesn't mean anything. 

Also WHO' report which was made based on the Fukushima survey report needs to be reevaluated as well. 

According to page 13 of the below website, it says “The WHO report is based on preliminary and include only data that were available as of September 2011.”  http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/78218/1/9789241505130_eng.pdf

Thyroid examination hasn’t started till October 2011. Therefore WHO report was based on what Fukushima Health Survey group did before the end of September, 2011.  The collection rate was 47% as of the end of September, 2011.

TEPCO shareholders want out of nuclear power

(Source)
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/englis…
A group of shareholders at Tokyo Electric Power Company is demanding the utility withdraw from the business of nuclear power generation. TEPCO operates the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Shareholders gathered in Tokyo on Wednesday. It was their first annual meeting since the utility was effectively placed under government control.

TEPCO Chairman Kazuhiko Shimokobe apologized to shareholders for continuing to cause concern and inconvenience more than 2 years after the nuclear disaster.

The utility has been slow to clean up the Fukushima Daiichi plant and continues to report leaks of radiation-contaminated water.

TEPCO President Naomi Hirose asked shareholders to support the firm's plan to restart its nuclear reactors. He said management will quickly improve safety and strengthen operations.

The shareholders' group is demanding the firm decommission all of its nuclear reactors. They also want more detailed disclosure of information, and cuts in remuneration to board members........


Jun. 26, 2013 - Updated 04:05 UTC

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Japan's Massive, and Growing, Plutonium Problem


Japan’s massive, and growing, plutonium problem

Japan currently possesses 44 tons of plutonium, according to the Atomic Energy Commission. Nine tons, including the latest shipment, are in Japan, while the remaining tons are in Britain and France, where spent fuel from Japan has been reprocessed.
Storage pools for spent fuel are quickly reaching capacity at nuclear power plants across the nation. If Aomori Prefecture refuses to accept spent fuel, nuclear plants will be saddled with overflowing spent fuel pools and will be unable to continue operations.
Direct disposal, or burying spent fuel without reprocessing, was considered under the previous Democratic Party of Japan government. But discussions have gone nowhere after the Liberal Democratic Party took over government in December.
Plutonium problem lingers as mixed-oxide fuel comes to Japan June 25, 2013 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN A shipment of mixed-oxide fuel will arrive in Japan as early as June 27, part of the nation’s plutonium stockpile that is already equivalent to 5,000 Nagasaki-type atomic bombs.
The shipment, two years behind schedule due to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, is expected to be used for plutonium-thermal (pluthermal) power generation, a key component of Japan’s nuclear fuel recycling program.
However, the fuel recycling program has been plagued by so many problems that the nation’s plutonium stockpile could increase further, heightening concerns in the international community about possible nuclear weapons proliferation. Read more »

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Holy Fukushima – Radiation From Japan Is Already Killing North Americans


Jeromie Williams


jeromiewilliams.com/2013/04/12/holy-fukushima-radiation-from-japan-is-already-killing-north-americans/


fukushima_radiation_map-650x4301

You’re going to want to use every share button at the bottom of this article once you’re done reading, so get ready, it’s time to freak out:  Maybe.


If you live on the west coast of Canada or the United States, you’re pretty much already screwed at this point thanks to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011.  Radiation levels are already increasing in the food and water, babies born with thyroid issues linked to radiation are rising quickly and governments in Canada and the United States are raising the “acceptable levels” of certain toxic substances in the food being shipped in from Japan.
This isn’t a conspiracy theory, this is happening and it’s happening right now.
The fancy little picture at the top of the article isn’t showing you the flow of happy fun time thoughts from Japan back in March of 2012, it’s showing you the flow of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011.  Yes, that sharp pain you just felt in your chest is the sudden realization that the image shows the radiation reaching almost past Hawaii more than a year ago.
Related:  STUNNING RESULTS OF STUDENT SCIENCE EXPERIMENT: PLANTS WILL NOT GROW NEAR WIFI ROUTER
Do the math – If that radiation screamed across the Pacific Ocean that far in one year, just how far do you think it has gotten since then?  Look at what World Truth TV is saying and then you decide.
Samples of milk taken across the United States have shown radiation at levels 2000 percent higher than EPA maximums.  The reason that milk is so significant is that it is representative of the entire food supply.  According to an article published on Natural News, “Cows consume grass and are exposed to the same elements as food crops and water supplies. In other words, when cows’ milk starts testing positive for high levels of radioactive elements, this is indicative of radioactive contamination of the entire food supply.”
The  Food and Drug  Administration and the Environmental Deception Protection Agency, instead of refusing to prohibit the sale of tainted foods and mandatory testing of foods produced and harvested from the Pacific Coast, have simply raised the “acceptable levels”  of radioactive material in foods.
If that doesn’t scare the ever-living crap out of you, then take a look at the list of foods you are now supposed to be wary of, you know, for only the next 30,000 years.

Related: NEW STREET DRUG 40 TIMES STRONGER THAN HEROIN FOUND IN CANADIAN DRUG RAID
How can we protect ourselves? First, be aware of what items are likely to be highly tainted.
1.)  SEAFOOD:  Question the origin of ALL seafood.  Fish and crustaceans from the Pacific Ocean should all be considered to be poisoned with radiation.
2.)  WATER:  The rainfall and snowfall are all radiated.  Do not drink any water that has not been filtered.   The tap water that flows from your faucet has NOT been treated to rid it of radioactive particles. A recent report from the NY Times stated, “A rooftop water monitoring program managed by UC Berkeley’s Department of Nuclear Engineering detected substantial spikes in rain-borne iodine-131 during torrential downpours …
3.) DAIRY PRODUCTS:  Milk and milk products from the West Coast states currently have the highest levels of radiation in North America.
4.)  PRODUCE:  Leafy Vegetables, Wines, Tomatoes, Strawberries….all produce from California or any other West Coast State are also likely to be tainted.
5.)  MEAT:  If an animal eats any leafy vegetable all along the West Coast, that animal has consumed radiation, and is poisoned.  This is any animal from cows, pigs, goats, sheep to wild deer and other game.
If you eat the above foods from areas with high radiation levels, you are eating radiation and feeding it to your children. Slowly the radiation levels within your body will build up.  This is PERMANENT.
Infant mortality rates across the United States have increased by more than 35% since the nuclear disaster, according to a court statement by Dr. Sherman with independent scientist Leuren Moret, MA, PhD.  A study published in The International Journal of Medicine indicates that more than 20,000 deaths right here in North America can be directly attributed to the release of radioactive material from Fukushima.
Radioactive isotopes of the type released from Fukushima have a half-life of 30,000 years.  This means that we must permanently change the way we prepare our food.


  • Wash your food with soap and rinse it in filtered water. 
  • Be aware of the origins of your vegetables, fish, game and seafood.
  • Keep abreast of radiation levels to help monitor where your food is acquired.
  • Use only filtered water for drinking, cooking and ice.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but that one way trip to colonize Mars is looking pretty damn attractive right now.





Tepco Faces Decision to Dump Radioactive Water in Pacific


By Tsuyoshi Inajima - Apr 12, 2013 3:17 AM GMT+0100
Tepco Faces Decision to Dump Radioactive Water in Pacific Ocean (bloomberg.com)

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501)’s discovery of leaks in water storage pits at the wrecked Fukushima atomic station raises the risk the utility will be forced to dump radioactive water in the Pacific Ocean.
Leaks were found in three of seven pits in the past week, reducing the options for moving contaminated water from basements of reactor buildings. Water in the basements is from the months after the earthquake and tsunami disabled the plant two years ago, when disaster teams used hose pipes and pumps to try and cool the reactors.
While the company has since built a makeshift sealed cooling system, underground water is breaching basement walls at a rate of about 400 tons a day and becoming contaminated, according to Tepco’s estimate. With Japan’s rainy season approaching, contaminated water levels are likely to increase at the plant 220 kilometers (137 miles) northeast of Tokyo.
Reducing radiation levels in the water and pouring it into the sea is one of two options the utility has, said Kazuhiko Kudo, a research professor of nuclear engineering at Kyushu University. The other option is “to keep building above-ground storage tanks,” said Kudo. That’s a fight Tepco can’t win without stopping the underground water pouring into the basements, Kudo said.
[…]

[…]
On March 30, Tepco started test runs of equipment that the operator says can remove 62 kinds of radioactive substances. Still, the purification system called ALPS can’t remove tritium, a hydrogen isotope. The water processing system has also had problems and was temporarily halted last week because of incorrect operation.

Leaking Pits

Currently, about 280,000 tons of highly radioactive water is stored at the Fukushima plant, according to Tepco’s latest data. That’s enough to fill about 112 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to Bloomberg News calculations.
To store the water, Tepco dug underground pits lined with three layers of waterproof sheet to prevent seepage into the surrounding soil, according to the utility.
The same method is used in industrial waste disposal, said Koji Kumagai, a geotechnical engineering professor at the Hachinohe Institute of Technology.
A design flaw is unlikely to have caused the leaks as the method is used around the world, Kumagai said in an phone interview. “The question is whether Tepco properly inspected equipment and carried out tests before pouring radioactive water into the pits.”
[...]

Friends of Earth Japan and the POKA-POKA Project for Fukushima Children

(Source)http://www.foejapan.org/en/news/120419.html
Friends of Earth Japan (FoE) is a member of the international environmental NGO network, Friends of the Earth. After 3/11, FoE established an “energy team” that has since been working to support Fukushima residents, particularly with regards to reducing children’s exposure to radiation.
In April 2011, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) issued a directive to set 20mSv/year as the permissible limit of radiation exposure for children while at
school. As this was as high as the permissible limit for adults working at nuclear power plants, concerned parents, NGOs, and citizen groups raised voices of protest. This led the MEXT to issue
another directive, promising to make efforts to lower the level of radiation exposure for schoolchildren below 1mSv/year. However, the 20mSv/year limit remains within government policy for designating evacuation zones, and the new 1mSv/year directive fails to take into account the amount of radiation children are exposed to outside schools. In collaboration with residents of highly contaminated areas, we tried to negotiate with the government to reconsider these standards, but unfortunately we were unsuccessful.
We thus launched the “Fukushima POKA-POKA Project” in December 2011 in collaboration with three other NGOs, in hopes of responding to the desires of Fukushima residents to temporarily evacuate their children until decontamination efforts are complete. This project mainly focuses on residents of contamination “hot-spots” of Fukushima City, supporting children, pregnant women and families through temporary evacuation retreats to Tsuchiyu Hot Springs, an area of very low contamination within Fukushima prefecture. A total of 2,200 parents and their children were able to participate in the first two terms of the project that took place between January and June of 2012. As there are hardly any other programs that offer weekend retreats, we received many requests to continue this program. Most recently, we collaborated with the Minami Boso Youth Camp in Chiba to host a summer retreat for 25 children from Fukushima City from August 20th to the 23rd. This coming fall we will resume our weekend evacuation program at Tsuchiyu Hot Springs, and come December, we will organize another retreat in Chiba.
We deeply appreciate your continued support in this endeavor. Donations can be made through the following link:
http://www.foejapan.org/en/news/120419.html

Sunday 23 June 2013

Fukushima: A Stunning Report Brushed Aside by the Japanese Government


(Re-blogged from

nuclear-news

The article is published online on The Asia Pacific Journal: Japan focus 
 http://www.japanfocus.org/events/view/184
Thierry Ribault Researcher at CNRS
June 10, 2013
…..The Japanese government is revising history. It has been helped in this task by the French president, seven high-level ministers, and other Parliament members and industrial representatives during the state visit to Japan from 6 to 8 of June. The delivery of the 10 tons of MOX fuel which left La Hague on April 17, will also help the Japanese government to reopen nuclear power plants……
….At the same conference in Geneva at which Grover’s report was released, the Japanese government presented a counter report dated May 27, that dismisses Grover’s conclusions. According to Japanese authorities the “scientific basis” of Grover’s report is totally lacking. The “scientific basis” that the Japanese government relies on instead is the basis provided by WHO, UNSCEAR, ICRP and IAEA experts….
….“Intervention trials should be done scientifically and ethically. Why is blood testing or urine testing required? Because of the possibility of what type of disorder is such testing justified? The idea is unacceptable because, we should not unnecessarily burden the local citizens by forcing medically unjustified examinations on them.”…..
On May 27, Anand Grover, Special Rapporteur to the United Nations Human Rights Council, released a report on his November 2012 mission to Fukushima. The UN Council did their job – to protect – or at least clearly expressed their intention to do so. This article outlines the main conclusions of Grover’s sharply critical report which is available for download here.   In his report, Grover describes the extent of the disaster:

“The amount of radioactive cesium (137C) released due to the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Plant is estimated to be 168 times higher than that released by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. According to TEPCO, the accident released 900 petabecquerel of radioactive iodine and cesium…. Other radioactive materials released due to the nuclear accident include radioactive Tellurium (129mTe, 129Te), Silver (110mAg), Lanthanum (140La) and Barium (140Ba).”
The Rapporteur also argues strongly that the old methods of masking the stark reality of radiation exposure used by Soviet authorities after Chernobyl should no longer be acceptable. In the years since Chernobyl, we have learned much more about health damage due to radiation exposure including chromosomal aberrations, increased childhood and adult morbidity, impairment and leukemia. According to Grover, the scientific record demonstrating the link between long term exposure and radiation at low doses and the development of cancers can no longer be dismissed as insignificant. [For more information on the controversy concerning Chernobyl studies and the gaps in scientific knowledge about the health effects of radiation, see Matthew Penney and Mark Selden, What Price the Fukushima Meltdown? Comparing Chernobyl and Fukushima]  
In the Japanese case, Grover criticizes the lack of effective distribution of stable iodine tablets to the population. He also questions the health protection system for nuclear workers: access to medical examination is not systematic (contrary to law) and the results of the examinations which are carried out are not adequately transmitted to the authorities. Finally, the labour force employed by subcontractors, a large majority of those working at Fukushima Daiichi, does not have a guarantee of access to such screenings. [For more information on the problems faced by workers at the Fukushima Daiichi site, see Gabrielle Hecht, Nuclear Janitors: Contract Workers at the Fukushima Reactors and Beyond] .
The right to health is not respected
Concerning the zoning system around the nuclear plant, Grover reminds us of the unacceptability threshold decided for Chernobyl in 1991: any higher than 1 mSv per year and the population was not allowed to return and live and work in contaminated areas. In Fukushima this threshold has been set at the level of 20 mSv per year. In areas with radiation  measured at rates between 20 and 50 mSv, the population can freely access the contaminated areas during the day.
The Rapporteur criticizes the use of “cost-benefit analysis” made by the Japanese authorities (following the ICRP recommendations) since such analysis does not respect the fundamental right to health of individuals. Grover argues that “collective interests” should never dominate individual rights, notably the right to health. Thus, he calls on the Japanese government to lower the threshold of exposure under which individuals are allowed to return to contaminated areas, and urges that displaced people  receive compensation and free health protection in areas exceeding 1 msv per year.

On the matter of education about radiation, Grover asks the Japanese government to stop all claims in a supplementary reader provided to schools that radiation exposure below 100 mSv per year is not harmful to a person’s health. [For details on the 100 mSv claim in the classroom, see coverage in Kinyobi.
About decontamination, the Rapporteur expresses regret that no clear schedule to bring to contamination levels under 1 mSv has been set by the authorities beyond 2013. To clean school yards is not enough and Grover argues that it is instead necessary to decontaminate more broadly, taking into consideration the multiple “hot-spots” existing in areas which average under 20 mSv. For some of these zones, the population is now being called upon to return to their homes and communities. Finally, he criticizes the policy of involvement of the population in decontamination operations without providing them with proper equipment and informing them clearly of the health consequences.
The Rapporteur also criticizes the financing by the state, which means Japan’s taxpayers, of damages for which TEPCO is responsible: an amount equivalent to 110 billion euros or approximately 145 billion USD, announced at the end of 2012. [For more information on the financial risks of nuclear power that are borne by taxpayers and not by the companies and shareholders that stand to profit, see the Asia-Pacific Journal Feature, The Costs of Fukushima.
For the Japanese government, no “truth” except the views of WHO and UNSCEAR experts
At the same conference in Geneva at which Grover’s report was released, the Japanese government presented a counter report dated May 27, that dismisses Grover’s conclusions. According to Japanese authorities the “scientific basis” of Grover’s report is totally lacking. The “scientific basis” that the Japanese government relies on instead is the basis provided by WHO, UNSCEAR, ICRP and IAEA experts. Many scientists and nuclear critics disagree with these positions and others argue that ties to the nuclear industry and the dual role of assessing nuclear safety and promoting the use of nuclear power make the conclusions put forward by these organizations questionable.


text-UNSCEAR
The truth made available by UNSCEAR’s experts is a convenient one for the Japanese government: this UN agency in charge of estimating the consequences of the Fukushima meltdowns, is the same one that concluded that there were fewer than 50 immediate deaths due to radiation and under 15 deaths linked to thyroid cancers after the Chernobyl disaster, and is already anticipating “zero deaths” in the short as well as in the long term in Fukushima. This “anticipation” dates from March 2012 and was confirmed in their recent report.
Grover’s call for better protection of the population is considered by the Japanese government to be totally misplaced and redundant since nothing “scientifically” proves that the concerned populations have a real need to be protected beyond measures already being enforced: “The Government will continue to work on measures so that suitable support will be provided to the people who truly need it.”
When Grover recommended that the Japanese government “avoid limiting health check-ups for children to thyroid checks and extend check-ups for all possible health effects, including urine and blood tests”, the answer provided by the Japanese government, which is now asking that those passages be erased, is as follows:
“Intervention trials should be done scientifically and ethically. Why is blood testing or urine testing required? Because of the possibility of what type of disorder is such testing justified? The idea is unacceptable because, we should not unnecessarily burden the local citizens by forcing medically unjustified examinations on them.”
The 1 mSv per year threshold and “prejudgment” of health impacts
The Special Rapporteur recommended that the Japanese government: “… provide funding for relocation, housing, employment, education and other essential support needed by those who chose to evacuate, stay or return to any area where radiation exceeds 1mSv/year.” The Japanese government has responded with: “The sentences described above should be deleted because they are based on prejudgment. As we have already noted, there has been international controversy over the radiation level which affects health and it is still under much consideration from various perspectives.”
Concerning contaminated waste, Grover’s report notes: “As the contaminated waste is stored in residential areas and under playgrounds, thereby posing a health hazard to residents, establishing temporary storage facilities away from residential areas is urgently required.”
The Japanese authorities do not hesitate to openly lie while replying to this criticism: “When soil, etc. is stored, measures to prevent human health impacts are taken such as radiation shielding. Therefore, the description ‘posing a health hazard to residents’ is not the case.”
The Japanese government is revising history. It has been helped in this task by the French president, seven high-level ministers, and other Parliament members and industrial representatives during the state visit to Japan from 6 to 8 of June. The delivery of the 10 tons of MOX fuel which left La Hague on April 17, will also help the Japanese government to reopen nuclear power plants.
Thierry Ribault is co-author with Nadine Ribault of : Les Sanctuaires de l’abîme – Chronique du désastre de Fukushima – published by Les Éditions de l’Encyclopédie des Nuisances, Paris, 2012. He is also co-editor, with Christine Lévy of: Catastrophy and Humanism – An overview after the march 11 disaster 震災とヒューマニズム     3・11の破局をめぐって published by Akashi Shoten, Tokyo, 2013.
A French version of this article was published on the RUE89 website.
http://www.save-children-from-radiation.org/2013/06/20/un-special-rapporteur-anand-grover-on-fukushima-a-stunning-report-brushed-aside-by-the-japanese-government/
other resources ;
Fukushima and the nuclear industry’s fight against fear, Independent Australia, 12 June 13,  Now that the Fukushima meltdown has faded from public consciousness, says Noel Wauchope, the nuclear industry is trying to persuade the world there is nothing to fear from fission.
http://nuclear-news.net/2013/06/12/unscears-skewed-message-about-fukushima-radiation/
Fukushima and the nuclear industry’s fight against fear, Noel Wauchope, Independent Australia, 12 June 13,“……..We should also bear in mind the relationship between both the World Health Organisation and UNSCEAR to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The World Health Organisation is bound by an agreement with the IAEA. A clause of this agreement says the WHO effectively grants the right of prior approval over any research it might undertake or report on to the IAEA
UNSCEAR is also subservient to the IAEA. Every UNSCEAR report must be specifically approved by the IAEA. UNSCEAR’s membership is largely from the nuclear industry. Its chairman, Wolfgang Weiss, is a boss on Euratom which, according to Wikipedia, is
‘… an international organisation founded in 1958 with the purpose of creating a specialist market for nuclear power in Europe, developing nuclear energy and distributing it to its member states while selling the surplus to non-member states.’
The IAEA itself has as its founding brief:
‘The agency shall seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity through the world.’……”
http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/life/health/fukushima-and-the-nuclear-industrys-fight-against-fear/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fukushima-and-the-nuclear-industrys-fight-against-fear

Japanese Government give financial support to corporations in 20-50mSv/y areas in Fukushima prefecture

Japanese Government give financial support to corporations in 20-50mSv/y in Fukushima prefecture 50msvの居住制限区域の企業に税制優遇で帰還を促す政府 15/5/13

http://nuclear-news.net/2013/06/20/japanese-government-give-financial-support-to-corporations-in-20-50msvy-areas-in-fukushima-prefecture/