Category Archives: Fukushima

Business/Economics, Fukushima

Japanese bank president resigns, because they weren’t prepared for 9.0 quake

Remember the stories about Japanese who couldn’t get their money out of the banks, after the March 11 disasters?  The president of one of those banks has just resigned, because they weren’t prepared.

Satoru Nishibori, president of Mizuho Bank, will leave in June.  He failed to authorize a proposed computer update. The result was that all the ATMs in Japan shut down after the 9.0 quake.

This is not the first time Mizuho Bank had computer problems.  Back in 2002 when three banks merged under Mizuho Bank, there were problems caused by failing to integrate the three banks computer systems.  Two executives resigned over that.

But even after that officials with the bank did not see any reason to update their computer programs, which are 20 years old!  It took 10 days to restore the computer system, after the March 11 disasters.  It still does not run smoothly, because they have no manual, or personnel, to address such a problem!

There is word that action could be taken against the bank’s parent company, Mizuho Financial Group.  This is another example of how the Japanese are not prepared for disasters.

Fukushima

Japanese ordered to evacuate, but government won’t help, even moving companies refuse to help!

“We were told to evacuate, but we can’t. Are the moving companies just going to abandon us without offering help?”-Evacuee

People living in mandatory evac zones, in Fukushima Prefecture, have until the end of May to get out.  But they are on their own when it comes to actually moving.  Even moving companies are refusing their business.

Moving companies claim safety for their employees:  “We don’t let our workers go in the zone where evacuations are planned, or anywhere within 30 kilometers of the plant, because of safety considerations. However, if the prefecture and local authorities combine to make a request, we’ll look at what can be done.”-Nippon Express Company

So far 6,000 people have asked for the services of moving companies.  This is another example of how unprepared Japan is.  How can you order a mandatory evacuation, without providing any way for the people to move?  Typical of governments worldwide!

Fukushima

Local governments say radiation contamination increasing outside evac zones, contradicts claims by national government!

The situation around the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant is not getting better.  Radiation contamination is spreading, and increasing.

Officials say the radiation levels at the damaged nuclear plant continue to increase, making it more difficult for workers struggling to get the facility under control.  Tokyo Electric Power Company says radiation levels at the nuclear reactor buildings are still to high for humans to approach.

Radiation levels are increasing outside the now mandatory evacuation zones.  The Fukushima state government has issued a warning to people outside the evacuation zones, saying they should limit their time outdoors.  School playgrounds and public parks are being monitored for contamination.  Already five public parks, outside the evac zones, are showing contamination at, or above, the safe limits set by the prefectural government.  Officials are telling residents, and visitors, to limit their time at those parks to no more than one hour per day.

The increasing radiation levels being reported by local governments contradicts the Japanese Prime Minister’s office, which said the risk of radiation leaks is receding.

 

Fukushima

Reactor 4 to be reinforced

Tokyo Electric Power Company says the spent fuel pool, located above reactor 4, is too weak to take any more water.  Also, it is cause for concern with any more aftershocks.   There are more than 1,000 fuel rods in the pool.

They will now try to reinforce the floor of the pool, by adding additional support pillars.

Fukushima

Reactor 1 Core damaged, conundrum!

Tokyo Electric Power Company admits Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor 1 has a damaged core.

It would explain the high levels of radioactive water coming from the building.  TEPCo thinks the core is breached, allowing radioactive steam to enter the containment vessel.  That’s mixing with the water in the containment vessel, which is also leaking.  To make the problem worse, the fuel rods in the core are still partially exposed, and breaking down.

TEPCo wants to continue injecting water, which they are doing at a rate of 600 tons per hour.  The Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is warning that they think Reactor 1 is damaged so much that it can not handle anymore water injection.  If TEPCo is injecting water at 600 tons per hour, and they still can’t cover the exposed fuel rods, obviously the water is leaking out faster than they can put it in.  That suggests sizable damage.

So, TEPCo is dealing with a conundrum; adding more water could further damage the structure, making things worse, but not injecting water will expose more fuel rods, making things worse.

Fukushima

Reactor 4 Spent Fuel pool in trouble!

Tokyo Electric Power Company is worried about Reactor 4, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant.  They think the spent fuel pool has been too damaged by the 9.0 quake, and the many aftershocks, that they can’t inject anymore water to keep fuel rods cool.

On 22 April, the temperature shot up 50 degrees Celsius, above normal, and 200 tons of water had to be injected.  TEPCo is now monitoring the structure of the building as well as the spent fuel pool temps.  The spent fuel pool holds more than 1,000 fuel rods, including active rods that had just been removed from Reactor 4, for scheduled maintenance, before the 11 March disasters.

Fukushima

Radioactive Concrete Block found at Fukushima Daiichi!

Tokyo Electric Power Company says crews working at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant found 30 x 30 centimeter (11 x 11 inches) concrete fragment, that’s radioactive.

The small block is emitting 900 millisieverts per hour of radiation.  It was placed in a nuke waste container.  TEPCo says the concrete came from Reactor 3, after its hydrogen gas explosion.

Fukushima

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Nuke disasters, now Typhoons!

Japan has gone through a lot in the past month.  But typhoon season is on it’s way.  Nishiyama Hidehiko, of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, said nuke plant operators are now preparing for typhoon season.

They believe preparations will be complete by the end of the month.  Officials say the nuke plants are designed to withstand a typhoon, but isn’t that what they said about earthquakes and tsunamis?

Another factor is that some of those nuclear plants have been damaged by the 11 March, 9.0 quake and tsunami.  Wouldn’t that comprise their strength?  Even this morning, 22 April, Fukushima Daiichi was hit by yet another aftershock, 5.6 magnitude.

Fukushima Daiichi is right on the coast, and Tokyo Electric doesn’t think they can get the plant stabilized enough for a cold shut down for at least six to nine months. The Typhoon season is here, now.  Typhoons start hitting Japan as early as May, and the season peaks in September.

 

Fukushima, U.S.

Two U.S. Nuke Plants shut down, one for no apparent reason

At least two nuclear plants in the United States have been automatically shut down this week.  A nuclear plant in Virgina, and a nuclear plant in Georgia.

In Surry, Virginia, a nuke plant was hit by tornadoes.  It shut down automatically, and is now undergoing repairs to its electrical switchyard.

A nuke plant in Georgia automatically shut down, for no reason.  The plant remains off line while an investigation continues to find out why the automatic systems shut it down.  The plant is near Waynesboro, Georgia.