Category Archives: Fukushima

Fukushima

Why has the U.S. increased military help to Japan, and why are they going to pull out in mid-April?

The United States has continued to increase military help to Japan (Operation Tomodachi), to help deal with the disasters of 11 March.

Recently the USMC said it was sending a team specially trained in nuclear emergencies, and, the U.S. military is conducting a massive three day search for missing people in Japan, along with Japanese Self Defense Forces.

On top of that there are reports that the U.S. military is going to pull out most forces in Japan in mid-April.  The source of this info was not named.  It is thought some U.S. personnel will remain to help deal with the nuclear disaster.

It’s not just military personnel that the U.S. has sent, but personnel from other government agencies, as well as tons of equipment including radiation protected robots from the INL in Idaho. All this at taxpayer expense.

I know many experts, at the beginning of this Fukushima Daiichi disaster, said it wasn’t that bad, and rated it on par with Three Mile Island.  Those experts who called it another Chernobyl were dismissed by officials.  If that’s so, then why so much personnel and equipment from the United States?  And why, apparently, a pull out by mid-April?

Is there a reason 18,000 Japanese, and 7,000 U.S., troops will under take a massive, intensive search for missing people this weekend, then call it good after three days?  The official reason is that it will coincide with low tide along the coastline. The search will not take place in the radiation danger zone.

There’s a lot of evidence that the nuclear disaster is much worse than is being officially reported. For one, TEPCo has been caught lying about it’s radiation readings, twice now. Also, the IAEA, along with Greenpeace, has given their radiation readings which are much higher than what the government is issuing. The International Atomic Energy Agency has even asked for expanded mandatory evacuations, which the Japanese government said no to.

The problem for the United States is that the prevailing winds from Japan bring the radiation contamination right to it. The winds blow towards the U.S. from Japan.

So it is very likely that this nuclear disaster is worse than what is publicly stated, and, the United States is right in the path of any toxic wind from Japan.  Is this why the U.S. is sending so much help to Japan?

Why would U.S. forces begin ending their Operation Tomodachi in mid-April? Is it because only so much can be done to suppress a major disaster (like full melt down), and after that you need to get the hell outa Dodge? There is a time factor when dealing with nuclear disasters, and several experts stated it was time to start dumping concrete last week!

Fukushima

Cities left to die of starvation in Radiation Zone in Japan!

Not everyone who was living withing the 20-30km (12.4 to 18.6 miles) zone was told to evacuate.  Thousands of people were ordered to stay indoors, not to leave their homes, or even their work places, because of radiation.

Well, it’s been a three weeks now and those people are still there, running out of food and water. No supplies are getting in because of the radiation threat.

One mayor is so desperate that he’s posted a video call for help on YouTube. Sakurai Katsunobu, mayor of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, said there are literally 20,000 people in his city that face starvation because no help has come. They obeyed the Prime Minister’s orders to stay indoors, but no help has arrived.

On 25 March the government said they should evacuate themselves, but the mayor points out that most people lost any form of transportation, because of the tsunami.

Sounds like a lack of emergency planning on the part of the government.  Yet more proof that Japan is not the most prepared nation in the world.

Fukushima

Radioactive water leaking into the ground under the Reactor!

Tokyo Electric officials now admit that contaminated water is leaking into the ground under the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Earlier TEPCo dismissed concerns over radioactive water getting into the ground, after tunnels and trenches under the pant were found to be full of contaminated water.

This continues the trend of corporate officials to dismiss concerns about serious issues, only later to admit the concerns were valid.

Fukushima

Japanese beef tests positive for Cesium!

Beef from Fukushima Prefecture has tested positive for cesium levels about legal limits.  Officials say the contaminated beef was not shipped out.

Also, the number of prefectures with crops being hit by radiation continues to expand. Again, officials say the crops have not been shipped to market.

Fukushima, International

Swiss pro-nuclear lobby office bombed

Swissnuclear, a pro nuclear power lobby group in Olten, Switzerland, was bombed on 31 March. Police suspect it was by anti-nuclear activists.

Two women were injured when the package they were opening exploded.

Swissnuclear works to promote the use of nuclear power.

Little Switzerland has five nuclear power plants. The government canceled plans to restart three old plants, after the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant.

 

 

Fukushima

TEPCo admits not protecting workers

Tokyo Electric Power Company admitted that they did not provide radiation monitoring devices to sub-contractors.  This is part of the reason three workers ended up in the hospital a little more than a week ago.

Japanese regulations requires all workers in nuclear power plants to have their own radiation monitor.

TEPCo officials said most of their radiation monitoring devices were washed away by the tsunami. Yet their is no evidence that they tried to get new monitors after the tsunami, in fact TEPCo officials say they will NOW get more radiation monitors.  This will reduce work at the damaged nuclear plant, until the new radiation monitors arrive.

Just more proof that you can NOT trust corporations. And should we really trust what officials are saying about radiation levels?

Fukushima, U.S.

Radiation in Milk, West Coast United States!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is increasing radiation monitoring after milk tested positive for trace amounts of radiation from Japan.

The milk, with iodine-131, was found in California and Washington states.

Dairy cows probably ingested the iodine-131 after eating grass, or feed, that the isotope settled on after being blown here from Japan.

Officials insist the radiation levels are so low that the milk is still safe to drink.  However, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is emitting higher levels of radiation now, and the predominate wind direction is towards North America.

 

Fukushima

JET program officials worry that Japan disasters will drive away foreign teachers

‘‘I want more JETs to come and interact with the locals in the future but due to the current situation, I cannot welcome them open-handedly. I hope life gets back to normal as soon as possible.”-Hoshi Kazuyuki, assistant director at the international affairs section at the Miyagi prefectural government.

Organizers of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program worry that foreign teachers will think twice about teaching in Japan, after the 9.0 quake and tsunami, as well as radiation leaks from the nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

So far, many teachers from the United States, and Canada, have opted to stay and help with recovery efforts, even after one teacher from the U.S., Taylor Anderson, was killed in the disasters.

 

Fukushima

Bodies found contaminated with Radiation!

A body found in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, about 5 km (3.1 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, tested positive for high levels of radiation.  As many as 1,000 bodies of victims of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, might be contaminated with radiation, delaying their recovery.

Police officers, doctors and bereaved families may be exposed to radiation while retrieving the radiation-exposed bodies.  Local police stopped retrieving bodies, after radiation was detected on a victim in the town of Okuma last Sunday.

Any attempts to decontaminate bodies would damage the bodies even more.

Business/Economics, Fukushima

McDonald’s, Subway & Starbucks struggle in Japan

McDonald’s fast food restaurants around the world rely on regional, or local, suppliers for their food products.

Thanks to the March 11 disasters, and radiation threat, Japanese McDonald’s lost many of their local sources. Now suppliers in the United States, and other parts of the world, are sending food to the Japanese McDonald’s.

There are more than 3,300 McDonald’s in Japan, and as many as 100 had to close down. Don’t think that what you eat in Japanese McDonald’s is the same as in the U.S.  Many foreign McDonald’s tailor their menus to what local people want to eat.

So far McDonald’s supplies from U.S., and Asian countries, had to be flown in because the situation was serious. But once on the ground there was more problems getting the food from the airport to the restaurants. They faced the same problems everyone else in Japan is facing: Power outages and fuel shortages.

Subway and Starbucks are dealing with the same problems, they just don’t have the high number of restaurants that McDonald’s does.