The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau says foreign tourist to Japan has dropped 75% compared to the same time last year. Blame the ongoing nuclear disaster.
Japan Air Lines asks employees to take time off without pay
A trend that is picking up steam with Japanese companies, after the March 11 disasters, is to ask employees to take time off without pay. JAL is doing just that.
JAL wants employees to take time off without pay, in May and June. The reason is a huge drop in passengers since March 11. JAL […] Continue Reading…
Toyota Parts employees in United States told to take time off, without pay
I know an employee of the Ontario, California, Toyota North American Parts Center distribution warehouse.
He says they have been ‘requested’ to take “leave without pay”, due to the parts shortage in Japan.
While they are enjoying time with their families they are concerned about how long their time off without pay will last, they can’t […] Continue Reading…
Even Beer is running out in Japan
Stores are running out of beer.
Sapporo Breweries Ltd. and Asahi Breweries Ltd. each had two beer factories damaged by the March 11 disasters. Kirin Brewery Co. had its Sendai factory in hardest-hit Miyagi Prefecture damaged.
A manufacturer of materials for beer cans is affected as well. Sapporo switched to using bottles only, but then […] Continue Reading…
Volcano coming back to life, Korea to hold second round of talks about what to do
A couple of weeks ago the governments of North and South Korea met over the resurrection of a dormant volcano, Mount Paekdu (Baekdu). The Korean volcano stirred to life after the 9.0 quake off the Pacific Coast of Japan on March 11. The last time it erupted was in 1903.
Korean officials have decided the […] Continue Reading…
What does “Half Life” for Iodine-131 mean?
The following is from Kyodo News.
Radioactive iodine-131 has a half-life of eight days, meaning that its effect will be reduced to half in eight days, one-fourth in 16 days and one-sixteenth in 32 days.
Half life for cesium-137 is 30 years.
TEPCo employee says company policy will not allow him to reveal true radiation levels!
A Tokyo Electric Power Company employee refused to reveal how much radiation he’s been exposed to in the past three and a half weeks.
”I can’t tell you. It’s private information as well.”-Murata Yasuki
Recently Murata was allowed to take one day off to visit his wife and son.
Workers at the critical Fukushima Daiichi plant live […] Continue Reading…
More than a year after the 7.0 Haiti quake, still no aid getting to the people, bad sign for Japan
Haiti was hit by a 7.0 quake in January 2010, which devastated several cities. Donations came in, officially anyway, but according to the UN (United Nations) only a fraction has gotten through.
Donations to Japan, after their catastrophic disasters on March 11, still lag behind the official donation numbers reported for Haiti. Japanese media is […] Continue Reading…
TEPCo claims Nitrogen is working
Tokyo Electric Power Company says there are signs that the injection of nitrogen into Reactor 1 is working to prevent an explosion. But it might be too soon to tell, the nitrogen injection operation will take six days.
Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor 1 core began build up of hydrogen gas, probably caused by the melting of […] Continue Reading…
Honda announces more cut backs
Honda will cut back production in the United Kingdom. Due to lack of parts Honda will reduce production at its Swindon, England, plant by 50%.