About 300 Japanese police have begun searching for missing people, inside the 20km (12.4 miles) evacuation zone. The police are wearing protective suits.
The police are from Tokyo and Fukushima cities. They are using heavy equipment.
At least 3,900 people from Fukushima Prefecture are still missing.
Tokyo Electric Power Company officials have to back off their six day plan of injecting nitrogen into the damaged containment vessel of Reactor 1. After a full day of nitrogen injection they say pressure is increasing in the reactor. The nitrogen does seem to have counteracted the hydrogen build up.
TEPCo said the latest 7 quake did not do additional damage Fukushima Daiichi, or Fukushima DaiNi plant.
TEPCo officials say they will trying injecting nitrogen into reactors 2 & 3, since they are now showing similar problems as Reactor 1 (hydrogen gas build up).
Just before midnight, Japan time, north east Honshu got hit with the biggest “aftershock” yet, between 7.1 and 7.4.
At first there were tsunami warnings, but they were canceled when it was realized it was not the type of quake that would cause tsunami. But this latest quake puts another nuclear plant in trouble.
Onagawa nuke plant, in Miyagi Prefecture, was already struggling to keep itself cool using outside power. According to NHK this latest quake cut three of the two power lines running to the plant. There are some confusing reports as to how the plant is keeping its reactors cool; NHK says Onagawa is using power from one external electrical line. Reuters says Onagawa is running off back up generators.
The Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is rushing to confirm the status of the plant.
Monty Dickson, 26, teaching in Japan as part of the JET program, was swept away the March 11 tsunami.
His family in Alaska recently received an email, then a phone call, notifying them that his body has been found.
According to reports, Dickson was on the third floor of a building when the huge tsunami washed over the building. He was in Japan on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.
An Alaskan businessman gave the family a days proceeds to help them go to Japan.
“The Fukushima No. 1 plant was a practice course for Toshiba and Hitachi Ltd. to learn about GE’s design on a trial-and-error basis.”-former TEPCo executive
asahi.com reporting that Fukushima Daiichi (aka Number 1 Plant) was designed as “trial and error” experiment. This might explain why it’s neighbor, Fukushima DaiNi (aka Number 2 Plant), is not having the same problems.
Tokyo Electric Power Company officials recently compared the design plans of the two plants. Their conclusion was that the safety features of Fukushima Daiichi are so different, and weaker, than Fukushima DaiNi, that it must be the reason for the current crisis. I find it amazing that TEPCo didn’t already understand the fundamental differences between their nuclear plants.
A former TEPCo engineer said even upgrades, made to Number 1 Plant, were not sufficient: “First of all, there was the judgment that the reactor core buildings were in a safe location in relation to the expected height of any tsunami that might strike the plant. However, even if they wanted to move the generators, there was no space within the reactor building, so that would have meant a major revision in design. At the time, no one considered making such changes.”
A unnamed midlevel TEPCo official said just getting a nuke plant built was all that mattered: “The blueprints for the reactor cores at the No. 1 plant were bought ‘as is’ by Toshiba Corp. from General Electric Co., so the priority at that time was on constructing the reactors according to those blueprints.”
Remember, there are six reactors at Fukushima Number 1 Plant. So far reactors 1, 2, 3 & 4 are in trouble. Why not reactors 5 & 6? Those reactors are of a later more improved design than the 1, 2, 3 & 4 reactors.
Some TEPCo officials admit that making the decision NOT to make proper improvements was a matter of pride; it would have meant admitting that the work already done was faulty.
General Electric’s current involvement in the crisis might be due to the fact that they could be sued, under Japanese law, for their faulty design.
Tourism numbers are looking really bad for japan, thanks to the ongoing nuclear disaster. Don’t let that stop you from taking a trip to Japan.
In fact, because of the huge drop in tourist money coming in, you’ll probably get some really good deals in the near future. Even the Japanese airlines will start making unbelievable deals. JAL just got out of bankruptcy and now they’re in trouble, again, because of the ongoing nuke crisis.
The nuke disaster is taking place in northern Honshu. The prevailing winds blow east of there, offshore to the Pacific. Think about visiting southern Honshu (south of Tokyo), and Shikoku & Kyushu. Their locations mean they will avoid most or all airborne (waterborne contamination might be an issue) radiation contamination from northern Honshu.
Also, they are least affected by power outages.
Not only could you get a good deal on a vacation to Japan, but your tourist money will really help Japan to recover.
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.
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 hopes at least 100 employees will take time off during each month.
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 go too long without getting paid. Toyota is not certain about when parts will start flowing into the U.S. again.
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 ran out of ingredients for beer.