Tag Archives: fukushima

Fukushima

One Year Later: Last Nuclear Reactor shut down in Japan

05 May 2012, on the northern big island of Hokkaido, Japan’s last operating nuclear reactor is being shut down.

By Saturday night (Japan time), and after 42 years, the country will be free of electricity produced by nuclear reactors.

The Hokkaido Electric Power Company is shutting down Reactor 3 of the Tomari Nuclear Power Plant.  The reactor will be completely shut down by 02:00 hours Sunday morning.

While the Tomari reactor is not scheduled for re-start, those that are have been blocked by local governments.  In Japan the local governments have the final word on reactor re-start, and because of the on going disaster reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, the majority of people in Japan are against re-starting any reactors.

For the summer of 2011 Japan’s domestic industries suffered greatly because of an electrical power shortage, even with 37 reactors operating.  Now Japan is heading into summer 2012, with not one nuclear reactor up and running.  National officials are scrambling to find ways to convince the local governments to re-start reactors.

There has been a push for wind power, but, just like here in the United States, there’s been a backlash of people who are against it because those windmills are “eyesores” and reduce property value.

Fukushima

One Year Later: Proof that being a refugee will kill you, more than 1600 people die in Japan. Money does not help!

More than a year after the March 11, 2011, earthquake/tsunami and nuclear disaster, 1,618 people have died.

Japan’s Reconstruction Agency announced on April 27, 2012, that living as refugees was the cause of their deaths.

Most had lost their homes and were living in makeshift housing. The Agency determined that extremely stressful and unhealthy conditions causes people to die. Some people died because they needed medical treatment, but were unable to get help.

Deaths occurred in nine prefectures. So far Fukushima leads the list with 764 deaths, followed by 636 in Miyagi and 179 in Iwate.

The Reconstruction Agency started tracking refugees only because of the money that was given out for disaster relief. Turns out the money did little to make life better for the refugees.

Note: Japan is part of the Trilateral Commission (Europe, North America, Japan/Asia)

Fukushima

One Year Later: Radiation contaminated fish found in Japanese rivers!

In a town 180 kilometers (111.8 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear plant, which continues to spew radiation, fish in a major river are contaminated with Cesium.

Silver crucian carp caught in the Tone River contain 110 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram.  The new official safe limit is 100 becquerels.

This is not the first time contaminated animals have been caught in the river.  Last month shellfish were also found to be contaminated.

Chiba prefectural officials are asking all commercial fisherman not to sell any fish caught in the river.  People are warned not to eat anything from the river.

ONE YEAR LATER: SOME FUKUSHIMA FARM ANIMALS WILL BE ALLOWED TO LIVE

FUKUSHIMA TO EUTHANIZE ABANDONED LIVESTOCK AND PETS!

ONE YEAR LATER: MORE RADIOACTIVE SHROOMS, SHOOTS & BEEF

Fukushima

One Year Later: Japanese government says some Nuclear Disaster areas not worth saving!

One year ago the Japanese government promised every refugee from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that they would be returning home soon.

Not only did they recently admit that some areas are far to contaminated for anyone to live in, but now they say it’s not worth even trying to decontaminate those areas.

On April 22, 2012, government officials admitted that radiation levels are so high in some areas, that they will be uninhabitable for at least 10 years!  Only now is the Japanese media reporting the revelation.

Recently the government said they would clean up areas with 50 millisieverts per year of radiation contamination.  But now they’re backtracking, saying there are some areas that will still have 20 millisieverts of contamination, even after ten years have gone by.

Considering Japan’s economic situation many politicians say it’s not worth trying to decontaminate those areas.

Gee, anybody who studied the Chernobyl incident could have told them that.  In fact, the city of Prypiat is still too contaminated for people to live in, 26 years later!   You know what they say about societies that fail to learn the lessons of history; they’re doomed to repeat it.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

One Year Later: Study discovers that homes are radiation traps

A study by Tohoku University says  homes are traps for radiation contamination.

Radiation expert, Hiroko Yoshida, led the study. Since September they’ve monitored radiation exposure levels of 125 people in 31 households in southern Miyagi Prefecture.

They concluded that decontaminating the inside of houses would be the most effective way to reduce radiation exposure, because the interiors of houses accumulate radiation contamination.

Yoshida is urging local governments to start radiation decontamination in homes rather than in public buildings, since most people, especially children (who’re most vulnerable to radiation), spend more time at home.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery: “Developed Country” status for Japan to end, could officially regress to “Less-Developed”

The Japan Business Federation’s 21st Century Public Policy Institute is warning of not only a collapse of the Japanese economy, but a regression to “less-developed” country status.

That would put Japan behind India, as India’s economy counties to boom.

Analysts blame Japan’s fall on an ongoing population exodus, and money exodus, both caused by the March 2011 natural and ongoing nuclear disasters (gee, maybe nuclear reactors are not good for the economy?).

The analysts say that even in the good scenario, Japan’s economy will shrink drastically and by 2050 will drop to 28th in world Gross Domestic Product rankings.

However, the analysts say one way the government can slow the fall, is to drastically increase taxes!  That seems counter productive, as I think it would cause even more people to leave Japan (as is happening in the United States).

By the way, Japan is a member of the Trilateral Commission (Europe, North America, Japan/Asia), whose goal is to establish a singular privatized government system that is seemingly created in response to severe economic and “natural” disasters.

Fukushima

One Year Later: Big Exodus continues; most number of people flee Japan since 1950!

April 17, 2012, Japan’s Internal Affairs Ministry reported a record drop in Japan’s population.  The exodus started as a result of the March 2011 nuclear disaster at the GE designed Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

As of October 2011, 259,000 people fled Japan.  Percentage wise it’s not much, only 0.2% of the total population of Japan, but still a record since 1950.

It’s not just people who live near the disabled nuclear power plant who’re leaving; 40 of the 47 prefectures are experiencing exodus.

Japan is also experiencing the biggest number of foreign residents leaving.  By October 2011, 51,000 more foreigners left, than those who were moving to Japan.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: Egyptian pipeline blown up again, Natural Gas Glut results in 10 years low prices, U.S. investigates European oil companies in Libya, Iran reduces oil exports

According to Azerbaijani media, Iran’s Oil Ministry is confirming that their oil exports are dropping due to Western oil sanctions.

Iranian oil officials say Japan has made the biggest cut in oil purchases, despite recently getting an exemption from the United States.  Japan cut Iranian oil imports by 28% from January to April 2012.

However, Iran’s oil exports have also gone down due to their own oil embargo of the European Union.  The EU’s own oil sanctions go into effect on July 1.

Speaking of Japan, Tokyo Electric, the operator of the nuclear disaster reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, has been using oil to generate electricity, a lot more oil.

TEPCo reported that in March 2012 they used four times the amount of oil than in March 2011.  They also used the most natural gas since August 2011, and August was a record for gas use by TEPCo; 2.079 million tons.

Regarding natural gas, the United States is so full of it, that there is no where left to store the stuff.  Underground salt caverns, depleted oil fields and aquifers are being used but even they are rapidly filling.

The result is that drilling and pumping of the LNG will have to stop, natural gas prices are at ten year lows (we consumers like that).  Maybe this will mean an end to fracking and man made earthquakes?

But that might be bad news for places like Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  The town has seen an economic boom; their tax revenues have gone up more than 10% between 2006 and 2010, and 115 new business in and around Lycoming County have been created.

In Egypt, ever since the January 2011 Revolution their gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan keeps getting blown up.  April 9, 2012, it got blown up again, for the 14th time since the Revolution.

In Libya, U.S. officials are investigating oil deals made with Italy’s Eni, and France’s Total.  The companies are being investigated for their connections to Muammar Gaddafi.

Eni officials said certain payments made to Gaddafi might have violated the U.S. Foreign Corruption Practice Act.  The U.S. is helping the new Libyan government investigate many oil companies, and could result in huge fines being levied in favor of the new government.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

One Year Later: More radioactive shrooms, shoots & beef

Not even a week after Japan set tougher limits on radioactive cesium in food, but more mushroom farms are found to be contaminated.

In a town 300 kilometers (186.4 miles) from Fukishima Daiichi, a farm in Kanagawa Prefecture discovered their mushrooms contain 141 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram.

The new safe limits are 100 becquerels (prior to that the government was allowing food with 500 becquerels to be sold!).

Bamboo shoot farms in Chiba Prefecture have also turned up contaminated.

Ibaraki Prefecture also reporting that bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms are contaminated.

In Gunma Prefecture, beef is contaminated with 106 becquerels of radioactive cesium, although the new safe limits for beef don’t go into effect until October!  Gunma officials say they are still asking cattle ranchers not to ship the beef.

ONE YEAR LATER: SOME FUKUSHIMA FARM ANIMALS WILL BE ALLOWED TO LIVE

Fukushima

One Year Later: Japanese government makes it official, permanent no go radiation zones!

Just two days ago the Japanese Reconstruction Minister made an unofficial announcement; there could be indefinite radiation no go zones around Fukushima Daiichi.

Today, April 6, 2012, Hirano Tatsuo made the official announcement.

Some areas will be off limits indefinitely, others could be 10 to 20 years.  Officials from towns located next to the nuclear disaster reactors agree, however residents are pissed.

One 63 year old man said living as a refugee sucks! He wants to return to his home, which is just 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the nuclear plant.

Those areas outside the no go zones will be re-zoned to allow gradual staged return of residents.