Tag Archives: japan

Fukushima

Fukushima says No to TEPCo!

The prefectural government of Fukushima said no to allowing Tokyo Electric Power Company to resume any nuke plant operations.  ”A resumption of plant operations must be impossible.”-Sato Yuhei, Fukushima Governor

Governor Sato made the statement after a 15 minute meeting with TEPCo president Shimizu Masataka.  TEPCo had tried to meet with the state government of Fukushima twice before, and was unofficially told to take a hike both times.  This time Fukushima officials made it official.  They told TEPCo there is no way they will allow them to resume any nuclear power functions at the damaged Fukusima Daiichi plant.

Fukushima

TEPCo lays off employees inorder to pay for Nuke plant damages

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it must cut wages and salaries in order to meet expected compensation payments due to the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.

Wages would be cut by 5%, with bonuses cut in half.  Salaries will be cut by 20%. TEPCo will also reduce the number of employees by 100 each year, for the next five years.

 

Fukushima

Radiation into Pacific Ocean 20,000 times safe limits

Tokyo Electric Power Company has given an estimate on the amount of radiation spilled into the Pacific Ocean, during the first week of April: 4,700 terabecquerels, 20,000 times the safe limits for an entire year!  Contaminated water is still getting into the ocean.

Radioactive iodine levels on 02 April 2011, were 7.5 million times safe limits.  As of 19 April, iodine levels had dropped to 1,700 times the safe limits.

 

 

International

4,330 students leave Japan, blame nuke disaster

According to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey at least 4,330 foreign students have left Japan.  The survey covers only those students actually enrolled in a Japanese school, not those that were planning on attending but hadn’t enrolled.

Most of the students were concerned with the nuclear disaster, and more aftershocks.  The schools are worried their budgets will be adversely affected.  Japan was hoping to attract 300,000 foreign students.

 

Fukushima

Food Crisis: Half million livestock starving to death in Japan!

In another blow to world food supply issues, the nuclear disaster in Japan is making things worse.

Officials say that many livestock left behind in the 20km (12.4 miles) evacuation zone, have starved to death!  There were about 30,000 pigs, about 600,000 chickens and about 3,000 cattle the evacuation zone, but the Fukushima Prefectural government believes most have died.

Farmers are demanding that someone go in and humanely put down the remaining livestock, rather than have them starve to death.  YouTube video shows many cows starving to death.  The farmers fear that their animals are too contaminated with radiation, to try saving.

JAPANESE BREAK INTO 20KM EVACUATION ZONE TO BRING YOU VIDEO OF LIVESTOCK & PETS LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES!

International

Women’s breast milk contaminated with Iodine-131

Radioactive iodine has been found in the breast milk of four women living in Japan.

One woman, living in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, contained 36.3 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram.  Milk from two women in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, contained 8.7 and 6.4 becquerels.

A citizens group paid for the analysts of the breast milk.  Currently there is no official limits for radiation levels in breast milk, in Japan.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

More details about extended Toyota factory cuts

On Tuesday Toyota announced more cuts for North American factories, now more cuts in Europe and China.

For Europe Toyota announced that they will cut production, after the already scheduled production halt for the end of this month.  The reason is lack of electronic parts.  Toyota’s Chinese factories will also see production cuts, in some cases production will be down to 30%.  The production cuts, around the world, could last past May.

 

Fukushima, Idaho

Idaho robots reveal radiation levels too high for humans

Robots from the Idaho National Laboratory have been searching through the damaged reactor buildings at Fukushima Daiichi.

They have discovered temperature and radiation levels too high for humans.  Tokyo Electric Power Company officials say they will have to use air conditioners, and filtration systems, to bring heat and radiation levels down enough for workers to operate inside the buildings.  Latest NHK video

International, U.S.

U.S. to begin withdrawing Marines from Okinawa

For decades Japanese living on Okinawa have demanded that U.S. forces leave.  They might be getting their wish.

Internal U.S. Marine Corps documents obtained by NHK revealed a plan to reduce the number of Marines by 8,000.  The Marines would be relocated to the U.S. territory of Guam.

It still leaves about 10,000 personnel at the Futenma Air Station on Okinawa, but, eventually the air base will be moved as well.  There is a meeting between U.S. and Japanese officials, to work out details, scheduled for June.