Tag Archives: japan

Business/Economics, Fukushima, Technology

Just how much do we rely on Petroleum? No ink, no bleach, no tape, no Shonen Jump

You wouldn’t believe how much we use petroleum products (oil & natural gas) in our everyday lives. The people of Japan are finding out the hard way.

The 11 March 2011 quake/tsunami has resulted in several petroleum plants closing down, due to damage and power cuts. Those plants turn oil and natural gas into everyday products.

How would you like disposable diapers with no tape to seal it shut? Unicharm Corporation discontinued production of special tape used to wrap diapers because of a lack of the chemical needed to make the tape.

Are you one of those people who just have to have your whites their whitest when doing the laundry? No bleach. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co has stopped production at its Kashima factory, because of lack of electricity.

Love your Manga? The publisher of mangas including Shonen Jump, is delaying publication because there’s no ink. Maruzen Petrochemical Co stopped production of Diisobutylene, a chemical product used to make ink. Amazingly Maruzen is the only producer of Diisobutylene in Japan, so bye, bye Manga.

Business/Economics, Fukushima

Grocery store shelves empty due to lack of Packaging for food products

According to The Daily Yomiuri, lack of food is not the only reason for bare grocery store shelves.  Even food that is abundant is not making it to the Japanese grocery stores because of a lack of packaging.

The problem is a lack of plastic, and plastic wrap, used for food packaging. The 11 March 2011, 9.0 quake severely damaged a petroleum complex in Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture, where the chemicals are made for plastics. (another example of  how we are dependent on oil)

Even plastic bottle cap producers have shut down.

Cardboard production has been stopped as well. The result is products like milk can not be packaged, according to Nippon Paper-Pak Co, a major beverage packaging firm.

Fukushima

Japanese government OKs intentional release of Radioactive Water!

After blasting Tokyo Electric Power Company for the leaking water from Reactor 2, the Japanese national government has given the go ahead to release radioactive water from reactors 3 & 4!

Chief Cabinet secretary, Edano Yukio, said the intentional release of contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is to maintain operational safety!

International

Miyako City hit with highest tsunami so far; 125 feet high

University of Tokyo Associate Professor Yoshinobu Tsuji, along with others, have surveyed damage at the coastal city of Miyako.

They’ve concluded that the height of the March 11 tsunami, in that area, was 38 meters (125 feet) high, and swept 200 meters (656 feet) inland.

The wave height was due to the geography of the coast line.  Associate Professor Yoshinobu Tsuji expects that they will find evidence of even higher wave action in the surrounding area.

Fukushima

Shitake mushrooms radioactive, no response from national government, local government taking action!

Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, has order its own ban on Shitake mushrooms after a sample tested positive for contamination.

Iodine and cesium were found on mushrooms grown outdoors in the city of Iwata. No contamination found on indoor grown mushrooms. Iwata is 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The radiation levels are higher than safe limits set by the national (central) government. It was the local government that set the ban on shipping the contaminated mushrooms, after no order was heard from the central government.

Fukushima

Winds blowing radiation to North America, now the Black Current will bring radiation as well

The predominant winds from Japan are bringing radiation spread into the air, to North America.  The radiation is, so far, lower level isotopes, and the air disperses it over the long distance.

Now there is highly radioactive isotopes spilling into the Pacific Ocean, in higher concentrations, and the currents could eventually bring it to the North American coast.

The Kuroshio Current (Black Current, or Black Tide) runs northward up the Pacific coast of Japan, then turns eastward into the North Pacific Current heading towards the North American coast.

Fukushima

Japanese government demands leaking radioactive water be stopped!

Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano Yukio, has demanded that Tokyo Electric Power Company stop the leak of highly contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean.

TEPCo has failed at two attempts to stop the leak. They have admitted that they don’t even know where it’s coming from. It’s pouring into a pit connected to Reactor 2, at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Now TEPCo will try to use silt screens in the ocean, to block the spread of radiation in the water.

Business/Economics, International

Despite claims, Looting is taking place in Japan

I watched an economic forum on what will happen to the Asian region, economically, on NHK.  During the introductions, one of the representatives talked about how well behaved the Japanese are after their March 11 disasters.  She used an example of “no looting going on” as proof.

Well, guess what, looting is taking place.  Hiroshi Takagi, of Miyagi Prefecture, says his pharmacy has been robbed three times since March 11. Locals have been forced to create their own neighborhood watch groups, patrolling the streets at night. Even the Japanese National Police admit crimes in the disaster areas are becoming a problem. They say calls to police have increased 60% since the disasters.

International, Opinion, U.S.

Japanese government holding up Aid Moneys, Red Cross frustrated

‘‘Although it is not the duty of the central government to decide how to distribute the funds, we would like to devise some sort of guidelines to enable speedy distribution.”-Yoshihiro Katayama, Internal Affairs and Communications Minister

In another example that shows Japan is not prepared for disasters, billions of donated money is sitting around waiting for the national (central), and local governments, to figure out what to do with it.  Which is amazing because they were able to deal with a similar situation after the 1995 earthquake, what’s the problem now?

Local governments are complaining about how the money is going to be issued. Also, government officials say they are waiting for the charities to recommend how the money should be used. Did anyone tell the charities?

Fukushima

Kitty Litter fails to stop radioactive water leak from Reactor 2!

First the concrete failed, now the disposable diaper absorbent fails.

Workers combined 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) of  polymeric absorbent with 60 kilograms of sawdust and three bags of shredded newspaper into pipes leading to a pit connected to Reactor 2, at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.  It failed.

Highly contaminated water continues to pour into the Pacific Ocean.