Tag Archives: japan

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? One step closer to One World Government, IMF proposes international co-op, hints at Global Great Depression

“It’s not a crisis that will be resolved by one group of countries taking action. It’s going to be hopefully resolved by all countries, all regions, all categories of countries actually taking action.”-Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

The director of the International Monetary Fund made that comment in a U.S. State Department conference on December 15.  Christine Lagarde also used the word “retraction” which is another way of saying economic depression.

Lagarde said she is greatly concerned because recent efforts to ‘save’ Europe have failed, and there is growing economic protectionism, and political isolationism, which will only make the global economy worse.  These are all things that helped cause the Great Depression of the 1920s-1930s.

She is calling for a new global financial co-operative system to prevent the coming Global Great Depression.

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Australia, Japan and United States to form new military pact

Japan’s Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa, and Australia’s Ambassador to Japan Bruce Miller, have publicly expressed a desire to form a new military pact involving the United States.

Japan already has military pacts with the U.S., and with Australia.  Japanese officials say it is only natural that all three should join into one single pact.

Recently U.S. President Barack Obama announced a pact with Australia that involves basing up to 2,500 U.S. Marines there.

Military analysts say the real reason for military pacts between Japan, Australia and the U.S., is the growing fear of the growing power of China.

Business/Economics, International, Technology

What Economic Recovery? Japan desperate for cash, will sell off famous bullet train, to India

The Japanese government is in need of some cash (no wonder since they’ve been making promises of financial aid to other countries).  But they’re so desperate that they’ll even sell off a famous bullet train.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has instructed his cabinet, and Japanese business leaders, to sell Japan’s infrastructure to India, including the Shinkansen bullet train system.

It’s not quite what it sounds like.  What Prime Minister Noda means is that Japan is going to sell the technologies behind their infrastructure to other countries, especially India.  Indian officials have expressed a desire to build a bullet train system similar to what Japan has.

Noda told Japanese officials that global competition is becoming intense and that the Japanese government must do all they can to promote the sale of Japanese infrastructure technologies to other countries.

 

Fukushima

Japan admits high levels of radiation in north eastern Honshu!

Japan’s Environment Ministry has given some clues as to how bad the radiation contamination is in north eastern Honshu.  The area is being devastated by radiation coming from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

In a report on how the government of Japan plans to address decontamination issues, they revealed that some areas have soil that’s emitting more than 0.23 microsieverts per hour!

They also stated that ‘sludge’ has been found to be contaminated with 8,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium!

The Environment Ministry even admitted that areas as far south as Tokyo are highly contaminated and will require decontamination.  Tokyo is about 220 kilometers, or 137 miles from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

 

Fukushima

Japan says it will take at least 40 years to scrap the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant!

The Japanese government released details of their plan to tear down the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

From 2012 to 2015 they hope to remove the hundreds of spent fuel rods stored in the facility’s spent fuel pools.

Then from 2015 to 2021 they will work to repair and fill up the highly radioactive reactor containment vessels with the melted fuel rods inside.  That plan involves using water to fill the containment vessels on four reactors.

Then by 2022 they hope they can figure out a way to safely remove the melted fuel rods from the containment vessels.  The ultimate goal is to tear down the reactor buildings.

 

Fukushima, Idaho

What Economic Recovery? Japanese nuclear disaster, dissapointing mine operations in Namibia, shutting down French company Areva. Idaho could lose jobs in 2012. Idaho leaders unrealistically optimistic

The ongoing nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, and a bad mine operation deal in Africa, is bringing down a major player in international nuclear power; Areva.  The result will mean job losses all over the world, and possibly here in Idaho.

French government owned Areva recently announced that their revenues have crashed since the Japanese nuclear disaster began in March, and, since the French government opened an investigation into Areva’s purchase of a mining operation in Namibia, Africa.

On 13 December 2011, Areva officials unveiled a five year plan to reduce the size of the company.  This is because of a projected loss of U.S.$2.1 billion for just this year, and expected losses in the next few years.

Areva officials have already announced they will not replace French employees who retire, and they are laying off 1,500 German employees.

This is because of a negative backlash against nuclear power, as a result of the Japanese nuclear disaster.  In Germany, the government decided to end all reliance on nuclear power.  In Japan, the prefectural governments are refusing to allow nuclear power plants to start back up.  Both actions in Germany and Japan are at the demands of the majority of the citizens.

Areva’s loses also come from what is looking like a pig in a poke deal, from their purchase of uranium mines in Namibia, Africa.  Areva spent $2.5 billion on the mines, and the French government is now investigating because it turns out the mines have only half the projected uranium that Areva officials were told it had.

As part of their five year turn around plan Areva has suspended the construction of a uranium enrichment plant near Idaho Falls, Idaho.  State officials claim that Areva has agreed to keep on their payroll about 300 Idaho employees, but that’s only until the end of 2012.

The problem now is that Areva has stated that their continued operation depends on the sale of ten new generation EPR (European Pressurized Reactor) nuclear power units.  Those sales need to take place between 2012 to 2016.

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S. Congress refuses Japan’s demand to get U.S. Marines off Okinawa

The U.S. Senate and House have rejected funding for moving the USMC off Okinawa and onto Guam.

For decades the people on Okinawa have complained of criminal activity by U.S. Marines, including rape and murder. The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2012 does not include the needed $150 million for the move.

U.S. and Japanese officials tried to convince Okinawans to allow the U.S. Marines to move from Futenma, Okinawa, to Nago, Okinawa.  Okinawans basically said Hell No!  They want the USMC off Okinawa, no more compromise.

 

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

World War 3: Canada pulls out of Kyoto environmental pact, blames U.S. & China. Durban Deal a failure? Japan may be forced to follow Canada’s lead.

“The Kyoto Protocol does not include the world’s two largest emitters, the United States and China, therefore it can not work!”-Peter Kent, Environment Minister of Canada

Canada is the first country to officially exit from the Kyoto environmental protocols.  This follows the end of the second round of ‘Kyoto’ (aka COP 17) talks in South Africa.

The COP 17 talks acknowledged that the goals set at Kyoto would most likely not be met, and they extended the deadline for those goals to 2018.  This latest round of talks is being referred to as the ‘Durban Deal’.

Edna Molewa, UN Water and Environmental Affairs Minister, called the Durban deal a “watershed” moment.  However, Canada is raining on that moment, and Japan has been warning of leaving the Kyoto Protocol as well.

“The Kyoto Protocol is not the right path.”-Masahiko Horie, envoy from Japan

Japan can no longer meet all the agreed upon goals because of the fact that 85% of their nuclear plants are shut down, or damaged.  Even before the loss of so many nuclear plants (for various reasons) Japan was still the number 5 polluter in the world!  Think what will happen as they switch back to electricity generated by coal and petroleum fueled power plants.

The following countries either refuse to take part, have quit, or are threatening to quit the Kyoto Protocol: Brazil, India, New Zealand, Russia, Japan, Canada, China (number 1 polluter) and the United States (number 2 polluter).

 

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Still no decontamination efforts in Fukushima!

Just days after the the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunamis, several Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors went critical, melted down, and some even exploded.  But to date (11 December 2011) no decontamination efforts have been carried out by the prefectural or national governments!

A couple of cities, and even neighborhood committees have attempted decontamination of their immediate surroundings, but nothing on the large scale that’s needed.  This is because no one in higher authority thought such a nuclear disaster would ever happen.

Testimony by many Japanese officials (and Tokyo Electric Power Company officials) say representatives from General Electric (and other U.S. nuclear power companies), and the U.S. government, had claimed the U.S. designed disaster reactors were the safest in the world.  Japanese officials thought there was no justification for such preparations as the U.S. designed nuke plants were so safe.

As a result of the March nuclear disaster (which is still ongoing) officials in the national and prefectural governments have been scrambling to learn everything they can about how to deal with the situation (that included a trip to Chernobyl, albeit very late in the game).

But learning everything they could in a short time wasn’t enough.  The Japanese national government had to pass a law ordering the large scale decontamination!

The Japanese Environment Ministry says they will begin decontamination of roads and other infrastructure in late January 2012.  They do not expect to be able to start decontaminating residences until March 2012!  And that’s for areas contaminated with less than 20 millisieverts of radiation. Japanese officials admit they still don’t know how to deal with areas contaminated with more than 20 millisieverts of radiation!

The Environment Ministry says they are conducting new studies to see how best to handle decontamination in areas with more than 20 millisieverts of radiation, with a focus on protecting the workers.

Fukushima, International

Japan Modern Day Atlantis round 4: Minamisanriku, hometown of Heroine Miki Endo is becoming the Atlantis I predicted

Video

On March 11, a massive tsunami hit Minamisanriku.  If it wasn’t for a young woman, Miki Endo, as well as her boss ordering the residents to escape, many thousands more would have been killed.

Endo and her boss did not survive. They stayed at their posts on the second floor of the town hall building.  The water reached the top of the third floor of the building.  Endo’s last words over the city’s loudspeaker system were: “Take care mom!”

On November 7, Independent Television News updated the situation of Minamisanriku, and it looks like my past posts, comparing it to a modern day Atlantis, might apply.  A city official says no rebuilding can take place, because the land is slowing sinking into the ocean: “…our plan is to move the entire town to higher ground, because the ground level here has dropped by 70 cm [27.5 inches]. When we get higher tides, they come in and this entire area is underwater.”-Jin Sato, Mayor

Who said southern California can’t drop off into the ocean?

ATLANTIS SYNDROME: OFFICIALS CONFIRM LAND SUNK AFTER 9.0 QUAKE

JAPAN MODERN DAY ATLANTIS ROUND 3: QUAKE UPGRADED 10,000+ DEAD