Tag Archives: japan

Fukushima

Pacific Ring of Fire: 14 previously dormant fault lines now alive and threatening in Japan!

14 fault lines in Japan, which were thought to be ‘safe’ are now considered dangerous, potentially producing a 7.6 earthquake.

The other problem is that they all run near nuclear power plants.

A survey of the fault lines were undertaken by nuclear power plant operators, like Tokyo Electric Power Company.  They concluded that the fault lines are a real threat.

Nine fault lines are near Japan Atomic Power Company’s Tokai Number 2 power plant, and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s Tokai reprocessing plant in Ibaraki Prefecture.

The other five faults are near Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Number 1 (Daiichi) and Number 2 (Daini) nuclear power plants in Fukushima Prefecture.

 

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Fukushima exceeds radiation levels at Chernobyl!

Six towns in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, have soil that is contaminated with Cesium levels far higher than those at Chernobyl.  The levels exceed that which forced mandatory evacuations around Chernobyl back in the 1980s.  Some areas around Chernobyl are still off limits.

Japan’s Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry put together a soil contamination map.  Six municipalities recorded more than 1.48 million becquerels per square meter of Cesium 137.

The Cesium hot spots are in no-entry and expanded evacuation zones around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was damaged by the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

 

 

Technology, U.S.

Medical Incompetence: Hospital injects children with high doses of radiation, on purpose

A hospital in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, admitted that children had been injected with too much radiation.

Since 1999, at least 84 kids were injected with high doses of radioactive technetium.  The isotope is used to help examine internal organs.

The doses were in excess of the limit set by the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine.  One boy was given 20 times the limit.

Radiological technicians admitted they intentionally gave the children the higher doses, because they were afraid the kids wouldn’t sit still long enough to get a good image of their internal organs!!!

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: British TESCO admits defeat, pulls out of Japan, the U.S. is next

“Having made considerable efforts in Japan, we have concluded we cannot build a sufficiently scaleable business. We have decided to sell our operations there and focus on our larger businesses in the region.”-Philip Clarke, TESCO

After eight years and 250 million pounds (U.S.$404.9 million), British retailer TESCO is quitting Japan.

The Japanese retail market proved to be too tough o’nut to crack.  TESCO has been successful almost everywhere else, especially other Asian countries.

Retail analysts say Japan’s retail culture is radically different than the U.S. or Europe: “The retail market is fragmented and there are many strong regional players, often family-owned. Convenience stores dominate, particularly in the city centers, and a culture of ‘immediacy’ supports large numbers of vending machines.”-Gavin Rothwell, retail analysts IGD

Another factor against foreign companies doing business in Japan is extremely high operating costs, and extremely demanding consumers.

However, TESCO is also losing money, big time, through its U.S. venture, Fresh & Easy.  The U.S. start up is based in Los Angeles, California.

TESCO’s Fresh & Easy operation has 176 stores in California, Nevada and Arizona.  Last year they lost $301 million, far more than what TESCO lost in Japan.

They’re spending even more money to remodel their Fresh & Easy stores, but if sales don’t pick up within the next two years, TESCO will pull out of the United States as well.

 

 

 

 

International, U.S.

What Global Warming? Typhoon Talas not Normal, showing signs of a cold weather storm!

Typhoon Talas is expected to hit Japan on August 2, but its path is hard to predict because it’s not your normal hurricane.

The U.S. Navy/Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Center is saying that Talas is not a normal typhoon: “The upper-level analysis continues to reveal an unusual upper-level pattern with an upper low over the center and anticyclonic flow around the periphery.”

What’s not normal about that, is that anti-cyclonic storms normally form around high pressure systems.  Talas is showing low pressure.  Also, anti-cyclonic storms are associated with cold weather and often cause massive snowfall, it’s summer time in Japan.  (Can you say The Day After Tomorrow?)

Some predictions say the typhoon will drive up the middle of Honshu and Hokkaido, other predictions say it’ll keep driving north into the Sea of Japan.

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: TEPCo throwaway subcontractors contaminated with radiation!

In less than two weeks, four contractors working at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, have been contaminated with radiation.

All four were contaminated by water from the defective water decontamination system.

Two workers were contaminated when they replaced defective parts, the other two were contaminated when water surged out of a valve that was mistakenly left open.

Tokyo Electric Power Company has been constantly criticized for how it handles its contracted employees.  Many former employees claim TEPCo provides no training, and even no protective gear.  One government agency backed up those claims a couple of months ago.

The Japanese government is still waiting for health screenings for hundreds of TEPCo employees, as well as the whereabouts of 200 missing employees.  In one public meeting, Tokyo Electric officials said the missing 200 employees were probably terrorists!

 

 

International

Typhoon Talas to hit Japan on September 2

Hurricane forecasters say Typhoon Talas will hit Japan on Friday.  The storm continues to intensify.  Talas has sustained winds near 55 knots (63 mph/103 kmh).

Talas is about 465 miles (748 km) south of Kyoto, Japan.   It’s moving northward, slowly at 5 knots (6 mph).  Storm-force winds extending out 210 miles, making the typhoon at least 420 miles (675 km) in diameter.

Forecasters now think Talas will cross over Japan, into the Sea of Japan.  Earlier storm track predictions had the typhoon turning and cutting a path right up the center of Honshu and Hokkaido.

Latest on how Talas is not a “normal” hurricane.

 

International

Typhoon Talas on track to blast Japan

Talas has been a slow but steady tropical storm, building strength as it heads towards the center of Honshu.  It’s expected to become a full blown Typhoon on August 30.

The projected path of Talas brings it onshore, on September 1, in south central Honshu, west of Tokyo.  Then it almost splits the island as it heads north to the island of Hokkaido.   Japan is still recovering from the March 11 disasters.

Fukushima

Tropical Storm Talas heading for nuclear damaged Japan, will become a Typhoon before landfall

Tropical storm Talas, directly south of Japan, is heading right for the center of the nuclear damaged island nation.

It’s predicted that by 29 August 2011 Talas will be a category 1 typhoon.  Japan is still recovering from the 11 March 2011 quake and tsunami. Also, the damaged nuclear plant Fukushima Daiichi could get hit.

International

Doraemon has his own museum

“I personally believe that the very fact that children from all over the world read and enjoy Doraemon is a testament to the fact that children are children no matter where they are.”–Masako Fujimoto

Fujiko F. Fujio, creator of the cartoon character Doraemon, died in 1996, but his creation lives on.

On September 3, a museum on the outskirts of Tokyo will open.  It will have 50,000 Doraemon items, only 150 will be on permanent display.

Doraemon has been translated into more than 30 languages, and still enjoys popularity in many countries.