All About Japanese

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東北地方太平洋沖地震の被災地のために
出来ることからはじめませんか？
source : grare


avalanche warnings -
more tails of rain
and radiation


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Gabi reports:

The fires in the reactors have subsided.

More radiation is leaking, 5 radioactive substances have been detected last night.
57.ooo people from Fukushima have been checked about radiation, but they all showed values withing the safe range.

. Radiation anxiety grows .

The Japan Times now features a daily chart of
"Maximum Radiation levels in Eastern Japan", from Aomori to Shizuoka.
The value today for Tokyo was 0.070 for the time from 9 am. Sunday to 9 am Monday.
Value for Fukushima: 9.83 microsievert per hour.

Houses that have only lightly been damaged in the Tokyo area will be repaired later. Many have therefore locked their damaged homes and made their way to the Kansai region now. Tokyo is still struggeling with power and other supplies and stockpiling of some goods like batteries and instant noodle soup continues.

. . . . .

Regional efforts to help are well under way.
Okayama town collected anything the citizens would bring, from powdered milk and baby formula, toilet paper to shoes and blankets. It will be brought to Tohoku in large trucks.

Teams in Kobe bought vegetables from Miyazaki in Kyushu and drove them to Ishinomaki in a private camping car to a sheter where more than 650 people are evacuated.
They also raised a lot of money from more than 120 people's donations.

. . . . .

Story of a survival

A family tried to evacuate after the tsunami warning in their town, but so did every one else and the cars got stuck in traffic jam, not moving any more. A policeman came running from the sea, shouting "Get out, run run!"
So the woman took her elderly parents and started climbing up in the wild forest, since the road was at the food of a mountain.
The tsunami passed them almost by the tips of their toes, but they made it.
Today the woman was back at the scene and looked at the wrack of her car, slammed in the debris, and all the other cars on the road, which had been in the traffic jam ... slammed, battered and covered with debris.
"I never thought that life and death can be just such a short span from each other"! she mused with tears in her eyes.

. . . . .


8,805 confirmed deaths by Tuesday morning,
12,654 reported missing.
Maybe even more than 12.000 dead in Miyagi.
But the figure of over 21,000 is likely to rise.


The rolling power blackouts are back in the Kanto region.

Geiger counter in Setagaya: 0.14 my Sv/Hr (sievert)
source :　www.ustream.tv


Updates
. radioaktive Partikel .


Shipments of leafy vegetables from the prefectures Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma will be stopped.
Milk from Fukushima will also be stopped.
We saw a dairy farmer cry as he milked his many cows and had to pour the milk down the drain in the stable.
A farmer in Ibaraki was standing in front of his large field of spinach, just ready for harvesting ... all is lost now and he can not even plant a new crop, but has to wait for further development of the situation.


. . . . . at 12:00

Hachinohe with the tsunami
Last evening, a fishing boat has entered the port of Hachinohe in Aomori, one of the disaster zones.
This morning the first autction of fish was held after the tsunami hit. Many had tears in their eyes as they shouted the prize for their catch.

Japan might finally introduce a summer time, in an effort to save electricity. The rolling blackouts in Kanto might continue for quite a long time to come.


. . . . . at 12:38
Earthquake M 5.7, off the shore of Chiba

. . . . . at 17:00
Many car manufacturers and electronics companies have to stop their production, some until the end of this month, since they can not get the parts from Northern Japan.


. . . . . at 18:22
Earthquake M 6.3 Fukushima prefecture
felt in Miyagi and Tochigi as 4.


. . . . . at 18:49
Earthquake M 6.2, off the coast of Miyagi



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Bulletins from NHK Online

source : www3.nhk.or.jp

Monday, March 21, 2011 18:47 (Yesterday)
Kan: way out of crisis is in sight
Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said the way out of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is in sight, and ordered that all possible measures be taken to resolve the situation.
Speaking at a meeting of the government's disaster task force on Monday, Kan said progress has been made little by little by all those making efforts at the risk of their lives.
Kan said more must be done to resolve the crisis but that light can be seen at the end of the tunnel.
Kan emphasized the need to do everything to prevent more damage, and asked all those involved in the effort to do their utmost.
Referring to future reconstruction, Kan said he hopes plans ensure that Japan is vigorous and a safe place to live when it overcomes the unprecedented disaster.
Kan also said he's happy to hear that 2 people were rescued on Sunday in Ishinomaki City from a house that had collapsed in the quake and tsunami.
He said everyone is rejoicing at the news of the saving of precious lives while the country experiences enormous damage from the disaster.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 02:22
Toyota postpones resuming assembly operations
Toyota Motor has decided to delay the restart of production in Japan by at least another day.
The car giant initially planned to reopen its factories on Wednesday but it cannot procure enough parts.
Parts makers have been hit hard by this month's huge quake in the northeast of Tokyo.
Another Japanese automaker, Fuji Heavy Industry, said it will extent its production break till Thursday.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 02:23
Govt: Higher radiation may related to smoke
Japan's nuclear safety agency says white smoke from the No. 2 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is likely to have caused short-term radiation levels to spike.
The smoke was seen rising from the roof of the troubled reactor on Monday evening, forcing workers at 4 damaged reactors to temporarily evacuate.
Tokyo Electric Power Company said radiation about one kilometer west of the No.2 reactor jumped to 1,932 microsieverts per hour at 6:30PM. The figure was 494 microsievertes 50 minutes earlier.
But it says the reading fell back to 380 microsieverts 3 and a half hours later.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the smoke could be steam from the spent fuel rod pool and that some spent rods may be broken, causing radioactive substances to leak into the pool.
The agency said the wind was blowing westward when the higher level was detected.



Tuesday, March 22, 2011 05:08
TEPCO underestimated tsunami, quake
Tokyo Electric Power Company says its nuclear power plants in Fukushima were hit by a 14-meter-high tsunami. That was more than double the maximum expectation.
The electric company on Monday checked the walls of the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants. It found that the water reached higher than 14 meters above sea level.
The company had only expected a tsunami of 5.7 meters at the Daiichi plant and one of 5.2 meters at the Daini.
The Fukushima Daiichi plant lost sufficient cooling functions when the tsunami destroyed facilities along the coast, such as seawater pumps and emergency diesel generators.
The buildings that house the reactors and turbines are built on grounds 10 to 13 meters above sea level, but became partially inundated.
The power company said it had underestimated the biggest earthquake to be magnitude 8. It said it admits that this month's magnitude 9 quake was beyond its calculation.

Comment from Gabi:
Our gas supplier in Kamakura once told us that the gas container at the side of our home was designed to withstand an earthquake M4. If it gets worse, start to pray.

. . . . .

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 05:08
Radioactive substances found in sea water
Radioactive substances have been detected in sea water samples taken near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Company checked the amount in a bucket of water that was taken from an area 100 meters south of the plant water outlet on Monday afternoon.
It said the water contained higher levels of radioactive materials. Iodine 131 was 126.7 times higher than the legal level, cesium 134 was 24.8 higher, and cesium 137 was 16.5 times higher. Cobalt 58 was below the legal limit.
The electric company said it only conducted the test once and cannot tell the affects on marine life and sea water in the area.
The company said it will carry out more tests in wider areas.



Tuesday, March 22, 2011 08:10
IAEA: Positive developments seen in Japan's crisis
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, says he is starting to see positive developments in Japan's efforts to stabilize a crippled nuclear power plant.
Amano made the remark in an emergency IAEA board meeting in Vienna on Monday which opened with a silent prayer for victims from the massive quake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on March 11th.He told the meeting that he and Prime Minister Naoto Kan agreed last week that Japan will speed up the supply of information about the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Amano said that the situation at the plant remains very serious, but some positive developments have been seen.



Tuesday, March 22, 2011 09:29
Power restoration delayed at Fukushima nuke plant
Work to restore power and recover the cooling systems at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was suspended on Monday after smoke rose from the damaged reactors.
Grayish smoke continued billowing from the plant's No.3 reactor for more than 2 hours on Monday afternoon. What looked like steam later rose out of the No.2 reactor.
The developments prompted the Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, to order all personnel indoors, leading to a suspension of work to restore power to reactors No.1 to No.4.
Radiation levels rose near the plant's front gate, about 1 kilometer west of the reactors.
The radiation readings surged to 1,932 microsieverts per hour as of 6:30 PM Monday, compared to 494 microsieverts 50 minutes earlier.
TEPCO now says restoring power to the No.2 reactor's central control room will be delayed until Tuesday at the earliest.
Water-spraying operations were also called off, even though the utility had been preparing a new high-capacity vehicle to help douse the reactors.
TEPCO says radiation levels began declining within the compound at around 8PM on Monday. As of 5 AM Tuesday, the levels stood at 273.9 microsieverts per hour.
The government's nuclear safety agency says the brief spike in radiation was most likely caused by easterly winds, and that conditions appear to be stabilizing.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 10:11
Japan gives up World Figure Skating Championships
The International Skating Union says Japan has abandoned plans to host the World Figure Skating Championships as it grapples with the aftermath of a massive earthquake.
..... as of Monday that the Japanese federation was unable to prepare and declined to host the event, and the decision was accepted.
The International Skating Union says it will try to find another venue, but is unsure when the event can be staged.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 11:50
Govt begins disaster briefings for foreign media
The Japanese government has begun daily briefings for foreign media on the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and quake-relief efforts.
The move comes in response to rising concerns overseas about radioactive leakage from the troubled nuclear plant.
The first such briefings for reporters from overseas were held at the prime minister's official residence on Monday.
Speaking through a translator, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama and nuclear safety agency officials explained the efforts to bring the damaged nuclear plant under control. They also spoke about radiation levels in various locations.
Questions asked by the overseas reporters covered how the disaster has affected the Japanese economy and what impact it will have on the country's future nuclear policy.
A US journalist welcomed the Japanese government's decision to share more information, but stressed the need for quick updates on radiation levels to respond to high global concerns.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 12:58

Work to restore power resumes
Work to restore power and cooling systems at the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has resumed. The operation was suspended on Monday after smoke began rising from 2 reactor buildings.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says work began at the No.4 and No.2 reactors on Tuesday morning.
The company added that white smoke continues to rise from the No.2 and No.3 units, but that it is getting thinner and unlikely to pose a problem for workers.
... The government's nuclear safety agency and TEPCO say power systems are likely to be restored to the No.1 and No.2 reactors by Wednesday, and the No.3 and No.4 reactors by Thursday.
Later on Tuesday, the Tokyo Fire Department is planning to spray water at the No.3 reactor building for about one hour. TEPCO is also preparing to use a special high-capacity vehicle with a long, flexible boom to douse the No.4 reactor.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 13:48
A special vehicle has been brought in to spray water on an overheated pool of spent nuclear fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The vehicle is equipped with a long arm that should allow operators to accurately direct water at the targets. Such truck is normally used to pour concrete during the construction of high-rise buildings.

The Self Defense Forces, which control the water spraying operations, say that workers laid iron sheets to reinforce the ground near the No.4 reactor building. The vehicle arrived on Tuesday morning.
The spraying operation at the No.4 reactor building is scheduled to begin as early as Tuesday evening. Officials say that a total of 4 such special vehicles will be used to pour water into the No.1 to 4 reactor buildings.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 13:48
Kitazawa: smoke at reactor maybe oil or residue
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa says smoke and steam seen rising on Monday from the troubled No.2 and No. 3 reactor buildings was not directly related to the reactor containment vessels or spent fuel rod pools.
Hazy grayish smoke was seen rising from the No.3 reactor, and white steam-like vapor from the No.2 reactor at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Kitazawa told reporters on Tuesday that the government taskforce believes the smoke at No. 3 reactor was caused by oil or other residue that caught fire as temperatures rose within the building. He said the taskforce also pointed out that the steam at No 2 was probably from evaporating rain or sprayed water.
Kitazawa said the government will begin daily monitoring of surface temperatures at the reactors from a Self Defense Forces' helicopter, starting on Tuesday. Measurement operations have been conducted twice a week until now.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 15:51
Firefighters resume spraying water to No.3 reactorFirefighters from Tokyo and Osaka have begun spraying water into the No.3 reactor at the quake and tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The Tokyo fire department has already sprayed water into the reactor's pool for cooling spent nuclear fuel rods for more than 20 hours.
The department began its 4th water-spraying operation with the Osaka fire department on Tuesday at 3:10 PM local time.
Seawater is being pumped up through a manually laid hose and sent to a water truck for about an hour of continual spraying.
The firefighters have sprayed into the pool about 3,600 tons of seawater, or about 3 times the pool's capacity.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 15:51
BOJ pumps 2 tril. yen into money markets
Japan's central bank injected another 2 trillion yen, or about 24 billion dollars, into the short-term money markets on Tuesday morning.
Commercial banks have been keeping extra cash at hand since the massive earthquake.
The Bank of Japan says it has supplied a total of 40 trillion yen, or about 490 billion dollars, over the past 6 business days.
The central bank says it will continue to provide extra liquidity as long as necessary.



Tuesday, March 22, 2011 17:42
Ink shortage may affect newspapers
Manufacturers of printing ink have asked newspaper publishers to reduce the number of pages and colors in their papers to cope with an ink shortage caused by the massive earthquake.
The Japan Printing Ink Makers Association, which has 56 member firms, made the request on Tuesday to the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association.
The ink industry group says it is facing a shortage of a key ingredient for newspaper ink after plants of chemical companies in coastal areas of northeastern Japan suffered serious damage from the earthquake.The group says it could run out of the ingredient and ink products within a month if the current situation continues.



Tuesday, March 22, 2011 18:13
Long-armed vehicle injects water into No.4 reactor
A vehicle equipped with a long arm has begun injecting water into the No.4 reactor at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The vehicle owned by a construction company in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, began the operation at 5:17 PM on Tuesday at the request of the Tokyo Electric Power Company. The work is being carried out in conjunction with water-spraying by Japan's Self-Defense Forces and fire departments into the plant's No.3 and 4 reactors, to fill pools for spent nuclear fuel rods.
The vehicle's arm can extend more than 50 meters to pump concrete into high-rise buildings. The same type of vehicle was used to entomb the Chernobyl nuclear plant in concrete after its accident.
The water injection by the vehicle was set to continue for 3 hours.
Hour-long water-spraying at the No.3 reactor by fire trucks from Tokyo and Osaka ended at around 4 PM.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 18:13
Radioactive substances detected in seawater
Abnormally high levels of radioactive substances have been detected in seawater as far as 16 kilometers from the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant's operator, announced the findings on Tuesday afternoon.
TEPCO sampled seawater 330 meters south of the plant's drainage exit at 2:30 PM on Monday. It contained iodine-131 at a level 126.7 times the legal concentration. Cesium-134 was 24.8 times higher and cesium-137 was 16.5 times higher than the level set by law.
A sampling at the same location at 6:30 AM on Tuesday showed levels of iodine were 29.8 times higher, and those of cesium-134 and cesium-137 were 2.5 times and 1.7 times higher, respectively.
Seawater sampled at the mouth of the Tomioka River 8 kilometers south of the plant on Monday shortly after midnight contained 80.3 times the legal level of iodine-131 and 1.3 times that of cesium-134.
Seawater sampled at 11:15 PM on Monday 10 kilometers south of the Fukushima Daiichi plant showed Iodine -131 at 27.1 times the legal concentration.
Seawater sampled shortly before midnight on Monday near Iwasawa Beach 16 kilometers south of the plant contained Iodine-131 at 16.4 times higher than legal levels.
One millisievert of radiation is the government-set standard for exposure in one year that poses no health hazard. That is also the amount consumed by an average Japanese drinking tapwater every day for a year.
Yoshihiro Ikeuchi of the Japan Chemical Analysis Center says there is no need to worry about iodine-131, as its radioactive half-life is just 8 days. He says cesium has a much longer half-life and accumulates in marine life.
He stressed that in addition to milk and leafy vegetables, fish and shellfish need to be continually examined to ensure they do not pose a health risk.



Tuesday, March 22, 2011 18:58
Weather officials warn of powerful aftershocks
Japan's Meteorological Agency is urging people to continue to be alert against powerful aftershocks following the March 11th earthquake. The initial quake had a magnitude of 9.0 -- the country's highest ever.
The agency says it observed more than 60 aftershocks in a wide area of eastern Japan that registered 4 or more on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7 through Monday evening. On Saturday, a 5-plus aftershock jolted Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo.
Agency officials said at a news conference on Tuesday that aftershocks are becoming less frequent, but tremors with magnitudes of 7 or more could still occur. The officials warned that severe aftershocks could collapse buildings already damaged by the quake and tsunami, or cause another huge tsunami.
The agency on Tuesday upgraded the magnitude of the aftershock that occurred off Ibaraki Prefecture immediately after the March 11th quake from 7.4 to 7.7, making it the biggest aftershock to date.
Rain and snow are forecast for some areas affected by the quake and tsunami, with overnight lows dropping about 2 degrees Celsius from Tuesday morning.
Officials are calling on people who suffered from the quake to be careful about their already-weakened health condition.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 19:57
TEPCO vice president apologizes to evacuees
A vice president of the Tokyo Electric Power Company has apologized to local residents who were forced to evacuate their homes near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
On Tuesday, Norio Tsuzumi made his first visit to an emergency shelter in Tamura City, where about 800 evacuees from Okuma town are staying.
Tsuzumi apologized to the town's mayor, Toshitsuna Watanabe, and pledged to do his utmost to bring the situation under control.
Watanabe said that all the townspeople want the nuclear plant to become safe.
Tsuzumi then offered apologies to the evacuees. People in the shelter asked him when they'd be able to go back home and complained that they'd no longer be able to earn a living as farmers.
Tsuzumi later told reporters he understands that the residents want to go home as soon as possible, and that all he can do is to continue his efforts.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 19:57
Edano calls for calm on food safety
The Japanese government has reassured consumers that agricultural products being sold in shops carry no risk of elevated levels of radioactivity.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano called for calm on Tuesday, one day after the government ordered a temporarily halt to shipments of spinach and another leafy vegetable, kakina. The vegetables were grown in 4 prefectures near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The move has generated unfounded rumors about radiation risks for other farm products from the same areas.Edano said the order was prompted by the government's strict food safety standards, and any product that meets these standards is safe to eat. He added that the government will keep consumers and retailers well informed about food safety matters.
Edano was noncommittal when asked if farmers will be compensated for lost sales caused by rumors about radiation risks of products other than spinach and kakina. He said the government cannot yet say anything definitive about the matter.



Tuesday, March 22, 2011 19:59
High radiation detected 40km from nuclear plant
Japan's science ministry says radiation exceeding 400 times the normal level was detected in soil about 40 kilometers from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The ministry surveyed radioactive substances in soil about 5 centimeters below the surface at roadsides on Monday.
The ministry found 43,000 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per kilogram of soil, and 4,700 becquerels of radioactive cesium-137 per kilogram about 40 kilometers west-northwest of the plant.
Gunma University Professor Keigo Endo says radiation released by the iodine is 430 times the level normally detected in soil in Japan and that released by the cesium is 47 times the norm.
Endo says the data means that a person staying at the location for one year would be exposed to 4 times the amount of radiation allowed by national standards. The professor says there is no immediate health risk, but that radioactive cesium can accumulate in soil and that radiation levels must continue to be monitored.
The science ministry says there is no environmental standard for radioactive substances in soil, and that it sees no problem at this time.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 20:56
Japan's health ministry says it has detected radioactive iodine levels above the safety standard for infants in tap water at 5 locations in Fukushima Prefecture.
Officials say iodine-131 levels exceeding 100 becquerels per kilogram were detected in tap water at 4 cities and 1 town. The levels ranged from 120 to 220 becquerels.
The ministry says the water does not pose an immediate risk to infants, but is advising residents against letting infants drink it or adding it to powdered milk.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 20:56
Water cannon truck arrives from Australia
A high-powered water cannon truck has arrived from Australia at a US base in Tokyo to help recovery efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
An Australian air force transport plane carrying the truck touched down at Yokota Air Base on Tuesday following a request by the United States.
The water cannon can shoot 150 liters of water per second at a target 150 meters away. It can also operate unmanned for 2 to 3 days while pumping seawater.
The truck will be sent to the nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture if the Japanese authorities request it.
Personnel from Japan's Self-Defense Forces, the Tokyo Fire Department, and other agencies are spraying water on the plant's No.3 and 4 reactors, which lost the ability to cool storage pools containing spent nuclear fuel rods.
On Monday, the chief of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Robert Willard, said the United States is also preparing to send a team of specialists trained to handle nuclear accidents.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 22:14
Water injection into No.4 reactor ended
A vehicle with a long spraying arm injected water into the No.4 reactor at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for about 3 hours on Tuesday.
The vehicle, owned by a construction firm in Mie Prefecture in central Japan, began the operation at 5:17 PM Tuesday at the request of the Tokyo Electric Power Company.
The vehicle is used in construction of high-rise buildings, and is capable of extending its arm more than 50 meters to pour concrete.
The operation ended at about 8:30 PM.
The work was carried out in conjunction with water spraying by Japan's Self-Defense Forces and regional fire departments to fill storage pools for spent nuclear fuel rods at the plant's No.3 and 4 reactors.
TEPCO says 2 other similar vehicles are ready to join the water-spraying operations. The company plans to deploy them after consulting with the government taskforce working to contain the crisis.


Tuesday, March 22, 2011 22:14
The Tokyo Electric Power Company says it is ready to supply electricity to the control rooms of 2 reactors at the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
TEPCO said on Tuesday that it will restore power to the control rooms of No.3 and No.4 reactors as soon as water-spraying operations are completed to cool down fuel storage pools.


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Voices from around



The University of Tokyo
Daily Environmental Radiation Info
Dose-Rate ( μSv/h)
at Hongo(1) Hongo(2) Komaba Kashiwa
We estimate that gamma-ray dose rate in air typically ranges between 0.05 and 0.3 μSv/h within the parameters of the University of Tokyo campus as the natural background level.

March 22 :
Back ground value
. Hongo 0.05～0.1
. Kashiwa 0.1～0.2

Environmental Radiological Countermeasures Project
source : www2.u-tokyo.ac.jp

. . . . .


One Week Later - Photo reportage


source : www.boston.com

. . . . .

quote
Gebt mir Spinat und Milch aus Fukushima!
Prof. Dr. Kawashima ("Dr. Kawashimas Gehirn-Jogging") sagt:
Spinat und Milch aus der Umgebung des Störfall-AKWs Fukushima zu verzehren, würde seine Lebenserwartung nicht beeinflussen

In der Präfektur Miyagi liegt die Strahlung, die mit dem Unfall im AKW Fukushima zusammenhängt, vielerorts bei 0,2 bis 0,3 Mikrosievert je Stunde. Da 1000 Mikrosievert ein Millisievert sind, wäre, falls sich dies ein ganzes Jahr fortsetzt – was allerdings ausgeschlossen ist –, die Strahlenmenge 0,3 x 24 Stunden x 365 Tage = 2628 Mikrosievert, also 2,6 Millisievert.

Also genau das, was wir ohnehin ständig durch natürliche Strahlung aufnehmen.
source : www.welt.de/wissenschaft

. . . . .

quote
Richard Black and Jonathan Amos, BBC news
Scientists are trying to establish if the Magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake has altered the chances of a major tremor under Tokyo - or increased the risk of another tremor powerful enough to generate a tsunami.

The massive Sumatra quake in 2004 was followed by many others above Magnitude 7.0, including two above Magnitude 8.0 in 2005 and 2007.
Big quakes struck the area (Tokyo) in 1703, 1855 and 1923, with the last claiming the lives of 100,000 people.
Were any one of these events to occur today, the economic losses alone would be expected to top $1 trillion (80 trillion Yen).

Seismic activity has definitely increased since the M 9.0 event, with the incidence of small earthquakes registered in some parts of Japan, hundreds of kilometres from the source, increasing by a factor of 10.


source : www.bbc.co.uk/news


. . . . .


quote 　　
I heard the story told by the grandfather in charge of his village’s tsunami sea gate who, when he received the earliest warning of the huge wave coming, was torn between running at once to his family and urging them to safety or doing his duty and rushing toward the sea to close the big gate, possibly losing his own life but at least saving many others-- he stood torn on that edge for an instant... then ran for the gate and got it closed in time, slowing the destruction for a few moments and so saving many who now had time to escape; he managed to survive somehow, and when he got back to his home, it was gone.
They later found only the upper floor, torn loose and far away, with his wife, daughter and grandchildren inside, all drowned. In the midst of all the destruction he stood pointing to where he thought his house had stood, weeping in his official village uniform and helmet as he told the story, how he could have helped his family and did not...
by Robert Brady
source : pureland.blogspot.com

. . . . .

quote
... What is perhaps most surprising about the Japan earthquake is how misleading history can be. In the past 300 years, no earthquake nearly that large — nothing larger than magnitude-eight — had struck in the Japan subduction zone. That, in turn, led to assumptions about how large a tsunami might strike the coast.
... As it unbuckled, a 250-mile-long coastal section of Japan dropped in altitude by two feet, which allowed the tsunami to travel farther and faster onto land, Dr. Stein said.
source : www.nytimes.com

. . . . .

quote
HILFE FÜR JAPAN
Telekom spendet Gesprächsminuten nach Japan
Gespräche ins Handy- oder Festnetz, SMS, Internetnutzung - bis 9. April können Telekom-Kunden gratis nach Japan kommunizieren.
Privatkunden könnten sich sämtliche Gebühren für den Zeitraum vom 10. März bis 9. April erstatten lassen, teilte der Konzern mit.
source : mobil.abendblatt.de

. . . . .

quote 　　
Possible Psychological Reactions to an Earthquake
Anxiety Disorders Unit, CDHB.
We are now a week on from the earthquake and people have been working extremely hard
and in often very difficult circumstances. Front line staff have often had to deal with people in considerable distress and provide support for them while continuing to deal with their own issues at home. It is important to identify that we need to recognise our own experiences and responses to the crisis, so we can look after ourselves first and then be better able to deal with the needs of others.
Remember the airline’s advice
to put on your own oxygen mask first before providing assistance to others.

The earthquake and the ongoing aftershocks have had their effects on everyone. It is
common to experience the following responses:

 Fatigue and exhaustion particularly as time has gone on.
 Feeling on edge, nervous, and tense.
 Sleep disturbance, insomnia and nightmares.
 Being easily startled and looking out for danger.
 Swings in emotion, including tearfulness, irritability, anger, fear, sadness, grief or feeling numb or detached from self or others.
 Anxiety symptoms like a racing heart, rapid breathing, trembling, loss of appetite
and stomach upsets.
 Impaired concentration, decision making and memory which may obviously make us
less productive.
 Worrying about what might have been or having to deal with real ongoing concerns.
 Feeling a sense of lack of control.
 Thoughts and memories about the event continuing to pop into your mind, even
days or weeks afterwards.
 Increased conflict in our relationships, over-protectiveness or social withdrawal.

Usually, these reactions will dissipate over the following days to weeks as we make sense of what has happened.
source : www.webhealth.co.nz / PDF

. . . . .

quote
Emergency at Fukushima: As it happened
Paul Colgan, March 18, 2011
Concerned for Australians missing in Japan?
Call DFAT on +1300 555 135

"We reiterate our readiness to provide any additional assistance to the Japanese side in eliminating the consequences of this accident, including in putting out the fires occurring at the nuclear power plant."
- Alexander Lukashevich

"We simply did not have means to provide good care."
- Fukushima official Chuei Inamura

"The Italian Embassy in Tokyo carried out a radiation level reading from the Embassy roof on March 16. The radiation levels typically recorded in Rome are three times higher that recorded in Tokyo on Wednesday."

source : www.perthnow.com.au


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source : aisai-man.com



winter morn' ...
the hearts of Japan
are shaken

washed away -
the long road back
to Japan

twisting sea –
from under the rubble
a baby’s coo

charging
the heart of Japan –
a white horse

Don Baird, California

.................................................................................


unseen
the third wave
blossoms

Svetlana Marisova


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