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The third week after the shock starts !
two weeks later -
nothing can erase
these memories
. Remember March 11, 2011, 14:46
One old lady in a shelter summed it up:
"After almost two weeks without anything,
now we have running water
and heating in the halls.
We even get three free warm meals.
What an almost luxury life now!! "
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JAPAN DISASTER-RELIEF DONATIONS
Please help by making a donation, no matter how small.
. Mark Schumacher
Mark is my Daruma friend from Kamakura.
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Gabi reports:
It is now two weeks since the great earthquake, tsunami and reactor crises.
Strong frost and minus 2 centigrade again, even here in Okayama, even a little snow around 9 in the morning.
The North must be freezeng again.
. . . . .
A bit lower since yesterday:
. Radiation info from Tokyo University
as of late tuesday updates
More than 27,000 people officially dead
9,811 people are confirmed dead, 17,541 people missing
Radiation levels in microsievert per hour :
from Wendesday to Thursday (according to Japan Times)
Fukushima - 12.2 / (down from 15.3 yesterday)
Tokyo - 0.148 / (down from 0.155 yesterday)
Aomori - 0.029 (0.029 yesterday)
Shizuoka - 0.051 (0.051 yesterday)
Some sake brewers around Fukushima will try to prove that the water from their wells (they do not use tap water) is clean and their products safe.
Taiwan started checking the radiation of mail from Japan.
HongKong does not accept food from Fukushima for the time being.
. . . . . On the ohter side
China is getting more orders from Japan for frozen food items, especially vegetables.
Japan has asked South Korea for shipments of bottled water.
North Korea has send $100.000 to help the earthquake efforts.
Japan will have to review its nuclear power policy:
. Japan's Nuclear Policy
System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI):
Rate of space dose (nGy/h)
source : www.bousai.ne.jp
The unit gray (Gy) measures absorbed radiation which is absorbed into any material.
The unit sievert (Sv) specifically measures absorbed radiation which is absorbed by a person.
1 rem = 0.01 Sv = 10 mSv
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
The becquerel (symbol Bq) is the SI-derived unit of radioactivity. One Bq is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
. . . . . another new word buzzing in Japan
half-life, half time (Halbwertzeit)
半減期（half-life period）（
Half-life is the period of time it takes for a substance undergoing decay to decrease by half. The name was originally used to describe a characteristic of unstable atoms (radioactive decay), but may apply to any quantity which follows a set-rate decay.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !
. Is Fukushima reaching Chernobyl levels ?
. . . . .
The tsunami of March 11 was so powerfull, it swept up a river in Iwate, around a bend at km 14 and up and up until 49 km inland ! This is a record never seen before.
. . . . .
. . . . . at 5.09
A strong earthquake M 6.8 hit in Myanmar, in the north-east near the border to Thailand.
. . . . . at 12.30
Temperatured dropped to a cold plus four centigrade, a very strong storm seemed to blow huge snowflakes right from Siberia.
. . . . . at 17.00
There have been fewer aftershocks today than in the days before. I hope this problem comes to a quiet end.
. . . . . at 20.36
Earthquake M 6.2 off Miyagi coast
It was felt all the way up to Hokkaido and down to Shizuoka
Even the emperor send some food, fresh eggs and other items from the imperial ranch to the shelters:
1,200 eggs, 30 smoked chickens and canned sausages were send to Mashiko, Tochigi.
And here is Prime Minister Kan, adressing the nation:
. NHK : Friday, March 25, 2011 21:29
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Bulletins from NHK Online
source : www3.nhk.or.jp
Thursday, March 24, 2011 03:01 (updated)
Japan disaster: over 27,000 dead or missing
More than 27,000 people are officially dead or missing after the earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on March 11th.
According to the National Police Agency, 9,811 people are confirmed dead as of 9 PM on Thursday.
The agency says it has received reports of 17,541 people missing.
Most of the dead and missing are from the 3 hardest hit prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima.
The number of confirmed deaths in Fukushima totals 839, far smaller than the more than 5,800 in Miyagi and about 3,000 in Iwate. This may be due to the suspension of search operations in areas within 20 kilometers of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, because of radiation leaks.
Emergency shelters are accommodating more than 200,000 people, mostly from the prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima, according to NHK figures. More than 30,000 people, mainly from Fukushima, have fled their hometowns to other prefectures.
Thursday, March 24, 2011 19:50
Disaster affects Japanese firms in Asia
Japanese companies operating in other Asian countries are feeling the effects of the March 11th earthquake.
On the outskirts of the Philippines capital Manila, an electronic parts assembler is no longer getting orders from a plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. The plant has stopped operating due to the earthquake.20 percent of sales come from the Ibaraki plant, so the company has had to close some of its assembly lines since March 12th. The company says it will probably take a month or more at least before business with the Ibaraki plant resumes.
Factory chief, Takanobu Asari, says the company will have to cut staff if the impact of the quake is prolonged.
Japanese auto production in Thailand has been hit by delays in procuring parts from Japan.
Toyota Motors is adjusting its production there by eliminating overtime work.
A Japanese auto parts maker in a suburb of Bangkok is unable to get the steel and aluminum it needs from manufacturers in Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures. The company is exploring ways to procure these materials from other regions in Japan or from China.
Company official Yoshikazu Kurachi says the firm will run out of raw materials if it can't place an order soon. Kurachi says he hopes for an early recovery in Japan so operations can return to normal.
The Japan Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok says some of the 7,000 Japanese-affiliated companies in Thailand will be forced to stop production in April.
. . . . . . . . . .
Friday, March 25, 2011 01:25
Radioactive water detected in 6 prefectures
Radioactive water has been detected at water purification facilities in Tokyo and 5 other prefectures. The level of radioactive iodine-131 at 18 purification plants exceeds Japan's safety limit for infants.
Radioactive iodine-131 does not exist in nature. Experts believe it was carried by the wind from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to surrounding areas, and then washed down into rivers by rain.
The governments of Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Chiba, Saitama and Tochigi prefectures have detected more than 100 becquerels of iodine per liter of water, above the safety level for infants under 12 months. But the water is safe for adults because it's not above the 300 becquerel safety limit for them.
Hosei University professor and air-borne contamination expert Kentaro Murano says it's hard to predict where the radioactive substances will spread, because the wind blows in various directions at this time of year.
Murano says people should not overreact when they see small changes in levels. He points out that if it rains several times, all the radioactive substances in the air and on the ground will be washed out to sea.
Professor Murano says the radioactivity in the water will decrease to safer levels within 2 weeks. But he warns that if more radioactive substances are emitted from the nuclear plant, the impact of the radioactivity will continue for some time to come.
Friday, March 25, 2011 05:09
Excessive radioactivity found in Tokyo vegetable
Japan's health ministry says radiation above the legal limit has been detected in a vegetable grown in Tokyo. This is the first time that radioactive cesium exceeding the legal limit has been found in a Tokyo vegetable.
The ministry says the radioactive cesium was detected on Thursday in a leafy vegetable taken from a field in Edogawa ward on Wednesday. The vegetable is called Komatsuna, or Japanese mustard spinach. The radioactive level was 890 becquerels per kilogram, exceeding the legal limit of 500.
The vegetable was grown at a research center, and is not being sold on the market.
The health ministry says that level of radioactivity would not have an adverse effect on health, even if the vegetable was eaten.
Friday, March 25, 2011 07:49
Nuclear abolition monument completed at UN
The United Nations has completed a monument containing the signatures of over a million people demanding nuclear abolition.
It will be displayed along the sightseeing route at UN headquarters in New York.
At a ceremony to celebrate completion of the monument, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon thanked 3 Japanese survivors of the atomic bombing for attending at a time when Japan is struggling to deal with the massive earthquake and tsunami.
He called for realizing a world without nuclear weapons to respond to the wishes of nuclear bomb victims.
The monument is a 2-pillar structure that is 3 meters tall. It has the signatures of more than one million 20,000 people calling for an end to nuclear weapons by 2020.
The petitions were collected by the "Mayors for Peace" group, which is represented in 4,500 cities worldwide. The signatures were first handed to the United Nations at a nuclear non-proliferation treaty conference in May last year.Atomic bomb survivor Toshiko Tanaka says she's happy that the aspiration of many people has given shape to something like this. She also says she believes nuclear weapons will truly be abolished.
Friday, March 25, 2011 08:22
High radiation detected in water at plant
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has detected high levels of radioactive substances in water that 3 workers were exposed to at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The company says 3.9 million becquerels of radioactive substances per cubic centimeter were detected in the water that the workers were standing in. That is 10,000 times higher than levels of the water inside a nuclear reactor in operation.
The level of radioactive cerium-144 was 2.2 million becquerels. Also, 1.2 million becquerels of iodine-131 was measured. These substances are generated during nuclear fission inside a reactor.
Tokyo Electric says damage to the No.3 reactor and spent nuclear fuel rods in a storage pool may have produced the highly radioactive water.
On Thursday, 2 of the 3 workers were taken to hospital after being exposed to 173 to 180 millisieverts of radiation while standing in 15-centimeters of water in the turbine building adjacent to the reactor. A third worker was also exposed to the higher-level radiation but did not require treatment.
Friday, March 25, 2011 11:46
Death toll tops 10,000
More than 10,000 people have now been confirmed dead in the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on March 11th.
The National Police Agency said 10,035 people are confirmed to have perished as of Friday morning.
The agency said it has received reports of 17,443 people missing.
Most of the dead and missing are from the 3 hardest-hit prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima.
6,097 are confirmed dead in Miyagi Prefecture,
3,025 in Iwate, and
855 in Fukushima.
The figure for Fukushima is far below those of the other 2 prefectures, partly because search operations were suspended in areas within 20 kilometers of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The figures are almost certain to rise ...
Friday, March 25, 2011 11:46
Work resumes to restore power at Fukushima plant
Work to restore power resumed at the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Friday morning.
Workers are checking if there is any damage to equipment at the No.1 to No.4. reactors. Lights in the No.2 reactor's control room are expected to be switched on again on Friday.
The Fukushima office of Tokyo Electric Power Company says the surface temperature of the No.1 reactor dropped to about 205 degrees Celsius on Friday morning. It had risen to about 400 degrees, exceeding the safety limit of 302 degrees.
TEPCO also says the pressure inside the container vessel of the No.1 reactor dropped to 0.31 megapascals from 0.385 on Thursday morning.
In the turbine building of the No.3 reactor, work is under way to drain the highly radioactive water that 3 staff members were exposed to on Thursday. Its radiation level was 10,000 times higher than those for water inside the reactor.
Friday, March 25, 2011 12:48
Nuke safety agency: No.3 reactor likely be damaged
Japan's nuclear safety agency says it is highly likely that the Number 3 reactor of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been damaged, leading to the leak of high levels of radiation.
The agency said while the reactor appears to have partially retained its function to contain radiation leaks, there's a strong possibility that some part of the reactor is now damaged and the containment function is weakening.
Friday, March 25, 2011 13:17
Edano: Voluntary evacuation from 20-30 km advised
The government is advising residents to voluntarily evacuate areas within 20 to 30 kilometers of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, in view of the severe living conditions in the zone.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters on Friday that business and distribution in these areas has been harshly disrupted, as an increasing number of people have voluntarily evacuated.
Edano also said he cannot deny the possibility that the government will expand the evacuation zone to a 30-kilometer radius from the Fukushima Daiichi plant, depending on radiation levels.
The government has instructed people living within 20 kilometers of the plant to evacuate, while advising those who are 20 to 30 kilometers away to stay indoors.
Edano said the government has asked municipalities within the 20 to 30 kilometer radius to call on residents to voluntarily evacuate, and to make preparations to evacuate those who remain.
He said he wants the municipalities to closely cooperate with the government, and to be ready when evacuation orders are issued.
Friday, March 25, 2011 13:47
Nuclear safety agency orders Tepco safety measures
Japan's nuclear safety agency says it ordered the Tokyo Electric Power Company to step up safety measures at the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima after another case of workers exposed to radiation.
Three people working to restore cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant at the Number 3 reactor were exposed to 173 to 180 millisieverts of radiation on Thursday. They were working in the turbine building, when they stepped in highly radioactive water, 15 centimeters deep. Two of the men are suffering from suspected beta ray burns.
It was later learned the water contained 3.9 million becquerels of radioactive substances per cubic centimeter. The detected figure is 10,000 times higher than levels of water inside a normally operating nuclear reactor.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told reporters on Friday there were problems with measures taken by the power company to prevent the accident.
It said the firm did not properly measure radiation levels at the building where the accident occurred before the recovery operation began and failed to equip workers with adequate protective gear. It also said the workers did not immediately pull out of the building despite alarms set off by their gauges measuring radiation exposure.
The safety agency said it ordered the power company to take appropriate steps to measure radiation in the power plant. It also told the operator to take steps to prevent another accident, including more effective protective gear for the work
Friday, March 25, 2011 15:29
Quake-devastated communities face rebuilding task
Some quake-devastated communities are starting to pull together to move on.
Construction of temporary housing began on Friday in Miyako City in Iwate Prefecture, where the tsunami wrecked many houses.
The city says it needs 3,000 units to accommodate more than 4,900 evacuees taking refuge in shelters.
The first 250 units will be built in the grounds of a hotel run by the local government. Households with elderly people and infants are likely to be given priority.
However, the temporary housing will not be completed until late May, given the shortage of materials and fuel for heavy machinery.
In Ofunato City, also in Iwate Prefecture, an elementary school held a graduation ceremony for 53 pupils, including a boy who was killed by the tsunami. Twelve-year-old Keita Matsubara was in a car with his grandparents and elder brother when the tsunami hit. His grandfather, who was the only survivor, attended the ceremony along with the boy's aunt. She received his certificate of graduation. The grandfather said he wished he could have seen Keita attend the ceremony, and he is sorry that he alone survived without being able to save his grandchildren.
In Minami Sanriku Town in neighboring Miyagi Prefecture, a bicycle shop manager is repairing bikes free of charge, even though he himself is an evacuee.
Sixty-two-year-old Hideaki Sato lost his house, shop and practically everything else in the tsunami. But he has borrowed tools to carry out repairs to help people who rely on bicycles as their only means of transportation.
Friday, March 25, 2011 17:03
Over 30% of listed firms report damage
A research firm says about a third of Japanese companies listed on stock exchanges suffered damage from the March 11th earthquake.Tokyo Shoko Research says 1,135, or over 30 percent, of listed companies reported damage during the 5 days through Wednesday last week.
The research firm says about half of the affected companies cannot conduct business.
The most common problem, damage to buildings, was reported by 529 firms. Concerns about utilities and infrastructure were cited by 208 companies and damage to production lines by 194.
The research firm says the figures will likely rise as more reports come in.
It says that before the disaster, more than 30,000 businesses operated in coastal communities alone.
Friday, March 25, 2011 17:03
Overseas makers suffer shortages of Japanese parts
The massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan have seriously affected foreign auto and electronics firms.
Many overseas firms have had to scale back production due to disruptions in supplies of semiconductors and other hi-tech parts from Japan's disaster-stricken area.
US automaker General Motors says its assembly plant in Louisiana has not been operating since Monday due to lack of parts from Japan. GM says it hopes to resume operations as soon as possible.
Opel, a company in the GM group, says it has temporarily halted production at its factories in Germany and Spain.
Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson has expressed concerns about the availability of Japanese parts. It says it will consider looking for other suppliers.
Finnish cell phone maker Nokia says a lack of Japanese components may cause problems for the firm's product output.
Friday, March 25, 2011 18:54
Nuclear agency: No. 3 reactor may be leaking
Japan's nuclear safety agency says it is highly likely that radioactive materials are leaking from part of the Number 3 reactor of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency spoke to reporters on Friday about an accident in which 3 workers were exposed to radiation in the turbine building of the No. 3 reactor.
It said 3.9 million becquerels of radiation was detected from 1 cubic centimeter of water sampled from the floor of the building. The radiation level was about 10,000 times higher than the water inside a normally operating nuclear reactor.
The agency said the water sample indicated it is highly likely the leak comes from the reactor itself, not from the pool storing spent nuclear fuel.
According to the officials, pressure inside the reactor core is stable and the agency doesn't believe the reactor is cracked or broken. But it says it is highly possible that radioactive materials are leaking from somewhere in the reactor.
The agency also said high levels of radiation have been measured at reactors No. 1 and 2, and speculates there may also be leakage from them. Cooling operations using seawater are continuing at the reactors.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, also known as TEPCO, resumed work to restore the external electricity supply to the facility on Friday morning.
Engineers are now checking pumps and other equipment for malfunctions before hooking up reactors 1 through 4.
Lighting is expected to be available in the control room of the No. 2 reactor on Friday, while at the No. 3 reactor firefighters continue spraying water at the fuel storage pool.
TEPCO says it intends to switch over from pumping sea water to pumping fresh water into the 3 reactors, as salt in the sea water could cause corrosion and buildup, hampering the smooth flow of water inside the structures.
The company has been pumping seawater as an emergency measure.
The power company also says preparations to switch to fresh water were completed at the No.1 reactor on Friday afternoon.
Operations to pump fresh water into reactors No.2 and No 3 are expected to start later in the day.
Friday, March 25, 2011 19:10
Summer electric supply will likely face difficulties
Japan's economy ministry says Tokyo and surrounding prefectures could face difficulties supplying electricity this summer.
The ministry's announcement on Friday comes after several power plants of the Tokyo Electric Power Company suffered serious damage from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The ministry said peak electricity demand in the area this summer is expected to reach 55 million kilowatts -- about 10 million more than the anticipated supply.
The ministry added that the firm's power-supplying capability is expected to be restored by summer to around 45 million kilowatts, up from 31 million just after the quake.
Tokyo Electric said on Friday that planned power outages like those now in place will be inevitable during summer, as demand is expected to increase.Also on Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters that the government will wrap up a package of measures to deal with the power shortage by the end of April. He suggested that the comprehensive measures include efforts to reduce demand by industries and the public.
Many event organizers in the Tokyo metropolitan area have cancelled movie showings, theatrical performances and other events, citing precautions against possible aftershocks and efforts to conserve energy.
Friday, March 25, 2011 20:27
Survey: 60% of survivors unlikely to return home
An NHK survey shows that about 60 percent of survivors of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami think they cannot return to their homes or do not want to.
NHK asked 488 people staying in shelters in the 3 hardest-hit prefectures -- Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.
79 percent of the respondents said they want to return to where they lived before the disaster, but 40 percent said they cannot. 17 percent said they don't want to go back.
Asked about their reasons, many cited financial difficulties. Some said they're afraid of another disaster, while others said their destroyed homes would remind them of their ordeal.
64 percent of the respondents said they do not know where to live, and 53 percent said they have no idea how to make a living.
Many respondents also expressed concerns about how long they'll have to stay in shelters, or called for early reopening of schools.
Some said they're grateful for assistance from many people. Others expressed resolve to live life to the fullest.
Friday, March 25, 2011 21:11
Fresh water starts flowing into troubled reactors
Tokyo Electric Power Company has begun pumping fresh water instead of seawater into troubled reactors at the quake-hit Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Workers had been injecting seawater as an emergency measure to cool the reactors and spent fuel storage pools after the plant was crippled by the quake and tsunami.
But experts say the continued use of seawater will cause a crust to form inside the reactors and prevent cooling, as well as causing corrosion.
The plant operator, known as TEPCO, is switching to pumping fresh water from fire engines with storage capacity.
Workers began pumping fresh water into the Number One reactor on Friday afternoon and into the Number 3 reactor in the evening.
They are now preparing to start injecting fresh water into the Number 2 reactor.
TEPCO has also been working to restore external power to the reactors in order to restart cooling systems and instruments.
Friday, March 25, 2011 22:50
Radioactive water in Kanto region
Radiation levels detected in tap water still exceed safety limits for infants in parts of Ibaraki prefecture, south of the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The tests by municipalities in the prefecture on Friday came after checks at some local purification plants two days earlier found that tap water had radioactive iodine-131 above the permitted level for infants of 100 becquerels per liter.
In Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture, 229.6 becquerels per liter of the radioactive substance were detected. Hitachiota City and Tokai Village in the same prefecture also recorded figures above the safety level for infants.
The prefectural government is advising residents in the municipalities not to give tap water to babies less than one year old. The same advice was also given to residents in Kasama City, where Wednesday's test showed radioactive contamination exceeding safe levels.
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Chiba and Tochigi prefectures, figures returned to below safety levels on Friday.
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Voices from around
. The Daily Reading List .
. . . . .
quote
Will Fukushima spell Tepco's doom?
Every time a light is switched on in Tokyo, it is powered by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco).
And the chances are the Japanese cars we drive, the television sets from Japan in living rooms across the world and the Japanese game consoles used by children globally have been produced using electricity generated at one of Tepco's plants.
Formed in 1951, the company has literally powered Japan's industrial revolution and in the process gone on to become the fourth-largest power company in the world.
Ironically, it has also given Japan one of its worst nuclear disasters, which may also result in its own downfall.
Tepco supplies about one-third of Japan's electricity.
... "It's almost unthinkable that any local government will accept a nuclear plant in their backyard," said Martin Schulz of Fujitsu Research in Tokyo.
source : www.bbc.co.uk
..... and on this link
Tokyo Electric Power: Japan's BP? 16 MARCH 2011
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. Source: tokyogeneralunion.org
after the tremor...
the majestic Mt. Fuji
calm as ever
Hanami...
dainty sakura bloom still
in Fukushima
Bos Tsip, facebook
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