All About Japanese

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source : Japan Times .


Nuclear crisis and Japan's image
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An apparent failure at the initial stage on the part of the government and Tepco to realize the serious nature of the accidents and to act accordingly and the fact that they still cannot get the crisis under control more than a month after the accidents started are causing irritation among foreign countries and tarnishing Japan's image.
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In this age of mutual dependence among economies, accidents as the one at Fukushima No. 1 power plant harm both Japanese firms and their business partners in foreign countries. Production overseas will be negatively impacted by events in Japan.
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http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110420a1.html

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Wisdom for reconstruction
Prime Minister Naoto Kan on April 14 established the 16-member Reconstruction Design Council, headed by Defense Academy President Makoto Iokibe, to draw up a grand plan to reconstruct the areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
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The long-term goal should be more than just restoring towns and cities that existed before March 11. The government and the council should take a cue from the thinking of then Internal Affairs Minister Shinpei Goto, who was in charge of reconstruction of Tokyo after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. He said that the reconstruction of Tokyo should not result only in restoration of its former shape but should lead to the creation of a foundation for the country's development and for the improvement of people's lives.
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http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110420a2.html

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A personal letter from a Miyagi hinanjo resident

I never thought at my age, that I would be in this spot. But this is where I am at 74, in the taiikukan (体育館 gymnasium) of a middle school in Miyagi Prefecture, now known as a hinanjo (避難所 evacuation center) for people who lost their homes to the earthquake and tsunami that hit the region on March 11. I lived in a little house that I shared with my son, his wife and my two grandchildren. Arigataikotoni (ありがたいことに thankfully), this house was spared but it's been drenched in a meter of sea water. My son travels every day from the hinanjo to pump out the mud and clean up the mess. The grandchildren have relocated to my daughter's house in another prefecture, and it's hard to say when we can live together as a family again.

I'm not complaining. It's a miracle that none of my family are missing. But let me say this: life in a hinanjo is like living an slow death. It's not just the discomfort and stress of sleeping among 200 other people in a gymnasium. In the mornings, we elderly are awake at 4 a.m. but jitai suru (辞退する refrain from) using any amenities until 8 a.m. We want the working people to get their turn first. And at night, we try to go to bed as soon as possible, so others can do the same. Still, the darkness is overwhelming and the yoruno jikan (よるの時間 night hours) are so long. It's hard to get to sleep when people are constantly coughing and sobbing, and coming and going by one's pillow. In the mornings we're left feeling drained.

MORE
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ek20110420ks.html

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Powder to remove radiation developed
A chemist and a domestic company jointly develop a powder that can capture and precipitate radioactive substances in water, which could prove vital in ongoing efforts to deal with contaminated water at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

The powder, made of various chemicals and minerals, including zeolite, can remove radioactive substances such as iodine, cesium and strontium, according to Tomihisa Ota, a professor at Kanazawa University who developed it with Kumaken Kougyou Co., a pollution cleanup company in Akita Prefecture.

Ota said his experiments proved the powder can remove almost 100 percent of cesium when 1.5 grams of the powder are mingled with 100 milliliters of water in which cesium has been dissolved at a density of 1-10 parts per million. The tests also confirmed that the powder can remove iodine and strontium.
MORE
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110420a2.html

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Regions review disaster prevention
Localities take own steps to ready for nuke crises, tsunami
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As regional governments have drawn up their disaster-preparedness plans based on the central government's basic outline, some local officials have called for the state to take the lead in mapping out new guidelines as there are limits to what localities can do on their own.
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A Fukui prefectural official said: "We cannot just wait. We will start with what we can do," adding that the local government will review the evacuation manuals of coastal municipalities and ask those without a guide to compile one promptly.
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The Kyoto Prefectural Government plans to double its emergency planning zone to a provisional 20-km radius around the Takahama nuclear plant operated by Kansai Electric Power Co. in neighboring Fukui Prefecture.
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http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110420f1.html

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Tepco starts to pump out turbine 2 unit
Tokyo Electric Power Co. starts pumping highly radioactive water at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's reactor 2 turbine building into a nearby storage facility, a crucial step toward restoring the reactor's dedicated cooling system.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110420a1.html


Asia nuclear reactors face deadly tsunami risk
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110420a5.html

Pneumonia cases rise in Tohoku
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110420a4.html

Marine radiation unit to go home as situation stabilizes
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110420a6.html

Tohoku schools hold opening days
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110420a7.html

Bicycle sales triple as 3/11 haunts Tokyoites
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110420n1.html

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