All About Japanese

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The Japan Times Special Report 3.11
A chronicle of events following the
Great East Japan Earthquake　
英文版 東日本大震災特集
.available at www.amazon.co.jp


check also the

The Japan Times NEWS DIGEST 2011.5 Vol.30
ジャパンタイムズ・ニュースダイジェスト Vol.30
source : Japan Times - NEWS DIGEST

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Gabi reports:

A rainy day in the rainy season just begins.

. . . . . at 20:31
Earthquake M 5.9, off the coast of Fukushima
It was felt all the way down to Shizuoka.



. . . . .

Fact and Fiction about Fukushima ...

quote
Radioactive air filters in cars !?
Arnie Gundersen says something really stupid again.
Now he claims that there is dangerous radioactive "Hot Particles" in Tokyo car air filters and that this radiation is deadly yet it cannot be detected.
This is getting really ridiculous.
His most recent idiocy is on Al Jazeera with an article entitled,
Fukushima: It's much worse than you think.
Radioactive air filters from cars in Fukushima prefecture and Tokyo are now common, and Gundersen says his sources are finding radioactive air filters in the greater Seattle area of the US as well.
No. Gundersen, besides normal levels, there no "common" radiation finding in car filters in Tokyo. Fukushima is not much worse than we think. Your wild imagination and fast progressing senility is much worse than we, or even you, think.
...
Are these levels of radiation dangerous or something to be concerned about?
Not according to the University of Washington.
source : modernmarketingjapan
東京を走る車のエアフィルター .. 放射線量を測る

. . . . .

Today it is 100 days after the earthquake.
Many temples held special servics for the dead, as it is custom in Buddhism.
Many temples have corners for the unidentified dead people. It is really hard for people who lost loved ones and the bodies are not found or identified yet.

100日法要

. . . . .

Aaa, and now radioactive tea leaves in Europe...
see below

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Bulletins from NHK Online
source : www3.nhk.or.jp


Saturday, June 18, 2011 03:55
TEPCO begins new water decontamination system
The Tokyo Electric Power Company has begun decontaminating radioactive water at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
The purified water will be cycled back into the plant's reactors to help cooling efforts.
But officials still do not know where to finally dispose of the huge volume of condensed nuclear waste that will result from the decontamination.
The water that was purified on Friday is to be re-injected into the cooling system some time on Saturday at the earliest.
The recirculation method is intended to prevent contaminated water from seeping beyond the plant.
The system -- the first of its kind in the world -- is largely untested. Developers do not know if they will be able to meet the daily decontamination target of 1,200 tons of water. That includes seawater from the tsunami and water laced with oil.
Officials are hoping to stabilize the system as soon as possible to prevent a further buildup of contaminated water.
TEPCO plans to store the 2,000 cubic meters of nuclear waste generated this year in tanks and other locations. A final disposal site has yet to be determined.
TEPCO will need to consult with the government because existing laws do not specify how to process the expected nuclear waste.
. . . . . BUT
Saturday, June 18, 2011 13:00
TEPCO suspends water decontamination system
Tokyo Electric Power Company has halted operation of a system to decontaminate highly radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant as one of the parts reached its radiation exposure limit in less than 5 hours.
The system went into service on Friday night.
One component of the system uses the mineral zeolite to absorb radioactive cesium. A replacement part of the US-made device had been expected to last one month, but radiation exceeding the maximum 4 millisieverts per hour led to the dramatically shortened lifespan.
TEPCO suspended operation of the device early on Saturday to determine the cause.
The utility says it has so far found no abnormalities with the system or water leakage in the system. It adds that the device's dosimeter may have detected radiation from nearby pipes containing contaminated water or other radioactive materials.
The treatment system holds the key to halting the accumulation of highly radioactive water and re-circulating contaminated water to cool the reactors.


Saturday, June 18, 2011 07:22
IAEA report on Fukushima nuclear accident
The International Atomic Energy Agency says the Japanese government's complicated organizational structure caused it to respond more slowly than it should have to the nuclear accident at Fukushima.
The agency advises Japan to streamline its regulatory structure so it can hand down decisions more quickly.
IAEA experts who visited Japan late last month said the country underestimated the size of the tsunami that hit the Fukushima plant, and that safety measures must be bolstered to deal with natural disasters.
The mission urged the IAEA to continue its investigations so that the data Japan has collected on radiation exposure and its health effects can be fully analyzed.
Representatives from around the world will discuss nuclear safety standards and whether to strengthen the IAEA's role based on the report.


Saturday, June 18, 2011 11:12
Tohoku Electric to build power storage facility
Tohoku Electric Power Company, the electric utility in northeastern Japan, is to build a power storage facility to prepare for possible power shortages in disaster-stricken areas. The facility is likely to be the largest of its kind in Japan.
The new facility, to be built at a thermal power plant in Akita Prefecture, will have 40 rechargeable batteries, which are enough to store a day's supply of electricity for 50,000 households. The batteries will be charged at night so that they are ready to supply power when demand is high. The total output will be 80,000 kilowatts, which will be the highest in Japan.
The March 11th earthquake and tsunami damaged the utility's Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture and main thermal plants, causing a sharp drop in its generating capacity.
Demand is expected to rise as the region recovers from the disaster.
Construction of the facility is to begin next month. It will start operating in January.


Saturday, June 18, 2011 13:00
Kaieda requests restart of nuclear power plants
Economy and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda has asked local governments to restart operations of nuclear power plants that were shut down for safety checks following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Kaieda told reporters on Saturday he had confirmed that all power companies have implemented measures to avert serious accidents, such as a hydrogen explosion, in line with the ministry's instructions earlier this month.
Kaieda said restricted power is a major problem for the Japanese economy. He sought understanding from local people and the general public about restarting operations of nuclear power plants if proven to be safe.
Kaieda noted that he will visit areas housing nuclear power plants to ask local authorities to resume their operation.
The minister said he does not necessarily assume that nuclear power is safe, and that the ministry will strive to enhance the safety of nuclear power by investigating matters at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Local authorities are opposed to restarting nuclear power plants undergoing safety checks, raising concern about nationwide electricity shortages this summer.
And those authorities are increasingly less trusting of the central government, saying its request to shut down the Hamaoka nuclear power plant is not based on clear evidence.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan last month asked the operator of the plant in central Japan to halt operations of all active reactors due to the risk of earthquake and the utility accepted the request.


Saturday, June 18, 2011 16:46
France detects cesium in Japanese tea imports
France has detected radioactive cesium exceeding the EU limit in green tea leaves imported from Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.
The French food safety authority announced on Friday that it had examined dried tea leaves transported by air from Japan at Charles de Gaulle airport, outside Paris.
It said 1,038 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium was discovered.
The amount is about twice the EU limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram. The figure is equal to the Japanese legal limit for considering shipment suspension.
The French government confiscated the 162 kilograms of imported leaves and intends to dispose of them.
This is the first case of Japanese food imports containing radioactive materials exceeding the legal limit being found in France since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The European Union has been requiring member countries to conduct radiation screening of Japanese food imports from 12 prefectures, including Fukushima and Tokyo, since the end of March.
But products from Shizuoka have not been included in the items for examination.
The French government says it will demand the EU add products from Shizuoka to the inspection list.


Saturday, June 18, 2011 22:12
Kan: no rush to leave post
. The Political Situation .

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Voices from around


. Daily Radiation Levels . 　

. . . . .

Japan Times :

Tepco begins work to clean coolant water
Tokyo Electric Power Co. confirms that the treatment facility to clean highly radioactive water accumulating at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant started full-scale operations.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110618a1.html


43 condenser pipes damaged at Shizuoka nuke plant
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110618a5.html
see . Hamaoka Power Plant . INFO


Some radioactive sludge to be buried
A government task force on the nuclear emergency will allow sludge containing 8,000 becquerels or less per kg of radioactive cesium to be buried in waste disposal sites, providing there are no future residential developments at the locations.
It also said Thursday the safety of sludge containing between 8,000 and 100,000 becquerels per kg of cesium must be evaluated case by case before it is buried.
Sludge measuring more than 100,000 becquerels per kg should be kept sealed, and a final disposal method remains undecided. ...
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110618a6.html


'Double loan' relief for disaster victims gets nod
... The package also calls for the public and private sectors to provide consultation services for disaster victims, subsidize loan interest for disaster-hit businesses, and offer credit guarantees for firms that leased equipment.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110618a8.html


Japanese stages event in Tehran for quake victims
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110618a9.html


JR East to cut train services from June 24
East Japan Railway Co. says it will reduce services in Tokyo and surrounding areas for around three months starting June 24 to cut electricity consumption in the face of summer power shortages. ... Meanwhile, Tokyo Metro Co. will stop air conditioning in subway stations during certain times of the day starting in July as part of its power-saving measures.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110618b1.html

Chubu Electric urges power-saving after Kepco snub
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110618cc.html

Tsunami repair work may surpass Kobe quake's: Toyo Construction
... "There is going to be a rush to increase safety and security around the country," Executive Officer Nobuyuki Kawase said in an interview in Tokyo Thursday. "People are increasingly recognizing how important concrete is for protection."
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110618n1.html

Hitachi joins Lithuania nuke project
Hitachi President Hiroaki Nakanishi in Vilnius.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110618n3.html


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quote from yahoo news, 11:00
Japan's TEPCO suspends cleanup at Fukushima plant
The operator of Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant, said on Saturday it had suspended an operation to clean up radioactive water only hours after it had begun as radiation levels rose faster than expected.
"The level of radiation at a machine to absorb cesium has risen faster than our initial projections," said a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Co.
source : beta.news.yahoo.com


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Shiogama and the long Sanriku coast have been badly damaged
by the earthquake on March 11, 2001.

. Shiogama Festival 塩釜祭 and Haiku


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