All About Japanese

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July 13, Wednesday

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


Wednesday, July 13, 2011 20:14
Kan seeks shift from nuclear power
Prime Minister Naoto Kan says Japan should gradually decrease its dependency on nuclear energy, and aim toward creating a society that can get along without it.
Kan announced the shift in the country's energy policy at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Kan said the Fukushima nuclear plant crisis that followed the March 11th disaster made him realize that nuclear technology could become uncontrollable.
He added that until the accident, he had backed the use of nuclear energy as long as it was safe.
Referring to restarting idled reactors, Kan said his government could make a final decision on the restart, if government assessments find them to be safe.
On a positive note, Kan said his ministers have told him that power supplies for peak consumption this summer and the coming winter will be adequate, thanks to nationwide power-conservation efforts.
He also said that the government will consider increasing the use of natural gas to secure electric power supplies for next year and beyond.
Presently nuclear generated power accounts for about 30 percent of Japan's electricity.
( I watched his press conference in the evening, very convincing! )


Wednesday, July 13, 2011 16:18
.Kan promises to tackle soil contamination
Prime Minister Naoto Kan has promised that the government will take responsibility for cleaning up radioactive soil from the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Kan made the remarks on Wednesday during talks with the mayor of Okuma Town, where the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located.
Local residents were forced to evacuate after the entire town was designated a no-entry zone.
Mayor Toshitsuna Watanabe handed the prime minister a petition calling for the government to come up with an effective plan for decontaminating the soil. He asked for a commitment to bring the situation at the nuclear plant under control as soon as possible.
Kan responded by saying that the government is doing its best to cool down the reactors in a stable manner. But he added that a plan for decontaminating the soil has yet to be worked out.
After the meeting, Watanabe told reporters that he wants the government to handle the issue decisively and to fully disclose radiation levels.


Wednesday, July 13, 2011 08:22
.Japan's poverty rate hits record high of 16%
Japan's government says the nation's poverty rate stood at a record 16 percent in 2009.
The figure is based on disposable income and other factors, and represents the ratio of people who live on half or less of the median annual income.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry says the poverty rate for 2009 rose 0.3 percentage points from the survey conducted the previous year.
The poverty rate of households with at least one child increased 2.4 points to 14.6 percent, while 50.8 percent of single-parent households lived in poverty.
The ministry carried out another survey last year, covering 26,000 households across the country and asking them about their living conditions.
59.4 percent of the respondents said they were leading hard lives. The figure is up 1.3 points from the previous year.
The ministry says the ratio of poor people is growing due to the economic slowdown and an increase in the number of non-regular workers and pensioners.



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Voices from around



Japan Times :

Radioactive beef already sold, eaten
The meat of six cows shipped from a Fukushima Prefecture farm was distributed to at least nine prefectures and officials believe some of it has been eaten.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110713a1.html


Fukushima plant site originally was a hill safe from tsunami
Mostly to cut costs, Tepco removed a 35-meter-high bluff to build the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant that would have kept it safe from any tsunami.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110713a2.html
(This is an amazing fact ...)


Kan plan set to end nuke goals
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110713a4.html

Ash in Chiba is radioactive
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110713a9.html

Cattle disaster-stressed; industry left in jeopardy
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110713f1.html

Disaster zone students to visit U.S. as 'envoys'
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110713f3.html


Rice prices soaring as wholesalers increase inventories
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110713a2.html

Disaster sent beer loads to new low
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110713a4.html

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July 14, Thursday

Thursday, July 14, 2011 10:22 - NHK WORLD
Mixed reaction greets shift from nuclear power
Prime Minister Naoto Kan's new initiative to reduce Japan's dependence on nuclear power has drawn both support and criticism.
Kan announced the shift in nuclear and energy policy on Wednesday.
He said Japan should gradually but systematically reduce its dependence on nuclear power and work toward becoming a society that can do without nuclear energy.
The announcement drew a positive response from the governing coalition as well as some opposition lawmakers.
They welcomed the idea of reducing nuclear dependence and promoting renewable energy sources.
But Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano says the possible economic impact of such a policy shift should be taken into account.
The Japan Business Federation is also cautious, saying nuclear plants continue to play an important role in the stable supply of electricity.
Following the prime minister's initiative, the government will begin a review of its basic energy policy, which is based on building more nuclear reactors.
An energy and environmental panel made up of Cabinet ministers will first make a list of issues to be studied to reduce nuclear dependency.


Thursday, July 14, 2011 21:52 - NHK

Cesium found in hay at another farm in Fukushima
. . . . .


Japan Times :

Japan must ditch nuclear power: Kan
Japan should gradually become a society that does not have to rely on atomic power, Prime Minister Naoto Kan says amid the continuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110714a1.html

GE plan followed with inflexibility
Interviews with former engineers and an examination of documents show that while GE decided to place the Fukushima No. 1 plant's critical backup systems in the turbine buildings' underground floors, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. did not allow any alternation to the U.S. company's blueprints.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110714a2.html

Radioactive beef sold off in eight prefectures
Meat from six cows contaminated with radioactive materials from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant may have reached consumers in eight prefectures, including Tokyo, Kanagawa and Osaka, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government says.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110714a3.html


Son starts national energy initiative
Masayoshi Son, president of the Softbank Corp. telecommunications conglomerate, and governors from prefectures nationwide launched a council Wednesday aimed at reducing dependence on nuclear power by promoting renewable energy, such as building solar power plants on idle farmland.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110714a4.html

Hamaoka host city at crossroads
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110714f1.html


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July 15, Friday

Japan Times

Tepco injects nitrogen into No. 3 reactor
Tokyo Electric Power Co. is set to inject nitrogen into the Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant's reactor 3 to reduce the risk of further hydrogen explosions, a significant step forward in the effort to contain the nuclear crisis.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110715a1.html

Nuke panel downplayed power loss risk
Government-commissioned experts noted in the early 1990s the possibility of fatal damage to nuclear power plants resulting from loss of all alternating-current sources for long periods, as in the case of the Fukushima No. 1 plant, but played down the risk.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110715a2.html


Tohoku land-use guidelines take two-track approach
The government will allow municipalities devastated by the March 11 tsunami to construct fish processing firms along the coast but request them to build hospitals and welfare facilities inland, according to draft guidelines on land use.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110715a3.html

Phasing out nuke power an aspiration, not policy: Edano
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110715a6.html


Sanitary conditions deteriorating in shelters as mercury rises: Hirano
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110715a8.html

Power shortages top concern for investors: Nomura
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110715a9.html


Japan's power-short economy
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110715a2.html

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. . . . . at 21:01
Earthquake M 5.5 Ibaraki (Kanto)

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