All About Japanese

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Main sources of information:
source : NHK World News
source : Japan Times - JT .

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Radiation of people, soil, food and water has been a problem since the accident at the Fukushima Power Plant.

Here I will try to keep up with problems after July 11, 2011.


. INFO Fukushima Power Plant TEPCO .


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quote
In Blissful Ignorance Cows Graze

Fukushima causes no worries for the local cattle, who graze today contented as if there was no disaster. Maybe its that nature is stronger than what disasters mankind brings upon it, or the simple resignation to the fact they are doomed if not to radiation, then to the slaughterhouse.

The cows graze contented
Radiation seeps invisible
Grass tastes the same.

Read more of his poetry
source : Poetry of Tomás Ó Cárthaigh, Ireland


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Monday, July 11, 201

Monday, July 11, 2011 12:50 - NHK
Cesium found in hay fed to cattle
Radioactive cesium far exceeding the legal limit has been detected in hay that was fed to cattle at a farm in Fukushima Prefecture. The prefecture has been investigating why the cattle were contaminated with the radioactive substance.
On Sunday, officials took samples of feed and well water at the farm located in Minamisoma City within the planned evacuation zone.
They say 75,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium has been detected in the feed. This far exceeds the government's safety limit of 300 becquerels per kilogram.
The farmer says the cattle had been kept inside but were fed with hay left outdoors after the March nuclear accident.
Eleven cattle from the farm were sent to Tokyo to be slaughtered. The beef from the animals contained levels of cesium that were more than triple the legal limit. The prefecture has asked farmers in the city to suspend beef cattle shipments.
Fukushima Prefecture will continue to investigate the feed and water and check if there were any problems with the way the cattle were raised.

Monday, July 11, 2011 21:31 - NHK
Expert: contaminated beef poses no problem
An expert on nuclear medicine says eating meat contaminated with the radioactive substance cesium on a few occasions will not cause health problems.
Keigo Endo is the president of Kyoto College of Medical Science.
He says Japan's safety limit for cesium is stricter than in the United States or Europe where a large amount of meat is consumed.
Endo says eating 500 grams of meat containing the safety limit of cesium for at least 200 days would add up to 1 millisievert of radiation.
However, he says the government should work out measures immediately to prevent beef containing cesium above the safety limit from reaching the market including stepping up checks.

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Tuesdsay, July 12, 201

Radioactive contaminated beef found in Shizuoka
Radioactive cesium above the government's standard level has been found in more beef from Fukushima Prefecture.
The meat was sold in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan and some of it has already been consumed.
The meat comes from a cow raised on a farm in Minamisoma City, near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Above normal levels of radioactive cesium have also been found in 11 other head of cattle from the same farm after they were brought to a slaughterhouse in Tokyo.
Officials of Shizuoka City, more than 300 kilometers from Minamisoma City, say a meat-packing company bought 27 kilograms of the beef on June 10th.
13 kilograms have already been sold to restaurants in the city. In an inspection, Shizuoka City detected 1,998 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram, 4 times higher than the government's standard.
The remainder, 14 kilograms of beef from Minamisoma was purchased by a meat dealer and sold by retailers or consumed at restaurants.
Tokyo, Kanagawa and 3 other prefectures also have found that meat from 6 head of cattle raised by the same producer was sold to some local dealers.

. . . . .

quote
High-level cesium detected at waste disposal facilities in Chiba
High levels of radioactive cesium have been detected in incinerated ashes at waste disposal facilities in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, in apparent effects from the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, the local municipal office said Monday.
At one waste disposal center in Kashiwa, up to 70,800 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram were detected from ashes collected on June 24 and more than 60,000 becquerels were observed from ashes collected on July 1 and 2, the city office said.
source : mdn.mainichi.jp


Tuesday, July 12, 2011 13:06 - NHK
Hosokawa indicates tests on all beef cattle
Japan's health minister has indicated that all beef cattle raised in some parts of Fukushima Prefecture, including Minamisoma City, where radioactive cesium above the government's standard level was recently found, will be considered for testing.
Ritsuo Hosokawa spoke to reporters on Tuesday, following the detection of cesium over 3 times the government's standard level in beef from cattle raised at a farm in Minamisoma City near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The prefecture asked the city to voluntarily stop cattle shipments after the detection.
Hosokawa says eating the meat once does not particularly threaten human health and that people do not need to excessively worry about the beef.
But he says the reason for the beef's distribution must be thoroughly investigated to prevent a recurrence.
Hosokawa said that he needs to discuss the issue with related ministries, agencies and Fukushima prefecture to consider testing all cattle from marked-off areas of Fukushima Prefecture at meat-processing facilities and slaughter houses. The cattle in the prefecture are currently being sampling tested.


Tuesday, July 12, 2011 14:33 - NHK
On-site inspection of cattle farmers begins
Officials in Fukushima Prefecture have launched on-site inspections of all cattle farms in the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The move comes after radioactivity exceeding the government standard was detected from beef from the prefecture.
The inspections of feed and other items cover 260 farms in areas subject to evacuation.
Last week, radioactive cesium exceeding the government standard was detected in 11 cattle shipped from a farm in Minamisoma city. Another 17 were found to have been fed with hay left outdoors after the March nuclear accident.
On Tuesday, 2 prefectural officials inspected a farm in Kawauchi Village.
The officials interviewed the farmer about how the feed has been kept, and measured the radiation levels of grass used for covering the floors of his cattle barn.
The farmer told NHK that he was shocked by the detection of cesium, and that he welcomes the inspection because it will help ease consumer concerns about beef.
The prefecture plans to expand the on-site checking to all cattle farms in the prefecture after completing the current round of inspections by this weekend.


Tuesday, July 12, 2011 14:41 - NHK
Checking internal radiation of people begins
An atomic energy research facility in Ibaraki Prefecture has begun screening residents from neighboring Fukushima in northeast Japan for internal radiation.
Fukushima Prefecture plans to check its entire population of about 2 million to assess the effect of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
It is now checking internal radiation levels for residents in the evacuation zone and areas near the nuclear plant as well.
Similar checks have also begun at the government-affiliated Japan Atomic Energy Agency in Tokai Village, Ibaraki where a total 28 pregnant women, parents and their small children from Namie Town arrived on Tuesday.
A piece of equipment called a Whole Body Counter will be used to determine if they have absorbed radioactive materials through food and drinks.
The facility will examine about 2,800 people from Fukushima through next month.
Takumaro Momose at the facility says he knows that people in Fukushima are fretting about internal radiation and that he explains to each person the details of their test results to help ease their anxiety.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011 20:37
Moms set up network to protect kids from radiation
Japanese mothers have set up a nationwide network to protect their children from food contaminated with radioactive substances.
About 450 mothers and others from across the country gathered to kick off the organization in Tokyo, on Tuesday.
A mother from Fukushima said that the national and local governments simply repeat that food on the market is safe, but she cannot trust their words. She said the group should urge prefectural governments to take sufficient measures to ensure children can eat safe food.
Participants were then divided into groups based on the areas they are from, and discussed their worries.
A mother who lives near Tokyo said she hopes members will share information to protect their children from radiation exposure.
Another mother said she now knows that many parents share their worries. She said that she hopes their efforts will gain momentum and bring about change.


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Wednesday, July 13, 201

Wednesday, July 13, 2011 16:24 - NHK
.Beef from Fukushima farm sold in 8 prefectures
Beef from a cattle farm in Fukushima Prefecture that was found to be contaminated with radioactive material has been sold at 21 stores in 8 prefectures.
Radioactive cesium exceeding government safety levels was detected in 11 heads of cattle shipped last Friday from a farm in Minamisoma City to a meat-processing facility in Tokyo.
Officials conducted a follow-up survey on another 6 heads of cattle that had been shipped from the same farm to meat-processing facilities in Tokyo and Tochigi Prefecture in May and June.
They found that beef from the cattle had been sold by wholesalers to meat shops and restaurants in 11 prefectures.
Some 370 kilograms of beef were sold to customers in 21 shops and restaurants in 8 prefectures. The beef may have already been consumed.
Tests on beef that was left unsold at the stores show that it contained radioactive cesium 4 to 7 times the government safety level of 500 becquerels per kilogram.
Tokyo government officials say that the unsold beef has been withdrawn from shops to prevent it from being consumed.
Officials plan to continue testing the unsold beef and to investigate where the meat might have ended up.


Wednesday, July 13, 2011 17:52 - NHK
.Cattle farmers told not to give feed left outside
Officials in Fukushima Prefecture have urged cattle farmers not to give their animals feed left outside since the March nuclear accident.
A farmer in Minamisoma City whose cattle were found to be contaminated with radioactive materials had been feeding his animals straw kept outside after trouble began at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant due to the March 11th disaster.
On Wednesday, prefectural officials handed out leaflets warning about such feed to about 250 farmers taking part in a cattle auction. The farmers were also asked to pay attention to the results of screening by the prefecture of corn and rice plants to be harvested in the near future to be used as feed.
More than 270 calves were sold at the auction, at an average price of about 4,200 dollars, down about 12 percent from last month.
A cattle farmer in his 40s from Iwaki city in Fukushima Prefecture expressed concern that the nuclear crisis and damage caused by rumors could put many cattle farmers out of business, many of whom are elderly.
He said the central and prefectural governments should have given instructions on cattle raising to the farmers sooner and in more detail.


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Thursday, July 14, 201

Thursday, July 14, 2011 21:52 - NHK
Cesium found in hay at another farm in Fukushima
Radioactive cesium far exceeding safe limits has been detected in hay fed to cattle at a second farm near the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
Fukushima's government warned on Thursday that 42 possibly contaminated cattle have already been shipped out from the farm in Asakawa Town.
The finding came during inspections ordered by the prefecture after a large dose of the radioactive substance was found in hay at the first farm in Minami-Soma City.
The latest checks uncovered radioactive cesium measured up to 97,000 becquerels per kilogram -- some 73 times the government-set safety limit.
The 42 cattle had been sent to 4 meat-processing plants between April 8th and July 6th -- 14 to Yokohama; 13 to Tokyo; 10 to Sendai and 5 to Chiba.
The prefecture has ordered the farm to stop shipping and transporting its cattle.
It has also provided detailed information to relevant municipalities, asking them to trace back distribution channels of beef from the cattle.


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Saturday, July 16, 201

Saturday, July 16, 2011 12:26 - NHK
Radioactive cesium detected in Fukushima shiitake
Radioactive cesium exceeding the government standard has been detected in shiitake mushrooms grown indoors in 2 cities in Fukushima Prefecture, about 60 kilometers from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. This is the first detection of radioactive cesium exceeding the standard in produce grown in greenhouses in the prefecture since the nuclear accident.
The Fukushima prefectural government says 1,770 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium was detected in mushrooms grown in Date City. The level is more than 3 times the provisional government limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram.
560 becquerels of radioactive cesium was detected in mushrooms from Motomiya City.
At least 157 kilograms of shiitake mushrooms from the 2 cities were shipped from early July through Friday to Tokyo, a supermarket in Fukushima City, and a local farmers' market.
Fukushima officials are to ask the farmers to recall their produce and refrain from making new shipments while determining the cause.


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Monday, July 18, 201

Beef cattle shipment ban is set to expand
The government may expand the area that beef cattle shipments would be subject to suspension beyond Fukushima Prefecture, where it plans to soon impose the curbs, senior vice health minister Kohei Otsuka said Sunday.
"We are currently considering Fukushima Prefecture, but we may have to consider the need for further response by checking the distribution of contaminated straw," Otsuka said on a TV program.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110718a2.html


Monday, July 18, 2011 23:24 - NHK
More beef cattle fed irradiated straw
Fukushima and Niigata prefectures have identified more farms that shipped beef cattle that had been fed straw containing radioactive cesium in amounts above the government standard.
Fukushima Prefecture says 7 farms in 6 municipalities fed their cattle straw left outdoors after the March nuclear accident in the prefecture. The straw was found to contain radioactive cesium in amounts up to 520 times the standard.
The farms shipped 411 head of cattle to meat-processing facilities in 5 prefectures including Tokyo from late March to early July.
Fukushima asked local authorities to trace the meat and carry out radiation checks if any was found.
The prefecture also asked all cattle farms in the prefecture to voluntarily refrain from shipping and transferring their stock for the time being.
In Niigata Prefecture, radioactive cesium levels as high as 15 times the government standard were detected in straw given to beef cattle at 2 farms. The straw was from Miyagi Prefecture, which neighbors Fukushima.
One of the farms has shipped 24 head of cattle.
Investigators have found that a total of 578 head of cattle have been shipped after being fed contaminated straw. The amount of contaminated meat found to have been distributed to markets across the country is expected to rise.


Tuesday, July 19, 2011 12:39 - NHK
All prefectures to check cattle feed
Japan's agriculture ministry will ask all 47 prefectures in the country to check rice straw used to feed cattle for possible radioactive contamination.
Agriculture minister Michihiko Kano announced the measure on Tuesday.
The ministry had earlier asked only 11 prefectures in the Kanto and Tohoku regions, including Fukushima, to check rice straw used at livestock farms.
The ministry decided to have all prefectures undertake checks as cattle in 2 other prefectures -- Niigata and Yamagata -- were also found to have been fed rice straw containing radioactive cesium above the government-set limit.
The agriculture ministry says it will also look into whether dealers in eastern Japan sold rice straw kept outdoors after the Fukushima nuclear disaster began on March 11th.
Kano told reporters that the ministry will work with all the prefectures to make sure no more cattle are fed cesium-containing straw.
So far, 578 heads of cattle given contaminated feed are known to have been shipped to parts of Japan. Some of the meat has apparently been consumed.


Tuesday, July 19, 2011 18:38 - NHK
Cattle farmers seek compensation
Cattle farmers in Fukushima Prefecture affected by the suspension of local beef shipments are calling for compensation from the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company.
Morio Yokoyama raises about 70 head of cattle at his farm in the town of Aizubange, some 120 kilometers west of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Yokoyama said the situation is very frustrating because it's unclear when he will be able to resume shipment of his cattle.
He called for an inspection of all cattle stock, and said that if any are found to be inedible, the government and the utility should be responsible for removing them from distribution and compensating farmers.

...

More tainted beef shipped from Fukushima farms
Seven more farms in Fukushima Prefecture fed their beef cattle rice straw contaminated with radioactive cesium, effectively adding 411 more cows suspected of having been exposed to the isotope into the nation’s meat distribution chain, the Fukushima Prefectural Government admits.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110719a2.html

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Wednesday, July 20, 201

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 08:00 - NHK
Govt to step up radiation monitoring
The Japanese government will step up radiation monitoring and decontamination work to consider whether to lift evacuation orders after completing the second stage of the plan to bring the Fukushima nuclear crisis under control in January.
The government announced on Tuesday that the first stage, a stable cooling of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, had been achieved on schedule.
The government also released a new plan, including the second stage to be completed by January, and mid-term targets to be achieved within about 3 years after that.
Industry minister Banri Kaieda said the process of putting the crisis under control has been making steady progress and is producing results.
The minister for the nuclear crisis, Goshi Hosono, said the government hopes to lift the evacuation advisories for areas around the plant. He said the state will make a decision after confirming the safety of the reactors by early August and consulting local authorities.
The government also aims to lift the evacuation orders for the 20-kilometer no-entry zone and the planned evacuation areas after completing the second stage of the plan in January. In the second phase, the government aims to significantly reduce the volumes of radiation emitted from the plant.
To speed up the process, the government will increase radiation monitoring and decontamination work in the 2 zones before completing the second stage.
It will also step up the decontamination of infrastructure by cleaning up water and sewage systems and disposing of radioactive waste.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 18:44 - NHK
Fukushima farmers ask minister to check all cattle
Cattle breeders from Fukushima Prefecture have asked Japan's agriculture minister to check all cattle in the prefecture for radiation.
The government on Tuesday suspended all beef cattle shipment from Fukushima Prefecture after radioactive cesium exceeding government safety levels was detected in straw used to feed the animals.
On Wednesday, about 30 representatives of farmers' and cattle breeders' groups from the prefecture visited government agencies in Tokyo to demand the state buy up beef cattle that had been banned from being shipped.
They asked agriculture minister Michihiko Kano to inspect all cattle in the prefecture, as well as all beef that had already been shipped, to regain consumer trust.
The government has said it would check all cattle only in areas designated for evacuation.
Kano expressed regret over the government's failure to inform cattle breeders about the risks of rice straw, and said only that he wants to be able to say for sure that beef on the market is safe. He reportedly did not say clearly whether he would instruct all cattle to be inspected.
The head of the prefectural federation of farmers' cooperatives, Tokuichi Shojo, later told reporters that thorough inspections are essential to regain the credibility of Fukushima farm products and livestock.
He said he wants the government to consider how it will check all cattle, based on its experience with outbreaks of BSE, or mad cow disease, and foot-and-mouth disease.
(Consumption of Japanese beef (wagyuu) has dropped sharply in the last few days!)


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Thursday, July 21, 201

Thursday, July 21, 2011 08:07 - NHK
Priority placed on radioactivity checks on beef
Japan's health ministry has called on local governments across the country to prioritize checks for radioactive substances on beef over other food products.
The ministry issued the instruction after it found that at least 1,200 head of beef cattle fed with rice straw contaminated with higher radioactive cesium than the government-set standard were shipped nationwide.
Beef shipped from farms in Fukushima Prefecture was found to contain radioactive cesium in amounts higher than the government standard.
The ministry is asking local governments to promptly check radioactivity levels in the meat products because contaminated beef could possibly be held at wholesalers or retailers.
The ministry says it will take all possible measures to ease the anxiety of consumers over the contaminated beef.


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Friday, July 22, 201

Friday, July 22, 2011 07:59 - NHK
Ito-Yokado sold beef linked to irradiated feed
Ito-Yokado sold beef linked to irradiated feed
Major supermarket operator Ito-Yokado says it sold over 2,600 kilograms of meat from beef cattle fed with rice straw contaminated with radioactive cesium exceeding the government limit.
The company says 2,651 kilograms of beef from 24 cattle were sold at 94 outlets in Tokyo and 6 surrounding prefectures as well as Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Niigata prefectures and Hokkaido, between April and July 14th.
Ito-Yokado is calling on people who purchased the beef to contact its stores and return the product.
Since the issue came to light, supermarkets and department stores have revealed their sales of beef linked to the contaminated feed.
On Thursday, another supermarket operator, Seiyu, said it had sold 126 kilograms of the beef. Department store operator Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings said its sales totaled 68 kilograms.

Prof. Nonaka speaks on cesium in rice straw
A Japanese expert on radiation in soil says radioactive materials on rice straw and soil must be monitored even if they are located far from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Niigata University Professor Masanori Nonaka spoke about rice straw contaminated with radioactive cesium above the government limit. Contaminated rice straw has been shipped nationwide as cattle feed.
Nonaka said many farmers on the Pacific side of the Tohoku region leave rice straw on paddies to let it dry during winter. He said that was probably how the rice straw, like a sponge, absorbed cesium that had dissolved into rainwater, snow, and soil.
Nonaka said radiation levels in the air were checked after the nuclear accident, but not those in the farmland, produce, and rice straw. He said this is how the rice straw contamination occurred.
Nonaka said to ensure safety radiation in soil and rice straw must be checked, even if they are far away from the nuclear plant.

1400 cattle fed contaminated hay shipped
NHK has learned that at least 1,400 beef cattle were shipped from 76 farms in 11 prefectures after being fed rice straw contaminated with radioactive cesium at levels higher than the government safety limit.
The straw had been distributed by agents in Miyagi and farmers in Fukushima and Iwate prefectures, near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Investigations are now underway to identify distribution channels of the straw and cattle.
The number of farms found to have fed the straw to their cattle may rise further.

Govt plans to buy up tainted beef - NHK
Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano says the government will swiftly consider ways to buy up all beef contaminated with radioactive cesium at levels exceeding the national safety limits.
Kano told reporters on Friday his ministry is now working on a basic outline of the buy-up system, which it hopes to release soon.
He said the ministry will refer to measures taken in 2001 during the outbreak of BSE, or mad cow disease.
Kano said the buy-up system will only cover beef, and not vegetables or other farm produce. He said this is because beef with excessive radiation levels has already reached the market, while this has not happened for other products thanks to inspections.
Reports surfaced last week that beef cattle fed with rice straw contaminated by radioactive fallout from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant had been shipped to restaurants and retailers. Local municipalities and farmers' groups are asking the government to check all cattle for radiation before shipment.
Kano said he wants to study these measures, working with prefectures and other ministries concerned to develop a workable system.


. . . . . Japan Times

Contaminated beef may have been sent abroad
The government said it can't rule out the possibility beef contaminated with radioactive material has been exported, as consumers and lawmakers accused authorities of negligence on food safety.
The government on Tuesday imposed a ban on beef shipments from areas near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant after finding 637 cattle were fed hay containing radioactive cesium. Supermarkets including the country's biggest, Aeon Co., said the beef was sold in Tokyo and other cities.
"We cannot completely rule out the possibility" contaminated beef was also sold abroad, Yuichi Imasaki, the deputy director of the farm ministry's meat and egg division, said Wednesday. "The chances are very low" because most countries have tightened rules on Japanese beef imports or banned them, he said. ...
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110722n1.html


State to buy all radioactive beef
The government will buy up all beef found to contain radioactive cesium at levels exceeding the allowable limit, and incinerate it, a senior farm ministry official said Thursday.
Nobutaka Tsutsui, senior vice minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, said the ministry is considering expanding the inspections currently imposed on all cattle shipped from Fukushima Prefecture to those from other prefectures.
"We're considering how much we can broaden the inspections on all the cattle and farms from outside Fukushima Prefecture," he said.
The latest move came as beef suspected of being contaminated with the isotope was found to have reached Tottori Prefecture, leaving just one prefecture in the country unaffected by the growing beef scare. ...
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110722a2.html

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Govt to buy back cesium-contaminated beef - NHK
The Japanese government says it will buy back beef containing unsafe levels of radioactive cesium that has already reached the distribution chain.
Agriculture minister Michihiko Kano announced the step on Tuesday, adding that the contaminated beef will be purchased through a private-sector body.
Kano said the measure is designed to allay consumer concerns over the feeding of cattle with rice straw containing cesium in excess of the government-set limit.
NHK has learned that nearly 2,900 head of cattle allegedly given such feed have been shipped to 46 of Japan's 47 prefectures, excluding Okinawa.
Excessive levels of cesium have been detected in beef in 6 of the prefectures, including Fukushima, where work continues to contain a nuclear plant accident.
Beef with radioactive cesium at levels within the safety limit will not be bought back. But, the government will subsidize the cost of storing it for the time being.
Agriculture minister Kano assured consumers that these measures will ensure that only safe beef reaches market.
The costs of purchasing and storing the beef will be eventually passed on to Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the disabled nuclear plant.
The government will also help livestock farmers affected by restrictions and price declines by offering them 50,000 yen, or about 640 dollars, for each head of cattle that was supposed to be shipped.


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more was posted in the daily reports

Saturday, September 03, 2011

Cesium beyond limit found in Chiba, Saitama tea - NHK
The Japanese health ministry says radioactive cesium exceeding the government's safety limit has been detected in tea leaves in Chiba and Saitama prefectures, near Tokyo.
This is the ministry's first discovery of radioactive substances beyond the legal limit since it began unannounced tests of food products last month.
The tests were started in order to verify local government data using different numbers and kinds of food samples.
The ministry says the leaves of one type of tea from Chiba Prefecture contained 2,720 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram, more than 5 times the safety limit.
Meanwhile, a maximum level of 1,530 becquerels per kilogram was detected in 3 kinds of tea leaves from Saitama Prefecture.
The prefectural governments of Chiba and Saitama say they will investigate where the teas were grown and how much has made its way to market.
They say they will order tea producers to recall their product, if necessary.

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quote
Ex-PM feared for Japan's survival in nuke crisis
Japan's former prime minister says he feared early in the March nuclear crisis that it might become many times worse than the Chernobyl disaster and threaten the nation's survival.
Naoto Kan says he imagined "deserted scenes of Tokyo without a single man" and the need to evacuate tens of millions of people.
"It was truly a spine-chilling thought," Kan said in an interview with the Tokyo Shimbun daily published Tuesday.

Kan said those images flashed in his mind during the first week of the crisis, when information coming from the radiation-leaking Fukushima Dai-ichi plant was sketchy and he was told that its operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., was considering pulling out its staff. TEPCO has since said that it never planned to withdraw from the plant.
Kan, who resigned last week amid criticism over his administration's handling of the disaster, said when he heard that cooling systems had failed at the nuclear plant soon after it was damaged by a March 11 tsunami, he understood the gravity of the situation.
"The power was totally lost and there was no cooling capacity. I knew what that meant. So I thought, 'This is going to be a disaster.'"
...
Without staff to cool the overheated reactors, Kan said he knew the reactors and spent nuclear fuel stored in pools would "rapidly melt down and release massive amounts of radiation."
He said he summoned then-TEPCO President Masataka Shimizu for an explanation, but he "never told me anything clearly."
source : finance.yahoo.com



Friday, September 09, 2011 06:50 - NHK
Sunflowers help remove radiative materials
A Japanese study shows that sunflowers can help reduce the levels of radioactive materials in farmland soil by up to half.
The findings were announced on Thursday by a Kobe-based private-sector group made up of former staff members of Japan's RIKEN research center.
They grew sunflowers in 4 fields in Minamisoma City, within 30 kilometers of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The researchers said in one of the fields the level of radioactive cesium per kilogram of soil fell by 20 percent, from 2,100 becquerels to 1,680 becquerels, in 2 months. In another field, the level fell by around half.
Sunflowers that have absorbed radioactive materials need to be buried in the ground, and the group says finding disposal sites will be the key to promote the decontamination method.
The group said it will ask farmers near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to grow sunflowers so it can check levels of radioactive materials in soil on a regular basis.


September 11, 2011
quote
Cesium levels of Fukushima rice below limit
Levels of radioactive cesium in early rice crops from four municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture were below government maximums, according to the Fukushima prefectural government.
Based on the results, all early rice harvested in the prefecture will be authorized for shipment.
source : www.asahi.com

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Saturday, October 1, 2011

Cesium fallout map illustrates Kanto levels
The science ministry's latest aerial monitoring over Chiba and Saitama prefectures confirms that radioactive cesium released from the Fukushima No. 1 power plant has contaminated parts of the Kanto region.

... Simply calculated, if a person is exposed to 0.5 microsieverts per hour for 365 days, the total dose would be 4.38 millisieverts. Exposure to a cumulative radiation dose of 100 millisieverts increases one's cancer risk by 0.5 percent, scientists say.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20111001a1.html

Plutonium detected 45 kilometers from nuke plant - NHK
Small amounts of plutonium have been detected in samples of soil taken at locations including a spot 45 kilometers away from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. This is the first time that the government has detected plutonium outside the nuclear plant since the accident.
The science ministry announced on Friday that the plutonium was detected in samples taken from 6 locations in the towns of Futaba and Namie, and Iitate Village in Fukushima Prefecture --- all located northwest of the nuclear plant. The radioactive substance is believed to have been released by the nuclear plant after the disaster.
The ministry says the samples taken from a location in Iitate, farthest among the 6, contained 0.82 becquerels per square meter of plutonium-238 and a total of 2.5 becquerels of plutonium-239 and -240.
The ministry had collected soil samples at 100 locations within an 80-kilometer radius of the plant in June and July.
Experts say that if plutonium is inhaled or ingested, it remains in the body for a long time and can cause cancer.
But ministry officials say that possible exposure to the detected plutonium is believed to be very low.
In June, university researchers detected smaller amounts of plutonium in soil outside the plant after they collected samples during filming by NHK.


Sunday, October 02, 2011 06:31 - NHK
Debris from March disaster tested for radiation
Work has begun in Miyagi Prefecture to examine debris left behind by the March 11th natural disaster, and test for radioactive substances released by the nuclear accident in Fukushima.
Testing began on Saturday, at a temporary storage site in Ishinomaki City. Here the quake and tsunami left behind more than 6 million tons of debris -- the largest amount among all municipalities hit by the disaster.
Using heavy machinery, workers removed samples of wood and rubber from a huge pile of debris. Storage sites across the prefecture are getting close to capacity.
If safe levels of radioactivity are confirmed, local officials hope to move debris to new disposal sites being built in Miyagi Prefecture and also to incineration facilities located outside the prefecture. The testing is aimed at dispelling public safety concerns about the transfer and disposal of debris.
The prefecture plans to measure the radioactivity of debris at 12 storage sites, including those in Kesennuma and Minamisanriku.
One official says he hopes the testing will facilitate the transfer of debris to neighboring regions and help reduce the burden on Miyagi Prefecture.


Sunday, October 02, 2011 14:25 - NHK
School buildings decontaminated in Fukushima
Parents and teachers have worked to remove radioactive substances at elementary schools in Fukushima Prefecture ahead of the reopening of classes later in the month.
Twelve elementary and junior high schools in Minami Soma City will restart classes on October 17. The government lifted an evacuation advisory on Friday for areas outside the 20-kilometer no-go zone around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
On Sunday, more than 70 teachers and parents worked to decontaminate classrooms and the gymnasium at Ohmika elementary school, located about 21 kilometers from the nuclear plant.
Parents wearing masks sprayed detergent over windows and walls of the gymnasium and then wiped it off with rags. In classrooms, they used vacuum cleaners and brushes to clean up dust piled on window frames.
One parent said he will work hard because children are happy to go back to school. Another said he is still worried about radiation, but that he will have to look forward and move on.
The number of students at Ohmika elementary school has declined to 71, one-third of the figure before the nuclear accident. The school says 6 students will return when it restarts classes.


Tuesday, October 04, 2011 - NHK
Govt to check radiation levels outside 20km zone

The Japanese government says it will check the radiation levels in the environment at 5 municipalities outside the 20-kilometer no-entry zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The decision follows a move last Friday to lift an evacuation advisory for the 5 municipalities, which are mainly located in the ring between 20 and 30 kilometers from the plant. Many of the residents have not returned home as the decontamination process is not complete.
A government nuclear accident taskforce will conduct studies on the environment in the municipalities at their request.
The taskforce will use a device onboard a vehicle to measure radiation levels on the roads. Unmanned helicopters will be used in hilly places, where vehicles cannot enter.
It will also examine the density of radioactive substances in wells and springs at 4,000 spots, as well as in streams, rivers and reservoirs at 19 places.
The government says it will publicize the degree of decreasing radiation levels as the decontamination process continues.


Report of long-range plutonium find tardy - JT
The science ministry was tardy when it reported last week for the first time that traces of plutonium fallout were found outside the Fukushima No. 1 power plant's compound through tests conducted in June, a nuclear expert said Monday.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20111004a3.html


U.K. expert says limits on radiation 'unreasonable' - JT
"The real problem is fear," Oxford University professor emeritus Wade Allison said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
... PET scans, which emit gamma rays to map internal organs, usually the brain, give patients a dose of 15 millisieverts of radiation in a couple of hours, which is the equivalent of eating 2,000 kg of meat tainted with 500 becquerels per kilogram of cesium, he said.
Therefore, the government regulation is "unreasonable," he said. He also cited an article in Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter from April 24, 2002, that states, "the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority admits:
'We condemned tons of meat unnecessarily.' "
... "The food standard can be raised closer to the more internationally recognized level of 1,000 becquerels per kilogram."
MORE !
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20111004a4.html


Tuesday, October 04, 2011 - NHK
Decontamination seminars begin in Fukushima
Fukushima Prefecture has begun holding training seminars for workers who will be cleaning areas contaminated with radiation from the Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Fukushima plans to conduct the 2-day technical seminars around the prefecture. On Tuesday, 113 civil engineers, painters and other volunteers who have just begun cleanup work took part in the first seminar in Koriyama City.
An expert from the Japan Atomic Energy Agency spoke about what kind of tools should be used to effectively remove radioactive materials from home gutters and roadside ditches.
The participants also learned how to protect themselves while they are working. On the second day, they will receive practical training using dosimeters.
A man from Iwaki City said he has volunteered several times for decontamination work and would like to learn how to prevent polluted water from spreading. He said he wants to decontaminate Fukushima quickly and restore the area to what it was before.
The prefecture plans to hold 10 seminars by the end of the year and hopes to train as many people as possible to help accelerate the cleanup process.


Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011 - JT
Evacuee kids' thyroids need monitoring
NAGANO — Hormonal and other irregularities were detected in the thyroid glands of 10 out of 130 children evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture, a Nagano Prefecture-based charity dedicated to aid for the victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident said Tuesday.
The Japan Chernobyl Foundation and Shinshu University Hospital did blood and urine tests on youngsters aged up to 16, including babies under age 1, for about a month through the end of August in Chino, Nagano, when the children stayed there temporarily after evacuating from Fukushima.
No clear link has been established between the children's condition and the radiation from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, according to the nonprofit organization.
"At present, we cannot say the children are ill, but they require long-term observation," said Minoru Kamata, chief of the foundation.
As a result, one child was found to have a lower-than-normal thyroid hormone level and seven had thyroid stimulation hormone levels higher than the norm. The remaining two were diagnosed with slightly high blood concentrations of a protein called thyroglobulin, possibly caused by damage to their thyroid glands. Three of the 10 children used to live within the 20-km no-go zone around the nuclear plant and one was from the so-called evacuation-prepared area.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20111005a2.html


Wednesday, October 05, 2011 - NHK
Miyagi to add radiation monitoring posts
Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan says it will begin monitoring atmospheric radiation levels in all of its towns and cities to keep track of fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The prefecture says it will install 44 new monitoring posts that it plans to start operating within the current fiscal year, which ends in March of 2012.
Six of the posts will be set up in Onagawa and Ishinomaki near Tohoku Electric Company's Onagawa nuclear power plant. Four of 7 monitors around the plant were washed away by the March 11th tsunami.
Nine monitors in all will be positioned in southern Miyagi Prefecture, in areas closest to the border with Fukushima Prefecture.
Miyagi officials say the data collected at the posts will be sent to the science and technology ministry and released to the public on the Internet.


Thursday, October 6, 2011 - JT
Panel to suggest provisionally hiking annual radiation exposure limit
A government panel reviewing radiation limits for the general public will propose that the government increase the current 1 millisievert annual exposure level to an interim limit between 1 and 20 millisieverts, panel sources said Wednesday.
A group under the panel, headed by Otsura Niwa, a professor emeritus at Kyoto University, plans to propose the government provisionally revise radiation limits for food products and soil, many of which were set hurriedly when the Fukushima nuclear crisis started.
However, the plan to raise the annual exposure limit for ordinary people could be criticized for endangering health, which would potentially affect the subsequent review process, observers said.
... Prior to the disaster at the Fukushima complex, there were few standards for radiation exposure or radioactive materials in the event of emergencies.
But after the start of the nuclear crisis in March, ministries and agencies rushed to set provisional limits for radiation exposure and radioactive materials.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20111006a7.html


Thursday, October 06, 2011 15:39 - NHK
Gov't panel mulls interim goals on radiation dose

A government panel is calling for Japan's one-millisievert annual radiation limit to be eased for the interim, saying it will be difficult to restrict exposure in some areas near the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant.
The environment is contaminated by radioactive substances in areas hit by fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing concern that residents may be exposed to radiation for long periods.
The panel on radiation believes it will be difficult to keep their dose below the one-millisievert limit set by the government for normal times and proposed on Thursday to set an interim exposure target.
It says the target should be set between one and 20 millisieverts in line with recommendations by the International Commission for Radiological Protection.
The panel says the target should be lowered in steps as decontamination progresses.
It adds that targets could differ by region and that residents should have a voice in setting the targets.
The panel will wrap up its proposal at its next meeting, but its plan to ease the radiation exposure limit is expected to arouse controversy.


Friday, October 07, 2011 - NHK
New safety rules for outdoor nuclear workers
Japan's health ministry will introduce safety guidelines to protect workers who clean up radioactive substances around the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Existing guidelines target only those working indoors at the plant.
Citizens groups had complained that the ministry was not doing enough to minimize the exposure of workers who engage in decontamination outdoors.
The new guidelines will require outdoor clean-up workers to wear protective masks and carry dosimeters to monitor radiation.
The ministry says it will work to ensure that the rules are upheld, as efforts to decontaminate farmland and residential areas near the Daiichi plant will soon begin in earnest.

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Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011

Okutama cesium level seen spiking - JT

An aerial radiation survey of the capital and Kanagawa Prefecture has revealed the northwest tip of Tokyo was tainted by an unusually high amount of fallout, while most other areas showed normal levels, a science ministry official said Friday.
The results, released late Thursday, show that fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 power plant contaminated part of the mountainous Okutama region on Tokyo's western fringe. Radiation readings in the area were the highest of the two prefectures at 100,000 to 300,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium per square meter. ...
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20111008a1.html

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Yokohama tests soil for radioactive strontium - NHK
Officials in Yokohama City are testing soil for radioactive strontium following a report from a local resident in September that the substance had been detected in sediment on the roof of an apartment building.
In September, radioactive cesium more than 80 times the government-set limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram was found in sediment collected from roadside ditches in Yokohama City, which is near Tokyo.
The city later removed sediment from the area.
But the city decided to retest the sample for radioactive strontium due to the request of a local resident.
The resident said a private testing institution had detected 195 becquerels of strontium per kilogram -- more than 6 times the government safety limit -- in the rooftop sample.
The science ministry says radioactive strontium can accumulate in bones if inhaled and that it poses a cancer risk.
The ministry added that it has found strontium in the soil in Fukushima Prefecture, site of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. But the agency says it has conducted few checks for the substance outside the prefecture because the amounts detected in Fukushima Prefecture were very small.
Yokohama is located about 250 kilometers from the Fukushima plant.

Yokohama finds high strontium-90 levels - JT
Radioactive strontium exceeding normal levels has been detected in sediment from atop an apartment building in Yokohama, according to municipal officials.
Strontium-90, with a half-life of 29 years, had been detected at concentrations roughly between 10 and 20 becquerels at various places across Japan prior to the nuclear crisis.
... Meanwhile, the science ministry said it is still uncertain whether the strontium came from Fukushima No. 1.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20111013a3.html


Thursday, October 20, 2011


Radiation map gives close-up fallout readings - JT
The science ministry posts a radiation map that visitors to its website can enlarge to see to what extent their neighborhoods have been contaminated by fallout from the Fukushima nuclear accident.
The website launched by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is now available in Japanese only.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111020a2.html


Monday, October 24, 2011 - NHK
Hotspot hotline
Japan's science ministry has launched a telephone hotline to deal with public concerns about radiation exposure in areas outside Fukushima Prefecture. The prefecture hosts the damaged nuclear complex.
The ministry set up the hotline after radiation monitoring by local governments and citizens' groups found a number of locations within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area with levels exceeding government limits.
The ministry is asking local governments and citizens' groups to tell it if they find sites where the hourly radiation dose at one meter above the ground is more than one microsievert higher than nearby areas.
One microsievert per hour is the government-set limit for determining whether topsoil at school playgrounds should be removed, using state subsidies.
The ministry is also asking the local governments to carry out simple decontamination work, such as clearing mud from ditches if necessary.
The ministry says the central government will support decontamination efforts if radiation levels remain more than one microsievert higher than nearby areas even after the cleaning.
The ministry has posted a guideline on its website on how to properly measure radiation levels, such as the right way to hold the dosimeter and the time needed for a reading.

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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Cesium in pollen not viewed as health risk
The Forestry Agency believes cedar pollen next spring contaminated by cesium fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant will be well below the legal safety limit.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111102a2.html

Setagaya radiation said to be radium
Radium-226 is sometimes used for medical treatments.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111102a9.html


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Wednesday, January 4, 2011

Mothers first to shed food-safety complacency
Impatient with the pace of government action and distrustful of official information on the nuclear crisis, mothers with young children are among the most active agitators for food safety.
... Various grassroots groups got together in Tokyo in July to share information and formed the National Network of Parents to Protect Children from Radiation, which as of Dec. 15 consisted of 250 groups with an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 members, Nakayama said.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120104f1.html

Crisis spawns distrust as Web alliances try to push for truth
... Mizuho Nakayama is among a small but growing number of Internet-savvy activist moms.
The 41-year-old mother joined a parent group that petitioned local officials in June to test lunches at schools and day care centers for radiation and avoid using products from around the nuclear plant.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120104f2.html




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quote
Understanding the Ongoing Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima:
A “Two-Headed Dragon” Descends into the Earth’s Biosphere
...
From Meltdown to Melt-Through
The Tōhoku earthquake made a direct hit on the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. At 3:00 p.m. on the following day, March 12, a hydrogen explosion took place in the No. 1 reactor, followed by similar explosions in the No. 3 reactor on March 14 and in the No. 2 and No. 4 reactors on March 15. On March 21, there was another mysterious explosion in the No. 3 reactor.
... March 15: The Largest Release of Radiation
March 21: A Second Massive Release of Radiation
From evening to nighttime of the same day, an “evil wind” struck the village of Iitate and Fukushima City, located northwest of the nuclear plant.
...
March 21: A Second Massive Release of Radiation
On the morning of March 21 the wind was blowing from the north.
On March 23, a new plume formed, moving southwest from the coastal areas of Ibaraki through Chiba prefecture.
...
The Formation of Contaminated “Hot Spots”
Hot spots were discovered in many parts of the capital city, too, with its population of thirty million.
...
The Amount of Radiation Released from Fukushima Daiichi
MORE
source : Fujioka Atsushi


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