All About Japanese

Travel Agent Career

2012-02-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with becoming travel agent career.If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.
If you read my article, it means you're thinking of working travel agents. Want to know how to become a travel agent? If yes, then read on. A travel agency is working to help people organize and plan their vacation. It is the job of travel agents to book and reserve your tickets and hotels for the participants on vacation. The following article will answer questions about becoming a travel agent.

Diploma Travel Agent Career Education
To pursue a career in professional travel agent, you need a high school diploma. Many travel agencies want their agents known to possess a university degree. You can also opt for vocational schools that offer a specialized course to become a travel agent.

Many travel agencies travel agencies prefer to fund some college or previous work experience. If you are a passionate traveler, or if you have enough knowledge about the various tourist destinations, it is an additional asset to your resume. You can opt for a formal education and have some idea about how to become a travel agent. These courses offer training programs related to sales, travel destinations, the sale of a vacation package, find the best deal and everything related to the travel industry.

You can opt for a diploma offered by vocational schools or degree from the University. These courses are taught geography, languages, history, communication, etc., in different regions.

You should never stop seeing the world and the Internet is the best source to keep pace. You can still register for courses, Certified Travel Associate (CTA) and Certified Travel Counselor (CTC).

Job Description Travel Agent
Travel agent is a person who plans and programs for people who want to book a trip. You are the one who will explain the advantages of a destination, traveling by car program, rental or taxi, for them, book a hotel room, etc. according to the travel budget.

All the above things need to be aware and well versed in the world of travel and the latest news. You should be aware of political events, passport, visa regulations, exchange rates, etc. for specific countries. You must have a working knowledge of computers as these machines are the brain of a travel agent.

You need to be educated in all the travel destinations and use the computer efficiently to find an answer to the needs of different customers. If the customer is not satisfied with the answers you can opt for a different travel agency. You may also need to travel and visit hotels, restaurants and resorts to evaluate the service and food quality, the first to advise their clients to visit.

This work consists of travel agents give advice on destinations. A work of travel agencies also requires the availability of entertainment for their customers. He should be able to give advice on time, restaurants, attractions and cultural history of the chosen destination. Travel agents should be prepared with answers on the passport, visa custom fit and exchange rates. The travel agent should be careful about flight times, departure dates, fees and charges that the customer has full confidence in his advice. It should also be informed about travel insurance for responding to customer requests.

Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what's important about becoming travel agent career.

Body and Sexy of Elizabeth Hurley

2012-01-10T23:10:00.000-08:00

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

View all the sexy this Elizabeth Hurley. Elizabeth hurley has body that sexy.

Sexy ala Audrina patridge hairstyle | Lingerie

2012-01-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

View all the sexy this Audrina Patridge hairstyle. Audrina patridge haslingerie or bra that sexy.

January 2012

2012-01-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

January 2012

. The Year of the Dragon .

. Join the Dragon Friends .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Sunday, January 1, 2012

The first sunrise in my valley was wonderful!

Radiation in Japan :
Fukushima 0.96
Tokyo 0.054
Aomori 0.028
Shizuoka 0.039

. Daily Radiation Levels .

Arrival of 2012 observed
Many worshippers have paid their first visit of the new year to shrines and temples in Japan, praying for the health of their family and rebuilding of life from the March disaster last year.
At Tokyo's Meiji Shrine, after a drumbeat signaled the arrival of 2012, people threw money into boxes for offerings, and prayed.
Some of them bought charms to ward off bad luck, while others wrote their wishes on wooden plaques.
A high school student said that 2011 was a depressing year with the March disaster but she intends to overcome the difficulty and enjoy life with strong conviction this year.
Meiji Shrine officials say they expect more than three million visitors during the first three days of January, about the same number as in previous years.
In Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture, which was hit hard by the tsunami in March, many people gathered on top of a hill to welcome the first sunrise of the year.
When the sun began to rise behind a mountain, many took photographs. As the sun shed light over the devastated area, some pressed their hands together and prayed, facing toward the area where many lives were lost.
A 52-year-old woman who lost her house to the tsunami said she still feels sad looking at the affected area. She said that 2011 was a year of hardship, and she hopes 2012 will be a happy one.

DIY cesium scanning store may be 'new normal'
The triple disasters in March set the unthinkable in motion in 2011, and the surreal sight of a DIY radiation testing facility standing next to an Internet cafe in a Chiba city raises a question for Japan: Is this the new normal?
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120101f1.html

What 2011 means for Japan in 2012 and beyond
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120101c2.html

Japan's population decline accelerated in 2011
2011 saw the fewest number of newborns since the end of World War Two in Japan. The decline in the country's population is accelerating.
The health ministry estimates that one million 57 thousand babies were born in 2011. That's a drop of about 14,000 from the previous year.
The number of deaths in 2011 was estimated at one million 261 thousand. That's up around 64,000 due to the aging population and the March disaster. ...

Temporary problem with reactor monitoring system
The Japanese government's nationwide nuclear reactor monitoring system failed to provide data for at least 24 hours before being restored on Saturday afternoon.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says that on early Friday afternoon a rapid reaction point near Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa Prefecture reported that all data from the Emergency Response and Support System was not showing up on its screens.
The system monitors pressure, temperature, and other real-time conditions of reactors at nuclear power plants across the country, as well as radiation dosage in surrounding areas. The system also predicts future conditions of reactors based on such data.
The information can be accessed from terminals at the agency and rapid reaction points around the country.
The agency says its investigation discovered that a facility of the state-affiliated operator of the system was not transmitting any data for unknown reasons.
But the system recovered without any grave result at around 2:30 PM on Saturday. The agency says it is looking into the cause of the problem and how long the system was out of operation.
The agency says it regrets that important data became temporarily inaccessible. It also apologizes for a delay in the announcement.

Emperor delivers New Year message
The Emperor and Empress have received New Year greetings from family members at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Sunday's ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Cabinet.
Lower House Speaker Takahiro Yokomichi and Upper House President Kenji Hirata offered good wishes to the Emperor and the Imperial family on behalf of the nation's lawmakers.
The Emperor said in a speech that he prays for the Japanese people and the country's development on the occasion of the New Year.
The Imperial couple also received greetings from foreign ambassadors stationed in Tokyo.
In his message to the Japanese people, the Emperor said Japan is facing difficulty following the March disaster and other hardships.
The Emperor said he hopes the people's hearts will always be with the afflicted and that everyone will persevere and work together to build a brighter future.
On Monday, the Emperor, Empress and other Imperial family members will appear on the veranda of the palace 5 times to receive greetings from the public.

Powerful earthquake hits Tokyo
A strong earthquake struck Tokyo and surrounding areas on Sunday afternoon.
The earthquake occurred at around 2:28 PM local time.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says the earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.0, with its focus 370 kilometers deep near Torishima Island in the Pacific Ocean.
The agency says the quake registered 4 on the Japanese scale of zero to 7 in 7 prefectures.

The jolt was felt in a wide area, from the northern main island of Hokkaido to the western part of Honshu Island.
The coastal cities of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, and Iwanuma, Miyagi Prefecture, were among those that felt the strongest tremor.
Tokyo Electric Power Company said no new developments are reported at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and nearby Daini nuclear plant.
The agency hasn't issued a tsunami alert.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Monday, January 2, 2012

Snow and a strong cold front in Japan.

New year begins with strong quake
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 jolts a wide area in eastern and northeastern Japan on Sunday afternoon.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120102a2.html
(Friends in Tokyo reported it was quite terrifying . . . )

Challenges ahead at Fukushima nuclear plant
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has to juggle two daunting tasks this year. One is to continue cooling the damaged reactors. The other is to start preparing for decommissioning.
The Japanese government said 2 weeks ago that the reactors at the plant had reached a state of cold shutdown -- the second phase in the program to bring the plant under control.
The government and Tokyo Electric Power Company released a work schedule showing that decommissioning may take 40 years.
The nuclear fuel must be removed from reactors 1, 2, and 3 before the reactors and their buildings are scrapped. Some of the fuel is believed to have melted and fallen through to the containment vessels.
This year, TEPCO will remove debris from the Number 4 reactor building, which was damaged by explosions, so it can start removing spent nuclear fuel.
As part of its preparations for decommissioning, TEPCO will conduct research and develop technology for decontaminating the inside of the reactor buildings and repairing the containment vessels.
The nuclear fuel needs to be cooled as it is still emitting heat. TEPCO plans to halve the length of the 4-kilometer-long pipes used for cooling and treating contaminated water. It also plans to install a new facility to remove radioactive strontium from waste water.
Professor Hisashi Ninokata of the Tokyo Institute of Technology says there is always a risk that contaminated water in the pipes will leak. He says TEPCO should minimize the hazards by preventing groundwater from seeping into buildings and by making the system that filters waste water more compact.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

. . . . . at 3:28
Earthquake M 5.1, off Ibaraki coast
Felt as 2 in the region.

Fukushima meltdowns set nuclear energy debate on its ear
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120103f1.html

Emperor wishes public a better year
Emperor Akihito says he hopes 2012 will be a better year for the Japanese people as the country continues to recover from last year's earthquake and tsunami.
He gave his annual New Year greetings to the public on Monday, addressing thousands of well-wishers from the balcony of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
More than 8,000 people stood in the cold to wait for the palace's main gate to open at 9:30 AM local time.

Ritual lion dance performed in tsunami-hit Miyagi
Dancers in a tsunami-hit town in northern Japan performed a traditional New Year lion dance to remember the victims and pray for reconstruction.
The Watanoha district of Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, has staged the dance each year for more than 400 years. Traditionally, performers go from house to house on New Year's Day to pray for the safety and prosperity of families.
But this year, the performance was more solemn. The local group lost its costumes to the tsunami, so dancers from other districts came to perform on sites where homes once stood.
After the performance, children placed their heads in the mouth of the lion -- a ritual for good luck. Adults prayed to the lion head.
A local community leader said he hopes the performance helped restore the community's bond so the people can work together on reconstruction.

Fukushima coming of age ceremony outside hometown
More than 20 young people who once lived in the no-entry and evacuation zones near Japan's damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant celebrated their 'Coming-of-Age Day' on Monday.
Japanese are legally considered adults when they turn 20, which is when they can vote, smoke, and drink.
People from Katsurao in Fukushima Prefecture are not allowed to go home, so attendees of this year's ceremony gathered in a hotel in Miharu. About 60 percent of Katsurao's population is living in temporary housing in the town. ...

Governments in Japan review disaster prevention
Japan's central and local governments are considering a revision of the current anti-earthquake and tsunami measures following the March 11th disaster and resulting meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The central government's council, which consists of Cabinet members and experts added a section of tsunami prevention measures in December to the basic plan for disaster management.
This year, the central government plans to integrate information on how authorities and the public should respond to nuclear accidents.
It will also reexamine the possibility of changing the laws regulating the roles of the central and local governments when natural disasters hit.
Japan's Meteorological Agency will change the wording for warnings and information on tsunami to make them easier to understand for the public. It aims to implement a new system by the end of the year using the revised phrasing.
An expert panel formed by the Japanese government will disclose its forecast on major earthquakes and tsunamis in the spring. Such natural disasters are likely to happen along a submarine trough located south of Japan's main islands, extending west from the Tokai region.
The panel will compile a revised estimate of damages from the expected huge tremors and waves by summer or fall.
It is likely the new projection will force the central and local governments to reassess where in Japan disaster preparation measures should be enforced.
Authorities may also need to reconsider current designated evacuation areas, as well as systems to distribute necessary information to the public.

Job measure in hardest-hit areas urgently sought
Finding employment is taking on an added urgency for survivors of last year's disaster in northeastern Japan.
More than 1,000 people in three prefectures hardest hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami will see their unemployment benefits expire later this month. The figure will rise further in February.
The labor ministry says that as of November more than 64,000 people had received unemployment benefits in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. The figure is nearly double the previous year's.
The ministry says that of the total, as many as 1,300 people will lose their unemployment benefits by the end of this month, and 2,700 in February.
Survivors seeking stable employment have had trouble finding work. Many jobs in disaster-hit areas are temporary.
Survivors who qualify receive unemployment benefits for at least 10 months. Payments can be extended, depending on an individual's employment situation.

Hosono: Fukushima as center for nuclear safety
Japan's nuclear crisis minister says he wants to make Fukushima Prefecture an international center to promote nuclear safety.
Goshi Hosono spoke Tuesday to NHK and explained a plan to set up an international institute in Fukushima, where specialists would be trained in nuclear safety and advanced radiological medicine would be studied. He says training personnel will be one of the major issues to overcome with respect to nuclear safety.
Hosono says the prefecture will be a relevant venue to learn about the basic principles of nuclear safety, as well as the long process of scrapping the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The work is expected to take 30 to 40 years.
Hosono says he believes lessons learned from the ongoing nuclear crisis, including the use of medicine for people exposed to radiation, must be made available to the rest of the world.
Hosono also notes his ministry will concentrate on the development of robots that will be used to dismantle and dispose of the damaged reactors. The project is expected to rely heavily on robots to remove spent fuel rods and handle other highly radioactive material.
The nuclear crisis minister says he believes Japanese industry will be able to boost their competitiveness by taking advantage of the new technologies that will be developed to deal with the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

. Radiation Problems - INFO .

New Year fish auction at tsunami-hit Kesennuma
The fish market in Kesennuma northeastern Japan has held its first auction of the New Year. The city in Japan's disaster-hit northeast is a major tuna and swordfish port.
About 200 officials from local fishing cooperatives and marine-product companies attended the inaugural ceremony on Wednesday. They prayed for bumper hauls this year and for success in rebuilding the port.
... The market re-opened last June after the city was reduced to rubble in the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

Fukushima students back after New Year holidays
Elementary and junior high school students in Fukushima City have returned to class earlier than usual after the New Year break.
Most of the city's schools held ceremonies on Wednesday to mark the beginning of the 3rd term. ...

Disaster-hit sake maker celebrates first brewing
A Japanese sake maker in Iwate Prefecture has celebrated the New Year with its first brew since the March disaster last year.
The 160-year-old brewery in Miyako City restarted production three weeks ago. The factory was rebuilt where the former plant was destroyed by the tsunami.
On Wednesday, the maker finished producing its first sake. Master brewer Katsutoshi Tsujimura checked the aroma and taste.
He said he's happy the new product has the same good qualities as before. He added that he hopes many people will enjoy it.
The newly brewed sake was quickly bottled and served at a New Year's event.

Calligraphy performance in quake-hit city
Schoolgirls in Ofunato City have demonstrated their skill at calligraphy to express hopes for early reconstruction of the region severely hit by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The 7 teenage girls gave a New Year calligraphy performance at a shopping mall on Wednesday.
Dancing to the music of popular pop group AKB48, they took turns writing "Furusato-Kesen" on a large sheet of paper.
They then worked together using a 1.7-meter-long, 15-kilogram brush to write the Chinese character "tamashii," or soul.
The performance was applauded by spectators.

New Year's arrow festival in Nikko
A New Year festival with shooting arrows symbolizing prayers for good health and safety took place at a shrine in Nikko, north of Tokyo, on Wednesday.
The annual ritual at Futarasan Shrine is based on an ancient legend. It's said that a master archer shot an arrow that settled a territorial dispute between the deity of Mount Nantai in Nikko and the divinity of Mount Akagi, about 40 kilometers away to the southwest.
Shinto priests and archers wearing traditional costumes shot 2 arrows each in the direction of Mount Akagi.
The shrine compound was crowded with spectators. Many rushed to where arrows fell to the ground in the hopes of claiming one. It's believed they bring good luck.

Futaba mayor opposes radioactive soil storage
The mayor of Futaba Town in Fukushima Prefecture says he opposes the government's plan to build a facility for storing radioactive waste soil in Futaba County.
Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa expressed for the first time his opposition to the facility in his New Year address to town employees on Wednesday.
The mayor said he cannot accept the facility because townspeople who evacuated would not be able to return once it is built.
The central government officially requested late last month that a temporary storage facility for radioactive waste soil be built in Futaba County. The county has eight municipalities, and it is also home to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The entirety of Futaba Town is designated as a no-entry zone. The residents and the town office have been evacuated to a city in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

NISA pledges to regain public trust
The head of Japan's nuclear safety agency has called for every possible effort to regain public trust in the government's energy policy.
Hiroyuki Fukano said on Wednesday that he is deeply sorry his agency was not able to prevent the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
He said the agency's officials should remember that many Fukushima residents are still displaced from their homes.
Fukano said it is not easy to regain public trust in nuclear safety. He added it has completely been undermined by the accident and the officials must go back to basics.
The government agency, launched 11 years ago, will be united with the Nuclear Safety Commission and merged into a new nuclear safety body in April.
The new body will face many challenges. The agency was heavily criticized in a government report on the nuclear accident released in December.
The report said agency officials working on the emergency task force at the Fukushima plant evacuated in the initial stages of the accident. It also said the agency's collection and release of information was insufficient.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Disasters kick-started dormant volunteer spirit
The March disasters generated an unprecedented outpouring of volunteerism as people from all over Japan pitched in to help the survivors and rebuild affected areas, and the strong spirit of helping will aid relief efforts in future disasters, experts say.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120105f1.html

Peace Boat, a Japanese nonprofit organization
Hunger Free World
Japan International Volunteer Center

Tohoku orphans get aid despite donation shortfall
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120105a3.html

German promotes knitting to keep Tohoku disaster victims active, close
Bernd Kestler, who teaches knitting in Yokohama, from Germany.
Knit for Japan
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120105f3.html

Year's first auction held at Tsukiji fish market
The first auction of the New Year has been held at Tokyo's Tsukiji market, the biggest wholesale fish market in Japan.
Before the start of Thursday's trade, a vendor said damage from the earthquake and tsunami last March highlighted the seafood industry's dependence on northeastern Japan. He pledged to help revive the disaster zone by selling fish from that area.
The day's auction kicked off at around 5:00 AM.
A 269-kilogram bluefin tuna from Aomori Prefecture fetched a new record high of more than 740,000 dollars.
This was 260,000 dollars higher than the record set last year.
In recent editions of the year's first auction the highest bidders for tuna had mostly been overseas sushi restaurants. But this year's successful bidder was a Japanese sushi chain based in Tsukiji itself.

New nuclear safety agency's performance questioned
The new nuclear safety agency will be tasked with overhauling Japan's nuclear regulations, but has yet to come up with concrete safety rules.
The new agency, which will be launched under the Environmental Ministry in April, faces the challenge of providing supervision and advice to power utilities in the event of an emergency.
The agency will take over the functions of the industry ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. It will also be responsible for the advisory functions of the Cabinet Office's Nuclear Safety Commission.
The new agency is to be staffed with 485 people.
Japan's government has allocated a budget of nearly 650 million dollars for the agency in its financial plan for the next fiscal year, unveiled late last month.
That's up nearly 180 million dollars from this year, a sign that the agency is expected to strengthen crisis management, upgrade its regulations and take on more work.
The government has come under fire for being slow to collect and release existing data after the nuclear accident last March, and for not instructing the operator of the crippled Fukushima plant to prepare for a huge tsunami.
The government says the new body must secure experienced, professional personnel and cultivate a sharper sense of crisis among officials in addressing safety.
A Cabinet Ministry senior official preparing for the launch of the new agency says it must protect the people and the environment.

Municipalities to be prepared for nuke accidents
More than 130 Japanese municipalities are stepping up preparations for nuclear accidents after the government tripled the size of emergency zones around nuclear plants to 30 kilometers.
Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission expanded the size of the zones from 10 kilometers last November.
The move follows the issue of evacuation orders to areas up to 30 km from the stricken Fukushima plant, far beyond the government's initial expectation.
The expansion includes not only communities hosting nuclear power plants but also surrounding areas, multiplying the number of municipalities involved.
These local governments must now boost disaster preparedness by setting evacuation routes and securing shelters.
Many are reaching out beyond prefectural borders with plans to share food and other goods, and dispatch staff in the event of nuclear disasters.
The government almost tripled the funding for nuclear disaster preparedness to 108-million dollars in a budget plan for the next fiscal year.
But further financial help will be needed for the municipalities within the expanded emergency zone.

Fukushima mayors seek help over waste storage
Municipalities around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have asked for help from the prefectural government over the central government's plan to temporarily store radioactive waste in the communities.
Representing 8 towns and villages in Futaba County, Tomioka Town Mayor Katsuya Endo made the request when he met Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato on Thursday.
Endo said the municipalities take the state government's proposal seriously but that it is too much of a burden for them to handle alone.
He asked the prefecture to act in coordination with the municipalities and set up a forum for regular meetings, citing the difficulty they face as a result of mass evacuation from their areas following the nuclear accident.
Governor Sato responded positively to the request and promised to create a forum for talks.
The municipalities are divided over the central government's plan on interim storage of radioactive soil and debris. The mayor of Futaba Town, Katsutaka Idogawa, voiced opposition while some other local leaders say they have no choice but to accept it.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Friday, January 6, 2012

We got snow yesterday, but not this morning.

Heavy snow plasters Sea of Japan
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120106a6.html

Tokyo exodus nuke report's worst scenario
Areas as far as 170 km away from the Fukushima nuclear plant faced the risk of being declared permanent evacuation zones, according to a worst-case scenario at the height of the crisis by the Japan Atomic Energy Commission.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120106a1.html

Domestic robots failed to ride to rescue after No. 1 plant blew
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120106f1.html
(this is a very interesting article ! )

When China rules, Chinese will not set the rules
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20120106a1.html

March earthquake created nearly 7,000 aftershocks
Japan's Meteorological Agency says last March's magnitude 9.0 earthquake was followed by nearly 7,000 aftershocks strong enough to be felt by humans.
The agency says its analysis of seismological data as of the end of last year identified 6,757 such aftershocks since March 11th.
The agency also says that Japan experienced a total of 9,723 earthquakes strong enough to be felt by humans last year.
The number is more than seven times larger than the total for the year before.

Last night a few just below M5

2012年1月6日　19時50分茨城県沖 4.2
2012年1月6日　9時52分根室半島南東沖 3.7
2012年1月6日　8時33分福島県沖 4.6
2012年1月6日　6時01分茨城県沖 4.4
2012年1月6日　1時51分宮城県沖 4.9
2012年1月6日　0時26分宮城県沖 3.4
2012年1月5日　22時17分福島県中通り 4.1
2012年1月5日　17時49分福島県沖 3.9

March disaster forced over 500 firms to shut down
More than 500 companies across Japan went bankrupt due to the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country's northeast last March.
Private credit research firm Teikoku Databank says the disaster forced 510 firms to fail in the roughly 10 months through December 31. Their total liabilities stood at 727.3 billion yen, or around 9.4 billion dollars. ...
. . . . . 2011 auto sales in Japan hit lowest in 34 years

Govt to limit life of nuclear reactors to 40 years
The Japanese government wants to pass a new law that limits the life of nuclear reactors to 40 years.
Nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono on Friday announced a review of nuclear safety regulations following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The proposed 40-year limit is included in new draft regulations on nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel material.
According to the draft, the government will not allow reactors to operate for more than 40 years, but may grant extensions on request.
Extensions will be subject to government checks on the obsolescence of the facility, and the plant operator's capacity to provide appropriate maintenance.
This is the first time for the government to try to regulate the lifespan of nuclear plants.
Hosono said the government will also revise safety standards against earthquakes, tsunami and other disasters with new knowledge and technology in protective measures and require power companies to comply with new standards.
The government will submit the legislation to the ordinary session of the Diet by the end of this month at the earliest, ahead of the planned launch of a new nuclear safety agency in April.

Azumi: watching euro's fall carefully
Japan's Finance Minister Jun Azumi says he is carefully monitoring the euro's fall against the yen, and urged eurozone countries to try harder to address their debt problems. ...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Nuke regulators get teeth via bills
The government aims to legally force nuclear plant operators to take measures against severe crises and follow the latest safety measures.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120107a1.html

British 'rakugo' artist helps Tohoku smile
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120107f1.html

Market network helps community bounce back
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120107a1.html

NGO uses chocolate to support Fukushima kids
A nongovernmental group that in 2006 launched an annual chocolate-selling campaign to support child cancer patients in Iraq will use a portion of this year's proceeds to help children in Fukushima Prefecture.
Minoru Kamata, chief of the Japan Iraq Medical Network, ...
... The chocolates can be bought at www.jim-net.net
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120107b3.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Sunday, January 8, 2012

more minor earthquakes since yesterday
2012年1月8日　6時04分茨城県沖 4.2
2012年1月8日　2時31分福島県沖 3.3
2012年1月7日　21時35分宮城県沖 4.0
2012年1月7日　21時30分茨城県沖 3.5
2012年1月7日　19時47分福島県沖 4.6
2012年1月7日　17時22分福島県沖 4.6
2012年1月7日　10時17分茨城県沖 4.0

Praying for good health
Every year on January 7th, people across Japan dig into bowls of hot rice porridge to pray for good health in the New Year.
This year, farmers in Fukushima Prefecture offered visitors the traditional rice porridge flavored with 7 spring herbs, but only after making sure it was free of radiation.
A group at a farmer's market in Shirakawa city on Saturday prepared rice porridge in a big pot. The rice and other ingredients were all locally grown.
Fukushima prefecture is still suffering from the aftereffects of the accident at the nuclear power plant last March. But no radiation was detected in the food.
A shopper of her 60s from Shrakawa City said she was happy to taste the traditional food and hoped to stay that way throughout the year.
About 200 visitors enjoyed the hot meal free of charge.

March 11 survivors facing hardships
An NHK survey on people living in a temporary housing complex following the March 11th disaster paints a grim picture.
NHK surveyed about 1,100 families living in a housing complex in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, from October to November. 757 households responded.
47 percent of the households excluding those living on pensions say they had lost their jobs because of the disaster.
29 percent of those who lost jobs are in their 50s followed by 23 percent in their 60s.
34 percent of the jobless households say they are living on less than 100,000 yen, or 1,300 dollars, a month.
67 percent of the self-employed have still not found employment. 21 percent of them say they have no income at all.
In a separate survey, the Japan Research Institute found that up to 120,000 people remain unemployed.
Some 4,000 survivors in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures are expected to lose their unemployment benefits starting this month.
The survivors say job creation is the most pressing issue for them to rebuild their lives and the affected areas.

Over 330 pets rescued from Fukushima no-entry zone
Many pets have been abandoned in the no-entry zone around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. More than 330 dogs and cats were rescued in December.
The Environment Ministry and Fukushima Prefecture have conducted rescue operations for dogs and cats in the no-entry zone. The animals were left there because, either their owners died in the March 11th disaster, or they could not take them to evacuation shelters.
... Several hundred more pets are believed to be in need of rescue. The ministry plans to continue the operations after observing the situation in the no-entry zone.

4,000 buildings designated as tsunami shelters
A survey has found that Japanese municipalities designated around 4,000 buildings to serve as tsunami shelters as of October of last year, with the number doubling in the few months after the March 2011 disaster.
The Cabinet Office and land ministry conducted the survey of coastal prefectures, excluding the hardest-hit Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima, on buildings designated as emergency shelters in the event of a tsunami.
The results were compared with those of the previous survey carried out 4 months earlier in June.
Among more than 1,100 buildings examined in June, nearly 18 percent have never been assessed for quake resistance based on 1981 guidelines, leading to concern about their structural strength. .....

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Monday, January 9, 2012

. . . . . at 7:13
Earthquake M 5.0 - off the coast of Iwate

Prepare for decontamination
Decontamination — financed with government money — of areas contaminated with radioactive substances released by Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant will start this year.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20120109a1.html

Japan to install tsunami monitoring system at sea
The Japanese government will install a large scale tsunami monitoring system on the Pacific seabed to speed up it's warning process.
The education and science ministry plans to install an underwater cable near the Nippon Trench in the Pacific Ocean, seismometers on the seabed, and underwater tsunami detectors using hydraulic pressure sensors.
Seismometers and tsunami detectors will be installed by March 2013 in waters off the Boso Peninsula and the Sanriku Coast. The locations are north and south of the focus of the major earthquake that hit wide areas of northeastern Japan last year. Additional monitors will be put in place off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture and near the Nippon Trench, close to the focus of the 2011 earthquake.
A total of 150 locations will be positioned by March 2015.
Separately, the Meteorological Agency will install seismometers at 3 locations in waters about 400 kilometers off the northeastern coast some time this year. The data of the seismometers will be collected by satellites and will be used to detect a massive earthquake that is expected to occur east of the Nippon trench in the Pacific Ocean.
The data will help the Meteorological Agency release tsunami information or warnings.
Akira Nagai, the chief of the agency's tsunami monitoring division, said these systems will help the agency gather necessary data as they can monitor tsunami closer as they occur.
During the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Japan's Meteorological Agency was able to monitor tsunami waves before they reached the Japanese coast, because of underwater global positioning systems off northeastern Japan.

Noda wants temporary storage facility in Fukushima
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has asked the governor of Fukushima to allow the government to build a facility in the prefecture to temporarily store radioactive soil. Noda visited a disaster-hit area for the first time this year and met Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato at the prefectural office on Sunday.
Noda said the fight is not over yet, even though he declared last month that the Fukushima Daiichi reactors had reached a state of cold shutdown -- the second phase in the program to bring the plant under control.
He said the government will intensify its efforts to deal with decontamination, compensation and health management issues.
Noda asked Sato to consider the request that Environment Minister Goshi Hosono made late last year to have a storage facility built in Futaba County.
Sato said he would like the government to remember that many people from Fukushima were unable to celebrate the New Year in their hometowns.
He said children are the future of Fukushima and their health must be protected. He urged Noda to provide free medical services to all Fukushima residents under the age of 19.
Sato said the damage caused by the accident was so severe that it had seriously undermined confidence in the government's nuclear policy.
He asked Noda to shut down and dismantle all 10 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini plants as called for in the reconstruction plan.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

sources
. . Bulletins from NHK WORLD . .
. . Japan Times - JT . .

December 2011

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Team Heal Japan
Sean Muramatsu
http://www.teamheal.jp/

Knit for Japan
Knitting charity to support victims of the Tohoku earthquake in Japan.
東日本大震災の被災者のための編み物慈善活動
Bernd Kestler

source : knitforjapan.wordpress.com

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Sanriku Fukkoo　三陸復興 Help Sanriku ! .

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- in retrospect 2011

2012-01-07T16:28:00.000-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- The End of the Year 2011 -

March eleven -
the day that changed
my dear Japan

. Remember March 11, 2011, 14:46 　

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . Joys of Japan .

Join the Friends on Facebook !

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The end of the year is a time to reflect . . .

We see so many TV features about the destruction in Tohoku, the continuing desperate situation around Fukushima . . .

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
on 7 April, see April 2011 Miyagi earthquake
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

quote
The earthquake year -
Editorial of the Japan Times

The year of the earthquake and tsunami is how 2011 will be remembered in Japan.
No bounen-kai (forget-the-year party) has passed without thoughts of those who lost so much in the triple earthquake-tsunami-nuclear disaster on or after March 11. The powerful 9.0-magnitude earthquake devastated the northeast of Japan and left the country in shock.

More than nine months later, some progress has been made on removing rubble and restoring order in Tohoku, but not nearly enough. The meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, in particular, is a serious concern for everyone in Japan, and abroad. A 20-km no-go zone has become a fact of life. Radiation exposure levels are now a regular topic in all Japanese newspapers. Consumers continue to worry about cesium levels in food products. Cleanup of the area has been slow and not helped by the belated, confused responses from Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco).

Revelations that Tepco ignored scientific warnings about the plant and then mishandled the response after the tsunami hit have pushed distrust of nuclear energy to record-high levels. Few of the hundreds of thousands of people evacuated and displaced have completely returned to their former way of life. The Yen1.5 trillion it will take to restructure and effectively nationalize Tepco could be better spent on helping those citizens get on with their lives.

The triple disaster continues to reverberate throughout the country, but these issues should be resolved more quickly. The slow response from the government and the nuclear industry must be speeded up. The only truly rapid response to the crisis was the outpouring of support for all those suffering from the disaster. Donations and volunteers from Japan and abroad poured into the area. Without the help from devoted groups and average citizens, the mess would have been far worse.

The costs of the disaster will add to the downward pull on the economy. The bankruptcies, lost jobs and slower business activity will become a burden that may change many of the basic structures of Japan. The hiring of graduates was only slightly above the record low in 2010. By November, fewer than half of high school graduates and only two-thirds of college graduates had received a job offer for next April. Through the summer, an already weakened economy continued to falter with unemployment at high levels. More people are living in poverty in Japan and receiving unemployment benefits from the government than ever before.

Electricity usage was successfully reduced during the summer, and perhaps was a sort of protest. However, the Japanese response to these problems was tepid and certainly did not match the changes taking place elsewhere in the world. Except for a big rally against nuclear power in September, and frequent, scattered protests, nothing on the scale of the Arab Spring revolutions or Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protests have occurred in Japan.

Munakata Shiko 棟方志功

Outrage over Tepco and at the loss-hiding scandal at Olympus Corp. failed to ignite OWS-like demands for greater corporate reform. The triple disaster and ensuing problems seem to have stunned most people in Japan. Are people generally satisfied or simply afraid to protest? Perhaps events in 2012 will tell.

The overall down mood of the country was also evident in the continued high suicide rate. The number of Japanese committing suicide has remained over 30,000 a year since 1998. Surveys about mental health have found high levels of depression. In other comparative surveys, only 40 percent of Japanese felt satisfied with their way of life, compared with 60 percent in other countries. Mental health and quality-of-life issues deserve more support from the government, including increased subsidies for mental health care facilities and expansion of treatment programs.

In the midst of all the gloom, though, the Japanese women's soccer team offered one bright spot. The "Nadeshiko" team, named after a strong, beautiful flower, beat the American soccer team in July to win the women's world championship. Their victory thrilled the country and helped bring back a sense of pride and forward motion. The mistaken notion of Japanese women as weak or passive was put to rest once and for all.

Closer at hand, "smart phones" proliferated in Japan this year, though networks failed on the day of the earthquake. The usual Japanese parade of technological pleasantries and pop culture was perhaps a welcome distraction during a difficult year.

Continuing another trend, Japanese are living longer than ever. During the past year, the number of centenarians increased to its highest number ever. Over 47,000 people are over the age of 100! The country continues to become older, but the question remains, has the country gotten any wiser?

Whatever the next year holds, 2011 will be remembered for a long time.
source : www.japantimes.co.jp

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

quote
BEST BOOKS OF 2011
Hope, and inspired work,
from despair of March 11
By ANTHONY FENSOM

A year of natural disasters in Japan — and elsewhere — has sparked some of the best writing on the nation seen in decades, as everyone from policy experts to ordinary citizens offered their views on the best route to recovery.

Among the best post-March 11 compilations providing kizuna (bonds of hope) was McKinsey & Company's excellent
"Reimagining Japan: The Quest for a Future That Works," which urged wide-ranging economic and business reform, and Jeff Kingston's powerful
"Tsunami: Japan's Post-Fukushima Future",
which showed the folly of ignoring past lessons, concerning both natural and man-made disasters.

Another more personal compilation was the emotional
"2:46 — Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake,"
a collection of survivor tales evoking both sadness and solidarity. Known on Twitter as "Quakebook," the work was the brainchild of the anonymous "Our Man in Abiko," a British teacher living in Chiba Prefecture. Entirely crowd-sourced, it started with a single tweet. "This book was conceived one week after the quake," the introduction explains. "It was written, edited and completed in seven days to tell people's stories while their feelings were raw, memories fresh and futures so uncertain."

As well as raising funds for disaster victims, these and other similar works are worthy additions to the Christmas shopping list for anyone interested in the nation's future, with a variety of views represented across business, government, sporting and other fields.

Policymakers should take note, too, as McKinsey & Company's global managing director, Dominic Barton points out in "Reimagining Japan": "For 20 years, Japan has drifted. To reimagine a brighter future, that must change."

While disaster may have been the tragic theme of 2011, in 2012 look for the emergence of more works on the rise of China and its implications for Japan, the United States and other members of the established order.

For those seeking a preview, perhaps revisit the
"Japan as number one" books of the 1980s and the style will quickly become apparent.
source : www.japantimes.co.jp

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

quote
2011: a year of disaster in quotes
By MARK SCHILLING

This year produced more than its share of memorable quotes, many of which were inspired by the March 11 disaster and its aftermath. But figures from other fields, from sports to entertainment, also said things worth repeating. Here is a sampling, in chronological order:

Bouts of soul-searching
"Professional sumo is not a show or an entertainment, but is rather something for everyone to watch, wringing their hands over a hard-fought bout. I feel as though I'm viewing scenery I really don't want to see,"
commented Justice Minister Satsuki Eda on Feb. 4 in response to a sumo bout-fixing scandal.

'Wash away this selfishness'
"The Japanese identity is one of selfishness. We need to use the tsunami to wash away this selfishness. I think it's God's punishment," said Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara shortly after the March 11 disaster.

No, he couldn't
"Japan needs a strong, independent prime minister willing to wrest power from the entrenched bureaucrats who really run the nation. When we actually get one, the entire political establishment thwarts reform and works to oust that leader," wrote Bloomberg News columnist William Pesek in an article published on April 26.

'It's a man-made disaster'
"This crisis at the power plant is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster," said University of Tokyo professor and seismology expert Robert Geller to the Yomiuri Shimbun for a June 12 article in which he criticized Tepco's lack of adequate disaster planning prior to the quake-and-tsunami-induced crippling of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

'You had better shape up'
"(You) entered (the meeting room) after I did, but when you are receiving guests, you must enter the room first and then call in the guests. Listen to me, that is what they do in the Self-Defense Forces where they understand the respect that should be shown to those who are senior. Do you understand? You had better shape up."
..... Disaster Reconstruction Minister Ryu Matsumoto resigned on July 5 .

The Italian job
"Just like Italy, which has decided against nuclear power, Japan should put the matter of whether or not to use nuclear power to a popular vote,"
opined Prime Minister Naoto Kan on July 13.

'The wonder of Japanese women'
"The Nadeshiko Japan ...

'I want to live a quiet life'
"From tomorrow I will become just another regular person. I want to live a quiet life," said TV comedian and presenter Shinsuke Shimada on Aug. 23, when he announced his immediate retirement from showbusiness after admitting to gang ties.

'Cities of death'
"In the central areas of the nearby villages and towns there is not a soul around. They are real cities of death," commented Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yoshio Hachiro on a Sept. 9 ...

'English is the language for business'
"If people cannot speak English in business in the future, it will be tantamount to not having a driver's license even though they have to drive. English is the language for business not only in the United States and Europe but also in Asia," said Fast Retailing CEO Tadashi Yanai ...

Rape, Okinawa, humor don't mix
"Would you give a warning when you are about to rape someone?"
Okinawa Defense Bureau chief Satoshi Tanaka made this off-record response on Nov. 28

'It won't happen in their lifetimes'
"I believe it is possible to save Fukushima. But many evacuated residents must accept that it won't happen in their lifetimes,"
predicted Tatsuhiko Kodama, director of the Radioisotope Center at the University of Tokyo, in a Dec. 11 ...
source : Japan Times

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sunday, December 25, 2011 - NHK

Survey:
People pay more attention to power-saving

People in Japan are paying greater attention to saving electricity.

A new survey shows there is an increased awareness among people since the March 11th earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident in Fukushima.

The Cabinet Office conducted the annual survey between October and November. About 6,200 people aged 20 or older responded.

A multiple choice question asked what had become the primary focus of attention in their daily lives since the disaster.

59 percent said saving electricity.
45 percent said preparing for disasters and
40 percent said family ties.
Another 38 percent said they are trying
not to be affected by unfounded rumors.

51 percent of the male respondents said saving electricity has become their top priority. For women, it was 66 percent.

68 percent of respondents who live in or around Tokyo chose the same answer. That's 9 points higher than the national average.
The greater Tokyo area experienced power shortages in the summer because of the Fukushima accident.

Asked what agenda the government should put priority on,
67 percent said social security should come at the top of the list.
Reconstruction from the March 11th disaster came in fourth with 51 percent, and bringing the nuclear accident under control was ranked sixth with 47 percent.
source :　www3.nhk.or.jp

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012
quote
'Strange' is the new 'normal' for 2012

By MICHAEL HOFFMAN
"Whatever happens won't be strange."

Thus the weekly Shukan Gendai sums up the prospects for the year now dawning.

Shaken by 2011, we face the blank slate that is 2012. Mankind's history of trying to read the future is very long. We've sought clues in animal entrails, the flight of birds, the pattern of tea leaves, the configuration of the stars. Nowadays we look to rational analysis. Is it any better? Not if 2011 is any indication. It was a jolting, jarring year, none of whose defining events, from sovereign debt crises to revolution to nuclear meltdown, was foreseen or prepared for.

Still, a new year begins with predictions. It's a tradition, and a human need. The general tenor of such exercises in Japan over the past 20 years has been pessimistic. Gloom is hard to rise above in a chronically depressed economy. An intensifying environmental crisis doesn't help, nor do politicians, in Japan and elsewhere, who seem pathetically unequal to, and sometimes scarcely conscious of, the world-transforming challenges they are elected to manage.

Analysts typically look at the past year and say, in effect,
"The coming year will be more of the same, only worse."
The formula has served them well for nearly a generation — why abandon it now? "Whatever happens won't be strange" — unless, Shukan Gendai might have added, "whatever happens" is good. Favorable developments are on nobody's radar. Good, as matters stand, would seem to require a miracle. Miracles happen, but analysts don't deal with them. And so the prospects we must contemplate include "world economic meltdown," a "super-high yen" that is ruinous to the giant manufacturing exporters that power Japan's economy, and political turmoil that could see yet another prime minister fall within a year of taking office with no commanding figure in the wings to replace him.

Sunday Mainichi magazine offers its own package of predictions, no less grim — grimmer, in fact, because it includes war. There is "a very high possibility," a researcher it consults says, of the United States attacking Iran before this month is over. On Dec. 4 Iran got its hands on a crashed American drone, with its high-tech secrets intact, to be exploited by Iran itself or perhaps sold to China or Russia. Election-year pressure could push President Barack Obama into a display of toughness. How that would affect America's friendliest ally, Japan, is not discussed. Profoundly, in any case. Japan courts American protection against rising China and increasingly unpredictable North Korea. It also courts oil suppliers, of which Iran is one.

Speaking of North Korea, Sunday Mainichi sees the April 15 100th anniversary of the birth of the nation's deified founding father, Kim Il Sung, as a natural occasion for a grand gesture — a nuclear bomb test, for instance. The magazine went to press before the sudden death last month of Kim's son and successor, "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il, whose own son, young and untried, has abruptly inherited the family dynasty. Does the transition make this poke in the world's eye more likely, or less? "Whatever happens won't be strange."

Here's something strange — or perhaps not.
In Japan, says Sunday Mainichi, masculinity is dying, nearing an extinction as absolute as that of the prehistoric mammoth, of which more in a moment. A commonplace of pop sociology over the past few years is that Japanese men have evolved from "carnivores" to "herbivores." Now the evolution has gone further, the latest emergence being "sweet boys," young men who prefer baking and consuming cakes and cookies to the activities favored by the red-blooded "carnivorous" males of yesteryear, namely drinking and chasing women. One expression gaining traction is that men have been "freed from the spell of masculinity." It will be interesting to see where that leads.

Mammoth bones, remarkably well-preserved, were dug up in Siberia last August. In a few years, a cloned mammoth may walk the very Earth its ancestors last trod 10,000-odd years ago. Japan's Kinki University is playing a key role, extracting DNA from cells in the unearthed bones. A mammoth symposium is slated for Russia in March, with Kinki University scientists among the participants. Woolly mammoth, meet sweet boy.

Sunday Mainichi's and Shukan Gendai's political experts agree on this much: Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, in office all of five months, "is fast approaching his use-by date," as Shukan Gendai puts it. "Not if, but when," says the magazine of Noda's political demise. The issue is the consumption tax, which he is committed to raising. Already nine members of his own Democratic Party of Japan have bolted; the opposition scents blood. Elections this year are seen as a near certainty, as are heavy DPJ losses.

What then? Among a flurry of possibilities, Shukan Gendai raises an interesting one. With neither the DPJ nor the opposition-leading Liberal Democratic Party likely to impress a jaded electorate, the center-right, low-tax, small-government Your Party could emerge from the fringes, its cooperation with either of the larger parties contingent upon its leader, Yoshimi Watanabe, being named prime minister. The person to watch in a Watanabe administration would be less Watanabe himself than his close ally, former Osaka Prefecture governor and current Osaka City Mayor Toru Hashimoto — not a candidate himself because of his recent election to the mayoralty on a pledge to fuse the city and prefectural administrations. Like him or not — and those who dub his governing style "Hashism" obviously do not — he is the most dynamic, charismatic politician on the scene. He would make a formidable éminence grise, biding his time until he can be a formidable eminence period. To discern where a battered Japan goes from here, he looks like the man to watch.
source : Japan Times

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Daruma from Takasaki 高崎　復興祈願だるま

Print one out and hang it in your prayer corner!

ganbaro !! Nihon
ガンバロー　日本

がんばろう　日本　Ganbaro Nippon !

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Toys and Talismans from Japan .　

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hokusai Tsunami

2012-01-05T23:27:00.000-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hokusai, the Great Wave and the Tsunami
北斎　津波　

- Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) 葛飾北斎 -

神奈川沖波裏 The Great Wave off Kanagawa

- quotes
After the Great Tsunami natural disaster in 2004 Hokusai's famous image could be frequently seen in the press referred to as an early 19th century document of a huge tsunami wave.

Although it is often used in tsunami literature, there is no reason to suspect that Hokusai intended it to be interpreted in that way . . .

The print is today often reproduced as the artistic depiction of a tsunami.
Did Hokusai really have a tsunami in mind when he composed this work?

The waves in this work are sometimes mistakenly referred to as tsunami (津波), but they are more accurately called okinami (沖波), great off-shore waves.

Hokusai's Tsunami Mouse Pad

RedBubble's hokusai tsunami page

Hagane Metal Cover Tsunami-Hokusai

. more reference .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

quote
The Great Wave off Kanagawa 神奈川沖浪裏,
Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura, lit. "Under a Wave off Kanagawa", also known as
The Great Wave or simply The Wave ...
While sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, the wave is, as the picture's title notes, more likely to be a large okinami - literally "wave of the open sea."
Copies of the print are in many Western collections,...

Edmond de Goncourt described the wave in this way:

"The drawing of the wave is a deification of the sea made by a painter who lived with the religious terror of the overwhelming ocean completely surrounding his country; He is impressed by the sudden fury of the ocean's leap toward the sky, by the deep blue of the inner side of the curve, by the splash of its claw-like crest as it sprays forth droplets."

There are two similar works, dated some 30 years before the publication of The Great Wave, that are its precursors. They are Kanagawa-oki Honmoku no zu and Oshiokuri Hato Tsusen no Zu, both works with subjects identical to the Great Wave: a sailboat and a rowboat respectively. In both precursor works, the subjects are in the midst of a storm, beneath a great wave that threatens to devour them. ...
source : wikipedia

I saw a feature on TV, a take of a high wave with a high-speed camera
and there the breaking wave droplets looked just as Hokusai had painted them
... it was quite amazing!
His eyesight must have been phantastically fine-tuned.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

source :　bbs.kakaku.com

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

source :　forbiddenplanet.co.uk

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

This is a print to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross distributed directly among the earthquake and tsunami affected Japanese population. All the funds received will be transferred by the Red Cross to the Distribution Committee which is formed around the local government of the disaster affected prefecture in Japan.

source : www.drymounted.com

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

big wave tsunami hokusai parodies paintings famous pinguino

source :　www.toonpool.com/cartoons

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . CLICK here for "Hokusai Tsunami" Photos !

. . . CLICK here for more Photos 　北斎　津波　!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Radiation Problems - INFO

2012-01-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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 .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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!)

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. BACK TO Diary 　

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

December 2011

2011-12-30T22:25:00.000-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

December 2011

- Niko Shodou -

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

. 「きらり！えん旅」 NHK Kirari Entabi .
- NHK Supporting Tohoku -

. . . . .

NHK WORLD will broadcast a series of special programs titled
'Documenting the Japan 3/11 Disaster'
from December 23rd to 31st.

Since March 11, the day of the earthquake and tsunami, NHK has been producing many programs on the disaster and its continuing after effects.
NHK WORLD will provide six documentaries to investigate the cause of the disaster, explore measures to survive one in the future, and portray the efforts and struggles of people trying to reconstruct their lives. Episodes will include a one-minute introduction at the beginning to further engage overseas viewers.
source : www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld

. in retrospect 2011 .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Containment vessels held: simulation test
The wrecked Fukushima No. 1 plant narrowly avoided a worst-case nuclear scenario as melted nuclear fuel from reactors 1, 2 and 3 was probably contained within the units' primary containment vessels, a Tepco computer simulation suggests.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111201a1.html

Disregard Tepco order, boss told plant workers
The outgoing head of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant instructed workers to disregard Tepco's order to stop injecting seawater into the crippled No. 1 reactor soon after the crisis erupted in March, government sources say.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111201a2.html

Fukushima seeks govt aid for rice inspections
Fukushima Prefecture has asked for government assistance to carry out emergency checks of rice for radioactive materials.
The prefecture's Vice Governor Yusaku Matsumoto visited Senior Agriculture Vice-Minister Nobutaka Tsutsui on Thursday to ask for the help.
Fukushima decided to check crops of 24,000, or more than one third, of its rice farmers a few days after rice recently harvested in the prefecture was found to be contaminated by radioactive cesium above the state limit.
The prefecture asked the government to lease devices to measure radiation, dispatch personnel to expedite inspections, and shoulder the cost of the checks.
Tsutsui said the government will do all it can to offer necessary support.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Friday, December 2, 2011

First radiation limit set for school meals
The government instructs the boards of education of 17 eastern and northeastern prefectures to set the upper limit on radioactive substance exposure for food and drink served in school meals at 40 becquerels per kilogram.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111202a1.html

TEPCO injects nitrogen into pressure vessels
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has started injecting nitrogen, an inert gas, into the pressure vessels of the crippled reactors to prevent another hydrogen explosion.
In late October, Tokyo Electric Power Company began extracting gases from the containment vessel of the No.2 reactor to remove radioactive substances. During the work, TEPCO found hydrogen accumulating in parts of the reactor at a density of up to 2.9 percent.
TEPCO started pumping nitrogen into the pressure vessels of the No.1, 2, 3 reactors on Thursday to lessen the concentration of hydrogen.
The density of hydrogen accumulating in the containment and pressure vessels is thought to be below 4 percent, the level where an explosion could occur.
TEPCO says the nitrogen injection will push out hydrogen and reduce its concentration.
Keeping hydrogen density low is an indispensible condition in the second step of the process decided upon by the government and TEPCO to resolve the nuclear accident. They are aiming to achieve a state of cold shutdown for the reactors by the end of the year.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency plans to assess how well TEPCO can manage hydrogen levels.

TEPCO: Cooling stoppage info was not shared
A miscommunication between workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant could have delayed a response to the accident on March 11th.
The operator says the plant's chief did not know for several hours that the only backup cooling system for the Number 1 reactor was manually shut down on the day of the earthquake and tsunami.
NHK has obtained Tokyo Electric Power Company's interim report on the accident to be released on Friday.
The report says workers in the reactor's control room stopped an emergency cooling system shortly after 6 PM. It says the plant chief, Masao Yoshida, and others in the facility's office building were unaware of the manual shut-down.
TEPCO says it was not until around midnight that the plant chief noticed the system was not working. A rise in the radiation levels at the reactor building alerted him to the possibility of damaged fuel rods.
The emergency system uses steam to cool down a reactor when there is no electricity supply. It was the only workable cooling system at the reactor after the plant lost its major power sources.
The report says the misunderstanding occurred because a malfunctioning gauge failed to show that the water level had dropped, exposing the fuel rods.
TEPCO estimates that damage to the exposed fuel rods occurred about 4 hours after the quake. It says this generated large amounts of hydrogen that caused the first explosion at the plant on the following day.

Expert urges more disclosure from TEPCO
Professor Hisashi Ninokata of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who is analyzing the accident, says the report explains more clearly how it progressed and puts forward measures to prevent similar incidents.
But he says the in-house probe by the utility had its limitations, as the report has no mention of why workers stopped the emergency cooling system at the No.1 reactor, an act that eventually led some fuel rods to meltdown.
He says officials in charge of the probe may have feared that providing details could force someone in the company to take responsibility.
He urges TEPCO to disclose more about the chain of command and communications at the plant, saying that such information is necessary to learn lessons from the accident and regain public trust in nuclear power.

TEPCO issues interim report on Fukushima accident
The Tokyo Electric Power Company has released an interim report on its in-house probe into the nuclear disaster at the firm's Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
But the report issued on Friday fails to clarify how or why a huge amount of radioactive materials leaked outside the facility. . . .

Proposal made for new "nuclear safety agency"
A panel of experts has proposed creating a third-party watchdog to monitor the performance of Japan's new nuclear safety agency to be launched next April.
The panel said in its report on Friday that the existing system is inadequate as it involves 2 different bodies both checking nuclear safety.
It said the system has come to function in name only, and failed to prevent the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The 2 regulatory bodies are the industry ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and the Nuclear Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office.
The panel proposed uniting the 2 bodies under the new nuclear safety agency. It also proposed creating a third-party commission to monitor and advise on the agency's regulatory performance.
The panel also called for a new legal framework to ensure the latest knowledge and technologies are duly reflected in nuclear plants and utilities.
The panel's chief said the new agency should be supervised by the third-party body of experts who can point out any shortcomings.
The new nuclear regulator is due to operate as an outside body of the Environment Ministry and not the industry ministry, which is in a position to promote nuclear power.
The government is to submit a bill to create the agency early next year.

Kawauchi Village mayor reports on Chernobyl visit
The mayor of a village near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has called on villagers to do their part to recover from radioactive contamination.
Mayor Yuko Endo of Kawauchi Village was speaking on Friday at a meeting to report on his recent visit to areas of former Soviet republics that were heavily contaminated in the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident.
Endo said that children in the areas affected by the Chernobyl accident are measuring radiation levels in food and that villagers are working on farms using a contamination map produced by the local administration.
The mayor said people he met had advised that residents of the affected areas should do whatever they can for themselves, no matter how seemingly trivial.
Endo called on the villagers to voluntarily do what they can, so they can return home as early as possible. ...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Saturday, December 3, 2011

. . . . . at 5.55
Earthquake M 5.2 South Chiba
Felt as 1 from Miyagi to Shizuoka.

Tepco study shows water for spent fuel was critically low
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111203a4.html

Saga reactor halt leaves nine still on
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111203a5.html

Exposure didn't sicken plant boss: doc
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111203a6.html

TEPCO pays $1.14 bil in compensation to farmers
Tokyo Electric Power Company said it has completed paying about 80 percent of the 1.4 billion dollars in compensation requested by farmers.
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says on Friday that the latest installment of compensation totaled about 502 million dollars, which was paid to agricultural group. The company so far has paid 1.1 billion dollars in compensation.
The company plans to make another payment by the end of this year to the farming and livestock industries which requested by November 15th.
Agricultural groups from 17 prefectures demanded 1.4 billion dollars in damages from TEPCO over losses incurred from the decline in the price of their products.
TEPCO said that of the remaining 287 million dollars, 96 million is likely to be paid by the year-end.
The company said requests concerning farm products excluded from government compensation guidelines could take more time for processing but that it wants to accelerate the procedure.
(One wonders how long JA keeps the money before distributing anything.)

Reactors nearing cold shutdown
Japan may announce this month that reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have reached a state of cold shutdown.
The government and Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the plant say the phase could be achieved on December 16th at the earliest. Before that, nuclear experts must first assess mid-term safety measures proposed by the utility.
The government will then divide evacuation areas around the plant into 3 zones based on radiation levels, and come up with support measures for each district.
For an area with high radiation levels where residents are unlikely to return soon, the government will consider buying land from owners.
In a zone where evacuation orders are expected to continue for a set period of time, the government will implement decontamination efforts and repair roads.
For an area with relatively-low radiation levels, focus will be on helping factories resume operation and setting up medical facilities. Decontamination and infrastructure projects will also be carried out.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Tepco: Staff at nuclear plant felt helpless
Tepco releases an interim report detailing the sense of desperation and helplessness workers at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant felt in the immediate aftermath of the March 11 disasters.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111204a1.html

Five million people - how to evacuate Tokyo
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20111204a1.html

Scientists study cesium-tainted soil in Fukushima
A team of scientists has conducted a study in Fukushima Prefecture after higher-than-permissible levels of radioactive cesium were detected in locally grown rice.
The team from the agriculture department of the University of Tokyo arrived in Date City on Saturday. So far, rice from farms in 4 surrounding districts has been found to contain levels of cesium above the government's safety limit.
The team interviewed farmers to find out about the irrigation systems and the lay of the land around rice paddies. It also collected straw samples from the paddies and surface and sub-surface soil samples.
The samples will be tested to find out where the concentration of cesium is highest.
The team will also conduct an experiment, using the soil samples to grow rice.
The head of the team, Professor Sho Shiozawa says he will try and clarify how rice absorbs cesium. He said he hopes his research will help contribute to cleaning the land ahead of next year's rice-planting.

SDF units to begin decontamination in Fukushima
Japan's Self-Defense Force units will begin work this week to decontaminate municipal offices around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Teams from the Ground SDF in Fukushima Prefecture will use water jets to clean walls and floors of government buildings, and remove radioactive sludge from ditches.
The teams are also expected to scrape surface soil and prune trees at any spots around the buildings where they find high radiation levels.
The operation will cover the offices of Naraha, Tomioka, Namie and Iitate all of which are designated evacuation areas with high radiation levels.
The GSDF plans to complet the decontamination work by around December 20th.
The 4 offices are expected to then serve as headquarters for full-fledged decontamination that the central government plans to launch next year.

Relief supplies given in Kesennuma
The authorities in Kesennuma City, northeastern Japan, have given out winter clothes and other household goods to people affected by the March disaster who are living outside public shelters.
The goods were given to people in 1,487 households on Sunday.
This was the first time that relief supplies were given to people who live in private apartments and houses.
At a public health center, one of the 3 distribution points set up for the day, people received bedding supplies, disposable heating pads, and other goods.
They also packed coats and sweaters donated by people around Japan into their bags.
A woman in her 60s said she found the goods useful as she lacked winter clothing. She added that there is a huge difference in the treatment given to people living in shelters and those who aren't.

Decontamination project shown to media
Reporters have been shown a model project to remove radioactive materials discharged from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in the evacuation zone around the facility.
Workers commissioned by the central government have spent the past week cleaning 4.5 hectares of land around the Okuma town hall. Before they started the task, they had been monitoring the radiation levels of the area since November 18th.
The workers used high-pressure water sprays to wash radioactive substances off the roof of the town hall. They also collected dead leaves and moss, which are believed to contain high concentrations of these materials.
They tested different water temperatures and lengths of shifts to find the most efficient process for removing the substances.
The used water was stored in tanks to conduct tests for recycling, as the local sewage system has not been restored yet.
The project succeeded in reducing radiation levels from about 20 microsieverts per hour to 6 microsieverts.
Masakazu Shima of the Cabinet Office nuclear crisis taskforce said he wants to sincerely apologize for the delay in starting the decontamination work. He said he wants to continue various experiments to find solutions for cases where radiation levels remain high. He added that he hopes the decontamination can help all the evacuees to return home as soon as possible.
The government will conduct similar projects in 11 cities and municipalities and begin a full-fledged operation early next year.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Monday, December 5, 2011

Nuclear cleanup effort under way in Okuma
A cleanup project aimed at decontaminating hot areas around the Fukushima nuclear plant with power sprayers is shown off in the deserted town of Okuma.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111205a1.html

Strontium-tainted water leak suspected
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says about 45 tons of strontium-tainted water may have leaked out of a water treatment device, with a portion of it spilling out of the facility.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says the water may contain high levels of radioactive strontium. Strontium causes internal radiation exposure.
The company is trying to determine whether the water reached the sea.
The utility said at about 11:30 am on Sunday a water leak was spotted in a device to remove salt from contaminated water from which radioactive material had already been removed.
It said the leak was stopped after the device was turned off, but at least 45 tons of water containing radioactive materials may have leaked out, with some portion possibly reaching a ditch outside the facility.
The level of radioactive cesium had been reduced to 45 becquerels per cubic centimeter after the treatment. But the water is believed to have contained 130,000 becquerels per cubic centimeter of radioactive strontium.
The ditch connects to the sea about 600 meters away. The power company is piling up sand bags in the ditch to prevent the water from flowing to the sea.
The water is used to cool down the reactors in the power plant and the utility says the leak does not pose any problems for the process.

Tohoku reconstruction bonds to be issued
The Japanese government will begin selling special bonds on Monday to raise funds to rebuild areas hit by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11th.
The bond issuance follows the passage in late November of the 3rd supplementary budget for the current fiscal year.
The bonds will be guaranteed by the government and sold by financial institutions across the country. ...

Guides seek TEPCO compensation for fallen revenue
A group of Japanese tour guides is demanding compensation from the Tokyo Electric Power Company. They say the Fukushima nuclear accident caused a sharp drop in the number of foreign tourists.
The fifteen tour guides from Tokyo and elsewhere have taken their case to the state-run dispute settlement center to ask for arbitration with the TEPCO. All of guides have an official license to offer tours in foreign languages.
The power company says it will compensate for cancellation of tours made by the end of May. This is based on guidelines provided by the state supervisory panel.
The licensed guides on Monday demanded over 360 thousand dollars in damages.
They are claiming the number of their foreign clients has not returned to usual levels even after June.
One claimant offering guided tours in French says his income has shrunk to nearly zero and he has used up all his savings. He's asking the utility to understand the difficulties the guides are facing.
TEPCO says it will examine the demand and consider how to solve their predicament.

Fukushima compiles radiation cleanup policy
Fukushima Prefecture has compiled a policy paper on how to clean radioactive materials farmland and forests, which occupy about 80 percent of the prefecture. Fukushima hosts the damaged nuclear power plant.
The prefectural government says the policy aims to ensure that eventually no radioactive cesium will be detected in any farm produce from the prefecture.
The policy says that to reach this goal, radiation-absorbing agents will be sprayed onto farmland, and the topsoil scraped off.
In orchards, tree bark will be removed and the trees then cleansed with water jet cleaners. The policy aims to cap annual radiation doses in forests at one millisievert.
The policy also says the government will try to reduce radioactivity in forests near residential areas by about half in two years. Fallen leaves will be removed on a regular basis from areas up to 20 meters inside the forests' perimeters.
Based on the policy, Fukushima Prefecture plans to help individual communities draw up their own decontamination plans.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Fukushima plant springs new water leak
Some 45 tons of highly radioactive water leak from desalination equipment at the flooded Fukushima power plant and it is unclear if any made it to the sea.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111206a1.html

Tepco starts new round of nuke claims
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20111206a1.html

Village selling 'thank-you' noodles

The Fukko brand of buckwheat noodles is pronounced the same way as "fukko," which means restoration, but the kanji mean "luck" and "happiness." This is to show gratitude to those who supported the village's recovery from the quake, which struck March 12.
福幸そば　fukko soba
About 20 percent of the rice paddies in the village were cracked by the quake, which prevented rice from being grown this year.
The farmers grew buckwheat instead to keep their fields cultivated and harvested the grain in October.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20111206a3.html

Comic anthologies offer visions of hope after 3/11

Artists and writers in Japan and around the world offer graphic accounts of March 11 for fundraising books
"Spirit of Hope," Tim Pilcher
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20111206zg.html

Video shows tsunami gushing from manhole
New video footage illustrating the force of Japan's March tsunami shows seawater spewing from a manhole in a coastal area.
The scene was shot in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, one of the worst-hit areas. A local resident took the footage from the rooftop of a building when the first tsunami wave struck the city center on March 11th.
The video shows water spouting from a flooded intersection, reaching as high as the second floor of a house.
City officials say they believe tsunami waves gushed into a sewer system, blowing off a manhole cover. They say a similar phenomenon likely affected at least 10 manholes in coastal areas of the city.
Torrential downpours are also known to blow off manhole covers as water floods sewage pipes and pressure rises. Two people died in the past after falling into flooded manholes that had lost their covers.
A new type of manhole designed to withstand high pressure has already been introduced in some places.

Meiji to replace cesium-tainted powdered milk
Major Japanese food company Meiji says it will replace about 400,000 cans of powdered milk for free, after samples of the product were found to contain radioactive cesium.
Meiji says 30.8 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram was found in powdered milk produced from March 14th to the 20th. The level is below the government safety limit of 200 becquerels per kilogram, but Meiji decided to replace all of the powdered milk it produced during the period.
The product was tested after consumers questioned its safety last month.
Meiji says all of its powdered skim milk used as a base for other powdered milk products was made before the March 11th disaster.
Some of it was made in Hokkaido in northern Japan, but a large part was imported from Australia and other areas of Oceania, and processed at a plant in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, after March 11th.
Meiji says it has yet to determine the cause of the contamination, but that it may have resulted from exposure to radioactive cesium from the Fukushima Daiichi plant when the processing facility was ventilated to dry the product.

Test to see safety of mountainside nuclear plants
Japanese engineers have carried out an experiment to check the safety of nuclear power plants located near mountain slopes.
The government-backed Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization has been testing the safety of the country's nuclear power plants, which are often built on narrow parts of coastal land carved from surrounding mountains.
In Tuesday's experiment at a research facility in Miki city, Hyogo Prefecture, engineers created a 3.8-meter-high slope using about 200 tons of rock and soil.
They then artificially made the slope shake on the same wave length as the 2007 earthquake off Niigata Prefecture, central Japan.
The organization says 9 nuclear plants, or more than half of all nuclear plants across Japan, are located near such mountain slopes.
It plans to draw up safety assessment guidelines for such slopes based on data from the experiment.
Organization official Katsumi Ebisawa says the experiment was a success in that they were able to obtain data needed to calculate possible damage and to analyze how much shaking triggers a landslide.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

TEPCO admits strontium leaked into Pacific Ocean
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said on Tuesday that about 150 liters of water containing radioactive strontium has been discharged into the sea. The leak occurred even though the operator took preventive measures after similar incidents in April and May.
Tokyo Electric Power Company discovered on Sunday that massive amounts of radioactive water had leaked from desalination equipment. The company detected beta-ray emitting radioactive substances, including strontium, from a gutter near the building that houses the device. The gutter drains into the Pacific Ocean.
The utility estimates that 26 billion becquerels of strontium and other radioactive substances were leaked. It added that the impact would be negligible even if marine products from the area were eaten every day as the substance will be diluted in the sea water. It has apologized to local residents and people across the country.
After the leaks in April and May, the company closed the underground tunnels near the ocean and installed sensors in the purifiers. But no measures were taken at the facility where the latest leak occurred.
TEPCO plans to find the cause of the leak and take preventive steps as soon as possible, while receiving advice from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

Lower House approves civil nuclear agreements
The Lower House of Japan's Diet has approved civil nuclear cooperation agreements with Jordan, Russia, Vietnam and South Korea.
The accords won majority support from the ruling Democrats and main opposition Liberal Democrats at a plenary session on Tuesday, and were sent to the Upper House for final Diet endorsement. The opposition New Komei, Communist and other parties opposed the deals. ...

Meiji to step up radiation monitoring
Japanese food company Meiji says it will step up radiation monitoring of its products and release data online.

The company came up with new measures following the detection of radioactive cesium in its baby formula.
Meiji said on Tuesday that up to 30.8 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram was found in powdered milk. The company produced the milk at a plant in Kasukabe, near Tokyo, immediately after the March nuclear accident in Fukushima.
The level is below the government safety limit of 200 becquerels per kilogram, but Meiji decided to replace free of charge all 400,000 cans of powdered milk shipped in September.
Meiji says the contamination may have resulted from exposure to radioactive cesium from the Fukushima nuclear plant when the processing facility was ventilated to dry the product.
The food company says that from now on, it will check samples of its products daily instead of the current about once a month, and will upload the results to its website.
The company also plans to monitor aerial radiation levels in the plant's compound and stop production when readings are high.

Fisheries trainees to help track floating debris
Japanese fishery high school students training at sea are to help track millions of tons of debris drifting the Pacific Ocean since the March 11th tsunami.
Japan's Environment Ministry plans to conduct simulations and analyze satellite photos to see which Pacific Rim countries could be affected by the up to 3 million tons of debris from Japan's northeastern coast. ...

Radioactive ash returned from Akita
Akita Prefecture in northern Japan has begun to return radioactive ash from the incineration of garbage to the prefecture the ash was sent from. The ash had been brought to Akita from 10 municipalities in 6 prefectures located near Tokyo.
Because of the opposition of residents living near the garbage incineration plants, the prefecture has decided to return the radioactive ash to the municipalities of origin. On Wednesday, about 18 tons of ash was sent from Akita to Saitama Prefecture.
In July, radioactive substances above the government's safety limit were detected in ash brought to Akita from two cities in Chiba Prefecture, raising concerns among residents near the incinerators.
There has been no place to store a total of 245 tons of ash with radiation levels below the government's safety limit. Akita Prefecture has begun to return the radioactive ash to the 10 municipalities of origin.
On Wednesday, about 18 tons of ash below the government's safety limit arrived in containers at a railway terminal in Saitama Prefecture, from Akita. The ash had been brought to 2 municipalities in Akita from Kazo City in Saitama.
Kazo City says it is still without a site to dispose of the returned ash. It plans to keep it at its 2 garbage incineration facilities until it decides where to dispose of it.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Cesium-laced baby formula sparks concern, but risk low
Mothers with young children and the overall dairy industry are quick to voice their fears after the news that cesium-tainted baby formula was sold in markets.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111208a1.html

Tepco eyes selling thermal plants to raise cash
Tepco may sell some of its thermal power plants and shelve plans to build new ones to cover the massive compensation payments arising from the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111208a2.html

Kansai Electric reactor shut down at Mihama
The operator of the Mihama nuclear power plant in western Japan says it has shut down one of 3 reactors because of an ongoing leak of radioactive water within the reactor.
Kansai Electric Power Company says work began on Wednesday night to manually shut down the number-2 reactor at Mihama in Fukui Prefecture. It was completed as of 4 AM on Thursday.
The utility says radioactive water has been leaking from a valve in the pressure vessel into the collection tank since early November. It says there is a risk that the water will exceed the processing capacity of the tank. ...
The suspension means that 46 of the country's 54 reactors, or 85 percent of them, are currently out of operation.

TEPCO plans to release radioactive water into sea
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it is considering releasing low-level radioactive water into the nearby sea. The Japanese fishery industry strongly opposes the plan.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, says that it is currently decontaminating radioactive water amassed in the basement of the reactor buildings at Fukushima Daiichi and then recycling it as coolant for the reactors. The surplus water is being stored in tanks at the site of the plant.
TEPCO says that the tanks, which have a capacity of 160-thousand tons of water, will be full up by March next year, because, in a separate development, groundwater of a maximum 500 tons per day is pouring into the basement of the buildings.
TEPCO says it plans to further reduce the level of radioactivity of the decontaminated water in Fukushima Daiichi to below the level at which government standards allow it to be discharged into the sea. The utility says it will consider releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean.
Chairman of a national association of fisheries cooperatives, Ikuhiro Hattori, met TEPCO President Toshio Nishizawa in Tokyo on Thursday and protested the plan. Hattori said consumers will stop buying fish after a discharge of radioactive water, even at levels below the government level.
In April, TEPCO was criticized by the domestic fishery industry and foreign countries for releasing about 10,000 tons of low-level radioactive water from the Fukushima plant into the sea.

Farmers plan Japan's largest hydroponic facility
Farmers in a coastal area hit by the tsunami in March will build Japan's largest facility for growing vegetables without soil.
During the disaster, one third of farmland or about 1800 hectares was ruined by seawater in Sendai region. A hydroponic facility using liquid nutrients and water will replace the salty soil.
Farmers and agriculture corporations in Sendai plan to set up a new company to build the facility. They say it will be larger than 20 hectares ...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Friday, December 9, 2011

Tepco may be nationalized to stay afloat
A plan is in the works to effectively nationalize Tepco to prevent the beleaguered utility from going bankrupt and to ensure that it covers massive compensation payments related to the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111209a1.html

Increasing treated water becomes another headache
Rising amounts of water which has low-levels of radioactivity is starting to be a burden for the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
The utility was considering releasing the water into the sea but it postponed the decision due to strong protests from the fishery industry.
The liquid builds up as the Fukushima Daiichi plant decontaminates and reuses water to cool the reactor.
Despite the reuse, the volume of treated water is expanding. Underground water has also penetrated into the facilities' basements, contaminating it.
The utility says storage tanks that have capacity of 160,000 tons will be full by March.
Tokyo Electric is planning to discharge the treated water into the sea after decontaminating it further to the level below the government limit.
But it failed to include the plan in its 3-year schedule of plant management that was submitted Thursday to the government nuclear safety agency.
This was because of strong opposition from a national association of fisheries cooperatives that fears consumers will stop buying fish.
The utility says it will listen to various opinions but must decide soon.

Ex-Fukushima plant chief has esophageal cancer
Tokyo Electric Power Company says the former head of the disaster-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. The company quotes his doctor as saying it is very unlikely that his disease was caused by radiation exposure.
Masao Yoshida had led the efforts to stabilize the plant after the severe accident triggered by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. The company relieved him from his post of plant chief on Thursday last week, one week after he was admitted to hospital.
On Monday last week, the firm announced his hospitalization but did not reveal his disease or how much radiation he had been exposed to while he was in charge of the operation to bring the plant under control. The company cited the 56-year-old former plant chief's need for privacy.
On Friday, Tokyo Electric announced that it had obtained Yoshida's consent to disclose that he has esophageal cancer.
It said he had been exposed to accumulated radiation doses of about 70 millisieverts. The upper limit for plant workers during any emergency is 100 millisieverts.
Quoting experts' views, the utility said it takes at least 5 years for people to develop this type of cancer and the chances are slim that Yoshida's disease is linked to his exposure to radioactive fallout from the nuclear accident.
Yoshida reportedly visited the Fukushima plant on Friday to explain his illness to the workers there.
(and if you smoke and have a lot of stress, cancer develops too!)

Fukushima residents' radiation exposure revealed
Health checkups show that some Fukushima residents were exposed to 15 millisieverts of radiation in the first 4 months after the nuclear disaster.
The government has set a target of one millisievert per year as a safe exposure level.
Fukushima Prefecture has been testing all 2 million residents following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March. The authorities announced the estimated external exposure levels of about 1,700 people living in 3 municipalities, including Namie Town and Iitate Village.
These areas were designated as evacuation zones after the accident.
The results show residents, excluding those working at the Daiichi plant, were exposed to a maximum of 15 millisieverts of radiation during the first 4 months after the accident. About 10 people were exposed to more than 10 millisieverts.
This is the first time such figures have been made public.
Radiation levels of over 1,100 people, or two-thirds of the residents in the 3 municipalities, were less than the annual permissible limit of one millisievert.
98 percent of those tested are estimated to have been exposed to less than 5 millisieverts.
Some residents working at the nuclear plant have been exposed to more than 30 millisieverts.

"Speaking dosimeter" debuts
A speaking radiation detector has been developed to help visually-impaired people avoid radioactive contamination.
A prototype of the "speaking dosimeter" was shown to the public in Fukushima City on Friday.
The device was jointly developed by an association for the visually-impaired in Fukushima Prefecture and a local company.
Push a button on the 12-by-5-centimeter device, and a woman's voice announces the amount of airborne radiation per hour. . . . .

Gov't to regularly check baby items for radiation
Japan's health ministry has decided to conduct quarterly checks of radiation levels of products intended for infants.
The ministry made the decision on Friday after radioactive cesium was detected in powdered milk processed by leading food company Meiji soon after the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Meiji said the level was below the government safety limit of 200 becquerels per kilogram, but decided to replace for free some 400,000 cans possibly containing radioactive cesium.
The ministry says the checks will cover baby food and formula chosen randomly from store shelves.
The ministry has already tested 63 kinds of baby food and 25 kinds of formula, but did not find cesium in any of them.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Snow in my valley and most parts of Japan -
the first real cold spell!

. . . . . at 4:43
Earthquake M 5.7 Hokkaido, Sea of Okhotsk

Tepco mulls 10% rate hike tied to '13 Niigata reactor restart
Tepco, which has allegedly been overcharging consumers for possibly a decade, wants to "temporarily" raise power rates 10 percent next fall and restart its Niigata reactors in spring 2013.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111210a1.html

Yen 2.3 billion for Tohoku diverted to whale hunt
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111210a4.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Sunday, December 11, 2011

. December 11, Remember March 11 .
until December 15

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Friday, December 16, 2011

IAEA not told of enriched nuclear waste
Japan failed to tell the International Atomic Energy Agency about surprise amounts of enriched plutonium and uranium it found in nuclear waste over the past year.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111216a1.html

Seismologists set off dynamite to probe volcano
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111216a8.html

Man-made quake triggered to check Sakurajima magma
Japanese seismologists have triggered an artificial earthquake using dynamite in an experiment to help predict major eruptions at Mount Sakurajima, an active volcano in southwestern Japan. ... The experiment was conducted on early Thursday morning when far fewer cars were on the road causing vibrations.

TEPCO won't release treated water to sea for now
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has decided for the time being not to release decontaminated water into the ocean.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO is decontaminating radioactive water amassed in the basements of the reactor buildings and then recycling it as coolant for the reactors.
But it is having difficulty dealing with the decontaminated water. Amounts are exceeding the initial estimates and underground water is also flowing into the basements. Currently, the firm is storing the treated water in tanks on the plant's premises.
TEPCO said on December 8th that it was considering discharging the treated water into the sea after further decontaminating it. However, it has postponed its decision after facing a protest from a national association of fisheries cooperatives. TEPCO disclosed its position in a 3-year management plan for its nuclear plants presented to the industry ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency on Thursday.
The firm says it will not release water into the sea until it implements 3 measures: blocking underground water from entering the basements, improving and stably operating decontaminating equipment, and increasing the number of storage tanks.
TEPCO says it will not release water into the ocean without approval from relevant government offices, including the fisheries ministry.
A TEPCO senior official says his firm will explain its efforts in detail to relevant organizations after taking the 3 steps. He says TEPCO will also properly brief the national fisheries association and local fishermen on its plan.

Noda to declare cold shutdown of reactors
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda will declare on Friday that the crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are in a state of cold shutdown.
The government and Tokyo Electric Power Company are working to bring the Fukushima plant under control according to a timetable they created. In October, they set the target of achieving the second phase of the timeframe within the year.
The government says the requirements have been met and it can declare the second phase is complete.
It says temperatures at the bottoms of reactor pressure vessels and the inside of the containment vessels basically stay under 100 degrees Celsius.
It also says the amounts of radioactive substances emitted from the plant have been curbed to the extent that radiation levels at the periphery of the plant remain below one millisievert per year.
At a nuclear disaster task force meeting scheduled for Friday, all Cabinet ministers will recognize that the second phase has been completed. Afterward, Prime Minister Noda plans to officially state that the damaged reactors are in a state of cold shutdown.
Now that the reactors are stable, the government plans to fully review the no-go zones and evacuation advisory areas set up after the nuclear accident.
Those evacuation areas still have locations where radiation levels are so high that residents will not be able to return home for an extended period.
Nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono plans to visit disaster-hit areas over this weekend to discuss with municipal leaders how to handle the evacuation zones.

Govt team sets radiation exposure limits
A government working group has proposed a radiation exposure limit of 10 millisieverts per year or less for areas contaminated by the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, to be achieved within 2 years.
The working group compiled a report on health effects of relatively low levels of radioactive contamination on Thursday. It is comprised of experts in radiology and other fields.
The report says there is no proof of a clear increase in health risks at the level of 20 millisieverts per year, the mark set by the government for evacuation.
The report proposes a target of 10 millisieverts per year for decontaminating evacuation zones within 2 years.
It says the target should be lowered to 5 millisieverts or less in the next stage and to one millisievert in the long run.
The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends one millisievert per year as the long-term annual limit for ordinary people.
The task force also urges continued decontamination efforts and control on food safety in areas with radioactive contamination levels below 20 millisieverts.
It also urges radioactivity levels in the air be lowered below one microsievert per hour before reopening schools in evacuation zones. It also calls for continued monitoring of children for internal radiation exposure.

Govt orders revised tsunami projections
Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission has asked power companies to come up with new measures protecting nuclear plants from large tsunami.
The commission on Friday agreed to revise existing government guidelines, which do not specify how utilities should respond to possible tsunami. At present, each utility adopts measures based on its own projections.
The new guidelines call on power companies to make new predictions based on records of past tsunami in Japan and abroad. The utilities are being asked to consider geographic similarities between nuclear plant sites and areas affected by tsunami.
The guidelines warn that tsunami higher than projections could occur. They urge plant operators to safeguard key facilities from floodwaters and prepare backup equipment to minimize the risk of radiation exposure to nearby residents.
The call for revisions comes after the March disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was hit by a tsunami more than double the operator's projection.
While the new guidelines ask utilities to prepare for higher-than-expected tsunami, the government has no established method to evaluate whether countermeasures are effective.
The commission intends to ask experts to devise evaluation methods.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Officials: Cold shutdown has been achieved
The government and Tepco announce the three crippled reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 plant are in cold shutdown, a potentially key milestone in ending the nuclear crisis, but many skeptics dismiss the declaration as political grandstanding and say they remain concerned.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111217a1.html

GSDF Fukushima city hall cleanups near end
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111217a4.html

Kansai Electric halts reactor for regular checks
The operator of a Japanese nuclear power plant has shut down another reactor for regular inspections. The suspension means that 87 percent of all nuclear reactors in Japan are now offline.
Kansai Electric Power Company halted the No.2 reactor at the Ohinuclear plant for a 4-month safety check on Friday. The plant, located in Fukui Prefecture, supplies electricity to western Japan. Seven reactors remain in operation in Japan, but all of them are to be suspended for maintenance by spring 2012.
Reactors cannot be restarted until operators submit the results of so-called "stress tests," which were introduced after the Fukushima nuclear accident.
But the restarts are unlikely to happen soon because the government needs time to screen the results of the checks. Many communities hosting the plants are also expected to withhold approval for restarting reactors because of safety concerns.

Hosono visits Fukushima Daiichi plant
Nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono has thanked 150 workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for their efforts during the 9 months since the accident.
Hosono visited the plant on Saturday, following the government's announcement that the reactors had been brought to a state of cold shutdown. ...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Hollow excuses from Tepco
Tokyo Electric Power Co. in early December made public an interim report by a study panel that it had appointed itself on the disaster that occurred at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The report details the unfolding of the disaster from the loss of all electric power sources to the meltdowns of the cores of three reactors.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20111218a1.html

New bell installed in hope of reconstruction
A new hanging bell has been installed in front of the central train station in disaster-hit Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, in hope of reconstruction.

A foundry in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, which is a well-known production district for bronze ware, made the bell at the request of a civic group in Kamaishi City.
"The Bell of Reconstruction of Kamaishi" arrived in the city on Friday. It was hung on Saturday from a monument which depicts hands at prayer.
The words "repose of souls", "remembrance", "reconstruction", and "hope" were engraved in calligraphy on the 79-centimeter high, 110-kilogram bronze bell to show feeling for the victims and the affected areas.
A soft, clear sound reverberated as the bell was struck as a trial.
Naoko Fukunari, who is a member of the civic group that requested the bell to be made, said the soft sound is exactly as she had imagined.
She said she wants everyone to strike the bell in a display of his or her feelings about reconstruction.
The bell will be open to the public on New Year's Eve, and available for anyone to strike.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Monday, December 19, 2011

N.Korea: Kim Jong Il is dead
North Korea's Central Broadcasting Station says the country's leader, Kim Jong Il, died on Saturday.
The station reported his death on Monday. He was 69.
That was a surprise news on NHK at lunchtime.
The rest of the news if full about North Korea.
Kim Jong Un profile

Kim Jong Un is the late Kim Jong Il's third son and his designated successor. He is believed to be in his 20s. ...
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20111219_21.html

Nuke plants face stricter regulations
Nine months after the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, Japan is ready to tighten laws and regulations to force atomic power plants to comply with the latest safety requirements.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111219a2.html

Lawmaker attitudes, Tohoku both in dire need of transformation
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20111219jp.html

90% of Japan's reactors to be out of service
Nearly 90 percent of Japan's nuclear reactors are expected to be offline soon.
This will happen when the No. 4 reactor at the Genkai nuclear power plant, the only operating reactor of the Kyushu Electric Power Company, is halted for a regular inspection later this month.
The Kansai Electric Power Company has halted 10 of its 11 reactors.
With the planned shutdown of the Genkai No. 4 reactor, 48 of Japan's 54 reactors will not be generating power.
Some of the idle reactors are now undergoing stress tests, a prerequisite for deciding whether to resume operation.
Others are waiting on a decision by the industry ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency which is reviewing test results.
All nuclear reactors in Japan which are currently operating are scheduled to undergo regular inspection by next spring, at the latest.
If the present stalemate continues, the country could see all 54 nuclear reactors shut down.

Contaminated water found in plant's tunnel
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says a large quantity of contaminated water was found in a tunnel below a building storing highly radioactive water. The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, is investigating how about 230 tons of water flowed into the tunnel.
TEPCO says a worker found the pool of water on Sunday. The water reportedly was about 50 centimeters to 3 meters deep throughout the 54-meter long tunnel.
The utility says the level of radiation at the surface of the water is 3 millisieverts per hour. It is just a fraction of the level of the highly radioactive water stored in the waste processing facility above.
TEPCO suspects that the radioactive water of the facility may have flowed into the tunnel and was diluted by groundwater. The utility says the tunnel is not connected to the sea.
The discovery raises questions about TEPCO's inspection and management capabilities because the firm failed to notice the water in the tunnel after the waste processing facility was completed in April.

Fukushima governor displeased at govt's decision
The governor of Fukushima Prefecture has expressed displeasure at the central government's declaration of a cold shutdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Yuhei Sato met 3 Cabinet members in Fukushima City on Sunday.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda declared on Friday that the crisis is now contained as all the reactors have successfully been brought to a state of cold shutdown.
Sato said Noda should have come to Fukushima to explain the government's decision.
He said the prefecture's residents doubt if the prime minister fully understands the situation.
Nuclear Crisis Minister Goshi Hosono said the prime minister made the announcement because the government believes that additional evacuations will no longer be necessary. ...

Kansai Electric Power calls for power saving
Kansai Electric Power Company has begun contacting households and firms in its service area in western Japan asking that they reduce power consumption by more than 10 percent from last winter.
The utility halted the No.2 reactor at the Ohi nuclear plant on Friday for safety checks. 10 of the company's 11 nuclear reactors are now offline.
On Monday, officials of the utility and the central government handed out flyers at an underground shopping mall in Osaka.
The company is asking users to reduce power consumption by more than 10 percent from 9 AM to 9 PM on weekdays from Monday through March 23rd.
Nearly 90 percent of the country's nuclear reactors are going offline this winter.

Teachers take disaster-response training program
Public school teachers in Japan are taking part in a 4-day course to help them better prepare for and respond to natural disasters.
About 120 teachers and administrators in northern and eastern Japan gathered on Monday at a training center in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. ...

IAEA offers help in decontaminating Fukushima
The International Atomic Energy Agency has offered to help Japan decontaminate areas near the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and dispose of melted nuclear fuel rods.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano made the offer on Monday when he met with Japan's nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono in Tokyo.
Hosono briefed Amano about Japan's announcement last week that the reactors were now in a state of cold shutdown. Hosono said he believes that the situation inside the power plant is under control.
But, Hosono said decommissioning the reactors would take another 3 to 4 decades, and damage outside the power plant remains serious. He asked the UN nuclear watchdog for assistance, saying Japan still faces many challenges. Amano said the IAEA welcomes Japan achieving its target ahead of schedule. He added the agency will help Japan in handling the decontamination work and the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and melted fuel rods at the power plant.
He also said countries around the world are hoping to learn from what Japan is going through.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

. . . . . at 15:26
Earthquake M 5, off Iwate coast

Kim's death puts region on alert
All eyes turn nervously toward North Korea after state media announce the death of the country's enigmatic leader, Kim Jong Il, at the age of 69.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111220a1.html

Fukushima probe to avoid assessing quake damage
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111220a6.html

Govt to designate nuclear clean-up areas
The Japanese government will pay for the decontamination of more than 100 municipalities in eastern Japan.
But the large scale plan is causing worries among some industries.
The Environment Ministry says it has decided to clean up 102 municipalities in 8 prefectures with a radiation level above one millisievert per year.
In Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture, cattle farmers say they are worried that consumers will avoid all beef produced in the designated areas.
Aizuwakamatsu City in Fukushima Prefecture is still debating whether to agree to the designation by the government. There is concern that the tourism industry will be hurt if the city is labeled as contaminated. Residents of areas with lower radiation readings say it is unfair that they cannot receive fund for decontamination work.

Year-end sweeping begins at historic sites
Year-end cleaning got under way at Japan's historic monuments on Tuesday, in an annual ritual ahead of the New Year.
In Kyoto, about 800 Buddhist priests and followers gathered to sweep at Nishi-Honganji temple. ...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

New nuke agency to have 500 staff, Yen50 billion budget: Hosono
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111221a9.html

Radiation impact on Fukushima kids to be monitored
The Japanese government will monitor the impact of radiation exposure on children born to mothers in Fukushima Prefecture.
The Environment Ministry said on Tuesday that the monitoring program will cover 25,000 children.
The program will look for any links between the radiation exposure of the mothers and congenital abnormalities, asthma, allergies or other diseases of their children.
The checks will continue until the children reach the age of 13.
The ministry decided to carry out the monitoring amid rising public concern about radioactive contamination from the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Fukushima Prefecture is already checking the health of all its residents and their radiation exposure.

Higher power rates, public funds mulled for TEPCO
The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company are considering plans to raise electricity rates and inject public funds into the utility.
TEPCO is facing financial difficulties amid uncertainty over the resumption of its nuclear reactors and increasing fuel costs for thermal power plants.
The utility will ask the government to approve an increase in electricity rates starting sometime in fiscal 2012.
The government is also considering a plan to inject about one trillion yen of public money, or nearly 13 billion dollars, into the company through a government-backed fund. Such a move would essentially place the utility under state control.
The government and TEPCO say the measures are designed to guarantee the payment of compensation related the nuclear accident at the company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The moves will also allow the utility to continue work to decommission the crippled reactors.
A change to TEPCO's management and the further streamlining of the utility's operations are also under consideration. The government and the utility are working to compile a comprehensive new business plan by the end of March.
The plan may face opposition from within the company due to a possible increase of government involvement in management.

Japan posts trade deficit for 2 months in row
Japan posted a trade deficit in November for a 2nd month in a row.
The Finance Ministry released the preliminary report on Wednesday. It says the trade balance posted a deficit of about 8.8 billion dollars. That's the largest negative balance on record for the month of November. ...

Japan credit agency downgrades Japanese govt bonds
A leading Japanese credit rating agency has downgraded Japanese government bonds for the first time. ...

Higher power rates, public funds mulled for TEPCO
The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company are considering plans to raise electricity rates and inject public funds into the utility.
TEPCO is facing financial difficulties amid uncertainty over the resumption of its nuclear reactors and increasing fuel costs for thermal power plants.
The utility will ask the government to approve an increase in electricity rates starting sometime in fiscal 2012.
The government is also considering a plan to inject about one trillion yen of public money, or nearly 13 billion dollars, into the company through a government-backed fund. Such a move would essentially place the utility under state control.
The government and TEPCO say the measures are designed to guarantee the payment of compensation related the nuclear accident at the company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The moves will also allow the utility to continue work to decommission the crippled reactors.
A change to TEPCO's management and the further streamlining of the utility's operations are also under consideration.
The government and the utility are working to compile a comprehensive new business plan by the end of March.
The plan may face opposition from within the company due to a possible increase of government involvement in management.

Construction of largest-output reactors postponed
Japan Atomic Power Company has decided to postpone construction of 2 new reactors at the Tsuruga nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan citing delays in safety screening procedures.
The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency had been reviewing quake safety plans for the plant's No.3 and No.4 reactors before the start of their construction, slated for March of next year.
The 2 reactors would be the largest Japan, with an output of 1.538 million kilowatts each. ...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Zoo in Kumamoto marks winter solstice
Animals at a zoo in Kumamoto City, southwestern Japan, spent winter solstice on Thursday in a traditionally Japanese way -- eating fruits and vegetables.
Zoo workers put about 160 yuzu citrus fruit in the pool of a 14-year-old female hippopotamus. The hippo, nicknamed Momoko, moved around the pool and opened her mouth wide to eat her favorite fruit. ...

Health ministry seeking stricter food-cesium rules
The health ministry is proposing much stricter regulations on radioactive cesium in food that would lower the current limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram to 100.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111222a1.html

Fukushima fuel removal deadline set at 10 years
Tepco revamps its start times for extracting the nuclear fuel at the stricken Fukushima plant to two years for the spent fuel rods and 10 years for the melted cores.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111222a2.html

Tons of tree bark pose new radiation hazard
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111222a4.html

Cooling system stopped without director's consent
A panel investigating the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says operators halted one of the reactors' emergency cooling systems without informing the plant director.
This suspension on March 13th allowed reactor No.3 to heat up for nearly 7 hours before it finally melted down causing a hydrogen explosion the following day.
The government panel says the operators stopped the cooling system in the early hours of March 13th. They tried to use fire pumps instead because they were afraid the system's batteries might lose power.
But the panel says the operators could not pump water into the reactor since there was no power to open the reactor's valves. Without it, they were unable to reduce the inside pressure and pump water in. By the time the operators gave up on the pumps and tried to switch to the cooling system again, it wouldn't restart. They finally managed to pump water into the reactor 7 hours later using car batteries to open the valves.
The panel says the director was only informed about the suspension more than one hour after it occurred.
Meanwhile, the panel says similar suspensions were made at the reactor No.1 without reporting to the director. The director believed the cooling system was still in operation.
In an interim report to be released on Monday, the panel will point out that a lack of communications between the on-site operators and the headquarters helped cause a delay in dealing with the accident.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Friday, December 23, 2011

Emperor Akihito turned 78 on Friday.
He released a statement, instead of holding a news conference, to express his feelings.
The Emperor was discharged from a hospital just last month after being admitted for a mild bronchial pneumonia.
The Emperor said he feels sorry for those who lost family members and people close to them in the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
Details:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20111223_03.html

Delivery of 951 School Cones to Kamaishi
On the 5th of December, we delivered 951 filled school cones to 9 elementary schools in Kamaishi. Kamaishi is in Iwate, which is one of the poorest regions in Japan and approximately 500 km North of Japan.
source : schoolconesforjapan.blogspot

Sato calls for wider nuke-crisis payments
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111223a4.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Saturday, December 24, 2011

. Ganbaranba がんばらんば .
Help for Tohoku !
Vincent Marx and "Free Hugs"

.................................................................................

Government evacuation order to come under fire
A government panel probing the Fukushima disaster is expected to state that the nuclear evacuation order issued after the crisis began was irrational.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111224a2.html

Snowstorm continues in northern Japan
Japanese weather forecasters are warning of gales and heavy snow in the north of the country.
A snowstorm is forecast to continue through Sunday. Hokkaido will have winds of up to 72 kilometers per hour. The Hokuriku and Chugoku regions will have winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour.
(BTW, we got the wind storm now, but no snow yet!)

東京スカイツリー / Tokyo Sky Tree lit up for holidays
People in Tokyo are braving the cold to see holiday illuminations on the world's tallest tower, the 634-meter Tokyo Sky Tree.
The tower is illuminated using 720 LEDs. It was lit up on Friday and will be lit up again on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

A lot of snow in the forecast for tonight !

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Sunday, December 25, 2011

3/11 tsunami killed 35% of students 'saved' by parents
More than a third of the students aged 15 and under who died or went missing in the March 11 quake and tsunami lost their lives after being picked up from school by their parents, according to a Kyodo News survey.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111225a8.html

Lady Gaga to perform NHK's New Year's Eve concert
The popular American singer and performer, Lady Gaga, has announced that she will perform live from New York on Japan's premier New Year's Eve television gala.

She helped raise donations for the disaster-hit areas by designing a "We Pray for Japan" bracelet. ...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Monday, December 26, 2011

10 cm of snow in my valley, the rest of Japan got even more!
And quite a few earthquakes of M 3 to M 4.4 along the coast.

Genkai reactor shuts down for regular checkup
The operator of the Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture says it has shut down its only operating reactor for a regular inspection.
Kyushu Electric Power Company says at around 4:30 PM on Sunday, it began work to curb nuclear fission in reactor number 4. The reactor came to a halt shortly after 1:00 AM on Monday for a nearly 4-month inspection.
The utility says all of its 6 reactors in Kyushu, southwestern Japan, are now out of operation. ....
... But there is still no indication if those reactors can be restarted because of growing criticism from local governments and residents.
Of the country's 54 reactors, 48 reactors, or nearly 90 percent, have now been shut down.

Govt loans help firms to secure energy resources
Japanese companies are winning the rights for overseas natural energy projects by using a government loan plan designed to help firms benefit from the strong yen.
... More companies are expected to take out the loans to buy natural energy resources overseas.

Heavy snow continues on the Japan Sea coast
A cold air mass is bringing heavy snow to the Japan Sea coast and over wide areas.
Over the past 24 hours, about 50 centimeters of snow has fallen in mountainous areas from the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido to western Japan. ...

Kyushu Electric calls for saving energy
Japan's government and Kyushu Electric Power Company have begun asking households and firms in the southwestern region to cut their energy use by at least 5 percent from a year ago.
Monday's request came hours after Kyushu Electric shut down its only operating nuclear reactor for a regular inspection. All 6 of the utility's reactors in Kyushu are now offline.
Kyushu Electric's president, Toshio Manabe, told reporters that power supplies may be tight if a cold spell hits the region. He called for customers' understanding and cooperation.
The austerity period runs from 8 AM to 9 PM on weekdays from December 26th to February 3rd, excluding the New Year holidays.

Haneda Airport evacuation plan
Japan's transport ministry has drawn up an evacuation plan for Haneda Airport in Tokyo to prepare for a major tsunami.
The plan aims to have travelers and workers evacuate from the international airport in Tokyo Bay to safer places within 10 minutes after a tsunami warning is issued. ...

Panel compiles interim report on nuclear accident
A panel looking into the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has severely criticized both the operator and the government for mishandling the accident.
The government panel released an interim report on Monday. Its investigations were based on interviews with about 450 people, including workers at the Tokyo Electric Power Company and government officials.
The report says that the utility itself predicted in 2008 that a tsunami larger than 10 meters high could hit the plant but that it failed to take preventive measures.
The report says that after the plant lost all its electricity following the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, workers mishandled the emergency cooling system at No 1 and 3 reactors.
The report says if fire trucks had been dispatched earlier to pump water into the reactors, there would have been less damage to the fuel rods, and smaller amounts of radioactive substances released into the air.
The report also describes the government's handling of the crisis as problematic.
It says lack of communication within the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo prevented the government from making use of the so-called SPEEDI system that predicts the spread of radioactive substances.
Data from SPEEDI wasn't used when the government issued evacuation orders to residents living near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
The report says the evacuation orders were not precise and failed to promptly reach the municipalities involved.
The panel intends to question Cabinet ministers and others to further learn how the government handled the crisis before it compiles a final report by next summer.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

. . . . . at 18:50
Earthquake M 5.4 Torishima, Izu islands 鳥島近海

State, Tepco slammed for crisis response !!!
Poor communication and information gathering on the government's part and a lack of training at complacent Tepco prevented the Fukushima crisis from being quickly contained, a disaster panel reports.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111227a1.html

New plants to clean Fukushima debris
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111227a4.html

. Junior lawmakers threaten to quit DPJ .

TEPCO to conduct endoscopy of Fukushima reactors
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it will use an industrial endoscope to study the inside of a damaged reactor at the Fukushima Nuclear power plant.
The utility says the 10-meter long and 8-millimeter wide device will be deployed from next month to measure temperatures and observe other conditions inside the containment vessel at the No.2 reactor.
The government announced on December 16th that all the reactors have been brought under control. But there is not much information on the inside of the containment vessels in the reactors.
The endoscopy will provide the first opportunity to see the inside of a containment vessel of one of the 3 reactors since nuclear fuel melted down in March.
At the bottom of the containment vessels, parts of the nuclear fuel are believed to be piled up after melting through the wall of the pressure vessels.
The firm will start drilling a hole in the northwest wall of the containment vessel at the No. 2 reactor next month so that the high-level radiation proof endoscope can be inserted through it.
TEPCO said it wants to study the extent to which existing technologies can be used for the decommissioning of the reactors before it develops new ones.

TEPCO asks for $9-bil. more for compensation
The operator of the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is seeking nearly 9 billion dollars in additional government funds to help it compensate people affected by the March disaster.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it needs more funding because a government panel has ruled that people who evacuated voluntarily should also be compensated.
The power firm says it also needs to pay compensation to households which will not be able to return home even after next April.
The government plans to study the request and the firm's cost-cutting efforts before it decides how much it will assist to finance the payments.
The utility is already set to receive 11.5 billion dollars in public funds from the Nuclear Damage Compensation Facilitation Corporation.
As of now, TEPCO has paid out more than 3 billion dollars in compensation to people who have evacuated. However, the firm is under criticism for its slow payouts.

Govt panel says M9.0 quake possible
A Japanese government panel says a huge earthquake of magnitude 9.0 could strike central to western Japan in future.
The panel of experts studying massive quakes and tsunami predicted near the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean released its interim report on Tuesday. The study group was set up following the magnitude 9.0 quake that hit northeastern Japan on March 11th.
The report says that if major quakes occur simultaneously along the trough, their focus zone will span over 750 kilometers. The total area would be about 110,000 square kilometers, or 1.8 times larger than earlier predictions.
The panel says the quake's magnitude would be up to 9.0, compared to the previous estimate of 8.7. This would make the quake's energy nearly 3 times greater than earlier predictions.
The panel also says tsunami could rise from the seabed near the Nankai Trough. The observation is based on a report that the March 11th tsunami was magnified near the Nippon trench, where bedrock slides.
The panel plans to publicize its estimates of the earthquake's intensities and the sizes of tsunami early next year. And it plans to begin work on predicting damage by autumn.
Considering the new estimates, the central and local governments are likely to revise their anti-quake and tsunami measures.

High radiation detected in male cedar flowers
Extremely high radiation levels of more than 250,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium have been detected in male flowers of cedar trees in the no-entry zone near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Japan's forestry agency collected male cedar flowers at 87 locations in Fukushima Prefecture from late November to early December to measure the levels of radioactive cesium.
The agency detected 253,000 becquerels of the radioactive substance per kilogram in the flowers collected at Omaru in the town of Namie, 11.3 kilometers from the plant. 29 locations saw levels exceed 10,000 becquerels.
The maximum amount of cedar pollen measured in the air when in season by the environment ministry was 2,207 grains per cubic meter.
The forestry agency says if people breathe this concentration for 4 months they would be exposed to 0.553 microsieverts of radiation.
The agency reports this is not a great health hazard as it is only about 10 times what a person would be exposed to from normal background radiation in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.

Fukushima tells TEPCO no more nuclear plants
The Fukushima governor has told the president of Tokyo Electric Power Company that the prefecture will request that all nuclear plants in Fukushima be decommissioned.
Governor Yuhei Sato met with TEPCO President Toshio Nishizawa in Fukushima on Tuesday. It was their first meeting since Nishizawa assumed the president's post in June.
Nishizawa said he visited the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Monday and instructed staff to ensure safety by keeping the reactors stable and preventing further release of radioactive substances.
He added that TEPCO is expediting its compensation payments.
Governor Sato explained the prefecture's intention to request all nuclear plants in Fukushima be shut down.
He said Fukushima hopes to build a society which doesn't rely on nuclear power. He added that many children have been forced to evacuate their homes and urged Nishizawa to think deeply about the current hardship of the Fukushima people.
Nishizawa had no comment on the decommissioning issue.

Govt panel says M9.0 quake possible
A Japanese government panel says a huge earthquake of magnitude 9.0 could strike central to western Japan in future.
The panel of experts studying massive quakes and tsunami predicted near the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean released its interim report on Tuesday. The study group was set up following the magnitude 9.0 quake that hit northeastern Japan on March 11th.
The report says that if major quakes occur simultaneously along the trough, their focus zone will span over 750 kilometers. The total area would be about 110,000 square kilometers, or 1.8 times larger than earlier predictions.
The panel says the quake's magnitude would be up to 9.0, compared to the previous estimate of 8.7. This would make the quake's energy nearly 3 times greater than earlier predictions.
The panel also says tsunami could rise from the seabed near the Nankai Trough. The observation is based on a report that the March 11th tsunami was magnified near the Nippon trench, where bedrock slides.
The panel plans to publicize its estimates of the earthquake's intensities and the sizes of tsunami early next year. And it plans to begin work on predicting damage by autumn.
Considering the new estimates, the central and local governments are likely to revise their anti-quake and tsunami measures.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

. Earthquake prediction .
Masashi Hayakawa 早川正士

Tepco is told to weigh temporary state control
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111228a6.html

Evacuation zones to undergo major changes in spring
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111228a7.html

Govt requests sites for waste soil storage
The government has officially requested permission to temporarily store radioactive waste soil in 8 municipalities around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Environment Minister Goshi Hosono on Wednesday met governor Yuhei Sato of Fukushima Prefecture and the mayors of 8 districts of Futaba County.
Hosono said Futaba County was chosen because areas exposed to over 100 millisieverts of radiation per year are concentrated there. He said this makes ordinary decontamination methods impractical.
Hosono said the government will buy up or borrow land on long-term leases to build temporary storage sites.
After the meeting, Governor Sato said it will be very painful for the people of Futaba County to accept the government request. He said the government should adopt great courtesy in explaining its plan to the relevant municipalities and residents.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Thursday, December 29, 2011

JTA ticket giveaway scrapped
The Japan Tourism Agency's plan to offer 10,000 free round-trip tickets to foreign bloggers is scuttled after the Finance Ministry rejects its Yen 1.18 billion funding request.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111229a4.html

Psychological ailments rise in quake-hit areas
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111229a5.html

Unprepared for what happened
A third-party panel set up by the government to investigate the accidents at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant issued Monday an interim report based on interviews with 456 people.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20111229a1.html

Fukushima plant's backup generator failed in 1991
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant failed to take preventive measures after a backup generator was inundated by a leaking pipe 20 years ago.
Former employees of the Tokyo Electric Power Company told NHK that the problem occurred in October 1991.
They said water leaked from a pipe and entered the basement of the Number 1 reactor's turbine building. This caused the failure of one of the two backup generators.
A former engineer at the Fukushima plant said he told his superiors that tsunami could damage the emergency generators in the basement, as the turbine buildings are close to the sea.
TEPCO installed doors to block water leaks in the rooms hosting the backup generators, but did not move them above ground to avoid tsunami damage.
The plant's reactor cooling system failed when the emergency generators in the basement were inundated by the March 11th tsunami. All power sources were lost.
Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission says it will revise the safety guidelines for designing nuclear plants and require the installation of additional power sources.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Friday, December 30 2011

DNA used to ID 2,383 in Tohoku
DNA analysis has been used to identify 2,383 quake and tsunami victims so far in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111230a3.html

Actor takes on tsunami survivor role
"Why? Why am I the only one left?" actor Yuki Matsuzaki cries as he plays the sole survivor of a family caught up in the events of March 11 on a stage in Los Angeles.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111230f2.html

Fishery catch badly affected by March disaster
The fishery catch through October in 3 Japanese prefectures affected by the March disaster was down 70 percent from the same period last year.
A survey compiled information from the 7 months between April and October. It was conducted by the Japan Fisheries Information Service Center, and commissioned by the government's Fisheries Agency.
The 3 prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima are close to one of the world's largest fishing grounds in the Pacific Ocean. But fishing ports in these prefectures were badly damaged by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The total catch landed by 8 major ports during the surveyed period was a little over 64,000 tons, down 70 percent from a year ago.
The catch in Iwate Prefecture was 50 percent of the same period last year.
The figures for Miyagi and Fukushima were 23 and 13 percent respectively.
Miyagi was hit hardest by the tsunami.
Fishermen in Fukushima Prefecture have voluntarily stopped fishing in waters nearby due to the nuclear power plant accident.

Disaster debris still remain in Tohoku
The Japanese government is struggling to remove millions of tons of debris from the country's northeast, more than 9 months after the March earthquake and tsunami.
The goal is to completely transfer 22 million tons of waste from disaster areas to temporary storage sites by the end of next March.
But environment ministry spokespeople say about 7 million tons, or one-third of the total debris, still needs to be hauled away.
They say the main reason for the delay is the time it takes to demolish damaged buildings. The government needs to get the approval of building owners and implement measures to prevent asbestos from scattering when it destroys the structures.
Spokespeople also say the ministry needs to build facilities with incinerators to burn up the debris that has been collected.
That work is progressing slowly because local governments are facing difficulties preparing the land where these facilities would be built.

Fish markets hold last auction of the year
Fish markets in northeastern Japan, devastated by the March earthquake and tsunami, held their last auctions of the year on Friday.
Fish hauled up early in the morning were auctioned at the Ofunato fish market in Iwate Prefecture.
The Ofunato market was shut down for 2 months after the disaster, as piers sank about 80 centimeters and offices were flooded. Refrigeration systems were also damaged.
The quantity of fish handled at the market this year was about half that of last year. The total value of Pacific saury -- the market's main product -- unloaded at the market remained at about 70 percent of last year.
In Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, people gathered at the last morning market of 2011 to buy ingredients for traditional New Year dishes.
Since the disaster, the market has been held at a facility about 2 kilometers inland from Kesennuma port as tsunamis washed away the former market. Although the number of shops is smaller than usual, about 30 shops opened o Friday to sell fresh tuna, vegetables, and traditional ornaments for the New Year.
A female customer said it will be a lonely New Year because of the disaster, but that she hopes next year's zodiac sign of dragon will bring good luck.
At Hachinohe port, Aomori Prefecture, similar auctions were also held. The port was severely damaged, but the amount of fish unloaded there recovered to last year's levels, due to reconstruction efforts.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Saturday, December 31 2011

Rice-pounding event to cheer Fukushima evacuees
People displaced by Japan's March disaster and ensuing nuclear crisis have enjoyed a year-end tradition in Fukushima Prefecture.
Volunteers held a rice-pounding event on Friday at a temporary housing complex in the city of Nihonmatsu. About 560 evacuees from Namie live there. Their town is located near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Evacuees and volunteers pounded glutinous rice using wooden mortars and mallets to the beating of drums and songs. They later enjoyed freshly made mochi cakes with sweet bean paste or in soup.
A woman from Namie said she was thankful for the gathering because it gave her the opportunity to talk with others. She said she spends much of her time indoors.
A volunteer leader said her group organized the event to cheer up the people of Namie, who still do not know when they will be able to return to their homes.

Preparations for New Year well under way
People in Japan are gearing up for New Year festivities.
A shrine in the rice-growing town of Takanezawa, in Tochigi Prefecture, central Japan, dedicated a 3-layer jumbo rice cake on Friday, in thanks for the passing year's bounty.
The round cake measures 90 centimeters high and weighs 500 kilograms. A forklift carried the lower 2 layers to the hall of worship, while 12 female shrine attendants put the third layer in place.
A citrus fruit measuring 20 centimeters in diameter crowned the traditional New Year decoration. ...

20% of disaster-hit farmland restored by spring
Japan's agriculture ministry says only 20 percent of the farmland devastated by the March 11th tsunami could be restored before the planting season next spring.
Some 20,500 hectares of rice paddies and fields in the northeastern prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima were damaged by sludge and salt carried in by the tsunami.
The ministry says that, by the spring of next year, removal of sludge and salt would be finished for about 4,300 hectares, or 20 percent of the damaged farmland.
The ministry plans to complete restoration of all farmland in the disaster-hit areas in about 3 more years, except for that in the no-entry zone around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
NHK's correspondent says in order to boost agriculture in these areas, the government needs to promote large-scale farming along with the restoration of farmland.
He says even before the disaster, farmers in the tsunami-hit areas were facing labor shortages and having to take steps to cope with future trade liberalization.
Large-scale farming, through forming groups and other methods, is believed to be the key to enhance profitability and international competitiveness.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

sources
. . Bulletins from NHK WORLD . .
. . Japan Times - JT . .

November 2011

Click for Tsunami images.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Haiku in English - Tsunami Special
Selected by Isamu Hashimoto

Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami off northeastern Japan on March 11, we received many haiku condolences and heart-warming words from haijin around the world. We thank you for these and are determined to resume our happy daily lives soon, just as people did after World War II, taking to heart the high-spirited slogan
"makete tamaru ka": We will never be defeated.

Earthquake in Japan-
its shock wave surrounded
the whole world

Vasile Moldovan (Bucharest, Romania)

MORE
source : mdn.mainichi.jp

赤馬まつり. 吉良の赤馬牧場
. Red Horse Festival for Tohoku .
The Kira Akauma Ranch launched a charity festival in May 2011.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Special Exhibition about the rising dragon and the sun
昇る！昇れ！！昇るとき－日輪と龍のメッセージ－
. Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

sanrikufukkou
Arbeitskreis Wiederaufbau Tohoku

Zusammen mit der Präfektur Iwate und der dortigen Präfektur-Universität planen wir im Sommer 2012 (und folgende) auf dem Campus in Miyako ein Symposium mit deutschen und japanischen Experten (aus Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und den betroffenen Gemeinden) mit angeschlossenem Sommerworkshop für deutsche und japanische Studenten.

Geplante Schwerpunkte

- Wiederherstellung der Infrastruktur
- Ökologische Stadtplanung
- Erneuerbare Energieversorgung
- Entwicklung neuer Wirtschaftskonzepte
- Aufarbeitung der Traumata

source : sanrikufukkou.wordpress.com

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

. Join in a Linked Verse 2011 .

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . Political Situation - INFO 03 July, August, September

2011-12-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

SPECIAL : The Political Situation

INFO 03 July, August, September, December 2011

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Since May 2011 and maybe even before that, the opposition is trying hard to oust prime minister Kan, even on his trip to Europe they kept going ...

Most of the population does not want a change of government right now, though.

This political infight at a time when unity and support for the people of Tohoku is needed most of all is quite sad to observe.

The main source of the bulletins is from
source : NHK world news .

Here I collect updates of the development.
Since this is going to take more time than I envisaged, it will come in more parts.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan 菅直人

May 2011 till Sunday, June 5, 2011
. The Political Situation - PART 1 .

June 2011
. The Political Situation - PART 2 .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Friday, July 01, 2011

Mr. Kan's thoughtless headhunting
Following the Reconstruction Design Council's submission last weekend of proposals for the reconstruction of areas affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent nuclear disaster, Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Monday appointed Mr. Goshi Hosono, one of his aides, as minister to deal with the nuclear crisis, and made disaster management minister Ryu Matsumoto minister in charge of the reconstruction, both posts newly created.
Mr. Kan also made a move that will most likely backfire. He appointed Liberal Democratic Party Upper House member Kazuyuki Hamada 浜田和幸 as internal affairs parliamentary secretary in charge of the reconstruction.
This action will harden the LDP's attitude and make Diet deliberations on measures for the reconstruction extremely difficult. It even alienated some Democratic Party of Japan leaders, including the DPJ's Diet affairs committee chief Jun Azumi.

Clearly Mr. Kan tried to headhunt 10 or more LDP Upper House members to enable the DPJ to control the Upper House but ended up recruiting only Mr. Hamada. He should be criticized for making such a reckless move without careful preparation.
Other DPJ leaders should also be criticized for their failure to stop him from taking such a step.

On Monday, Mr. Kan also made it clear that he will not resign until the Diet passes a bill to issue deficit-covering bonds to finance the initial fiscal 2011 budget, the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2011, and a feed-in-tariff system bill to make power companies purchase all the electricity generated through renewable energy sources.

This announcement will be taken as another attempt to prolong his political life. He had announced in early June that he would step down in the near future.
The announcement could lower his trustworthiness as a national leader, creating the impression that he is only interested in staying in power.

Apparently behind his announcement is the sly calculation that the more the opposition opposes the passage of the three bills, the longer he will remain as prime minister.
Mr. Kan should be ashamed for causing political confusion as well as his inconsistency over energy policy. While he pushes the feed-in-tariff bill, he has endorsed a move to restart nuclear power plants, except the Fukushima and Hamaoka facilities.
source : Japan Times

. . . . .

source : Japan Times
Kan's exit will spur reforms talk: Edano
Full discussions will commence on how to improve the social security system once Prime Minister Naoto Kan resigns, based on the latest reform plan that proposes raising the consumption tax in stages to 10 percent by the mid-2010s, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Friday.
Economy and fiscal policy minister Kaoru Yosano, a key player in efforts to improve the social security system, reported the plan to a Cabinet meeting Friday.
After the meeting, Edano told a news conference that the reform plan was not only crafted by Kan's Cabinet but by the government, noting it will remain valid even after the prime minister's resignation, the timing of which has not been decided.
...
Kan, criticized for his perceived lack of leadership, announced last month his intention to resign after passing bills to rebuild the devastated northeast in the current Diet session, which runs through the end of August.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Sengoku urges Kan to resign soon
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku on Saturday urged Prime Minister Naoto Kan to step down soon, saying a clean break is necessary.

"A leader who remains in his post after expressing his readiness to resign will end up having no authority," Sengoku told reporters in the city of Tokushima. "It would be better to avoid such a situation."
Kan has expressed his willingness to step down amid strong criticism from both opposition and ruling party lawmakers over his perceived lack of leadership in dealing with the aftermath of the March 11 disasters and the nuclear crisis.
However, the prime minister has indicated he will not resign until three key pieces of legislation are passed this Diet session, which runs through Aug. 31 — the second extra budget for fiscal 2011; a bill to let the government issue deficit-covering bonds; and a bill aimed at promoting the use of renewable energy sources. ...
source : Japan Times

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Monday, July 04, 2011

Monday, July 04, 2011 22:27 - NHK
Threatening letters sent to Kan and Ozawa
Police are investigating who was responsible for sending 2 letters demanding that Prime Minister Naoto Kan resign.
One of the letters was delivered to Kan's office on Friday. It was in an envelope that also contained an 8 centimeter long knife blade.
The letter said that if the prime minister didn't resign, Kan would be "punished by heaven".
Police say a similar envelope was delivered one day earlier to the office of former Democratic Party leader Ichiro Ozawa.
The envelope contained an awl and a letter saying that Kan must step down for the sake of Japan's reconstruction.
Police say both envelopes were believed to have been mailed from Osaka Prefecture.
They are treating the 2 letters as attempted blackmail by the same person, judging from the handwriting.
Both letters end with the name Sekihotai.
In the 1980s, a group calling itself Sekihotai claimed responsibility for a series of threats and attacks against the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Wednesday, July 06, 2011 11:58 - NHK
Kan under increasing pressure to resign
Prime Minister Naoto Kan is under growing pressure to step down following the resignation of his reconstruction minister.
Ryu Matsumoto quit his post on Tuesday, after coming under fire for making insensitive remarks to governors of regions hit hard by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
Kan says he intends to pull his Cabinet together and improve its handling of reconstruction measures.
On Wednesday at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting, the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito plan to make clear Kan's responsibility for appointing Matsumoto.
They say the prime minister's refusal to leave is hampering recovery efforts, and that they will demand he step down immediately.
Some senior officials of the main governing Democratic Party are openly criticizing Kan for his handling of Matsumoto's resignation.
Diet affairs chief Jun Azumi has warned that the Kan administration will collapse if it gives no consideration to party members overseeing Diet affairs.
DPJ supreme advisor Kozo Watanabe, who supported Kan at last year's party leadership election, also said Kan should resign as soon as possible.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Saturday, July 9, 2011

quote
Kan under fire from his own team
Cabinet gets apology for flip-flop on reactor restart
Prime Minister Naoto Kan apologized to his Cabinet on Friday morning over the confusion he caused by his sudden order that "stress tests" be conducted on all nuclear power plants in Japan.

During a closed meeting with Cabinet ministers, various participants expressed dissatisfaction with Kan, who is now intent on holding the safety tests before now-idled reactors are restarted.
The administration scrambled to unify its policy and is expected to announce new safety guidelines, including the stress tests, as early as possible.
"My instruction was inadequate and came too late, and I feel responsible for this. I would like to offer my apology," Kan was quoted as saying by national policy minister Koichiro Genba.
Public safety commission chairman Kansei Nakano urged Kan to come up with a coordinated safety policy.
"It is not good to continue giving off the impression that the Cabinet is inconsistent. I would like (Kan) to make efforts to unify" the government's policy, Kansei said.
Just last month, industry minister Banri Kaieda said the reactors undergoing regular checkups cleared the safety criteria and asked local governments to reactivate them amid strong national concern over the radiation-spewing Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
But under the prime minister's recent orders, Kaieda had to announce the government's plan to conduct the stress tests, triggering confusion and anger among local governments and residents living near nuclear plants.
... "I am very sorry for causing concern and inconvenience to the people, especially those in Saga's Genkai," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano. "It is my responsibility for the overall coordination of the Cabinet . . . and I need to explain the situation clearly as soon as possible."
source : Japan Times

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Monday, July 11, 2011

Monday, July 11, 2011 19:45 - NHK
Kan support rate falls to 16%
A recent NHK poll shows the support rate for Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Cabinet has dropped to 16 percent, the lowest since the Democratic Party took power 2 years ago.
Some 1,100 people responded to the survey, conducted last weekend.
The support rate for the Kan Cabinet fell by 9 percentage points from last month. The disapproval rate has risen 11 percentage points to 68 percent.
Forty-two percent of the respondents supporting the Kan Cabinet said it looks better than any other potential ruling bloc. Equally 42 percent of respondents not supporting the cabinet said it lacks the power to carry out policies.
Asked when Kan should step down as prime minister, 38 percent said he should do so immediately. Twenty-eight percent said they want him to step down by the end of August, when the current session of the Diet ends. Fourteen percent said between autumn and year-end, while 10 percent said next year or later.
Asked what should be done regarding the nation's nuclear power plants, 2 percent said more nuclear plants should be built. Twenty-five percent said they are in favor of the status-quo, while 42 percent said the number of plants should be reduced. Twenty-one percent said all nuclear power plants should be eliminated.
The approval rate for the Democratic Party stands at 13.6 percent, down nearly 7 percentage points from last month and the lowest since May 2007.
The approval rates for the other main political parties are as follows:
Liberal Democratic Party, 23.4 percent; New Komeito party, 3.4 percent; Your Party, 2.8 percent; Communist Party, 2.2 percent; Social Democratic Party, 1 percent; People's New Party, 0.1 percent. The rate of respondents not supporting any party was 46.2 percent, the highest since this type of poll began.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Survey: 70% of voters want Kan out by end of August
Seventy percent of voters want Prime Minister Naoto Kan to resign by the end of August while his Cabinet's approval rating slumped to 15 percent, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.
The approval rating is the lowest since the Democratic Party of Japan took power in 2009, dipping below even the 17 percent recorded during the final days of the administration of Yukio Hatoyama, Kan's predecessor.
The telephone survey, conducted July 9-10, received valid responses from 1,920, or 58 percent, of 3,312 voters chosen randomly across the nation. The survey excluded voters living in parts of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures that were heavily damaged by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake.
... Only 23 percent said Kan should remain in office until "September or later."
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201107120462.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

until today, see the daily reports for the news.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sunday, August 14, 2011 02:16 - NHK
Mabuchi: Grand coalition not easy
Japan's former land minister says it will not be easy to achieve the finance minister's goal of a grand coalition with the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party and its smaller ally the New Komeito.
Sumio Mabuchi spoke to reporters in the western city of Nara on Saturday. His comment came after his political rival, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, expressed his intention of seeking a grand coalition government if he is elected as the country's next leader.
Mabuchi is also expected to run as the next leader of the Democratic Party of Japan. The winner will automatically become the country's prime minister.
Mabuchi said the DPJ must consider every option for a future political framework, inclining a grand coalition with the 2 opposition parties.
But he said the DPJ must consider which option is more realistic, implying that the idea may not be easily achieved.
.
Grand coalition at issue for DPJ election
The upcoming presidential election of Japan's governing Democratic Party is likely to focus on whether to seek a grand coalition with opposition parties.
Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda and former land minister Sumio Mabuchi have expressed their intention to run in the election to succeed Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The name of agriculture minister Michihiko Kano is also being talked about.
On Saturday, Finance Minister Noda told reporters that he will seek a coalition with the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party and its smaller ally, New Komeito, to form a national salvation government.
Noda said a coalition will be needed to address many issues, including reconstruction from the March 11th disaster and ensuing nuclear accident.
Also on Saturday, former land minister Mabuchi told reporters that there's no need to deny opting for such a coalition and that he will keep all options open.
But he suggested he will adopt a realistic approach, taking into consideration the fact that the opposition Liberal Democrats are cautious about forming a coalition with the Democrats.
The members of the Democratic Party are divided over forming a grand coalition. Some say it is vital for smooth management of the divided Diet. Others say it is unacceptable because the party will have to dramatically review its election pledges.
Mabuchi also remarked on Noda's comment about a government-proposed temporary tax hike to finance reconstruction programs.
He said he doubts if the government can force the people to shoulder a huge increase in financial burdens as the economy could shrink following the March 11th disaster and the Fukushima accident.
He also warned that the finance minister should not consider the tax hike without careful consideration of timing.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thursday, August 18, 2011

DPJ presidential election to be held in late Aug. - NHK
The Secretary General of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, Katsuya Okada, has indicated that he wants the DPJ presidential election to take place sometime between August 28th and 30th.
The DPJ executives met on Wednesday. They agreed to leave the decision on when to hold the party's presidential election up to Okada and Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who doubles as DPJ President.
The winner of the vote will almost certainly become next prime minister after elected by the Diet.
During the meeting, Okada said the passage of a bill to promote renewable energy, one of the 3 conditions cited by Kan for his resignation, is likely to happen on August 26th.
Okada added he hopes the Diet will elect the next prime minister during the current session which ends on August 31st.
Another party executive said the upcoming presidential race should be held only after sufficient time has been taken by the party to prepare as the winner will become the next prime minister.
So far, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda and former land minister Sumio Mabuchi have announced their intentions to run in the election.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Candidate Kaieda eases on Ozawa
Trade minister Banri Kaieda announces his run for the DPJ presidency and prime minister, and hints he may lift the suspension on former party leader Ichiro Ozawa.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110820a1.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Monday, August 22, 2011

Reprieve for Ozawa won't fly: Okada
Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Katsuya Okada speaks out against lifting the ruling party's suspension of former leader Ichiro Ozawa.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110822a1.html

Cabinet polls at new record low of 15.8%
The support rate for Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Cabinet tumbles to 15.8 percent -- the lowest since the tough-talking lawmaker took office last year.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110822a2.html

Bureaucrats blame Kan for sapping their initiative
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/eo20110822a1.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Kan: Cabinet will resign next Tuesday - NHK
Prime Minister Naoto Kan says that his Cabinet will resign en masse next Tuesday following the Democratic Party's leadership election, if the Diet enacts a bill on renewable energy as expected on Friday.
The bill is the last one of 3 conditions cited by Kan for his resignation.
At an informal Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Kan said he wants his ministers to be prepared because things will proceed as planned if there are no special changes in the political situation.
Kan said sooner or later, his Cabinet will be succeeded by the next, and there will be more than clerical affairs to tend to.
He also said that vice ministers and parliamentary secretaries of each ministry should hand over their duties from the viewpoint of managing and overseeing their offices.
The prime minister instructed the ministers to be prepared so that outstanding problems and affairs are properly handed over.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Mr. Maehara enters DPJ race
Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara decided Tuesday evening to run for the Democratic Party of Japan presidential race to choose a successor to Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Mr. Maehara, sure to become a strong candidate, should present a clear future vision of Japan and a direction it will take because Japan is now steeped in a sense of helplessness.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110824a1.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thursday, August 25, 2011
9 candidates to vie for DPJ presidency - NHK
Campaign staff of candidates in the ruling Democratic Party's leadership election have gathered at a party meeting to learn about election procedures.
The campaign for party president will be announced on Saturday after the Diet passes 2 key bills on Friday.
On Thursday, staff of 9 candidates including former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda attended the meeting at party headquarters.
The chairman of the party's central election committee Issei Koga noted pending issues such as the March 11th disaster.
He said so he would like a proper election that revives the party and prevents the creation of a political vacuum.
398 party legislators with voting rights will cast their ballots for party president next Monday.
Separately, former Democratic Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told followers that they need not necessarily choose from among those named.
He said the new administration must greatly change Japan's handling of the nuclear accident, and urged them to find the most appropriate person to do so.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Friday, August 26, 2011

Kan announces stepping down as PM
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan says he is stepping down as ruling Democratic Party President on Friday. He will also resign as Prime Minister soon.
He made the announcement at a meeting of Democratic Party lawmakers on Friday.
Kan said at the meeting that he is stepping down now that 3 key bills have been enacted. Earlier in the day, a bill authorizing the government to issue deficit-covering bonds and another promoting renewable energy passed the Diet. The 3rd key bill, a supplementary budget for this fiscal year, has already been enacted.
Kan said he will also step down as Prime Minister and have his Cabinet resign en masse once his successor as party President is elected.
Kan said he's done everything he should have done and promised to keep working hard, both as a politician and a member of Japanese society. He wants to help Japan recover from the effects of the massive quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster and to end the country's dependence on nuclear energy.
He also expressed hope that the Democratic Party will enact reforms to win public trust, ensure free debate and unite to support policy decisions.
The Democratic Party decided to hold its Presidential election on Monday, with campaigning to begin on Saturday.

Saturday, August 27, 2011 07:51
5 candidates run for Democratic Party presidency
Five candidates are running for the presidency of Democratic Party of Japan to succeed Prime Minister Naoto Kan.
At a meeting of Democratic Party legislators on Friday, Kan announced he was stepping down following the passage of 3 key bills in the Diet.
The party will accept the candidates' official registrations on Saturday before holding an election to select the new leader on Monday. The winner is certain to become the next prime minister, as the party holds a majority in the House of Representatives.
Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara announced his candidacy on Tuesday. The others followed on Friday.
The 4 are Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda; Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano; former land and transport minister Sumio Mabuchi; and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda.
The 5 candidates are to hold a debate at the National Press Club in Tokyo on Saturday.
Public opinion polls show Maehara in the lead. But Kaieda is backed by former Democratic Party leader Ichiro Ozawa, who heads the party's largest faction, and by former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Kaieda belongs to Hatoyama's faction.
Maehara has defended the party's decision to suspend Ozawa over a political funding scandal.
Noda is seeking support from all factions by emphasizing the need for fiscal reconstruction.
Kano is calling for the party to unite by putting an end to the rivalry between supporters and opponents of Ozawa.
Monday's vote will involve balloting by 398 Diet members belonging to the party. The party has suspended the membership of 9 other legislators.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Kan bows out, says he did best he could
Prime Minister Naoto Kan officially announces he will resign after 15 turbulent months in office during which the nation experienced its greatest postwar disaster and one of the world's worst nuclear crises.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110827a1.html

Ozawa looks to back Kaieda out of field of five
Democratic Party of Japan kingpin Ichiro Ozawa plans to back industry minister Banri Kaieda out of the five candidates who have announced they will run in the party's presidential election.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110827a2.html

Five face off over policies ahead of poll
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110828a1.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Monday, August 29, 2011

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . result of the election

. Noda Yoshihiko　野田佳彦 .

Monday, August 29, 2011 17:16
Noda elected new DPJ president
Japan's main governing party, the Democratic Party, has elected Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as its new leader.
He is almost certain to become the next prime minister.
The Democratic Party held a leadership election on Monday with 5 candidates running for the top post.
None of them won a majority in the first round. Economy minister Banri Kaieda and Noda advanced to a runoff.
Of the 395 votes from lawmakers, Noda secured 215 while Kaieda garnered 177.
Following his victory, Noda said he will bear the responsibility of leading the party, and he asked the lawmakers for support.
He also said he feels bonds with the other candidates and wants to leave their election fight behind. He added that he is deeply attached to his party and expressed his resolve to unite its members.
Noda will succeed Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who has expressed his intention to step down as the leader of the party and the head of the government.
The cabinet is expected to resign en masse in the next couple of days and the Diet will elect a new prime minister.
Noda, who is also the Finance Minister, held a news conference on Monday shortly after he won the Party leadership election.
He said he wants to speed up reconstruction efforts in areas hit by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. He added that he will listen to various opinions and wants to visit disaster-hit areas soon.
On a possible tax increase to finance reconstruction projects, Noda said he wants to wait for the government tax panel to present multiple options to the new party leadership.
He ruled out the possibility of calling a snap general election. He said Japan cannot afford a political Vacuum and people should work together to help reconstruct northeastern Japan.

Monday, August 29, 2011 20:07 - NHK
Ozawa cautious about cooperation with Noda
Former Democratic Party leader Ichiro Ozawa says he will wait and see before deciding whether to cooperate with newly elected party leader Yoshihiko Noda.
Ozawa was speaking at a meeting of about 100 in-group lawmakers, following Monday's party presidential election.
Ozawa said he hopes Noda will be successful as prime minister and that he wants to support him but that depends on who Noda appoints as party executives.
He said that he will have to find out whether the party unity that Noda is calling for are just words.
The lawmakers who attended the group meeting on Monday included former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama and economy minister Banri Kaieda, who was supported by the Ozawa group in the election but finished second.

Monday, August 29, 2011 19:04
Fukushima evacuees' response to Noda
Residents of Iitate Village near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have asked newly elected Democratic Party head Yoshihiko Noda to step up the rebuilding of their community.
Almost all of the villagers had to evacuate after the accident at the nuclear plant.
A 43-year-old woman who fled to Fukushima city says she doesn't want Noda to forget his responsibility of restoring the lives of the evacuees. She said she wants him to visit Fukushima to learn what the people there truly need, and to work to pave the way for reconstruction.
A 56-year-old woman said she wants the new government to decontaminate her village so she can return home. But she said she has little hope the new leadership will make a difference, as Japan's prime ministers change all the time.

Monday, August 29, 2011 19:04
Overseas reaction on Noda
The US government will likely keep a close watch on Yoshihiko Noda to determine his political skills.
A US State Department official has told NHK that the United States will continue to work with the new prime minister to tackle a wide range of issues, include helping the restoration process in regions devastated by the March disaster.
The fierce tug of war involving the ruling and opposition parties over Kan's resignation in recent months has prompted concern among US officials that Japanese politics may be becoming dysfunctional.
The White House is scheduling brief talks between US President Barack Obama and Noda when he visits New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting in late September.
In China, state-run Central Television provided live coverage of Monday's leadership election. The broadcaster called Noda "a dark horse," as he is less known in China than some of the other contenders.
The online version of the Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily, says Noda is conservative and takes a hard-line position towards China. It cites his remarks regarding Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo that honors Japan's top war criminals and the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea claimed by China.
An NHK correspondent says China will closely monitor Noda's foreign policy, as bilateral relations have become strained over the islands and other issues.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that Noda's past remarks and actions have raise concern that the biggest dispute between Japan and South Korea --- over territorial rights in the Sea of Japan --- may escalate.
But Yonhap also quoted a South Korean government official as expressing hope that Noda will recognize the importance of ties between the 2 countries.
Russia's state-run television has reported that newly elected Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda will face a tougher task as prime minister.
It says Noda will have to shoulder a heavy burden, including addressing the ongoing nuclear reactor accidents, ballooning government debt and a deteriorating economy.
Referring to Noda as the sixth prime minister in the past five years, the Russian TV station said Japan's political scene will remain unstable because there are few politicians who can control all the factions.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 12:21
Kan issues statement upon resignation
Kan issued a statement when he resigned on Tuesday, expressing hope for Japan's revival under his successor.
The statement said Kan's government had compiled an integrated plan to reform taxes and social security, and that he hopes the ruling and opposition parties will debate and press ahead with the reforms.
Kan also apologized that his cabinet could not respond satisfactorily to the March 11th disaster and nuclear accident. He said he and his ministers gave their very best and worked in all sincerity, but it is up to future generations to judge their performance.
Kan said he earnestly hopes that Japan will revive powerfully under the incoming cabinet.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 14:22
Noda elected PM by both houses of Diet
The new leader of the main governing Democratic Party, Yoshihiko Noda, has been elected Japan's 95th Prime Minister in both houses of the Diet.
The Lower and Upper Houses of the Diet voted to elect Noda on Tuesday afternoon. Noda was chosen as the new DPJ leader on Monday.
He succeeds Naoto Kan, who resigned earlier in the day.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 16:42
Okada calls on Noda to serve for at least 2 years
A top official of Japan's governing Democratic Party says he is sorry to see the 3rd prime minister since his party came to power 2 years ago.
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada told NHK on Tuesday that a 4-year term in the lower house of the Diet should be served under one national leader. He called on the new prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, to stay in office for the remaining 2 years.
Okada said his party should respect its agreement with the opposition Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, and consult with coalition partner People's New Party on various issues to obtain their cooperation in running the Diet.
He called on the parties to govern the country for the people, instead of indulging in party politics, and to cooperate in doing what is needed for Japan.
He also urged DPJ members to put past differences aside and unite under the chosen leader.

Auto association wants Noda to correct yen rise
The chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association says he wants the incoming prime minister to exercise strong leadership in reviving Japan's economy and stabilizing the lives of the country's people.

Noda appoints Koshiishi as DPJ Secretary General
Newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has offered a key post in his governing Democratic Party to a person close to the party's heavyweight, Ichiro Ozawa, in an effort to unite the divided party.
... Koshiishi is known for his close cooperation with former party leader Ozawa and former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 23:20
Noda says he will seek party approval for policies
Newly elected Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says his government will seek approval from the policy chief of the governing Democratic Party before making important decisions.
Noda told reporters on Tuesday that he agreed on the principle with the new Chairman of the party's Policy Research Committee, Seiji Maehara.
The move is apparently designed to reflect criticism over a series of surprise announcements of important policies made by his predecessor, Naoto Kan, without the prior consensus of the ruling party. Kan often caused confusion as to whether his sudden remarks were his own or those of the ruling party. Referring to the nomination of Azuma Koshiishi as the party secretary general, the prime minister said he believes Koshiishi can assert leadership to unite party members of both houses of the Diet.
Noda added that he believes his nomination of new party executives will bring about party unity and will benefit the public.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011 18:38 - NHK
DPJ lawmakers endorse new leadership
Lawmakers of Japan's governing Democratic Party have approved their new leadership under new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.
At a meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, Noda said the party needs leaders who will allow each member to exert their full potential. He added that he selected personnel for the posts based on their ability to win consensus and handle issues in a strategic way.
The lawmakers then endorsed the appointment of the party's Upper House leader, Azuma Koshiishi, as Secretary General; former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara as chairperson of the Policy Research Committee; and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano as head of the Diet Affairs Committee.
Koshiishi vowed to do his best to meet expectations that the party should be united.
Maehara said he wants to listen carefully to the opinions of all party lawmakers in policy discussions.

. . . .. Japan Times . . . . .

Noda takes over, starts key selections
Yoshihiko Noda becomes the nation's 62nd prime minister and faces the task of leading the recovery from the March disaster.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110831a1.html

Public looks to Noda to provide stability
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110831a4.html

Noda a grappler, wears many hats !!!
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110831f1.html

Days of Ozawa's influence seen dwindling
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110831a5.html

Leading a nation in crisis
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110831a1.html

. . . .. Japan Times . . . September 01 ..

Noda's key first task: filling Edano's shoes
One of Prime Minister-elect Yoshihiko Noda's main tasks will be picking a right-hand man to fill the shoes of departing Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110901a1.html

Noda hoping to hold talks with Obama soon
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110901a6.html

Noda taps Osamu Fujimura 藤村修 to be right-hand man
Newly appointed executives of the Democratic Party of Japan promise the leading opposition parties that they will uphold agreements to give up or scale back some of the key pledges the DPJ made before taking power, including the monthly child allowances.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110902a1.html

quote
Noda, likening himself to loach fish,
says charisma isn't everything
Japan’s next prime minister admits he is no Mr Charisma—Yoshihiko Noda likens himself to a marine bottom-feeder rather than a glittering goldfish. But that, he says, is his appeal.
source : www.japantoday.com
dojoo　鰌　is not such a bad image in Japan.

. WKD : Loach (dojoo 泥鰌)

Friday, September 02, 2011 11:41
Noda Cabinet lineup announced
The Cabinet lineup of Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has been announced.
Osamu Fujimura, Noda's close aide and the new Chief Cabinet Secretary, read out a list of the new ministers on Friday morning.
National Policy Minister Koichiro Gemba will become the foreign minister, and the ruling Democratic Party's former Diet affairs chief, Jun Azumi, the finance minister.
Post-disaster reconstruction minister Tatsuo Hirano and nuclear crisis minister Goshi Hosono will retain their posts. Hosono will also serve as the environment minister.
Vice health and welfare minister Yoko Komiyama will become the health and welfare minister. Agriculture minister Michihiko Kano will retain his post. The Democratic Party's former Diet affairs chief, Yoshio Hachiro, will serve as the trade and industry minister.
Upper House member Yasuo Ichikawa has been appointed defense minister, and Democratic Party Vice President Kenji Yamaoka is the new minister for the abduction issue. Upper House member Renho will be the minister in charge of government revitalization and civil service reform.
Shozaburo Jimi from the junior coalition People's New Party will retain his position of postal reform and financial services minister.
The Cabinet will get its official start after Noda and the ministers are sworn in by the Emperor at the Imperial Palace later on Friday.

Will this new cabinet end the political crisis and bring faster reconstruction to Tohoku?

Friday, September 02, 2011 16:08 -NHK
Opposition criticizes Noda Cabinet lineup
Opposition parties are critical of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Cabinet lineup.
Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Tadamori Oshima said Noda chose the lineup with an inward-looking mindset for the sole purpose of balancing the powers of party factions.
He said the Liberal Democrats have no interest in forming a "grand coalition" with such a weak cabinet.
Oshima also said that Noda, who was the finance minister in the previous cabinet, must have a consumption tax increase on his mind. He said that if this is the case, Noda should seek a public mandate by putting the tax increase at the center of the policy platform of the governing Democratic Party.
The leader of the opposition New Komeito party, Natsuo Yamaguchi, said Noda's cabinet gives the impression of party unity, but is actually an assortment of conflicting players put together rather forcibly.
Yamaguchi said the cabinet does appear to be steady, but he's not sure that it will be able to take quick and appropriate action.
He said his party will closely watch the Noda administration to see if it can tackle key domestic and diplomatic challenges in a satisfactory manner.

Friday, September 02, 2011 18:07 - NHK
Fukushima residents want new cabinet to work hard
People in Fukushima Prefecture, site of the ongoing nuclear plant accident, have expressed hope that Japan's new cabinet will be aware of their needs.
The mayor of Futaba Town, located within the 20-kilometer no-entry zone around the crippled plant, said he wants the cabinet to first deal with compensation for people affected by the accident.
Speaking in Saitama, the prefecture north of Tokyo where the town's office has been relocated, Katsutaka Idogawa urged the cabinet to do its best for an early recovery of Fukushima and the rest of Japan.
In Fukushima City, the prefectural capital, a man in his 40s welcomed the reappointment of Goshi Hosono as minister in charge of the nuclear crisis. The man said he can expect continuity in tackling a difficult issue.
A woman in her 20s said she wants the new ministers to see the disaster area with their own eyes and respond to local needs.
Residents being forced to live in temporary housing said they want the government to quickly contain the accident so that they can return to their homes.

Friday, September 02, 2011 20:09
Noda vows to speed up reconstruction efforts
Japan's new Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, says he will speed up recovery from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami and work to contain the nuclear accident in Fukushima as his top priorities.
Speaking to reporters after he launched his Cabinet on Friday, Noda also pledged to rebuild the economy and tackle Japan's fiscal crisis.
Noda said restoration and reconstruction following the disasters remain top priority. He said the previous Cabinet did its best in the effort but that it was accused of not doing enough to build temporary housing, clean up debris and support survivors. He said his Cabinet's biggest mission will be to speed up restoration and reconstruction.
Noda also referred to the contamination of wide areas by nuclear fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. He said the government will lead the decontamination effort beyond the barriers of government ministries and agencies. He said the government will do all it can to ensure the safety of pregnant women and children. He said there will be no revival of Japan without the revival of Fukushima.
The new Prime Minister said he will rebuild the economy, despite the limitation of energy supplies, by preventing the historic rise of the yen against the dollar from causing a hollowing out of Japan's industry.
He said he will tackle the fiscal crisis Japan already faced before the March 11th disasters and take every possible measure to avoid a credit crisis. While stressing the urgent need to restore fiscal health, Noda said he is not a fiscal fundamentalist and that he wants to take a realistic approach.
He promised to strike a balance between economic growth and fiscal reconstruction.
Noda said the government will promote administrative reforms to achieve a thorough cut in wasteful spending.
He also said he must execute the previous government's plans to double the consumption tax rate from the current 5 percent by the mid 2010s to fund ballooning social security costs.

Business leaders express hope for new Cabinet
Leaders of Japan's major business organizations have responded favorably to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's new cabinet.
The chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, Yasuchika Hasegawa, welcomed the lineup, saying it was created out of consideration for unity within the ruling Democratic Party and steady implementation of policies.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Defense chief calls himself an amateur
New Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa called himself an "amateur" regarding security issues, but excused his lack of expertise by saying that's what the concept of civilian control of the military is all about.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110904a3.html

Noda Cabinet support rate at 63%
The initial support rate for the Cabinet of new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda stands at 62.8 percent, a poll showed Saturday, suggesting the public is optimistic the fresh administration will reunite the Democratic Party of Japan.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110904a2.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Saturday, September 10, 201
Hachiro resigns

Japan's Economy, Trade, and Industry Minister has tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. The Prime Minister accepted it.
Yoshio Hachiro 鉢呂吉雄 abruptly resigned after making an inappropriate remark about radiation on Thursday.
Following a visit to the areas around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Hachiro joked to reporters that he had been infected with radioactivity.
He also described the area as a ghost town.
He later apologized saying he had used a wrong expression that could cause misunderstanding.
The Noda Cabinet was inaugurated only 8 days ago, on September 2nd.
Tatsuo Hirano, a ruling Democratic Party member and the minister in charge of the reconstruction in northeastern Japan, told reporters that the resignation is regrettable as the Noda Cabinet has just begun to engage in rebuilding the area and dealing with the Fukushima accident.
Asked about the Prime Minister's responsibility for Hachiro's appointment, he said there may be such an assertion but the Cabinet must concentrate on resolving existing problems.
The vice president of the largest opposition Liberal Democratic Party, Tadamori Oshima, told NHK that the Prime Minister needs to take responsibility for the appointment and that his party will demand an explanation from the ruling party in the Diet's Budget Committee.
He also said the problem occurred because the Prime Minister had failed to appoint the proper person for the position. He said such an appointment based on the DPJ's internal factions is, and will be, doomed to fail.
He added that the people have lost trust in the Cabinet and its efforts to resolve the Fukushima crisis.

Monday, September 12, 2011
Noda picks Edano as new trade minister
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda picked former chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano as the country's new Economy, Trade and Industry Minister on Monday.
On Saturday, the trade minister, Yoshio Hachiro, resigned from his post for making inappropriate remarks about radiation contamination in Fukushima Prefecture. This came only 8 days after Noda launched his Cabinet.
... While serving as Chief Cabinet Secretary since January, Edano led the government's efforts to cope with the Fukushima nuclear accident.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Monday, October 03, 2011
Kan resumes pilgrimage in Shikoku
Former prime minister Naoto Kan has resumed his pilgrimage to 88 Buddhist temples on the southwestern island of Shikoku.
Kan had visited 53 of the 88 temples on the circuit before becoming prime minster in June 2010.
About one month after stepping down as the nation's leader, he restarted the pilgrimage that he began in 2004. On Monday, wearing a white pilgrim costume and a straw hat, he visited the 56th spot on the traditional route, Taisanji temple in Imabari City, and other temples.

He was seen chatting with local residents and posing for photos with other pilgrims after reciting sutras at the temple.
Kan told reporters that he finally has an opportunity to complete the pilgrimage, and that he prayed for recovery from the nuclear crisis caused by the March disaster.
He said he will stay in Shikoku until Sunday to continue on the joiurney.
The 88 Temple Pilgrimage is a 1,200 kilometer-long religious trek around the island of Shikoku. The temples are associated with an eighth century Buddhist monk and scholar, Kukai, better known as Kobo Daishi.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20111005a4.html

. Shikokul Henro - my Information .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Junior lawmakers threaten to quit DPJ
Three junior lawmakers are set to quit Japan's main governing Democratic Party to protest the government's plan to raise the nation's consumption tax.
The 3 Lower House members met on Monday night with former Democrat Kenko Matsuki, who deserted the party early this year.
They assert that the planned tax increase would violate an election pledge the party made 2 years ago when it came into power.
The 3 lawmakers are planning to tender their resignations as early as Wednesday, with an eye to forming a new party with Matsuki. They are urging other junior Democrats to join in, so that the new party can start with about 10 members.
The 3 lawmakers and Matsuki are all close to former Democratic Party president Ichiro Ozawa -- regarded as a key behind-the-scenes power broker.
Ozawa is also opposed to the plan by prime minister and party president Yoshihiko Noda to raise the consumption tax to finance ballooning social security costs.
Noda faced a different revolt last Saturday, when a Lower House member said he will leave the party to protest the government's plan to resume construction of a dam in his election district.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

9 junior lawmakers to quit Democratic Party
Nine junior lawmakers have submitted their resignations to Japan's main governing Democratic Party to protest the government's plan to raise the nation's consumption tax.
The 9 Lower House members handed in their resignations on Wednesday morning to the party's acting secretary general.
They said the planned tax increase by the administration of prime minister and party president Yoshihiko Noda violates an election pledge the party made 2 years ago when it came to power.
The party executives say they will not immediately accept their resignations and will try to persuade them to stay in the party.
The 9 lawmakers say they will not change their minds. They add they will form a new party early in 2012 to realize the election pledge made by the DPJ.
Eight out of the 9 are close to former Democratic Party president Ichiro Ozawa -- regarded as a key behind-the-scenes power broker. The other one is close to former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama.
Noda faced a different revolt last Saturday, when a Lower House member left the party to protest the government's plan to resume construction of a dam in his election district.

Lawmakers offer explanations for quitting DPJ
Nine members of Japan's lower house of parliament who quit the governing Democratic Party say they will launch a new party early next year.
The lawmakers held a news conference on Wednesday, hours after submitting their resignation in protest against the government's plan to raise the consumption tax.
Speaking on behalf of the 9, Akira Uchiyama criticized the tax hike, saying the party won public support by promising not to raise the tax for 4 years.
He also criticized the government for scrapping its earlier decision to halt the construction of Yamba Dam as an unnecessary public works project.
Uchiyama said the 9 lawmakers will announce the new party's name and organization by January 1st, and that the party will try and help the DPJ reform itself.
He added that all the lawmakers will run for office from single-seat constituencies in the next Lower House election.
Uchiyama also said he has not received any advice from DPJ heavyweight and former party leader Ichiro Ozawa, but he believes Ozawa understands his intention to quit the party.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thursday, December 29, 2011

DPJ members bolt party over Noda tax plan
Nine Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers resign in protest of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's policies after a plan is raised to hike the consumption tax.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111229a1.html

DPJ panel wrestles with tax hike plan
Executive members of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's tax panel propose a plan to double the sales tax by 2015, sparking a revolt.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111229a2.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

May 2011 till June 5, 2011
. The Political Situation - PART 1 .

June 2011
. The Political Situation - PART 2 .

. BACK TO
DIARY - daily reports 　

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- Earthquake prediction

2011-12-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The future of earthquake prediction?

source : Japan Times .
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011

The future of earthquake prediction?
Skeptics abound but professor claims breakthrough in research

By ROB GILHOOLY
Special to The Japan Times
Second of two parts

Six days before the March 11 disasters,
Masashi Hayakawa 早川正士 knew that a major earthquake was imminent.

Using data gathered at the Seismo- electromagnetics Research Station at the University of Electro- Communications in Chofu, Tokyo, Hayakawa says he found "conspicuous anomalies" that clearly indicated a major event was just days away.

"I saw the precursor to the quake," says the professor emeritus of the UEC's Advanced Wireless Communications Research Center. "It still makes me uncomfortable knowing that I was the only person in the world to see it."

The key to his prediction can be found on the roof of the research facility, on which dozens of antennas, satellite dishes and other gadgets have been installed.

Only one, however, is of interest to Hayakawa. Strapped to the metal fence that runs around the rooftop, it looks something akin to a plastic laundry pole.

"It's nothing flashy, but that's the Chofu receiver that picked up the signal," he says.

The receiver is part of a very low frequency and low frequency (VLF/LF) network of observation stations where signals from transmitters in Japan and overseas can be monitored simultaneously to study perturbations in the ionosphere — the uppermost layer of the atmosphere.

On March 5 and 6, Hayakawa noticed ominous signs in data being transmitted along a particular path between a U.S. Navy transmitter and the Chofu receiver.

The path of the two stations, Hayakawa says, passes over what was to be the epicenter of the magnitude 9 quake that hit off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, triggering a series of large tsunami that eventually caused around 20,000 fatalities.

"We have looked at and predicted hundreds of land-based quakes, but this was different in that it occurred under the ocean," Hayakawa says. "The characteristics were different and at the time difficult for us to recognize."

He admits also to believing wrongly that the anomalies he had noticed in the data had been revealed on March 9, when a magnitude 7.3 quake struck near the east coast of Honshu.

"Earthquakes are natural phenomena and like the weather forecast it's unreasonable to expect to get it right 100 percent of the time," he says. "But our success rate last year was between 80 and 90 percent, which indicates we are able to map earthquake precursors accurately enough for practical purposes."

The precursor in Hayakawa's VLF/LF method of quake prediction is not the mythical "namazu," a giant subterranean catfish that traditionally was thought to cause quakes in Japan, but the slight falling of the ionosphere directly above the eventual epicenter of the quake.

The cause of this estimated 3-km fall is uncertain, though Hayakawa and other scientists believe it may be traced to a massive release of radon by rocks that fracture at the eventual epicenter several days before the actual quake occurs. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas released by rocks in the Earth's crust.

"The intensification of tectonic stresses deep in the Earth causes rocks to microfracture before a quake, generating electricity, electromagnetic effects and also emanating radon," says Hayakawa, frantically sketching diagrams on a whiteboard to elucidate his theory. "The near-surface changes caused by preseismic effects stimulate atmospheric waves to propagate upward and the ionosphere directly above the quake epicenter falls."

It is this reduced distance between Earth and the ionosphere, "recorded in great detail" by the VLF/LF system of transmitters and receivers, which triggers the alarm bells, showing up on Hayakawa's computers like a false answer on a polygraph. It was this same, slightly manic-looking, zigzagging line that showed up on his charts three days before the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, eight days before the magnitude 6.8 quake in the Pacific off Shizuoka Prefecture on Aug. 19, 2011, and hundreds more in between and since, says Hayakawa.

Yet, the prediction method has yet to gain wide recognition. Seismologists and other experts not only have cast doubts on the accuracy of the predictions and therefore their usefulness, but they also question the explanations put forward by Hayakawa and other proponents of the theory around the globe.

Some argue that as the March 11 quake had its epicenter some 8 km beneath the Pacific Ocean, it is difficult to conceive how radon gas would find its way into the atmosphere, never mind the ionosphere.

Others, meanwhile, have more basic questions about exactly how radon in the atmosphere would cause such dramatic changes. It has also been suggested that the volume of radon required to alter normal atmospheric conditions would be so great as to be a greater health risk than that brought about by the multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station.
Hayakawa, however, prefers to focus on other factors preventing official acceptance of this method.

Since the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, he said, research in Japan has centered on an academic understanding of quake mechanisms, not more practical applications such as prediction.

Even since the early 1970s, when ¥10 trillion a year was set aside specifically for prediction research, many scientists in the field received funding in the name of such purposes even though they have no intention of studying prediction, Hayakawa says.

"After the March disasters, the press called quake prediction scientists con artists and impostors, and I agree, that's exactly what they are," he says. "These people have deceived the public into thinking they are researching ways to predict quakes, but they only use it for the study of quake mechanisms. Not one yen has actually ever been used (by them) for quake prediction."

Hayakawa says he has received virtually no funding for his research, having been repeatedly turned away by the relevant government bodies. On one occasion he even tried to attract the interest of Tokyo Electric Power Co. to another prediction method that utilizes underground sensors.

"They said, 'We don't need them. Our (nuclear power) plants are strong enough.' "

Seismologists and others involved in the study of earthquakes also hold a dim view of quake prediction scientists.

"They say things like, 'How can Hayakawa possibly predict earthquakes when we can't? He's not even a seismologist.' And therein lies the problem: They are unable to see that there are different, new ways of looking at the subject. Keeping an open mind and exploring avenues that haven't been explored before — isn't that what science is all about?" he says.

Hayakawa is unmoved in his beliefs. Last week saw the release of his latest book, "Earthquakes Can be Predicted," while in January cellphone users will be able to subscribe to a service that relays data on predicted quakes directly from the UEC's research center.

Funds accrued from the service will be used to support his recently established enterprise, Earthquake Analysis Laboratory, a privately funded company that he runs with two others inside his research center.

"I have no intention of arguing with any doubters.
Prediction is possible, we have proven that, and until I can convince the government that this kind of research is essential for public safety
I will have to find ways of funding it myself."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. BACK TO - December 2011 　

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Ganbaranba

2011-12-23T18:09:00.000-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Ganbaranba がんばらんば

The Ganbaranba Team

Volunteers' hugs warm tsunami-hit Ofunato
When the March 11 earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan, numerous volunteer organizations rushed to help the survivors with basic necessities like food and clothing.
As the months passed, they found that the needs of the survivors were changing with time.

A group named Ganbaranba has visited Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, once every month since April to serve udon (wheat flour noodles) from the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture — close to the hometown of its leader, Yasuo Yamada. As they served the udon, the group interacted with the people in Ofunato and tried to determine their needs at that particular time.

Yamada said he found out that the residents of Ofunato didn't just want to receive help from volunteers. Instead, they were eager to give back, and also to revitalize their neighborhoods on their own as much as possible. "Each time we go up, they always give us omiyage (souvenirs) to take back with us," he said.

Yamada, who runs an event-organization and import company in Tokyo, said the group has gone up to the coastal city on or around the 11th of each month, to serve udon or deliver goods to people who at first were living in shelters but are now in temporary housing units.
He said that after going back to Ofunato several times, he felt the children were full of energy and was certain they would be the ones for building the city's future.

He initiated a project to create a painting in a collaboration between Berlin-based artist Ayako Rokkaku and children at Sakari Nursery School in Ofunato. On Nov. 11 and 12, Rokkaku and 65 children drew a picture using acrylic paint at a local public hall. The artwork turned out to be about 3 meters high and 8 meters wide.

Vincent Marx, an American and the only foreigner in the volunteer group, went to Ofunato in May, July and September, and did his part with a "Free Hugs" event.
Marx, a Tokyo-based English teacher and writer, has staged the same kind of event in different parts of Japan, in which he displays a sign saying "Free Hugs" and gives a hug to anybody who passes by.
He organizes the event under the theme "peace, love and compassion," and held them in Tokyo last Christmas, New Year's Day and the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21.

"I thought (the people in Tohoku) needed hugs more than anybody in the world," Marx said.

Prior to going up to Tohoku, Marx staged Free Hugs events funded by the Institute of Child English Education, the institution he works for, in Osaka, Kobe, Nagoya and Hiroshima — four cities that have suffered from major calamities — and collected messages from survivors there. He showed the messages to the people in Ofunato while giving out the hugs. "These cities all experienced tragic situations. The idea was to symbolically take the hugs to Tohoku. (I wanted to bring them) messages like 'We've experienced this tragic situation, and we have come through. Be strong,' " he said.

He said he was initially nervous, not knowing how his action would be received by victims in the midst of disaster. "I was worried that people would say 'Taking a hug up (to Tohoku) — what is that going to do?' I was kind of thinking that's not enough," so he took the messages from survivors of earlier disasters, he said.

It turned out to be "quite an experience," with many people taking part and enjoying the hugs in all four cities. Children in particular were eager for a hug, and even the middle-aged women in Tohoku — who were shy at the beginning — would "hug back very strongly" when Marx offered them a hug.

He said after going up north several times, people started to recognize his face and he could interact with them more.
"They try to be cheerful, but I don't know what they're feeling deep inside. They must still be suffering," he said.
"I told a lady who lost her house and photo studio in the tsunami what a beautiful place (Ofunato) was with mountains and the sea," and she replied, 'It was -once upon a time,' " Marx said.
"Their sole wish is to return to normal life as soon as possible," Yamada added.
source : Japan Times December 24.

Ganbaranba

Please support Ganbaranba by buying a T-shirt or donating.

source : www.ganbaranba.com/hom

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. BACK TO - December 2011　

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

NHK - En Tabi

2011-12-22T16:29:00.001-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

「きらり！えん旅」 NHK Kirari Entabi
En Tabi - 東北を応援する - To support Tohoku

Artists and entertainers travel through Tohoku, introduce some local specialities and give a performance to encourage the people living in temporary housings.

October 2011
source : www.nhk.or.jp/ashita

December 2011
Maggie Shiro マギー司郎　Magician
in Aizu Wakamatsu 会津若松市

グッチ裕三＆八代亜紀 Singers in Iwate

Togi Hideki 東儀秀樹 traditional flute player

Togi san was in Shirakawa Town 白河市.
A group if young men from the village center have formed a group

Daru raizaa 「ダルライザー」Daruma Riser

to support the town via the famous Daruma spirit.
They want to promote the spirit of
"seven times down, eight times up", which Daruma teaches us.
To get up after the damage of the great earthquake is the most important task for all the people living there.
Many live in temporary homes, evacuees from the Fukushima radiation zone.
The group had been formed in 2008 as mascot characters for Shirakawa, to "protect the shopping zone" of the town.
白河商工会議所青年部
source : Dharuriser official side

When Togi played the famous song of
"Furusato　故郷" (My Hometown), all started to cry, and even Togi was moved to tears by the performance of the drummers, the children playing in concert with him and all the things he experienced on this trip.

白河高校吹奏楽部 The High School Music Group

source : cgi2.nhk.or.jp/navi/detail

. Tougi Hideki, Togi Hideki 東儀秀樹 .
famous gagaku flute player

. Shirakawa Daruma 白川だるま .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

のんびりゆったり　路線バスの旅
ひるブラ - 秋田県乳頭温泉郷
世界遺産　平泉
秋田内陸線の旅 and more
source : NHK progrmas in support of Tohoku

. BACK TO - December 2011　

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Touched by a Wild Mountain Gorilla

2011-12-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

An amazing encounter with a family of wild Mountain Gorillas.

. . Reconstruction - INFO

2011-12-17T11:50:00.001-08:00

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Reconstruction Efforts

I have reported about them in the daily entries.

Starting from July, I will add them here.

The main source is the daily news from NHK world online.
source : NHK WORLD .

Handling of the debris is a priority before real reconstruction can begin.
The handling of the radioactive debris from Fukushima poses special problems.

. Temporary Housing - INFO

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . . . June 30, 2011

quote
Hope and reconstruction
After two and a half months of deliberation, the Reconstruction Design Council on June 25 submitted to Prime Minister Naoto Kan a set of proposals for the reconstruction of the Tohoku-Pacific coastal region, which was devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and Fukushima Prefecture, which is suffering from the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The time has come for the government, which has been slow to respond to the disasters, to push reconstruction at full speed.

Mr. Kan and his Cabinet members and aides must make strenuous efforts to put the reconstruction on a smooth path: flesh out the council's proposals by working out the details of bills needed to implement them, and writing second and third fiscal 2011 supplementary budgets to pay for the effort.

In its proposals, the council presents a basic approach of "disaster reduction," in place of the traditional approach of completely containing major natural disasters.

In addition to building "hardware," such as embankments and sea walls, the new approach pushes "software," such as an emphasis on evacuating people to safe zones once a calamity strikes and restrictions on the construction of buildings in areas likely to be hit by disasters. Given the experience of March 11, the new approach seems reasonable.

The central and local governments must adjust to this new approach to disaster planning when adopting policies and budgets.

As a principle for reconstruction, the council stresses that municipalities and residents should play leading roles in reconstruction planning and that the central government should support them. This is a reasonable approach, too, but it is easier said than done.

It is very likely that opinions within municipalities are divided over designs of their future communities. The reconstruction efforts will offer local governments and residents a chance to learn anew the democratic process for finding the best solutions.

The council proposes creating "special zones" in selected devastated areas to revitalize local industries through such means as tax privileges and deregulation. The central government should determine local needs and devise the best solutions for each zone.

The central and local governments should refrain from imposing their ideas on special zones on local residents and industries. In fact, fishing cooperatives have expressed opposition to the idea of allowing private companies to enter the fisheries business.

Focusing on Fukushima Prefecture, which is exposed to radiation from the crippled power plant, the council is calling on the central government to monitor radiation levels there coherently and continually, and to remove radioactive debris and soil quickly. It also calls for the establishment of a research center for the development of renewable energy sources and to concentrate medical-industry related research in the prefecture.

In view of the severity of the crisis at Fukushima No. 1, the council is calling on the central government to establish new safety standards for nuclear power plants.

The council also stresses the importance of promoting green energy sources by making power companies buy electricity generated by such sources at fixed prices as well as of promoting a system under which small power generating facilities are dispersed throughout the nation.

The council did not call for the long-term goal of phasing out nuclear power generation. This points to the existence of strong pressure from bureaucrats within the council's secretariat who represent the views of Japan's nuclear power establishment.

Apparently concerned about Japan's deteriorating financial conditions, the council proposes raising consumption, income and corporate taxes to repay "reconstruction bonds" the government will issue to cover the cost of the reconstruction, which is expected to total more than ¥10 trillion.

It is clear that the Finance Ministry exerted its influence on the council members to adopt this proposal. But the government already has a plan to raise the consumption tax to pay for welfare spending. It will also have to increase taxes to pay compensation to people who have been infected by hepatitis B through mass vaccination.

Under the government plan, people would face triple tax increases, which would negatively impact Japan's economy. The government should seriously consider whether there are other ways to raise funds and be very careful about the timing of tax increases.

In pushing reconstruction, the central government must take utmost care so that administrative jockeying over turf by various government ministries and agencies does not impede or slow the rebuilding work and that local governments receive sufficient grant funding without any strings attached. It may have to take drastic measures.

The council will have to carefully monitor whether the government faithfully carries out its proposals, which are designed to bring "hope" to people, and to restore and strengthen their sense of "bonding."

source : Japan Times

Debris removal, recycling daunting,
piecemeal labor

Removing and disposing of the debris generated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami are crucial parts of the recovery process as the people in the devastated region move forward with rebuilding their communities.

More than three months after the magnitude 9.0 quake, splintered wood, concrete blocks, steel reinforcing bars and all kinds of other waste are gradually being cleared from commercial and residential areas. The wreckage is brought to temporary collection points that are rapidly growing into mountains of rubble.

Read this interesting summary here:
source : Japan Times

quote
Radioactive debris dilemma unresolved, growing worse
No grand plan; hot spots spread; schools just hide dangerous soil
The government's master plan to restore the quake-hit region includes moving housing from the coastline to higher ground, creating "eco-towns" that rely on reusable energy and "making Tohoku better than what it was before the disaster."
The goals are ambitious.
...
The government's indecision will also be a burden for many students in Fukushima as the summer heat begins to hit the region.
"The temperature is way past 30 degrees, but we need to keep the windows closed. We don't have a choice," Takahiro Saito, an official with the Nihonmatsu board of education, told The Japan Times.
Located in central Fukushima Prefecture, some schools in Nihonmatsu were forced to remove soil from their playgrounds after radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 plant contaminated the region.
The education ministry has set a nonbinding target to reduce radiation exposure of Fukushima Prefecture students while they are at school to 1 millisievert or less a year, which means the radiation on school grounds has to measure less than 1 microsievert.

Although radioactivity rose above 6.0 microseiverts per hour at some school grounds in his area, Saito said the numbers improved dramatically after the topsoil was scraped away. The campuses are now below the government-set limit, he said.
And yet the dirt was merely dumped at corners of school grounds and covered with blue plastic tarps because it can't be handled as normal industrial waste. The central government hasn't set up a guideline on the matter.

To cope with the heat, Nihonmatsu in May became the first city in Fukushima to come up with a plan to provide air conditioners in all of its elementary and junior high schools.
According to Saito, 306 air conditioners will be set up by the end of July.

The monetary cost will be high, but measures against the heat — especially with the windows sealed tight to avoid inflow of contaminated dust — is indispensable.
"We needed to answer the concerns of the parents, who were simply terrified with the thought of their children spending the summer in classrooms with the windows shut tight," Saito explained.
...
source : Japan Times

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . . . July 12, 2011

Radiation, debris vex Tohoku's fishermen
Four months after the quake and tsunami hit communities along the Tohoku coastline, fishermen in Fukushima Prefecture and nearby areas still find themselves in uncharted waters as contamination of the sea remains a major obstacle to their business.
... The first signs that radiation was spreading at sea came to light on April 4, when radioactive cesium and iodine higher than allowable standards was found in "konago" sand lance caught off Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture.

The finding sparked fears of radioactive contamination in a variety of fish, and news continued of further radioactive spills into the sea.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110712f1.html

Tuesday, July 12, 2011 19:19 - NHK WORLD
Smart city to be built in Kashiwa
A project aimed at building an energy-efficient community called a smart city by using renewable energy and state-of-the-art IT technology is to be launched in Kashiwa City, near Tokyo.
The government of the city in Chiba Prefecture and real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan announced an outline of the project at a news conference on Tuesday.
The smart city is to be built on a 273-hectare plot in northern Kashiwa, where the developer, the University of Tokyo and Chiba University, among others, are jointly developing a so-called campus city.
The smart city is to contain office buildings equipped with solar power generation systems.
The city is also to have a biomass power generation using kitchen waste from restaurants and an air conditioning system operated through geothermal power generation. The systems are to provide 7 percent of the electricity needed in the area.
The developers say advanced IT technology will be used to save power in an integrated manner, cutting emissions by 40 percent if energy is converted into carbon dioxide.
Mitsui Fudosan Chairman Hiromichi Iwasa said the project is significant for the reconstruction of disaster areas in northeastern Japan. He said the developers want to promote a model of the Kashiwa project in other areas of Japan and abroad.
Kashiwa Mayor Hiroyasu Akiyama says he hopes the local government, the private sector and universities will jointly create the city to present a future vision of the world.
三井ホーム.、スマートシティプロジェクト
柏の葉キャンパス（千葉県柏市）Kashi no Ha Campus

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . . . July 12, 2011

Tuesday, July 12, 2011 15:56 - NHK
Fish market reopens in northeastern Japan
A fish market has reopened in a huge tent at one of Japan's busiest fishing ports, 4 months after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami struck the northeast.
Ishinomaki, which had the nation's 3rd largest haul of fish in the last fiscal year, is in Miyagi Prefecture. Almost all its facilities including quays and processing plants were devastated by the tsunami. Electricity and running water have been partially restored at the port.
On Tuesday, squid, flatfish and other fish were unloaded. Celebrating the reopening, the president of the fish market, Kunio Suno, called it a symbol of restoration. He told a crowd that he doesn't know how long it will take but he hopes the market will flourish again. The auction started after immediately after his speech.
One seller said the squid was twice its usual price because it was the first auction since the disaster.
A buyer said since it was a special day, he bid regardless of the price. The buyer said he wants to quickly deliver the fish to his retail customers.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . . . July 15, 2011

Japan Times:

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 in disaster-hit areas.
The draft documents were compiled by the government to outline new land use policy so private entities can accelerate their housing and industrial development.
They will also be used as a reference for municipalities in compiling their reconstruction policies.
According to the draft, the government asks that municipalities designate areas to be given priority for rebuilding and to identify land safe from tsunami for building municipal offices, schools and residences.
...
Five safety scenarios
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is considering focusing on five scenarios, including the possibility of both an earthquake and tsunami hitting a reactor, when assessing safety under the stress tests to be introduced, government sources said.
The scenarios, worked out after referring to the European Union's stress tests, include the possibility of earthquakes or tsunami hitting a reactor unit separately as well as in combination, the sources said.
...
Clean energy bill debated
The Diet began deliberations Thursday on a bill to promote renewable energy, one of the conditions set by Prime Minister Naoto Kan under which he would consider resigning.
...
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110715a3.html

. . . . .

Friday, July 15, 2011 17:29 - NHK
Quake-hit facility loses cultural status
A section of a historic building in northeastern Japan will lose its designation as an important cultural property after being badly damaged by the March 11th earthquake.
The advisory panel of the Agency for Cultural Affairs conveyed the decision to the culture minister on Friday.
The Ishioka Daiichi Power Plant in Ibaraki Prefecture is a hydroelectric power station built using reinforced concrete. It was completed in 1911 as Japan's first power generating facility.
Ten sections of the plant were added to the national list of important cultural properties in 2008 for their historical value.
But the March 11th quake severely damaged the plant, toppling its concrete water tank, one of the designated properties, from the foundations.
The advisory panel concluded the tank's structure would be difficult to repair, and that the collapsed ground it stood on impossible to restore.
More than 700 nationally designated cultural assets were damaged in the March 11th disaster. The Ishioka water tank is the first to have its designation revoked, although the plant's 9 other historic structures remain on the cultural property list.

. . . . .

quote
Volunteers wanted more than ever for disaster areas
Four months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, volunteers are still desperately needed in the hardest-hit areas for jobs ranging from clearing debris from homes to delivering relief materials and food.
About 483,000 volunteers have helped reconstruction in disaster-hit prefectures in the three and a half months since the March 11 disaster, compared with 1.17 million volunteers who pitched in over the same period after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.
The Japan National Council of Social Welfare surveyed the number of volunteers in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures between March 11 and June 26.
In terms of volunteers per day, the greatest number, about 11,500 people in three prefectures, performed volunteer work on May 3. Since then, volunteer numbers dropped to 6,000 on average on weekends and 3,000 on weekdays.
"We need many helping hands," a local volunteer organization member said.
...
source : www.asahi.com

. . . . .

Friday, July 15, 2011 17:27 - NHK
Aquarium in Fukushima reopens
An aquarium in Fukushima Prefecture has reopened after a 4-month closure due to the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
Aquamarine Fukushima in the coastal city of Iwaki was crowded with visitors on Friday. The aquarium lost 90 percent of its fish and other aquatic creatures in the disaster, but has gradually brought back seals, otters and other animals that were evacuated to other facilities.
Children cheered upon seeing schools of fish in large tanks, while many people gathered to watch a baby harbor seal swim around.
The pup named Kibou, which means "hope" in Japanese, was born in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, at a facility where his mother was brought after the disaster.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . . . July 16, 2011

Saturday, July 16, 2011 06:30 - NHK
Earthquake survivors get debt relief
The Japanese government and banks have developed guidelines for providing debt relief to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami.
Many disaster victims are burdened with two sets of loans -- those they had before March 11th and new ones that they need to rebuild their homes and businesses.
A panel composed of officials from the government and the Japanese Bankers Association released a proposal on Friday that would allow survivors to write off their debts without having to file for bankruptcy.
According to the guidelines, relief would be available to those whose debt is greater than the total value of their assets, including real estate holdings.
People who earn above a set threshold will be required to pay off their loans, but over an extended term.
Applications for the debt waiver will be accepted from August 22nd.
The head of the panel that drafted the guidelines, Shinjiro Takagi, says the program is intended for people whose situation is unstable after losing their homes and jobs.
He added that the panel hopes to use the guidelines to help victims who are suffering at the disaster sites.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . . . July, 20, 2011

3/11 victims face welfare cuts - Japan Times
Cases have surfaced in which municipalities in Tohoku have stopped welfare payments to victims of the March 11 earthquake-tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The reason given for removing these people from the list of recipients of seikatsu hogo (livelihood assistance) is that they have received relief money from the Japan Red Cross or compensation for the nuclear accidents from Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the Fukushima No. 1 plant.
In view of these people's sufferings and unstable conditions, the municipalities' decision seems harsh and callous. They should dispense with a uniform application of formulas when deciding whether disaster victims are eligible for welfare payments. Instead they should look at the specific conditions of disaster victims.
Municipal workers should remember the purpose of seikatsu hogo — literally, life protection — to guarantee the minimum standard of living to people and help them become self-supporting.
... According to the rules for the distribution of donations sent to the Japan Red Cross, ¥350,000 is to be paid for one dead or missing person, ¥350,000 for a family whose house was destroyed, ¥180,000 for a family whose house was half-destroyed and ¥350,000 for a family within 30 km of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Tepco made a provisional payment of ¥1 million in compensation to a family within 30 km from the power plant or in special evacuation zones. The compensation for a single-person household is ¥750,000.
... It is clear that municipalities basically regard the relief money and the compensation as income.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110720a1.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . . . July 21, 2011

Thursday, July 21, 2011 07:31 - NHK
Outline of reconstruction plan compiled
The Japanese government has drawn up the outline of its reconstruction plan for areas devastated by the March 11th disaster.
The outline calls for setting up special reconstruction districts, where deregulation will be promoted, and fast-track procedures will be made available to utilize land. Easing tax burdens and providing financial support will also be considered.
The outline also calls for building advanced solar energy and wind power generation systems to promote renewable energy businesses, and creating eco-friendly towns in the disaster-hit areas.
Regarding the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, the outline proposes a research institute to be set up to help decontamination activities in the prefecture with the cooperation of universities and companies.
The government hopes to decide a basic policy based on the outline by the end of this month.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . . . August, 27, 2011

On TV I watched how they now put in insulation material in the walls of the prefab homes. They take off the walls, add the insulation and put the tin walls back in place ... this could have been done in the first place. The cold winter in Tohoku is nothing new ...
They also started to put old tin cans on strings and put them on the roofs of the prefab, to keep it cooler ... about 10 degrees, they said, would the temperatures inside go down (now that the summer is almost over ... ) and I wonder about the noise of the tin cans on the tin roofs ...

仮設住宅空き缶で屋根を“断熱”
source :　NHK Japanese News .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. . . . . August, 28, 2011

Sunday, August 28, 2011 11:00 - NHK
New plan for evacuation zone created
Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission has decided to create a new plan for evacuation zones for people living near a nuclear power plant in the event of an accident.
Under current government guidelines, an evacuation zone is based on the predicted amount of radioactive substances released from a troubled plant and weather conditions.
But under the new plan, an evacuation zone will be declared immediately after an accident without waiting for data.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's standard sets the zone with a radius of 3 to 5 kilometers from a plant.
Following the Fukushima Daiichi power plant accident in March, it took almost 5 hours for the government to issue the first evacuation order after it received reports on the matter.
The commission is also considering setting an evacuation zone according to the size and number of reactors involved in an emergency. In Fukushima, the evacuation area exceeded the 10-kilometer radius from the plant which was initially projected by the government.

Monday, September 05, 2011 11:52 -NHK
Charity concert for reconstruction held in Ibaraki
A citizens' group in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo, held a charity concert on Sunday to support the restoration of local historic buildings damaged by the March 11th earthquake.
The Makabe district of Sakuragawa City is known for its streets lined with old warehouses dating back to the late Edo period, some 200 years ago.
Singer and guitarist Chuei Yoshikawa performed popular songs at one of the warehouses on Sunday.
About 100 people sang along and clapped to the music.
Proceeds from the concert will be used for the reconstruction of local communities.
A 63-year-old man said the audience got charged up singing popular songs from the past, and that he hopes this kind of event will cheer people and help them to recover from the disaster.

Thursday, September 08, 2011 - NHK
Noda: govt to seek legislation to rebuild Fukushima
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has promised his government will do all it can to enact legislation to help Fukushima Prefecture recover from the nuclear accident.
Noda responded to a request for the legislation from Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato on Thursday in his first visit to the prefecture since taking office last week.
Noda began the meeting with an apology, saying the government is heavily responsible for leaving many Fukushima residents still in shelter since the nuclear accident, which was triggered by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
Noda said there will be no revival of Japan without the revival of Fukushima.
He added that his Cabinet will approve a plan to allocate 220 billion yen, or about 2.8 billion dollars, from reserve funds in the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2011, to help revive the prefecture.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. September 11, 2011 .
THEN and NOW

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thursday, Sep. 15, 2011

quote
Iwate survivors wonder, worry about future
Elderly and young alike unsure what lies in store for their towns, lives

The coastal town of Yamada, Iwate Prefecture, used to have a railway station, cafes, restaurants and medical clinics, but all that remains now are the foundations and twisted iron support bars of buildings.

In the months since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami devastated the town, various reconstruction efforts have made progress: Temporary accommodations have been built for some of the survivors living in shelters, and debris has mostly been cleared up in Yamada's central commercial and residential areas.
But for the town's disaster survivors, daily life hasn't gotten much better or any easier.
Above all, they worry about how their local community will look after it is rebuilt, and wonder what their lives will be like after they move out of their temporary housing in the future.
For elderly residents of Yamada, whose population is steadily aging and declining, one of the most pressing problems is receiving medical care.

Before the disaster, it only took Aiko Domeki, 77, a few minutes by bicycle to visit her doctor, who she used to see three times a week, at a local clinic.
But now, a trip to her doctor entails a 30- to 40-minute walk from her temporary housing, which was built on top of a hill as a safety measure against future tsunami.
As a result, Domeki, who has high blood pressure, only visits the clinic around once a month.
... Children living in temporary accommodations are also having a tough time, said Kikuchi, who has a 3-year-old daughter. For example, there is no playground or equipment for kids to use near her housing, forcing them to play indoors — which for some neighbors is a nuisance.
Kikuchi also called on the ruling and opposition parties to stop bickering and instead work together to rebuild devastated areas. ...
source : Japan Times

.................................................................................

quote
Yamada Hachiman Shrine, Oosugi Shrine
In Yamada there lies Yamada Hachiman Shrine, positioned on elevated ground commanding a view of the Yamada coast, and Oosugi Shrine, formerly based 150m from the sea. The “Yamada Festival” which is held between these two shrines, is the biggest festival in the town. Since childhood the people of Yamada have heard the music of this festival and seen the procession of the mikoshi, so much so that the love for festivals runs in their blood.

At any rate, the passion for this event is certain as so many people return to their hometown not for the Obon season, but instead, in September at the time of this festival. However, through the impact of the earthquake and tsunami Oosugi shrine has been destroyed and furthermore the mikoshi and performing arts props have all been taken by the tsunami. Nevertheless, Sato is determined to restore the festival in order to continue the performing arts traditions passed down through generations and to call those who have fled back to Yamada.
source : wawa.or.jp

山田八幡神社・大杉神社復興祈願例大祭
with more videos to watch
source : www.youtube.com

山田町芸能祭 The Festival at Yamada Shrine, September 17 / 18 2011
source : okuderazeki.at.webry

.................................................................................

Saturday, Sep. 17, 2011

Accelerate reconstruction
Six months after the massive earthquake and tsunami devastated the Tohoku Pacific coastal areas on March 11, people there are continuing to rebuild together their lives. In Fukushima Prefecture, people have suffered not only from the natural disasters but also from the disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Those who have not been directly affected by these catastrophes, in particular politicians, should never underestimate or make light of the suffering and sorrow of those who have been directly impacted in Tohoku. The government must do its utmost to accelerate the reconstruction from the triple disasters.
... n the disaster-hit areas, vital infrastructure such as roads and power have mostly been restored and more than 90 percent of planned fabricated houses have been built. But some 75,000 people have been forced to evacuate their communities and are living in the homes of relatives or friends or in shelters.
A survey by Kyodo News of the resident registers in 37 municipalities in the coastal areas of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures shows that 49,886 residents have left. There is a possibility that this number may be higher as many have left without changing their resident registers to reflect their new places of residence.
In the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, 9,011 residents have left — the largest number among the 37 municipalities. The town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, suffered a 13.7 percent drop in its population — the greatest percentage among the municipalities. Some 1,408 people there — nearly 10 percent of the town's population — died in the disasters, including the mayor.
MORE
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/ed20110917a1.html

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sunday, September 25, 2011 - NHK
Intl flights resume at Sendai Airport
Sendai Airport in northeastern Japan has resumed international services that had been suspended since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. Passengers boarded the first flight to Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday.
About 30 airport and local government officials attended the reopening ceremony at the terminal building. They offered silent prayers for the victims of the March 11th disaster.
Transport minister Takeshi Maeda congratulated the officials and staff who worked enthusiastically to achieve a recovery only half a year after the catastrophe.
Sendai Airport restarted domestic services in July, but many international airlines delayed making a decision because they wanted to see the outcome of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The president and CEO of Asiana Airlines, Yoon Young-doo, said his airline decided to resume operations one month earlier than planned as strong demand from local residents is expected. He added that he is happy to see the departure of the first flight since March 11th.
Flights to Guam and Taiwan will be restarted next month, and services to Beijing will resume from March next year.

Monday, September 26, 2011 - NHK
Noda pledges to focus on reconstruction
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says his government will put priority on recovery and reconstruction from the March 11th quake and tsunami and containing the nuclear accident in Fukushima.
Noda spoke at the beginning of the 2-day Lower House Budget Committee session that opened on Monday for the first time since he took office in early September.
Noda said his Cabinet's priorities are reconstruction and efforts to bring the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant under control.
He said it will also steadily implement measures to revive the Japanese economy and respond to growing concerns over the global economic crisis.
On calls for increased disaster reconstruction efforts, Noda said he wants to respond quickly to survivors' requests for rubble removal and provide support for those in need in the affected areas.
The prime minister said the government and governing parties are in final discussions on a third supplementary budget to promote reconstruction projects.
He said he will do his utmost to hold talks with opposition parties so that a bill is submitted to the Diet at an early date.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Kirin revives beer plant in Sendai
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20110927a1.html

Saturday, October 01, 2011 22:33
Sendai Airport Transit resumes entire service
A train line that connects Sendai City and Sendai Airport resumed complete service on Saturday.
The tracks and terminal were destroyed by the March earthquake and tsunami.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/01_20.html

Saturday, October 01, 2011 22:33 - NHK
Free farm opens for Fukushima evacuees
An agricultural organization in Saitama Prefecture has made available farmland for use by people who have evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture.
The 1,000-square-meter farm in Kazo City is located near an evacuation center housing people from Futaba Town.
In a ceremony on Saturday, Futaba Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa said he was glad that the farm was opened with the support of many people.
After the ceremony, about 20 people planted about 50 broccolis.
Many of the evacuees are farmers, and the land is being made available to them for free. The displaced farmers plan to give the vegetables they harvest to other evacuees.
Hidenori Kamura is a farmer from Futaba. He said he has been frustrated because he has not been able to touch any soil for more than half a year. He said he once again wants to grow tasty vegetables.

Monday, October 10, 2011 - NHK
Symposium on post-disaster reconstruction held
Mayors of disaster-hit municipalities in northeastern Japan have called for wide-ranging cooperation to rebuild their devastated communities.
6 mayors from cities and towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures took part in a symposium on post-disaster reconstruction as panelists in Tokyo on Sunday. The meeting was organized by the Japan Society for Disaster Recovery and Revitalization.
The mayor of Shinchi Town in Fukushima, Norio Kato, said rebuilding railroads is essential for disaster recovery, but that fiscal conditions in affected areas are very severe. He asked the state to cover expenses, adding that local communities will take responsibility for securing land for the railroads.
The vice mayor of Minamisanriku Town in Miyagi, Kenji Endo, said his town suffered catastrophic damage in the March 11th disaster and received massive support from neighboring communities. He added that further cooperation between coastal and inland areas will become important for disaster preparedness.
The organizer said it wants the panelists' comments and requests to be reflected in developing and implementing recovery plans for affected areas.
The leader of the organization, Kansei Gakuin University Professor Yoshiteru Murosaki, said he was able to learn the needs of the disaster areas. He added that his organization wants to offer knowledge, data and information in support of reconstruction efforts.

Friday, October 14, 2011 - NHK
Govt. to outline concrete plans for reconstruction
The Japanese government will explain the details of its reconstruction plans as early as next week to local governments hit hard by the March earthquake and tsunami.
The government has included its rebuilding plans in the third fiscal 2011 supplementary budget.
But cities and towns in disaster areas are complaining that they may have to delay the crafting of their own reconstruction plans unless the central government informs them of details of its projects.
In response to their calls, the land and infrastructure ministry will hold briefings for officials of cities and towns in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures as early as late next week.
It will explain that the central government will shoulder all the costs of its planned projects.
The ministry will scrap the ceiling on subsidies for developing residential sites on high ground, where coastal houses are to be moved to escape future tsunami. The central government will also subsidize the relocation of houses, hospitals and stores. In addition, the state will bear the cost of a project to raise ground levels to prevent tsunami damage.
The central government will allow local governments to forcibly seize land to develop city areas for a short time. It will grant tax breaks to the owners of seized land.
The cities and towns in the disaster zone will estimate project costs and choose areas for development based on the state's guidelines.
.
IMF urges Japan to raise taxes for reconstruction - NHK
The International Monetary Fund has urged Japan to raise taxes to help pay for reconstruction from the March earthquake and tsunami and rehabilitate public finances.
The director for the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, Anoop Singh, released a report on the economic outlook for his region at a news conference on Thursday.
The report calls for Japan to be fiscally disciplined in securing sufficient financial resources for reconstruction.
Singh noted that although the Japanese government is considering raising taxes to help fund reconstruction, a tax increase is necessary not only for rebuilding but also for fiscal consolidation.
The report upgrades Japan's economic growth forecast for next year to 2.3 percent, up 0.2 points from its prediction 6 months ago.
The IMF attributes the upward revision to the earlier-than-expected recovery of supply chains for auto parts and other products that suffered major disruptions due to the disaster. It also cites a projected increase in corporate capital investment during reconstruction.
The report proposes that to boost economic growth, Japan should further liberalize its trade by joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

December18, 2011

sanrikufukkou
Arbeitskreis Wiederaufbau Tohoku

Zusammen mit der Präfektur Iwate und der dortigen Präfektur-Universität planen wir im Sommer 2012 (und folgende) auf dem Campus in Miyako ein Symposium mit deutschen und japanischen Experten (aus Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und den betroffenen Gemeinden) mit angeschlossenem Sommerworkshop für deutsche und japanische Studenten.

Geplante Schwerpunkte

- Wiederherstellung der Infrastruktur
- Ökologische Stadtplanung
- Erneuerbare Energieversorgung
- Entwicklung neuer Wirtschaftskonzepte
- Aufarbeitung der Traumata

source : sanrikufukkou.wordpress.com

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Fukkoo Daruma - Rebuilding with Daruma
復興

東日本大震災復興構想会議
Higashi Nihon Daishinsai Fukkoo Koosoo Kaigi

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Temporary Housing - INFO

. BACK TO Daily Reports .　

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

[ . BACK to TOP of this BLOG. ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::