June 20, 2012

Jun 20, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • The science ministry and NISA withheld United State’s maps of radiation dispersal during the week after 3/11/11. The US maps were compiled from monitoring by aircraft out to 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Fukushima Daiichi. The maps show high concentrations of radioactive materials out to about 25 miles northwest of the plant, precisely where the SPEEDI computer program predicted. The government decided the maps should not be made public because they were estimates made from aircraft monitors, and not from ground-level monitoring. This flimsy excuse does not sit well with the Japanese public. Science minister Hirofumi Hirano says the government will review its decision last year not to disclose radiation maps provided by the United States. It should be noted the maps estimated radiation levels were more than a factor of ten too high, but the areas identified to be most heavily contaminated were correct. (NHK World)
  • Public trust in Japanese scientists has dipped more than 10% since 3/11/11. The 2012 white paper on science and technology says the lack of Japanese-made robots for the Fukushima Daiichi recovery and scientists’ inability to predict the 3/11/11 quake/tsunami are the primary reasons for the decline. Before 3/11, at least 76% of the public trusted scientists, but now it is about 65%. (Kyodo News)
  • The new nuclear regulatory commission will have a “nuclear reactor expert” as its chairman. Disaster Minister Goshi Hosono said the head of the body will need reactor expertise to make the accident-related decisions the new law will require. Hosono added that the proposed bill before the Diet says the five commissioners should also include a radiation expert and geologist specializing in earthquakes. Regardless of who is selected, all commissioners must be endorsed by the Diet. Yukio Ubukata, one of the sponsors of the bill, said guidelines for selecting regulatory commission members will be mapped out before appointing its first members. (Mainichi Shimbun) Today, it was announced that the bill creating the new nuclear commission has passed the Diet’s House of Councillors (Lower House). This is the first important step in making the proposed independent commission a reality. (Kyodo News)
  • Protests over the Oi nuke restarts are being held around the world. The protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Washington followed similar protests in Australia, France, Germany, India, Italy, South Korea and Thailand. In Washington, protestors presented an embassy official with a petition for the Japanese Prime Minister demanding the Oi units not be restarted, allegedly containing 6,500 signatures. (Kyodo News)
  • A Press report out of Oi says there has been a low water level alarm from reactor #3, currently undergoing restart. As it turns out, the low water level was with a tank holding cooling water for the electrical generator and had nothing to do with the reactor, safety systems, or safety-related technology. The tank and its connected piping showed no evidence of leakage. The water level had dropped about five centimeters (2 inches) since it was last monitored, causing the alarm. The headlines have resulted only because the release of the information was some 13 hours after the situation had been discovered, which the news media feels is too long of a delay. (JAIF) comment – This is a non-issue! It’s only getting coverage because it is spinable as a negative story connected to the decision to restart the Oi nukes, and the article appeals to the generally negative feeling about the judgment to resume operations. The headlines should follow the facts. This is NOT a nuclear safety issue in any way, shape or form.
  • Tepco’s full report on its in-house investigation of the Fukushima accident has been released (Japanese only). The report is said to include admission of inadequate tsunami protection and insufficient electrical reliability. The report takes the Tokyo government to task for directly and indirectly interfering with the Tepco staffs at both the Tokyo home office and at the F. Daiichi accident site. The main lesson learned has been the need for emergency procedures that take into account the loss of all emergency cooling functions. Additional changes include measures to improve the chain of command, information flow and efforts to prevent meltdowns. (NHK World) comment – NHK adds a statement entirely predicated on the continuation of FUD…Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt…”But an NHK reporter says TEPCO still doesn’t know the extent of radioactivity that has been released since the start of the crisis, or how much damage the reactors suffered from the earthquake independent of the tsunami.” The first part of the statement is grossly misleading, at best. The second part is wild speculation on the miniscule possibility that the earthquake caused critical damage before the tsunami hit. NHK World should be ashamed of itself!
  • The non-profit Japan Forum on International Relations Inc. has endorsed the restarts of all currently-idled nukes once their safety has been assured. “Those nuclear power stations now . . . shut down should resume operations as soon as possible, after their safety has been verified, their facilities structurally reinforced, and their operational management improved in line with the lessons learned from the accident at the Fukushima (No. 1) nuclear power station,” says the proposal released Monday. The report has been endorsed by more than 70 academic and business leaders across Japan. The proposal adds, “We cannot share the optimistic view of some that the introduction of renewable energy would serve as a quick remedy or substitute for nuclear power and instantly enable denuclearization.” In a minority opinion, Professor Haruo Shimada of Chiba University of Commerce said, “(Industry chiefs) had repeatedly said the nuclear reactors were safe. But they are actually very dangerous.” (Japan Times)