- Environment minister Goshi Hosono warns against the immediate abolition of Japanese electrical generation from nuclear plants. Before the post-Fukushima moratorium on nuclear power plant operations, Japan produced more than 30% of its electricity from nukes. The moratorium has pushed Japan to the brink of electrical shortfalls and forced the public to reduce consumption to unprecedented levels. Hosono also presented a new issue – lack of expertise in how to decommission and dismantle nukes. He says, “Unless we have the knowledge of how to maintain such technology (for decommissioning), we can’t simply say that we will be able to abandon nuclear power generation.” Hosono adds that Japan must also be wary of over-reliance on fossil fuels, especially due to the current instabilities in the Middle East. (Kyodo News)
- Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda met with the organizers of the weekly Tokyo antinuclear protests, but nothing has changed on either side. The activists accused Noda of not learning anything from the Fukushima accident, which they believe is “…yet to be brought under control”. They argue that Noda ignored the will of the people by restarting two Oi nukes last month, and asked him to withdraw the current nominees for the new nuclear regulatory commission because the selection process has been “less than transparent”. Noda replied he approved the Oi restarts after their safety was well-established, and the decision was based on preventing electrical shortages that would have adversely harmed people’s lives. He added that the government’s current position is to reduce reliance on nuclear energy in the future, which he said is based on Tokyo’s carefully listening to people’s opinions. The activists refused to accept Noda’s explanation and will continue to promote their weekly demonstrations on the internet until Japan is nuclear-free. (NHK World)
- Tokyo’s newly-formed Energy and Environment Council is investigating into the possibility of eliminating all nuclear energy in Japan by 2030. This has been spurred by current public coutcries for full nuclear abandonment and accelerated domestic innovation in renewable energy. However, there are no prospects that stable renewable energy will be made available at low prices. “Solar power is expensive while wind power is unstable,” says a government source. Nuclear abolishment will probably cause electric customer bills to soar and force many companies to leave Japan to keep their production costs under control. Because of this, a majority of Diet lawmakers are wary of nuclear abandonment. However, minority groups in the legislature that support nuclear withdrawal are getting most of the attention because they are catering to vocal public opinion. (Mainichi Shimbun)
- Now, another “expert” study of the Fukushima accident will be undertaken. This time by the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, a largely academic group with distant ties to the nuclear energy industry. The AESJ has formed a committee of 40 persons from universities and research facilities to undertake the study. The panel plans to publish their findings by December, 2013. University of Tokyo Professor Satoru Tanaka will chair the committee. He says the group will follow similar paths of the four previous investigations by government and industry, focusing on political and Tepco involvement in the crisis. He adds that they will also investigate the AESJ to establish what they could have done to avert the situation. If AESJ is found to have been a contributor to the lack of accident prevention, they will consider a reformation of their association. (NHK World)
- Two men in Fukushima Prefecture have relatively high internal radioactive Cesium levels, but less than the government’s current health standard. One man from Nihonmatsu city, 35 kilometers west of F. Daiichi, has a reading of nearly 12,000 Becquerels which relates to an internal exposure of 0.5 millisieverts per year. The national standard has been set at one mSv/yr. The other from Kawamata town, just north of Nihonmatsu, has a read-out of close to 20,000 Becquerels, or 0.85 mSv/yr. The Kawamata resident’s internal deposition is due to eating homegrown shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots almost every day. The mushrooms were found to contain about 140,000 Bq/kg. The Nihonmatsu man’s internal Cesium was due to eating a wide range of homegrown vegetables. Doctor Masaharu Tsubokura, who tested the men, commented, “This is not a level that would affect their health, but when people consume homegrown vegetables and other such products we would like them to undergo tests.” (Mainichi Shimbun)
- The antinuclear activist group, Mihama no Kai, says the Oi nukes were not needed this summer and should never have been restarted. Because there have been no rolling blackouts this summer, the group says the Oi unit 3&4 restarts were needless and placed Japan in a state of unnecessary risk. Executive Director Hideyuki Koyama said, “The data are solid proof that Japan can supply enough electricity even without any nuclear power generation.” He added, “Electricity utilities may be opting to restart their nuclear reactors since they are cheaper than thermal power plants. Reactivation of the reactors was decided considering the cost and profits of the electricity utilities. But under the circumstances, nuclear plants should be shut down for the safety of the public.” (Japan Times)
- Elevated Cesium levels have been detected in some of the fish caught near the damaged Fukushima power station. Tepco has caught 20 kinds of fish and shellfish from five near-shore locations within 20 kilometers of F. Daiichi. Nine of them were found to have Cesium concentrations in excess of the government’s limit of 100 Becquerels per kilogram. One rock trout caught a kilometer from Minamisoma, 20km north of F. Daiichi, had a Cesium concentration of 25,800 Bq/kg, which is 258 times the national standard. This is the highest level yet discovered anywhere in the sea east of the Tohoku region. Tepco will continue to survey sea life in the area until at least the end of September. (Kyodo News)
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