While a huge number of tributes, disaster prayer vigils and antinuclear protests dominate the Japanese Press, a considerable number of other topics have emerged out of the news media…
- The thyroid lumps found in Fukushima children are not statistically unusual. The Environment Ministry has compared the rate of the thyroid gland lumps found in Fukushima to those of three other prefectures (Aomori, Yamanashi, and Nagasaki) and discovered the frequencies are “similar”. In fact, the frequency of the thyroid lumps in Fukushima children is less than the combined statistics of the other three prefectures. The frequency in the three control prefectures is about 56%. In Fukushima, it is 41%. With respect to large “class B” lumps or cysts, the control prefectures had 1% while Fukushima is at 0.6%. Researchers feel the discrepancy may be because the control prefectures looked at children aged 3 to 18, while Fukushima included newborns and children less than three years of age. (Yomiuri Shimbun)
- Fukushima governor Yuhei Sato has asked Tokyo to set more realistic radiation exposure standards. Currently, decontamination of evacuated communities must drop radiation levels below 1 millisievert per year before residents are allowed to return. However, local officials have asked the governor to pressure Tokyo to re-visit the standard, set by the former regime, and establish new limits. Originally, pressure from local leaders had contributed to the setting of the most restrictive exposure limits in the world. Now, many of them think the limits are way too low. The Environment Ministry says, “It’s possible to reduce radiation levels from 20 millisieverts to two millisieverts, but any more would be difficult.There’s a huge gap between one millisievert and two millisieverts. We should fundamentally change how decontamination works are carried out.” The international standard is 20 mSv. If Japan reverts back to that limit, most refugees could go home now. About 710,000 houses have been selected for decontamination under the central government-led project. Of that, however, only 46,000 had been decontaminated to the 1 mSv limit as of the end of January. Will the raising of the standard harm anyone? Keiichi Nakagawa, associate professor at University of Tokyo Hospital, said, “The fatalityrate from radiation is believed to slightly rise when annual accumulated levels reach 100 millisieverts.” He suggests that Tokyo should raise the limits to 10 mSv for adults and 5 mSv for children. (Yomiuri Shimbun)
- Less than 1% of the foodstuffs coming from the Tohoku region are above the nation’s limits for Cesium contamination. More than 250,000 items have been tested from 17 prefectures in northern and central Japan. There have been 2,200 above-limit cases. All the rest are below the health standards. As of March 5, 130 foods from 14 prefectures have been suspended from distribution. About half of the above-limit tests are from sea and freshwater products. Nearly 25,000 fish products have been tested for contamination and 90% are below the 100 Becquerel per kilogram health standard. 78% of those from Fukushima prefecture are below the limit. 97% of the fish and seafood products from other prefectures are below the limit. The above-limit species are mostly bottom-feeders. There seems to have been little contamination found in fish caught south of Chiba prefecture. There are more freshwater species above the health standard than those from the sea. (NHK World; Mainichi Shimbun)
- As time passes, more Japanese consumers are buying foods from the Tohoku region. A survey by an independent food distributor says that fears of Tohoku-produced foods are slowly diminishing. For nearly 2 years after 3/11/11, the percentage of Japanese consumers who were concerned about contamination in food was higher than those who weren’t. Now, that has reversed. 32% now say they are not concerned about Tohoku foodstuffs and 31.8% say they are. The remainder is undecided. The unconcerned demographic raised 2% in the last year and the “concerned” population dropped 6%. (Jiji Press)
- Forty-four countries continue to ban or restrict Japanese food imports due to radiation fears. This adds to the critical trade deficit Japan has experienced since 3/11/11. According to the Agricultural Ministry, many countries have lifted their restrictions, including Canada and Mexico. However, many Asian countries, like China and South Korea, maintain their bans. (Kyodo News)
- Tokyo Electric Company (Tepco) is considering plugging suspected leak locations at F. Daiichi with grout. Although video evidence has not shown leaks from the pressure suppression chambers (torus) of the three severely damaged units, Tepco continues to believe the leaks out of the reactor system must be coming from them. Not that Tepco has given up on the hunt. They haven’t. But, if the search for the leak locations continues to come up empty, the grout-plugging might be a possibility. Shunichi Suzuki, TEPCO’s general manager for F. Daiichi decommissioning, said, “We are developing remote technologies to [find the leaks], but in case there are too many holes and it is difficult to repair all of them, we have to take a different approach. One approach we are considering is putting in grout, like cement. In other words, filling it in. That would block all the holes.” (Japan Today)
- Americans have donated more than $700 million for tsunami relief efforts since 3/11/11. Individuals, companies and non-profit groups have combined for this generous and much-needed outlay. Japan Center for International Exchange says the private sector total is the largest ever given to a developed country and the third biggest disaster donation after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and 2010 quake in Haiti. The largest donor was the American Red Cross at $312 million. Save The Children USA was second at $26 million. (Japan Today)
- The estimates of tsunami debris have been revised. Most of the wave’s remains are sand and mud washed ashore by from the sea bottom. While millions of tons of these two have yet to be dealt with, the amount that needs to be shipped out to other Prefectures for disposal is less than previously estimated. While no figures have been posted for Fukushima Prefecture, Iwate needs to ship out about 300,000 tons and Miyagi more than 325,000 tons. Most of the 6000,000 ton total is burnable. While new incinerators have been built in Fukushima Prefecture, the 2014 deadline for disposing of all tsunami wastes cannot be met by them. Some Prefectures (14) have agreed to take small amounts combined with their typical local volume, so as not to overload their existing systems. But, the 33 other prefectures have not helped because of local radiation rumors and increasing transportation costs. One Miyagi assemblyman, Mitsuya Aizawa, says criticism concerning disposal is reasonable, “There was no need to spend lots of money to ship the debris far away. Nor is it any wonder that residents in places that accepted it worry about radiation contamination.” He also attacked the former Tokyo regime for incompetent planning, “This was a policy decided in top-down fashion by the central government, and Miyagi Prefecture, in truth, wanted it stopped as well.” The new government under Shinzo Abe agreed with Miyagi Assembly and a coordinated effort is underway to handle the garbage cheaply and more efficiently. This would hopefully avoid shipping the material long distances and not be faced with communities like Osaka City who initially agreed to help, but later changed its mind over radiation fears. Yuko Suzuki, leader of the groups opposed to tsunami debris disposal, said he realizes the waste must be dealt with but, “People understand the dangers of spreading radioactive debris all over Japan.” (Japan Times)
- Tokyo Electric Company (Tepco) has been faced with class-action lawsuits on behalf of 1,600 people. It is not coincidence that the filings occurred on the date of the second anniversary of 3/11/11. The class-action strategy is being used because it is difficult to make out-of-court settlements than with lesser filings. One of the lawyers involved, Motomitsu Nakagawa, says, “There’s no other way than to file a lawsuit to rebuild victims’ lives.” In September, 2011, the former Tokyo government set up the Nuclear Damage Compensation Center for victims to have an alternative to court proceedings. However, the system has been criticized for inefficiency and long delays in claim resolution. “In one case, a plaintiff has been kept waiting more than a year after requesting mediation,” Nakagawa said. Half of the new suits will be filed in Tokyo. Others in Fukushima, Iwaki and Koriyama. Tepco says they have had some 80 damages suits filed against them. (Yomiuri Shimbun)
- The Tokyo government says it will begin the world’s first extraction of natural gas from undersea methane-hydrate deposits. The fuel is contained in the near-freezing sea-beds in deep waters near the Japanese coast. The designated test location is said to hold 11 years-worth of the fuel at Japan’s current natural gas consumption. Total off-shore amounts are estimated to be 100 years-worth. The plan to process the methane-hydrate has been spurred by the huge increase in natural gas imports due to Tokyo’s mandated nuclear moratorium. How long it will take to develop a cost-effective methodology to extract the gas from the sea-bed is anyone’s guess. (Jiji Press)
- A large antinuclear demonstration was held in Tokyo on Sunday. The crowd size was estimated at 10,000. A Saturday demonstration intended to kick-off the weekend’s protest, drew about 2,000 people. The organizers demanded an immediate end to nuclear power in Japan and vowed to never give up their crusade. They are outraged that the new PM Shinzo Abe’s regime favors restarting currently-idled nukes. The throng was shocked at what they perceive as the government ignoring the will of the people. “I am going to fight against those who act as though Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Fukushima never happened,” Nobel Prize-winning writer Kenzaburo Oe told the crowd. “I am going to fight to prevent any more reactors from being restarted.” Akihiro Nakata, a 47-year-old owner of a construction company, said, “I can’t see what lies ahead. It looks hopeless, but if I give up now, it’s over. I’d rather die moving forward.” Most demonstrators say they do it to protect Japan’s future generations. Kazuko Nihei, who fled Fukushima with her family, said, “When the government talks about recovery, they are talking about infrastructure. When we talk about recovery, we are talking about the future of our children.” A lawyer involved in the impending class action suits, Izutaro Managi, said, “We can’t believe the government is thinking about restarting the reactors after the horrendous damage and human pain the accident has caused. It is tantamount to victimizing the victims one more time.” The majority of the protestors are frustrated because the nuclear issue is not the government’s primary focus. “The first thing the government should be doing is focusing more on decommissioning (the reactors), rather than working on other issues,” said Yokohama activist Akiyoshi Ando. “The government is turning away from the people affected.” It is also believed that the accident is still in-progress and will not be over until all Fukushima refugees are back at home. Further, many feel Prime Minister Abe is not doing the job he was elected to do. Protestor Fumi Takanami said, “I don’t understand why Abe cannot realize that Japan should not have nuclear power stations when our country suffers so many major earthquakes. Abe has vested interests with the business community, and probably does not care about the rest of Japan.” The media estimate that about 150 local antinuclear protests took place in Japan Sunday and today (Monday). (Japan Today, Japan Times)
