We resume our Fukushima Updates today, with a modification to our previous format. After each topic summary, the URLs for the article(s) will be posted. We hope you find this acceptable, and your feedback would be invaluable. Because of a death in the family (my mother), we have not posted this past week’s updates until today.
From today’s Fukushima-specific and related reports…
- The Nuclear Regulatory Authority says the 3/11/11 quake did not damage safety systems at F. Daiichi unit #1. This should close the door on speculation that the accident began before the massive tsunami struck the facility. The NRA says reported pre-tsunami water leaks were actually due to quake-induced sloshing from the fifth-story spent fuel pool and not due to safety system compromise. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2013/06/230824.html
- Another waste water leak has been discovered at F. Daiichi. This time it came from a new storage tank installed as part of the ALPS isotopic-stripping system designed to remove all but one of the 62 remaining isotopes from the Cesium-cleansed waste waters building up at the plant site. The ALPS system is currently under testing procedures. The testing has been stopped to facilitate investigation. There was no radiological release to the environment. It should be noted that the Japanese Press articles have numerous misconceptions posted as fact. http://japandailypress.com/tepco-puts-radioactive-water-decontamination-process-on-hold-yet-another-leak-detected-1730703 — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130617_30.html
- Currently-operating Oi units 3&4 have been given a “thumbs-up” by NRA investigators. This means the two plants have met or exceeded the new nuclear safety regulations to be issued in July. Thus, they may remain in operation until their respective refueling and inspection shut-downs this coming September. An electric company official said, “[The NRA’s review of the Oi facility] has illustrated what would be asked about our facilities.” The only critical comments from the NRA concerned the size of the television screen for conferences and whether or not the emergency response room could accommodate all inspectors during a nuclear emergency. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000312399 — http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/nuclear-watchdog-inspects-oi-plant?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2013-06-16_PM — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130612p2a00m0na011000c.html
- Futaba Town, adjacent to F. Daiichi, is considering a future repopulation. The first step was today’s relocation of the town’s government to Iwake in Fukushima Prefecture. Previously, individual town municipal groups had relocated in several different communities. This move is intended to bring nearly all of them together. The town had a population of about 7,000 before 3/11/11. Nearly 4,000 remain in 38 other Fukushima communities, with more than 1,500 in Iwake. More than 3,000 former residents have relocated to 39 prefectures across Japan. How many might eventually return to Futaba town is unknown. Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa said, “Our return to Fukushima Prefecture will make it easier to consult with officials from the prefectural government and other local governments, as well as enable swifter response times.” http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130617p2a00m0na008000c.html — http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/17/national/futaba-brings-offices-back-to-fukushima/#.Ub78Z-vD8dU
- The Environment Ministry will create two panels for contaminated waste storage. The goal is to overcome local opposition to waste storage in the communities where sites are being planned. This includes Futaba, Okuma, and Nahara near F. Daiichi. One panel will consist of radiologists and geologists. The other panel’s contingent has not yet been announced. Their first meetings are planned for June 28. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130617_13.html — http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco
- PM Shinzo Abe has been on a nuclear sales mission around the world, but former PM Naoto Kan doesn’t like it. Kan is presently an international antinuclear activist. In a Monday blog, Kan says Abe’s attempt to sell Japanese nuke technology overseas is “inhumane”, calling the current PM a nuclear peddler. Kan has tried to convince the world that Tokyo, 250 kilometers from F. Daiichi, was in imminent danger of evacuation in March, 2011, “I have been explaining that this means people in Tokyo were indeed involved in that accident. And they’re obliged to decide whether to abolish nuclear power.” http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/17/national/kan-hits-abes-nuclear-salesmanship/#.Ub78R-vD8dU
Other Fukushima news from this past week includes…
- On Saturday, June 15, the NRA formally inspected the operating Oi nuclear units. Units 3&4 were restarted last July under provisional safety standards. The inspection focused on compliance with new regulations that will apply to Pressurized Water Reactor systems, which both Oi units utilize. On Saturday, chief inspector Toyohsi Fuketa said he found no serious problems, but he would like the emergency response center to be bigger, “We found some points better prepared than we had expected, but other points are insufficient. It was good that we were able to confirm manuals (for accident management) and had talks with plant workers.” http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/nuclear-watchdog-inspects-oi-plant?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2013-06-16_AM — http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2013061500235 — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130615p2g00m0dm035000c.html
- The Tokyo government feels Japan’s energy future includes nukes. In a white paper released last Friday, the Abe-led government says it must leave the former regime’s zero-nuke policy behind and establish “a responsible energy policy”. The white paper explains the former policy was not based on and concrete reasoning which resulted in public distrust and uneasiness among communities that currently host nukes. Tokyo made it clear that nuclear energy is essential to meet future energy demand and restarts of currently-idled nukes must happen once all new NRA regulations are met and approval from local communities has been achieved. http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2013061400474 — http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2013/06/230267.html
- A Reconstruction Agency official has been fired due to remarks made on Twitter. Yasuhisa Mizuno tweeted that attendants at a non-government-organized gathering were “left-wing sh*theads” and “just felt pity for their lack of intelligence”. He claimed his statements at the meeting were “intensely jeered by left-wing sh*theads.” He added that issue resolutions were ambiguous “without determining black or white.” Mizuno also attacked some law-makers for “looking like Doraemon [a stupid-looking cartoon cat]” and a Cabinet Minister as being a “habitual liar”. His Tweets got him removed from the Agency amid a maelstrom of outrage and spleen from politicians and antinuclear activists alike. Social Democratic Party policy chief Tadatomo Yoshida said “This incident obviously casts doubt on his qualifications. The Reconstruction Agency’s culture is what enabled Mizuno to feel he could post such comments.” Fukushima evacuee Katsumi Hasegawa said Mizuno’s Tweets shattered his trust in the Reconstruction Agency. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130613p2a00m0na008000c.html — http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/15/national/reconstruction-official-canned-blasted-for-tweets/#.Ub9PZOvD8dU
- On Thursday, the Fisheries Agency announced a radioactive greenling was found near F. Daiichi was caught. The fish “did not get contaminated in waters that are far away from the nuclear power plant,” the agency said. It was caught about 20 km from the site with more than 25,000 Becquerels of Cesium per kilogram, some 250 times the national limit. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2013/06/230064.html
- Tepco has publicized the work being done to prepare for the removal of spent fuel bundles at F. Daiichi unit #4. Last week, Tepco showed off a massive, nearly complete steel structure surrounding the damaged reactor building. Concerns have concentrated on the fuel rods in the cooling pool of unit no. 4, spurring Tepco to focus its efforts there. Plant chief Takeshi Takahashi told journalists on Wednesday that workers have cleaned up much of the debris needed to get the job moving. The news media continues to harp on earthquake fears and speculations on “jury-rigged” systems used to cool the unit’s 1,500 fuel bundles in the spent fuel pool. http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/tepco-shows-media-fuel-rod-removal-work-at-fukushima?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2013-06-13_PM
- Last week the Japanese Press was dominated by articles that PM Shinzo Abe’s wife is antinuclear and disapproves of her husband’s endorsement of Japanese nuclear technology. The following URLs are typical of the plethora of postings… http://japandailypress.com/pm-abes-wife-reveals-disapproval-of-japans-use-of-nuclear-energy-1130364 — http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/abes-wife-says-she-is-anti-nuclear — http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/12/national/nuclear-advocacy-lands-abe-in-hot-water-with-wife/#.Ub9d_evD8dU
- Tepco has shifted reactor cooling for unit #2 at F. Daiichi back to the plant’s installed system. Until now, cooling water to the Reactor Pressure Vessel has come from a temporary system put together after 3/11/11. The repaired installed system was unveiled to the media on Friday, June 7. Unfortunately, only two news outlets in Japan felt this milestone was worthy of reporting. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000292145
- The transfer of wastewater from F. Daiichi underground cisterns has been completed. The total quantity transferred was about 24,000 tons. The shifting in storage to above-ground tanks was due to the discovery that at least two of the underground reservoirs were leaking between the triple-layer liners for the reservoirs. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2013/06/229418.html — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130610p2g00m0dm001000c.html
- Thyroid screenings for Fukushima children now living in Tokyo show no adversities. The program has been created by a fund-raising group skeptical of official child thyroid examinations. Journalist Ryuichi Hirokawa heads the program, which has screened more than 100 of the Tokyo children. He has been openly skeptical of the effectiveness of Fukushima’s local government’s child-thyroid screening programs, alleging infrequency and inadequate feedback. “These kinds of tests should be organized by the state or local municipalities, who should not only provide worried parents with detailed feedback but also do as much as possible to alleviate the financial burden on them,” Hirokawa said. One mother who fled Fukushima Prefecture over radiation fears said, “The doctor assured me there is no immediate health risk, but still it’s very worrying.” Another mother added, “I was worried sick about the results, but it seems my kids are healthy.” http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/09/national/fukushima-kids-thyroids-screened/#.Ub9jkuvD8dU — http://ajw.asahi.com/article/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/09/national/fukushima-kids-thyroids-screened/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201306100068
- The government and Tepco say they might shorten the time needed to remove the melted fuel at F. Daiichi by about 18 months. The two entities will conduct a detailed investigation on decommissioning technology then revise the time-table accordingly. In a news conference on June 10, a representative of the Ministry of Economy said that bringing the plans forward would be dependent on developing new technology. University of Tokyo professor Satoru Tanaka commented, “There is merit in bringing the plans forward to speed up residents return (to areas contaminated by the nuclear accident). But there remains a lot of unchartered technology, and the government needs to support research and development in the future.” Regrettably, the Press has used this announcement to re-invigorate uncertainty with futuristic forecasting relative to F. Daiichi. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130611p2a00m0na010000c.html
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Fukui Prefecture wants Japanese Self-Defense forces stationed at all nukes. Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa asked the Defense Ministry last Monday to permanently deploy Japanese Self-Defense Forces troops to all nukes in Fukui Prefecture. Fukui hosts 14 nuclear power units. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2013/06/229597.html
