- 127 more Fukushima accident testimonies have been released. 772 people were grilled by the NAIIC, a government committee investigating the nuke accident beginning in October, 2011. The report on the NAIIC findings was released in June of 2012. Nineteen interviews, including former PM Naoto Kan and Plant Manager Masao Yoshida, were released earlier in September. Another 56 were made public in November. The new releases were made public on Thursday after getting consent from the parties involved. Interviewees included officials from Tepco headquarters in Tokyo, various government officials, former Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato, and Okuma Mayor Toshitsuna Watanbe. One Tepco official related that the Tokyo task force did not know that one of the emergency cooling systems for unit #1 had been turned off on March 11. Another said that he analyzed what had happened in April of 2011 and realized that at least half of the fuel core of unit #1 had melted. He added that Tepco refrained from using the term “meltdown” in March and April because there was no precise definition of the word and it could thus have been misunderstood. Governor Sato complained about poor communications between Tokyo and Fukushima’s prefectural government during the first day of the crisis. He said that his staff got most of its information from TV news. He admitted to have issued a 2 kilometer-wide evacuation at 8:50 pm based on the TV reports. His office began getting airborne contamination reports via Email on March 12. Sato said the poor communications network resulted in many Fukushima residents evacuating to areas where contamination was likely to spread. Tokyo had planned to have all 772 testimonies released by the end of the year, but many officials have not agreed to the release. The government will continue working on the project in 2015. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141226_11.html — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141226_03.html — http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201412260050
- Kurion’s mobile Strontium removal system is exceeding expectations. Its first water decontamination system began operation in early October and has processed more than 11,000 tons of liquid. It has removed more than 99.95% of the contained Strontium. The target was for 99.9%. In other words, the system was expected to have a decontamination factor of 1,000, but has actually operated with a Strontium removal factor of 2,000. A second mobile unit arrived in Japan about the first week of December. Full operation of both units should treat about 600 tons of water per day. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2014/12/12/kurion-mobile-processing-system-exceeds-fukushima-decontamination-targets/
- The water levels inside the turbine basements of units #1 thru 4 appear to be dropping. On November 4th, the total volume in the four basements was about 73,000 tons, which is roughly what it has been for more than two years. But, on December 23rd, the volume was down to about 63,000 tons. This is an indication that recent efforts to curb groundwater inflow, such as pumping up water before it reaches the basement walls and operating the external drain system, are having a positive impact. Unfortunately, there has been no mention of this in Tepco Press releases or news media briefing handouts. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu14_e/images/141105e0201.pdf — http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu14_e/images/141226e0201.pdf
- Tokyo plans to accelerate Fukushima accident recovery. The Reconstruction Agency will locate based for homes and offices inside the mandated evacuation zone to prepare for the return of evacuees. A bill to make it happen will be submitted during the next Diet (Congressional) session. The plan calls for tax exemptions for sales of land in Okuma Town, meaning landowners will not have to pay income tax on sales up to $420,000. The bill will also allow business owners to write off reserve funds for capital investments as losses. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
- The government and Tepco may end some business compensation in February of 2016. They have proposed this to Fukushima Prefecture’s commerce and industry federation. Those businesses that would not lose their post-accident subsidies would be in the agricultural, forestry and fisheries sectors. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Tepco, are seeking input from the prefectural federation. Federation Secretary-General Hideki Endo doesn’t like it, “Fukushima business owners face different situations depending on their evacuation statuses and their business categories. While we understand the need to draw the line somewhere, we cannot accept the end of compensation payments within a year and a few months from now when the nuclear disaster has still not been brought to a conclusion and there are no prospects that harmful rumors will end in the foreseeable future.” Those whom would at-risk include self-employed residents and small to medium sized businesses. The proposal seems to be the result of the Fukushima government’s asking for policy direction on compensation. When the compensation was first mandated in December, 2013, the committee charged with overseeing the program said it would be reasonable to end the pay-outs when owners are able to run their businesses at pre-accident level. Tepco’s records show that almost $17 billion has been paid in business compensation, up to this point. This is roughly 85% of the some $20 billion that has been disbursed under the heading “Corporations and Sole Proprietors”. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141227p2a00m0na007000c.html
- Five Minamisoma mothers have written a booklet about radiation. The information comes from regular informational seminars organized by the five women. The mothers call themselves “Veterans Mother’s Society”. Their booklet is entitled Radiation and Health Seminar. The seminars began in December of 2011 with Dr. Masaharu Tsubokura of the Tokyo Institute of Medical Science. Other doctors have since joined in the at-least-monthly presentations. Children are brought to the meetings and ask the experts many questions like, “Is it OK to lick the snow?” and “Can radiation be transmitted from one person to another?” Over the past two years, the questions did not change much, so the five organizers decided to create a booklet answering the repeated questions. 20,000 copies of the Japanese version have been distributed, and an English version has been ordered by international schools and other English-speaking groups. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201412290023
- The Japan News says nuke restarts are important to keep electric bills under control. The Japan News is the English edition of Japan’s largest newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun. The high cost of using fossil fuels is causing electric rates to skyrocket. One prime example is Kansai Electric Co., which owns 11 of the currently-idled nukes. Kepco has applied for a general rate increase of 10% and 14% for corporate customers. This is the second time the company has been forced to raise the cost of electricity. Last Year, general rates were hiked 10% and corporate rates were hiked 17%. Hokkaido Electric was the first to have a second rate increase last November. Kepco says they are forced to have another rate hike because four of their nuclear units which were assumed to restart in 2014, have been delayed by the Nuclear Regulation Authority requirements for restart becoming more time-consuming. Kansai also said that while the recent drop in oil prices will help, it will not eliminated the $50 billion per year increase in fuel costs inflicted by the nuke moratorium. Kepco’s cost-cutting measures and consumer energy-saving measures are nearing their limit. If NRA delays keep the two Takahama units from operating until autumn, a third rate increase could happen. Kepco’s situation is common to most of Japan’s utilities owning nukes. Thus, the Yomiuri says it is “Increasingly important to restart N-plants to reduce need for energy rate increases.” http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001815644
- Tokyo prosecutors will likely rule against indictments of three Tepco executives concerning the nuke accident. The office was forced to consider indicting the trio when a citizen’s panel ruled that the issue deserved prosecution. The citizen’s panel order followed the Prosecutor’s Office declining to charge 30 Tepco officials with negligence relative to nuclear safety precautions at F. Daiichi, last year. The non-indictment decision is expected to be made public early in this coming year. The reason is likely to be insufficient evidence. If this happens, the citizen’s panel can force court-appointed lawyers to try the case if 8 of the 11 on the committee vote in favor of indictment. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/26/us-japan-nuclear-prosecution-idUSKBN0K404320141226
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