- Another independent Japanese group has filed an interim report on the accident at Fukushima Daiichi. The Atomic Energy Society of Japan (AESJ) began its investigation last August with the goal of drawing conclusions from the perspective of true nuclear experts. 40 nuclear professionals from Universities and Research Institutions have participated. The interim report says the large releases of radioactive material could have been avoided, but no details are yet available. Many panel members say a primary reason the accident was possible was overconfidence within the government and utilities. Some panelists said they experienced technical arrogance. Those who had reservations about nuclear safety before 3/11/11 said they remained silent because they did not want to oppose the power companies. Panel Chairman Saturo Tanaka said the final report, to be issued by the end of the year, should be used as a basis for drawing conclusions about the accident from a technological perspective. The interim report is not yet in English. (NHK World)
- Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority says the AESJ report has spurred them to look closely at the Fukushima accident issues that remain open. The NRA is setting up their own investigative panel headed by Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa. The first meeting will be in April. The main issue before the NRA panel will be whether or not the Fukushima accident began with the earthquake, before the tsunami caused the full station blackout. (Kyodo News)
- The death rate of senior citizen refugees from Minamisoma City has tripled since their evacuation. Out of 328 senior evacuees, 75 died within one year after they were moved. This is 2.7 times higher than the national average for senior deaths. The increased mortality is said to be due to changes in nursing care and their living environment, such as disrupted eating and sleeping schedules. The rate of death is not related to distance from F. Daiichi or level of radiation exposure. Tokyo University Professor Kanji Shibuya said evacuation shelters should be better equipped and have better trained staff to handle future situations, so this doesn’t happen again. He feels his recommendations should be included in all nuclear emergency evacuation plans. (NHK World)
- Un-named “experts” say Japan may be facing a “cancer time bomb” due to the Fukushima accident. They maintain that there are signs the outbreak has already begun. While officially there have been no radiation-related deaths since 3/11/11, the dissenting experts say 40% of Fukushima’s children are showing early signs of thyroid cancer and a full-fledged eruption could peak in ten years. These nay-sayers point to government complacency and intentional cover-ups as the roots of the issue. They point to the numerous news media reports of food contamination, radioactive fish, and Cesium detected as far away as 200 kilometers, as the basis for their alarmist speculations. In addition, they guarantee that radiation continues to escape the damaged power station and that there is a continual risk of the situation getting worse. Further, although the official estimate is that Fukushima released 10% of the material expunged by Chernobyl, the “experts” point to other estimates of the releases being 40% of Chernobyl. Finally, they believe that any detectible level of contamination will cause cancers at some point in the future, and they completely reject the notion that there is a 100 millisievert threshold of harm. Dr. Rianne Teule of Greenpeace says, “The potential effects of radiation from Fukushima have been shamelessly downplayed. It could be many years before we discover the real impact and some of the risks are being ignored.” (Japan Daily Press)
- The debate over Japan’s energy future intensifies. Professor Takao Kashiwage of Tokyo Institute of Technology says, “The tug-of-war between the government and opponents of nuclear power has become an excruciatingly difficult issue in Japan. The emotional [turbulence] following the devastating consequences of the Fukushima accident is masking a real and objective debate. Japan’s energy security is heavily dependent on nuclear power. To halt this source completely is too drastic a step for the country.” However, Japan’s antinuclear demographic has countered the government’s apparent direction on the issue. They say nuclear plants actually cost more than is publically admitted, contingency plans for nuclear evacuations do not exist, and the plight of Fukushima refugees has been downplayed in order to get the country’s nukes restarted. In addition, the storage of spent nuclear fuel bundles poses the continual risk of poisoning the environment. One refugee, Yasuo Fujita, says, “I lost everything I had in a second because of the Fukushima accident. Despite government plans to rebuild Fukushima within three to four decades, nobody believes they can return. With young people now moving away, there is no point in returning even if the government does make the area safe again, a prospect we do not believe in anyway.” He added that after all the anxiety the public has experienced, it would be madness to restart Japan’s nukes. A recent opinion poll run by the Asahi Shimbun shows that, after two years, the public’s dislike of nukes has shifted – 46% now favor nuclear energy while 41% oppose it. Aileen Smith of Green Action says the change only makes Japan’s antinukes more determined. They will continue to file lawsuits and hold demonstrations until nuclear energy is abolished. (Inter Press News Agency)
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