- Nearly a fourth of Japan’s quake/tsunami recovery projects are nothing of the sort. The total of misused money has been about $14.5 billion. The possibility of a large diversion of recovery funding came to light last year, but now the ugly numbers have been tabulated by Tokyo’s Board of Audit. Of the roughly 1,400 projects funded, 912 were judged to be of direct relevance to recovery, 27 covered increased tsunami protection and seismic resistance for schools, and another 136 projects were deemed to be recovery-related. But, 326 were found to have no direct relevance to the natural catastrophes. One misappropriation concerned a $16 million nationwide effort to make government facilities quake resistant, but much of the money went into renovations of Tokyo’s National Stadium. Another misuse was by Tokyo’s Ministry of Labor which provided vocational training for disaster survivors. $12 million was designated for the job program, but nearly $10 million was spent outside the three most-ravaged prefectures: Iwate, Fukushima and Miyagi. A third example was the use of $22 million to protect Japan’s whaling industry, ostensibly specific to Ishinomaki City. However, Ishinomaki only received 9% of the total catch for 2012. The Audit Board stressed that this sort of spending violated no laws because it was all approved by Tokyo in accordance with the recovery policy created in Tokyo soon after 3/11/11 under the Naoto Kan regime. The Board also reported that more than $50 billion has been spent on disaster recovery to-date. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131101p2a00m0na011000c.html
- Japan’s nuke watchdog has approved the removal of spent fuel from F. Daiichi unit #4. The Nuclear Regulation Authority gave their consent on Wednesday. Tokyo Electric Company’s target date to begin is November 8. Tepco says they will be cautious throughout the process and constantly check for fuel bundle damage due to debris that fell into the pool from the hydrogen explosion of March 15, 2013. They will also be careful to avoid remaining rubble in the pool. NRA Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa said the transfer “is a big step in the process of decommissioning the reactor. We can reduce risks by moving them to the common pool.” The NRA’s announcement has received wide Press coverage in Japan, with most news outlets exploiting the opportunity to post elaborate worst case scenarios. Unfortunately, NRA Chair Shunichi Tanaka echoes these fears, “Handling spent fuels involves huge risks. It would be a disaster if radioactive materials come out of the metal rods during the work.” http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131030_31.html — http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/10/30/fukushima-watch-watchdog-approves-tepcos-plan-to-retrieve-fuel-rods/?mod=yahoo_hs
- American DOE Secretary Moniz has visited Fukushima Daiichi. He spoke to the Press in Tokyo on Thursday, but said little about the current situation at the station. Moniz did say the success of cleanup on the plant site and in the surrounding areas has global significant. However, Moniz focused on Japan’s intention to be a signatory to the international Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), which is designed to cover nuclear accident liability. Under the treaty, compensation for damage resulting from a nuclear accident may be partially covered with funds contributed by participating countries. Moniz added that the US has sent experts to Japan to help the nuclear recovery effort, but Japan’s intent to join the CSC will allow for expanded support. The CSC currently has four signatories, including the US. It needs five nations to agree before implementation can occur, so Japan’s intent to join is critical. http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2013103101162 — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131101_05.html Tepco president Naomi Hirose wrote a very complimentary note of appreciation to Secretary Moniz, which is posted on the Tepco website. In the letter, Hirose says, “On behalf of all of my colleagues at TEPCO, I want to thank Secretary Moniz and the DOE for this invaluable support.” http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1231870_5130.html
- Tepco is adding another wastewater storage process. They have decided to pump out all of the contaminated groundwater under the storage tank that leaked 300 tons in August. The latest reading from the nearest testing well is 220,000 Becquerels of Beta emitters per liter. The company will dig five more wells around the leaked tank and pump out the water into a “specially made” tank. They will move 10 tons per day, beginning in November. The company is presently scarping the soil under the leaked tank and bagging it as low level waste. The two efforts will continue until the contamination of the soil and groundwater have been removed. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131031_03.html
- Tepco might use undamaged F. Daiichi units #5 and #6 for wastewater storage. Executive Vice President Yoshiyuki Ishizaki said the company is considering the possibility. It seems they will decide on whether or not to scrap the units before making them storage locations. PM Shinzo Abe has suggested they decommission both units rather than restart them. Tepco says they will make a decision on the PM’s request by the end of the year. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/29/national/tepco-may-use-undamaged-reactor-buildings-for-water-storage/#.UnEQyoHD8dU
- Japan and the U.S. are considering uniform standards for nuke plant safety. The principles will be based on long-standing American regulations and safety practices. Both countries plan on completing an agreement on the bilateral standards by 2018. Tokyo and many nuclear plant operators feel this will result in much less criticism of nuclear power plant operations and might facilitate current restart efforts in Japan. http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2013103100861
- It seems Japan’s Industry Ministry will turn Tepco into a holding company with a new decommissioning body. The move began Thursday after it was approved by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Japan’s Diet. The proposal called for Tepco to immediately pursue separation of normal company functions from the F. Daiichi decommissioning effort. It is believed splitting the company into two business entities will facilitate both efforts. Tepco welcomed the news and is considering a business plan to overhaul the company this year. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131101_04.html
- The number of seafood species to be fished off Fukushima is being expanded. For the past few weeks, 18 kinds of fish have been approved. Now, the Fukushima fisheries will catch 27. None of the 27 kinds of fish have been found to contain contamination at or above the national limits for Cesium or Strontium. The list includes flathead flounder, which was the leading money-making species before the nuke accident. Soma City cooperative head Hiroyuki Sato said the flathead flounder bring good prices and the fishermen are motivated. He hopes the ban on other types will be lifted soon. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131030_35.html
- Tokyo has further defined how long the Fukushima evacuees will continue to receive compensation. While previous announcements suggested the limit of exposure for repopulation is 20 millisieverts per year, the government says the limit is 50 mSv/yr. Those whose homes cannot be brought down to that level will be given financial assistance to permanently locate elsewhere. Tokyo says that areas now reading more than 50 mSv/yr have 25,000 evacuees. The restricted zone, where people may make short visits during decontamination efforts, has a population of 23,000. The number of evacuees from zones about to be ready for repopulation is about 33,000. As always, Tokyo did not said how many of the refugees were permanently displaced by the tsunami-itself. Regardless, officials are also considering raising the amount of mandated monthly stipends from Tepco. Currently, monthly checks are issued based on the property value of the abandoned residences. However, this is not believed to be enough for permanent evacuees to build elsewhere. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131030p2a00m0na006000c.html
- The Environment Ministry is considering extending the period of mandated financial compensation due to psychological stress. Refugees receive $1030 per month for psych damages. Currently, 84,000 evacuees get the psychological compensation. The statute on such payouts ends one year after evacuation orders are lifted. The Ministry says they will consider extending the statute if social infrastructure and employment opportunities are considered insufficient. In addition, a longer statute extension will be possible if psychological suffering continues long after repopulation has occurred. The announcement has sparked a debate among evacuees. One Miyakoji resident was in favor of cutting off the compensation after a year so that people would stop depending on the payments and move forward with their lives. Iitate mayor Norio Kanno, where all residents continue as evacuees, said one year was an appropriate cutoff point because residents would not feel the need to return to work if the compensation was overly extended. Conversely, Katsunobu Sakurai, the mayor of Minami-Soma, said: “Residents will be puzzled by the across-the-board one-year extension. Decontamination and removal of rubble has still not been completed.” Statistics indicate that an average family of four has received about $900,000 in compensation from Tepco – $490,000 for real estate, $110,000 in lost wages, and $300,000 in “consolation” money for pain and suffering. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201310260046
- An antinuclear member of the Diet has created a public outrage by trying to make the Emperor an antinuke. Upper House member Taro Yamamoto, elected on an antinuclear ticket, handed a letter to Emperor Akihito at a public gathering in the Imperial garden. Yamamoto said the letter informed Akihito of the children exposed to radiation from Fukushima and the dangerous working conditions at the plant. Yamamoto has been summarily criticized for trying to use the monarch for political purpose, which Japan’s Constitution expressly forbids. Yamamoto said he had no political intent for his rude and possibly illegal act, but why else would he have done it? Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga chided Yamamoto, “By using common sense, people should consider if it’s appropriate to give a letter to the Emperor in such an occasion as a garden party.” The Diet is considering punishment of Yamamoto. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/31/national/anti-nuclear-lawmaker-tries-to-get-emperors-attention/#.UnOAaIHD8dU
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