- Japan’s nuke watchdog sharply criticizes Tepco on the latest contaminated water incident. It turns out that last week’s hose leak was not only mildly contaminated rainwater run-off, but was actually mixed with highly contaminated water from a turbine building basement. On Monday, Tepco revealed that the water in the hose had an activity of 1.1 million Becquerels of “all-Beta” per liter, which was not initially reported. NRA Chair Shunichi Tanaka said, “[TEPCO] has failed to manage [contaminated water] properly.It lacks a strategic approach in addressing the contaminated water issue. [TEPCO] should be held deeply responsible.” It is estimated that at least seven tons escaped the leaky hose over a two day period, and some of it ended up in a drainage channel that outlets to the barricaded inner port (quay). The quay water samples taken nearest the ditch discharge point registered the highest activities measured in the last two years. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201506040105 — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150603_37.html (Comment – The Japanese Press and the NRA fail to mention that the quay is effectively isolated from the Pacific Ocean. Instead, both make it seem as if the releases were to the open sea, which was not the case. While this exclusion by the Press is understandable considering its admitted antinuclear agenda, the oversight on the part of the NRA is inexcusable.)
- Two more rural waste storage sites are being built in the F. Daiichi host towns. The temporary “stockyards” effectively double the previous capacity of the project to more than 40,000 cubic meters. This is roughly the amount of material generated by 43 Fukushima municipalities in the last year. To date, the Environment Ministry has transported 3,000m3 of the stuff to the site. Unfortunately, most of the 2,300 owners of remaining land for the entire stockyard (~15km2) have not agreed to sell or lease their land. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
- Full-face masks are no longer required for 90% of the F. Daiichi station. On May 29, the area where full-face masks are no longer needed was expanded to nine-tenths of the total site surface. Unquestionably, work efficiency should have a general improvement. This will be especially true with respect to on-the-job communications. It will also reduce the risk of heat stroke during the summer and other hot periods. http://www.jaif.or.jp/en/treatment-ends-of-contaminated-water-at-fukushima-daiichi-while-no-full-face-mask-area-is-expanded-greatly/
- The new F. Daiichi worker “rest house” and food facility was opened to the Press. Workers will be able to have with hot meals, a place to relax, and an opportunity to socialize. It will aid in local community recovery because most of the facility’s staff are from Fukushima. The Meal Service Center will employ more than 100 people with nineteen from Futaba; an F. Daiichi host community. The center will be able to provide up to 3,000 hot lunches each day, effectively replacing the standard bagged food for about half the number of workers at the site during lunchtime. The building has a floor space of more than 6,400 square meters, with dining areas to accommodate up to 1,200 persons. Plant Chief Akira Ono said, “This facility represents fulfillment of our pledge to provide better working conditions for the people who have been working so hard at Fukushima Daiichi. I’m glad that by the start of providing warm meal to our workers, their health would be more secured, and communication enhanced.”It is located on the western edge of the F. Daiichi station property. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2015/1251479_6844.html — http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/2015/201506-e/150601-01e.html (pictures)
- Opposition to disposal of rural low level waste is now a main antinuclear focus in Japan. While the nuclear-averse demographic demands that the large number of large waste-filled bags be removed from their current locations, none are willing to have a disposal site in their community. It’s a prime example of not-in-my-back-yard (NIMBY) self-interest. The geological testing for candidate sites has met with stern public opposition. Last year, a Tokyo analytical team went to Kami Town in Miyagi Prefecture, only to be blocked from entering the site by a group of outraged locals. Town officials re-opened the road to the site on Wednesday, but no-one was there to protest because the government test team was not there. One local explained, “I would come running here if the Environment Ministry were to visit to survey the site. Depending on circumstances I would not hesitate to stage a sit-in.” The Kami Municipal Government has declared its opposition, in support of the local residents who object to Tokyo’s plans. Kami claims the site selection process is flawed and has passed an ordinance requiring the town’s permission to run the government analyses. There are nearly 3,400 tons of bagged rural wastes currently stored on private property and greenhouse-type sheds in Miyagi Prefecture. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150603p2a00m0na017000c.html
- Japan’s main antinuclear group seems to be the source of all low level waste aversion. Tokyo’s Citizen’s Nuclear Information Center (CNIC) supports local NIMBY efforts to block creating storage locations for the relatively harmless stuff. They also provide fodder for stoppage of reducing the volumes of material through incineration. Their current focus is to disparage Fukushima Prefecture’s volume-reduction program. CNIC calls the twenty-four incinerators under construction “makeshift, and charges the prefecture with deceit because they allegedly ignore the risk of accidents, such as explosions. CNIC says the plans are not science-based, volumes are not determined properly, do not make Tepco formally responsible for accident countermeasures and final long-term storage, and fails to consider facility dismantling and decontamination costs. The group also alleges that only 99.99% of the incinerator exhaust will be filtered out, that undetectable radioactive micro particles will still be emitted, and that the filters easily break down and expose the public to radiation. Finally CNIC says, “Let’s stop incineration and burial by proposing alternative methods,” although no substitute volume reduction methodology is mentioned. They add that low level wastes are to be treated as if they are used reactor fuel. http://www.cnic.jp/english/?p=3089
- South Korea agrees to consult with Japan over the trade restriction complaint filed with WTO. Tokyo’s Agriculture Minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said, “We received a response [from South Korea] on Friday in Geneva saying it will respond to our country’s request for consultations.” This is the first step in the World Trade Organization’s process of settling formal disputes. Korea banned imports of 50 marine products from eight prefectures following the Fukushima accident, expanded it to exclude all fish products in 2013, and stretched it to cover all fish and seafood products from everywhere in Japan last month. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2015/06/355978.html
- Kyushu Electric Co. now says the restart of Sendai unit #1 is expected for August. Previous projections were for a late-July resumption of operation, but the testing of systems prior to loading fuel into the reactor has taken longer than anticipated. It is felt that fuel loading will happen in early July. In addition to pre-operational system testing and fuel loading, the NRA must check on the station’s nuclear emergency capability. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150601_36.html
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