October 1, 2015

Oct 1, 2015 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • A panel of six Japanese women express their views on nuclear energy misunderstandings. The Japanese public increasingly misjudges nuclear power because accurate information is not circulated and intentionally incorrect material is distributed by anti-nuclear groups. The most-misinformed Japanese demographic is female. Thus, the National Nuclear Union held a women-only panel discussion. Former Japan Atomic Energy Commission officer Noriko Kimoto keynoted the discussion and explained that Japanese nuclear fears are linked to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and radiation literacy is lower in Japan than other countries. She stressed the need to publicize fact-based information. Noriko was followed by three other presenters: Dr. Katsuko Uno of the Louis Pasteur Center for Medical Research, political journalist Tamao Hosokawa, and Engineer Tomoko Murakami of the Institute of Energy Economics. Dr. Uno focused on the impacts of overstating and understating risks, explaining that both send incorrect messages. Ms. Murakami concentrated on the widespread misunderstanding that the rest of the world instantly reversed its direction on nuclear development when Fukushima happened. She also spoke on exaggerated information such as aging reactors being “uniformly dangerous”, which is simply incorrect. In response, a student said that unless the risk is zero, mothers should remain evacuated. Ms. Hosokawa responded that many women oppose nuclear power because they do not really study the subject. She stressed that women should red widely and give all information equal attention. http://www.jaif.or.jp/en/panel-talks-about-thoughts-on-misunderstanding-nuclear-power-at-national-nuclear-union-gathering/
  • The Futaba region’s police station reopens. It is now operating out of its pre-accident location in Tomioka. The Futaba region includes almost the entire 20km evacuation radius. The police feel it is needed because visitor traffic should increase through the area due to the lifting of evacuation orders by Tokyo. The station is physically located inside a restricted area with estimated outdoor exposures between 20 and 50 millisieverts per year. There will be officers at the facility Monday through Saturday, 9am to 5pm. At all other times, police operations will be home-based in fully-reopened Naraha. The Futaba police will consult with returning residents, make routine patrols, and attend to traffic control. Fukushima Prefecture’s police chief Katsuhiko Ishida told the Futaba staff, “I want you to renew your resolve and assist Fukushima’s reconstruction from a security aspect.” http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20151001p2a00m0na008000c.html
  • Two public facilities open in the repopulating town of Nahara. A few hundred residents have taken advantage of it- the town’s reopening two weeks ago, but most have stayed away because there were few public services available. Now, a cycling terminal and a hot spring inn have opened with a commemorative ceremony celebrating the restart of the town’s major tourist attractions. About 100 residents and guests attended the event. Mayor Yukiei Masumoto spoke at the festivities, saying, “These two facilities have been reborn into places where one can relax and enjoy oneself. I hope you all can feel refreshed in both the body and soul in our hometown Naraha.” http://www.fukushimaminponews.com/news.html?id=566
  • Tomioka Town rice is harvested for market. Tomioka lies immediately north of Naraha within the 20km Tokyo-mandated evacuation zone. Round-the-clock habitation is allowed for the 1,500 residents of the southern third of the town, but most of the municipality remains under living restrictions, with daytime visitation for 10,000 people with homes in the middle third of the community and 4,500 people banned from entry to the northern third of the town. Regardless, rice farming has been allowed in decontaminated fields for more than two years. This year, 180 acres were planted with three popular rice varieties. The golden Ten no Tsubu and Kogane-mochi crops, covering 150 acres, are currently being reaped with combine harvesters. 30 acres of the Koshihikari variety will be reaped later this year. All bagged rice will be checked for radioactivity before being sent to market. http://www.fukushimaminponews.com/news.html?id=568
  • Tepco will install 20 more wastewater storage tanks at F. Daiichi. Each will hold 700 metric tons of liquid. This will bring the total storage capacity to about 965,000 tons. Currently, there is about 700,000 tons in storage, almost all of which has been run through the high-efficiency, multi-stage isotopic removal systems. If it were not for fear of the remaining, biologically-innocuous concentrations of Tritium, the waters would have already been released. But, fear of radiation among a numerically significant minority of Japan’s consumers, plus fear of losing further profits by Fukushima’s fisheries, has forced Tepco to keep the harmless waters in storage. A Ministry of Industry official justifies the continued storage by saying that the measures taken by Tepco may have “still unforeseeable” impacts. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150929p2a00m0na011000c.html
  • Once again, Fukushima Prefecture tells Tepco they must reduce the release of radioactive rainwater run-off. Prolonged, heavy rainfalls occasionally overwhelm the drainage-diversion system used by Tepco to pump everything to the multi-barricaded inner port (quay). A drainage channel at F. Daiichi went around the heavily-contaminated areas and used to go directly to the sea. A radiation monitor on the channel began sporadically alarming last year showing mild, above-limits contamination. Tepco closed off the sea-side outlet and installed pumps to send the rainwater runoff to the quay. At least two typhoon-spawned torrential rainfalls caused brief overflowing of the channel and into the sea. Although there has been no detectible contamination outside the plant’s main break-wall, the incidents have made major headlines in Japan. Tepco has committed to, and is currently working on, a major restructuring of the channel, eventually sending all of its water directly to the quay. But, the Prefecture wants it done faster, with official Takao Kikori telling Tepco to speed up the work. Tepco says they will pump out rainwater further upstream and redirect it to other drains flowing into the port, once it determines the best place for the additional water removal. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
  • Another Fukushima lawsuit is filed by government-mandated evacuees. 117 residents (32 households) of Namie have filed a suit against Tepco and Tokyo insisting on full decontamination of their district by March, 2020. The criteria for the decontamination is that no person will get more than one millisievert per year above natural background levels plus exposures for medical diagnostics and/or treatment. In addition, they have demanded a lump-sum of 6.5 billion yen (~$50 million) for damages, have each person’s metal anguish subsidy increased by 350% (100,000 yen/month to 350,000), and another $3 million yen each for unnecessary exposure due to Tokyo not immediately posting radioactive release predictions in mid-March of 2011. All claimants are from the Tsushima District of Namie, which is designated as a zone where residents will not be allowed home in the foreseeable future. The suit calls for another #3 million yen/resident if the decontamination criteria are not met by the March, 2020, deadline. All of this money is above and beyond the huge compensation payout’s they have been receiving since the spring of 2011. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150930p2a00m0na015000c.html (For a running account of compensation payments since April, 2011, see http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-evacuee-compensation-payments.html)
  • JAPC says the NRA’s judgement of a seismic fault under Tsuruga station is unfair and subjective. In May, 2013, the Nuclear Regulation Authority concluded that a geologic anomaly beneath Tsuruga unit #2 was an active seismic fault. Station owner Japan Atomic Power Company has filed a formal opinion paper with the NRA challenging the agency’s conclusion. Specific points include non-acceptance of submitted data, outside experts not being allowed to participate in the discussions, grounds and evidence for the NRA decision were not provided, and numerous scientific & technological problems that were not addressed. In December, 2014, the NRA stated that the 2013 evaluation was “important knowledge”. On September 25, JAPC asked the NRA to not “describe the panel’s evaluation as ‘important knowledge’ that would have a bearing on its examination to confirm whether the Tsuruga NPPs was compatible with the new regulatory standards.”  The request has not received a response. http://www.jaif.or.jp/en/japc-complains-to-nra-about-unfair-evaluation-that-tsuruga-nps-lies-above-fault-zone/