May 8, 2012 | Fukushima Commentary
The Mainichi Shimbun has posted an editorial on the dangers of shut-down reactors. (#1, below) It is written in a Q and A format. I am not going to nit-pick the many exaggerations contained in the article because nuclear-related hyperbole is typical of the Mainichi....
May 8, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
Get it right, for crying out loud! The Mainichi Shimbun has posted an editorial on the dangers of shut-down reactors. (#1, below) It is written in a Q and A format. I am not going to nit-pick the many exaggerations contained in the article because nuclear-related...
May 7, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
This past weekend, the last nuclear plant in Japan was shut down. Tomari unit #3 was taken off line Saturday and is presently in cold shutdown for routine maintenance and refueling. The Japanese news media has used the moment to try and bring the issue of nuke...
May 4, 2012 | Fukushima Commentary
On Saturday May 5, Tomari unit #3 will be shuttered for routine maintenance and inspection. When it is disconnected from the nation’s electric transmission system, there will no longer be any operating nukes in Japan. It will mark the first time in 42 years that...
May 4, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
The end of an era, or, the onset of Japan’s economic and energy collapse On Saturday May 5, Tomari unit #3 will be shuttered for routine maintenance and inspection. When it is disconnected from the nation’s electric transmission system, there will no longer be any...
May 2, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
Before today’s updates, I would like to recommend an excellent report on the robots of Fukushima posted by America’s Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). There have been numerous reports out of Japan over the past year concerning the use of robots for debris removal,...
Apr 30, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
The Tokyo government has set new tsunami protection standards for nukes. Formerly, the standards were based on wave height that could reasonably be anticipated. Now, the wave heights include those that would be considered rare, but not impossible. The “reasonable”...
Apr 27, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
Thursday was the 26th anniversary of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in the Ukraine. Last year, the Japanese press was loaded with Chernobyl articles on this date, but this year there has been very little coverage. In fact, only NHK World has run anything about it,...
Apr 25, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
Whether or not to restart idled nukes is a major news story. Here’s what’s going on… Seishu Makino, senior vice minister of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, visited Shiga Gov. Yukiko Kada on Monday. He is trying to gain her support for restarting Oi units #3...
Apr 23, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has a 2000 page document covering all nuclear crisis meetings between March 13 and October, 2011. NISA has come under severe criticism because no minutes were kept during crucial emergency meetings held the first few days of the...
Apr 20, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
F. Daiichi unit #2 robot inspection – one answer and two new questions The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has used a new robot to inspect inside the Primary Containment Vessel’s (PCV) torus room of unit #2 at Fukushima Daiichi. The torus is a gigantic,...
Apr 20, 2012 | Fukushima Commentary
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has used a new robot to inspect inside the Primary Containment Vessel’s (PCV) torus room of unit #2 at Fukushima Daiichi. The torus is a gigantic, donut-shaped tank containing about 600,000 gallons of water to suppress...
Apr 18, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
TEPCO workers are preparing for the removal and storage of spent fuel from unit #4 at Fukushima Daiichi. First, a large special crane will be built in order to remove the spent fuel bundles. Next, a ~10,000 cubic meter enclosure will surround the upper reactor...
Apr 16, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
The battle over restarting currently-idled Japanese nukes continues… Industry minister Yukio Edano is trying to drum up support for Fukui Gov. Issei Nishikawa to reactivate Oi units #3 & 4. Edano traveled to Fukui on Saturday after P.M. Noda and the other 3...
Apr 13, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates
Irrational Korean missile fear replaces irrational Nuclear fear…almost. As the Ides of April approaches, Japan’s national fear of a ballistic missile test out of North Korea has supplanted fear of Fukushima for the past few days. Prime Minister Noda’s task force of...