July 22, 2011
In remarks made to NHK World late Tuesday, American NRC Chairman Robert Jaczko said something we have been saying for several months…sort of said it, anyway. Jaczko told NHK that if Japan had adopted safety rules similar to those implemented in the Unites States...July 20, 2011
The waste water decontamination system at Fukushima Daiichi gets a lot of Japanese media attention because of irregular shutdowns due to piping leaks and moderately fluctuating flows through the system. What seems to be missing from all of this coverage is that the...July 18, 2011
**Congratulations to Japan for their heart-pounding, come-from-behind, fairy-tale upset victory in the Women’s World Cup of soccer. We hope this will bring great optimism to Japan, especially for those who have most suffered from the great earthquake and tsunami...July 15, 2011
Many of Japan’s news sources (e.g. Mainichi Daily, Yomiuri On Line, etc.) have reported that Prime Minister Kan’s regime will begin the full phase-out of nuclear powered electricity because he feels that nuclear accidents cannot be completely prevented....July 13, 2011
We have been reviewing past news media articles, looking for mention of the control room records we reported on in the past two updates. There are precious few. An Asahi Shimbun article on June 18 states the Press was told the control room records would be available...July 11, 2011
Further study of the control room records which became available last week reveals answers to additional questions… Why did they use sea water to cool the reactors when there were concerns that it might make the chain reaction restart (recriticality)? Could the...July 8, 2011
TEPCO has posted an English translation of the hand-written records kept by the control room operators at Fukushima during the first few days of the emergency, from the March 11 until the unit #3 hydrogen explosion on March 15. We received a copy of the “TEPCO...July 6, 2011
JAIF reports the first large plastic “cover” sections for encasing damaged reactor buildings #1, 3 & 4 have begun to arrive at Fukushima Daiichi. The steel supports and beams for the covering material continue to be assembled at a seaport 50 kilometers from the...July 4, 2011
#3 spent fuel pool (SPF) has cooled to a nominal temperature of ~40 oC within 24 hours of new system operation. This in much quicker than TEPCO predicted, similar to what happened with the new #2 SPF cooling system when it began to operate several weeks ago. NHK World...July 1, 2011
Today marks The Hiroshima Syndrome’s first year on the internet. We want to thank all Fukushima update readers and site visitors for making this a highly successful project. We have had over 30,000 visitors, 70,000 total visits from more than 90 countries, and...June 29, 2011
Asahi Shimbun reports yet another example of TEPCO withholding critical information very early in the Fukushima emergency scenario. A report from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) says that by 10pm on March 11, some six hours after the tsunami wiped out...June 27, 2011
On Friday, June 24, Asahi Shimbun reported the control room records kept by the operators in Fukushima units 1, 2 & 3, and TEPCO’s executives/administrator’s records are available through the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) website. The...June 24, 2011
JAIF reports the humidity level in reactor building #2 has been lowered to between 45% and 60% (depending on location). Teams are now allowed to enter the building to take radiation readings and replace the questionable water level and pressure instruments for the...June 22, 2011
So far so good on opening reactor building #2 for ventilation. TEPCO reports the first doors were opened Monday and the humidity just inside the doors dropped from 100% to ~60%. Another set of doors will be opened today, followed by opening a “cargo entrance”, which...This site requires a lot of work. We hope you find our efforts valuable and rewarding. Please consider offering your support. There is no minimum amount. Feel free to donate as you see fit, without restriction. Thank you...
