Fukushima “leaks” tonnes of radiaoctive water again, “repaired with a plastic bag”

Part of the water purification system at the Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered another leak on Thursday, resulting in 12 tonnes of radioactive water with strontium-90 in it. This photo has been released of the system. Readers of the Japan Today newspapers reacted with dismay when they saw this picture. AP/Tepco

There have been numerous “leaks” or radioactive water leaving the plant at Fukushima. In this latest leak, it appears that about 12 tonnes of water have escaped into the environment yet again. It is not known whether the water was able to travel as far as the Pacific Ocean or if it was local.

Not only have massive amounts of highly radioactive water already “leaked” into the nearby environment and the sea over the past year, but this time it may include strontium at “16.7 becquerels of cesium per cu. centimeter.” The exact amount of radiation still under investigation, reports Kyodo (see here). Tepco, of course, is conducting the investigation and running the show, something that will not inspire confidence among those who recall their recent cover-ups and delay in admitting three melt-downs. This includes “admitting it had failed to inspect 33 pieces of equipment in its six reactors there” (see here). Same company. Same plant.

Add to it, “In 2002, Tepco admitted to falsifying safety reports which led to all 17 of its boiling-water reactors being shut down for inspection, including Fukushima.” And the list goes on. One might conclude that oversight by the government is a completely inadequate, and future disasters – like radioactive pollution in the ocean – are only a short step away.

“Tepco has about 100,000 tons of highly radioactive water accumulated in basements,” reports Bloomberg. So bad is the situation that, far from being “stable” like the government claims, “there will be similar leaks until Tepco improves equipment.” This is not opinion, but what a professor of nuclear engineering, Kazuhiko Kudo, is quoted as saying in the Bloomberg article (see here). This is to say nothing about the other March 26 “leak” of 120 tonnes discussed.

What do the public think?

The Japan Today newspaper published a photo which shows the condition of the water purification system. Visitors to the page expressed disbelief and scorn. Some left comments like, “Repaired with a plastic bag they must be joking. Bandaged up highly dangerous pipe, this pic tells the whole story so clearly.” Another said, “And they say a picture is worth a thousand words. This one is screaming incompetent fools……”

Yet another said, “Wonder if Tepco is going to put that pic on the top of their homepage with the caption: “Mission Accomplished”.  Another visitor had this to say, “Now, Im no Tepco apologist, the whole situation scares the heck out of me, however I was not expecting this level of incompetence and makeshift haphazard fixes. Im astounded. Its a bit of string, some tape and plastic bags!”

Tepco may be using more than yarn and tape, but even if it is the situation does not look comforting. Is this what the Japanese government and the IAEA consider “stable”?

In addition, there is the use of the term “leak,” which is questionable in itself. As Civil Journal reported earlier (see here), the amount of water that escapes has no bearing on the word leak. It is routinely employed for amounts no matter how large. Similar word games were used by the American media when discussing the BP oil “spill,” whereas many members of the public remarked that it was more like a flood or geyser going non-stop for months. These “leaks” at Fukushima are just the tip of the iceberg.
Staff report,
Civis Journal

Original comments were seen here. The Japan Today regularly removes comments that are critical of them or Japan; censorship is a problem many of the commentators have complained of.

Only one nuclear reactor plant online in Japan

Just a little over a year ago, no one would have imagined that all of Japan‘s nuclear power facilities would be offline. As of Monday, March 26, Japan is getting closer to that scenario becoming a reality. The Tomari reactor in Hokkaido is the last of 54 reactors running, but this May it must be shut down for mandatory checks, as is required for all reactors every 13 months.

Barring the restart of others, which the public in many areas oppose, Japan will have reached a milestone that antinuclear  protesters could only have dreamt about. After the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the release of untold amounts of radiation, and government lies and coverups, opposition to nuclear energy has greatly increased. A test of a summer without nuclear energy would serve to prove the validity of some of their claims: namely, that Japan does not need nuclear energy. They might get the opportunity to test their thesis very soon, but it is unclear if they will be successful.

Prime Minister Noda is trying his best to prevent that from happening. He is reported to have said that he would use the “entire government” to force a restart of the nuclear reactors at Oi, in Fukui. With fierce opposition to the restart of any plants – due largely to the inability of the government to get its new nuclear safety agency running or even an end to the worst disaster in nuclear power since Chernobyl – he may not be able to “persuade” the public as easily as he wants to.But he does not need to. Elected and unelected leaders – much like Mr. himself who was not elected by the population – routinely make decisions without public approval. As long as they do not complain too much, it is considered “consensus.”

Be that as it may, demand for energy increases in the incredibly hot and humid Japanese summers.  Living without air conditioning, for example, led to many people getting sick last year. Sometimes, particularly for the elderly, the results can be worse. Not having enough energy is not a pleasant thing, but neither is living with the fear of another Fukushima or Chernobyl, say many activists.

Last year there was lots of talk about terrible blackouts, but they did not materialise as forecast; enormous efforts by people and businesses to reduce consumption played a large role. But the number of online nuclear plants was greater than.

The Minister of Economy, the well known Yukio Edano, is quoted as saying to the press, “We are expected to secure a stable supply of electric power for the time being.” Apparently, this means that there will be neither blackouts nor shortages of energy this summer. Yet, the message seems to change daily, and it is too soon to say whether there will be mandatory power savings introduced or not.

Civis Journal

Anti-Nuclear Protests mark Anniversary of Fukushima Disaster

In this video, Civis Journal looks at the recent protest to gauge the way in which Japanese in New York chose to mark the one year anniversary of the disaster. Exactly one year to the day, Japan held a nationwide memorial to remember the victims of the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami. In addition, protesters in Japan and New York called attention to the ongoing radiation problems in the Fukushima area. They called on the Japanese government to protect people’s health, and to end its use of nuclear power.

Anti-Nuclear Protests mark Anniversary of Fukushima Disaster

A Japanese protester at Union Square on March 12, 2012.

Civis Journal is now producing additional content, which can be accessed via our online channel. In a report that looks at the first anniversary of the disaster in Japan, we examine how Japanese and American activists have begun to call for the Japanese government to take greater measures to address the public concerns over radiological contamination. The report is Anti-Nuclear Protests mark Anniversary of Fukushima Disaster, and can be seen on our online channel posted below.

http://www.youtube.com/user/civisjournal

Japanese Protest Continued Use of Nuclear Power on Fukushima Anniversary

A Japanese organiser addresses the crowd of supporters at an anti-nuclear rally on the north west corner of Union Square on Sunday, March 11, 2012.

Staff Writer

On Sunday, March 11th millions in Japan took part in or watched the national memorial of the first anniversary of the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. With an estimated 20,000 killed, over 200,000 displaced and the lives of millions disrupted, it was an emotional day by any standard. Not all, however, chose to observe the day as one of silence or meditation. Tens of thousands took to the streets to protest the

ongoing use of nuclear power, the contamination in Japan and concerns over people’s health.

Half a world away, the local Japanese community took part in similar activities, with some preferring a memorial service and others taking to the streets to demand a halt to the Indian Point power plant in New York.

The group in question, 3/11 Action New York, held a rally at the northwest corner of Union Square. Beginning at 1 pm, Japanese and American organisers stood next to a marching band and explained why they opposed nuclear power.  “After one year, the nuclear disaster has not been solved at all, and the situation is deteriorating,” said Kazuko Ito, Secretary General of Human Rights Now, a group based in Tokyo. Ms. Ito made it clear that she is deeply concerned about the lives of people in Fukushima. She made a special appeal to “the international community” to help the vulnerable living outside the exclusion zone who, she said, have no choice but to remain in the affected areas since the government have not provided any compensation to relocate. Some speculate the increased exposure to radiation might cause future cancers or birth defects; the Japanese government insists that a release equivalent to 168 Hiroshima bombs is not going to cause any immediate health effects, and have begun to offer medical screenings for Fukushima residents.

Ms. Ito pointed to two mothers who had travelled from Fukushima Prefecture to speak about their ordeal, one of whom – along with her 10-year-old son – had been interviewed by ABC.

Ito and other speakers at the event drew comparisons with the Indian Point nuclear plant in upstate New York and the possibility of an earthquake hitting it one day. “Here in New York we are at risk of a Fukushima-style disaster. Nuclear power is a disaster,” shouted Peter Rugh of Occupy Wall Street to an approving crowd of over 100 hundred people. “We’re organising in this city to shut down our own Fukushima before it happens.” Though New York does not get a lot of earthquakes on the magnitude of the one that struck Japan, protesters sounded the alarm, saying that the risk of an earthquake, however small, outweighed the benefit of nuclear power. Instead, they  proposed instead heavy investment in renewable energy, which they said the US and Japan are technologically capable of achieving.

Following the Fukushima disaster last spring, the Japanese government decided to reorganise the nuclear agency charged with overseeing the 54 commercial reactors in Japan and no longer leave it under control of the Ministry of Economy. Due to go into effect this April, it is not clear if it will help to restore the badly shaken confidence in the Japanese government, which did not admit to the three meltdowns in March when it knew of them; it was only when TEPCO revealed the existence of the triple meltdowns in May that some realised the extent to which the Japanese government and TEPCO covered over the facts, protesters argued. Protesters in New York on Sunday made it clear they did not trust either the Japanese agency or its American counterpart, the NRC, to keep communities safe. “The NRC is the lapdog of the nuclear industry,” sang a group of grandmothers as others mimicked dog howls. “Shut it down,” they chanted repeatedly in reference to Indian Point, a power plant located about 30 miles north of NYC. If an accident should occur, NYC would fall well within the exclusion zone, organisers said.

A Japanese man holds a sign calling for New York to close the Indian Point nuclear power plant as he marches with the crowd on March 11, 2012.

One of the points demonstrators addressed is the massive cleanup operation in Japan. The burning of debris is a controversial matter, with sometimes fierce opposition on the part of residents, such as with the burning of wood during Obon in the summer of 2011. Prime Minister Noda’s government increased the pressure on local municipalities to cooperate in its nationwide programme of burning debris all over Japan by sending letters on March 16th; many local administrations are bowing to the pressure, reports EX-SKF, a prominent anti-nuclear media site. Opponents say  that the burning of contaminated debris could endanger their health, an argument echoed on Sunday by 3/11 Action New York. The Japanese government have set a limit of 8,000 becquerels for these items and insist the practice is safe. In a press conference reported on in the Japan Times, Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura said that the rubble was not from near the plant, and insinuated that the people were mistaken to believe the debris contained harmful levels of radiation. With the widespread proliferation of radiation way beyond the borders of Fukushima Prefecture, however, the government concedes it must conduct tests to demonstrate that any debris is below its standard.

Following the rally in New York, demonstrators marched from E. 17th Street to Central Park, where a small remnant decided to stage a protest outside the residence of the Japanese Counsel General. Referring to a speech protesters said he had given on March 10th, one unnamed Japanese woman said through a blow horn, “I was so disappointed….you didn’t mention anything about n

uclear power or evacuees from Fukushima.” She concluded by saying that “contamination is everywhere,” and was followed by a about a dozen protesters who chanted “sayonara nukes” (goodbye nuclear power in English) and “shame on you.” No one from the Counsel’s residence responded to the protesters demands or appeared to give a comment, though they were met by a security agent who prevented protesters from placing yellow balloons near the home of the Counsel General. The Counsel General could not have responded to the protesters, as he was likely still at the inter-faith ceremony at Judson Memorial Church, as was later reported in the Mainichi newspaper.

Reporting of this event received little coverage in the American and Japanese press, which put much more emphasis on the ceremonies than on protests. The Maninchi newspaper briefly discussed the New York protest in a March 12 article, giving the attendance at “more than 100 people.” Protesters present at the event, however, estimated about 200 people present.

With the emperor and prime minister leading solemn moment of silence in an event televised round the world, one could understand the deep emotional significance such a day had. Attendance at some Japanese protests was likely reduced due to the reluctance of Japanese to mix mourning with protests, reports William Milberry  from Japan.

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