Sunday, December 16, 2012

• AP Google – Conservative LDP returns with landslide in Japan – By MALCOLM FOSTER
• AP Google – Economic implications of Japan’s election
• Reuters – Japan’s LDP surges back to power, eyes two-thirds majority with ally – Leika Kihara and Linda Sieg
• UPI – Japan kicks off nuclear safety conference
• Daily Yomiuri – IAEA N-experts to advise Fukushima
• ENENews – NHK Fukushima Documentary: “It’s like being in jail” — “It’s like we did something wrong and got locked up” (VIDEO)
• ENENews – Gundersen on New Video Exposé: We now have the evidence that Fairewinds was right — “Containments can blow-up” (AUDIO)
• ENENews – Jiji: Cover-up of true radiation levels Fukushima residents were exposed to? WHO accused of underestimating disaster’s impact on human health
• Fukushima Diary – [Column] 3 misunderstandings of foreign media about this election – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Japanese sardines washed up on the shore for 100m in Chiba – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – JP New prime minister steps forward to ease constitutional amendment rule – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Nikkei] Anti-nuke party suffers a crushing defeat, LDP gets 300 seats, JRP gets 40, Inose for Tokyo governor – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Nikkei] Anti-nuke party suffers a crushing defeat, LDP gets 300 seats, JRP gets 40, Inose for Tokyo governor – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Election] Most of the polling stations shut down 1~4 hours earlier in Fukushima, Gunma, and Tottori – Iori Mochizuki
• Japan Times – Editorial: LDP back in the saddle again
• Japan Times – Zero nuclear goal looks vulnerable
• Mainichi Daily News – LDP’s victory likely to lead Japan to retract nuclear phase-out goal
• Mainichi Daily News – IAEA, Fukushima agree to cooperate on decontamination, waste control
• NHK World – Fukushima conference calls for nuclear safety

Saturday, December 15, 2012

• AP Google – Nuke plant utility: Some safety measures neglected – Mari Yamaguchi
• Bloomberg – IAEA to Help Japan Decontamination Work After Fukushima Disaster – Anna Mukai & Tsuyoshi Inajima
• Environmental Expert – New insight on the spread of contamination from Fukushima
• Power Engineering – Independence vital for Japan nuclear regulator: foreign advisers
• Reuters – Update 1-Japan votes in election seen returning LDP to power – Linda Sieg
• Reuters – Japanese protesters march against nuclear energy (1:25)
• Reuters – Japan nuclear operator admits ”lack of safety culture” (0:54)
• Washington Post – A discontented Japan is likely to return opposition party to power – Chico Harlan
• Xinhua News – IAEA, Fukushima to cooperate on decontamination, waste control
• Xinhua News – Ministerial int’l meeting on nuclear safety starts in Japan
• Asahi Shimbun – Watchdog chief blasts nuclear industry for lax safety precautions – Jin Nishikawa
• Asahi Shimbun – Nuclear energy a key issue as Japan goes to polls
• Asahi Shimbun – Regulators: Faults beneath Higashidori nuclear plant likely active
• Daily Yomiuri – Higashidori nuclear plant delay worries locals
• Daily Yomiuri – International nuclear safety meet starts in Fukushima – Press TV
• ENENews – Kyodo: M10 quake possible, says study — An hour of shaking — Tsunami lasting for several days
• ENENews – Intense M5 quakes hit near Fukushima (MAPS & VIDEO)
• Fukushima Diary – The number of births from April to September sharply decreased in 2012 – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Radiation level spiked in western Japan, “0.14µSv/h in Ehime” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Rising nationalism after the disaster] Crowd gathered for Abe’s speech of LDP, – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Graph] Radiation level has been increasing since 180 days ago in Fukushima city – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Express] “It took 160 people, cost 4 million yen to tighten a screw of a nuclear plant” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Japanese guitarist from the ARROWS got thyroid cancer, metastasized to a lymph node – Iori Mochizuki
• House of Japan – Fukushima reactors status 16 Dec 2012
• Japan Daily Press – Nuclear regulator admits errors in radiation projects all over Japan – Cherrie Lou Billones
• Japan Daily Press – International nuclear safety conference hosted in Fukushima – Ida Torres
• Japan Times – Even more than meltdowns; this election is essentially about Japan’s war-renouncing Constitution – Roger Pulvers
• Japan Times – Japan apocalypse in the making – Marushka France
• Japan Times – IAEA, Fukushima Prefecture sign agreement to cooperate on decontamination, radiation monitoring
• Japan Times – Confab talks up safety in Fukushima
• Japan Times – Japan, Belarus conclude pact to gather data on effects of low-dose radiation exposure on human health
• Japan Times – Candidates issue final earfuls
• Japan Times – WHO downplayed health effects of nuclear crisis on Fukushima residents : German physician
• Japan Times – Tokyo rally seeks to keep alive quest to end nuclear power – Kazuaki Nagata
• Japan Times – Editorial: An election that really matters
• JIJI Press – IAEA to Advise Fukushima on Decontamination
• Kyodo News – U.S. regulator sees improvement in Fukushima No. 4 spent fuel pool
• Mainichi Daily News – 2 moderate quakes jolt northeastern Japan, 1 slightly injured
• Mainichi Daily News – Political parties not holding enough discussion on nuclear waste
• NHK World – Japan, Belarus sign deal to share nuclear info
• NHK World – Gemba: Reactor demolition needs global cooperation
• NHK World – Defense Ministry reviews Tohoku disaster response
• Taiwan News – Taiwan Atomic Energy Council opposes local nuclear referenda

Friday, December 14, 2012

• AFP Google – Second Japan nuclear plant at fault risk
• AP Google – Nuke plant utility: some safety measures neglected – Mari Yamaguchi
• BDlive – Conference aims to dispel myths about Fukushima disaster – Helmo Preuss
• Bloomberg – Tokyo Steel Shifts Output as Power Costs Rise Post-Fukushima – Masumi Suga & Yasumasa Song
• CounterPunch – The Rape of Fukushima Dai-Ichi – Russell D. Hoffman
• Enformable – NRA chairman says faults under Higashidori likely active –Rokkasho may also be investigated – Lucas W Hixson
• Enformable – IAEA labs use radioactive sources diluted in local seawater to test ability to detect Fukushima fingerprint
• Enformable – JAEA criticized for having not followed procedures in nearly 1 in 4 inspections at Monju Reactor – Lucas W Hixson
• Nuclear Street – Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Weekly Review
• Power Engineering – Power industry faces hardship; Fate of Tsuruga nuclear plant could lead to further price hikes
• Reuters – Japanese operator in most frank admission over nuclear disaster – Aaron Sheldrick
• Reuters – Insight: Japan largely excludes foreign firms in Fukushima clean-up – Mari Saito
• World Nuclear News – Cleaning up Fukushima City
• Asahi Shimbun – Radiation forecast maps corrected again for all nuke plants
• Daily Yomiuri – Parties must be honest about risks of ‘zero-nuclear’ future
• Daily Yomiuri – New N-plant disaster simulations released
• Daily Yomiuri – Experts agree Higashidori N-plant faults likely active
• Daily Yomiuri – Welfare payments halted for 2,000 disaster victims
• Daily Yomiuri – Brazil eases restrictions on Japan food imports
• Denki Shimbun – Cause of highly radioactive fish remains unexplained after four months
• Denki Shimbun – Active fault beneath reactor, operator questioned regulators’ conclusion
• Denki Shimbun – Ministerial conference on nuclear safety to be held in Fukushima
• ENENews – New Study: “Depopulation with Rapid Aging” after Fukushima Daiichi disaster
• ENENews – Crackdown: Japanese professor’s arrest “extremely unjust” – Publicly opposed burning of radioactive debris
• ENENews – Radiation levels rise for 5th month straight in Fukushima city (PHOTO)
• ENENews – BBC: “One of the most contaminated places on Earth” — Silence is deafening 10 miles from Fukushima plant — Nuclear power’s lie has been so tragically exposed
• Fukushima Diary – 1,052 people had food-poisoning-like symptom in Hiroshima city, “patients will increase more” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Elementary schools in Fukushima city are going to serve Fukushima city rice from next January – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Express] “Radiation level of Fukushima city has been increasing since June” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Water leakage from air-conditioning duct of reactor4, Tepco”It’s rain water, not from SFP” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Decontamination produces 1.5 tones of contaminated soil per a household – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Fukushima prefectural government stopped urine test for “peer pressure” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Japan and Belarus to make pact on nuclear accident – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Japanese government lifted evacuation-supported zone from Da-te city and Kawauchi mura Fukushima – Iori Mochizuki
• Japan Daily Press – NRA finds second nuclear plant threatened by active fault line – Adam Westlake
• Japan Daily Press – TEPCO finally owns up to bad decisions that led to Fukushima nuclear disaster – Ida Torres
• Japan Daily Press – Foreign companies complain about being excluded from Fukushima nuclear clean-upBy Ida Torres
• Japan Daily Press – PM Noda says nuclear plant on active fault line most likely to be scrapped – Adam Westlake
• Japan Daily Press – Huffington Post to come to Japan in new deal with Asahi Shimbun – Adam Westlake
• Japan Daily Press – Foreign companies complain about being excluded from Fukushima nuclear clean-up – Ida Torres
• Japan Times – Editorial: An election that really matters
• Japan Times – Idled reactors’ fate holds center stage in nuclear hub Fukui – Eric Johnston
• Japan Times – Fault risk for Aomori nuclear plant is raised
• Jpubb – Status of TEPCO’s Nuclear Power Stations after the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyou-Oki Earthquake(Daily Report as of 3:00 PM, December 14)
• Mainichi Daily News – Voters’ choice: U.S. diplomat sounds out political parties in Fukushima
• Mainichi Daily News – All radiation forecast maps riddled with mistakes: NRA
• NHK World – Foreign experts advise Japan on nuclear safety
• NHK World – Team: Fault at nuclear plant may be active
• NHK World – Govt. lifts some “hot spot” evacuation advisories

Thursday, December 13, 2012

• Khaleej Times – Japan to host nuclear safety conference
• Nuclear Engineering – Japanese government reclassifies Fukushima evacuation zone
• Asahi Shimbun – Bent rod found at TEPCO’s Niigata reactor
• Daily Yomiuri – Power industry faces hardship / Fate of Tsuruga nuclear plant could lead to further price hikes – Tadaaki Inoue and Yukiko Yamamoto
• Daily Yomiuri – Draft calls for stricter N-evacuation standards
• Daily Yomiuri – NRA starts survey of Higashidori crush zones
• Daily Yomiuri – Draft calls for stricter N-evacuation standards
• ENENews – Tepco: Bent rod found in spent fuel pool – Nuclear fuel rods touching – “Serious fuel failure accident” risked at Japan plant
• Fukushima Diary – 25,550 Bq/Kg of cesium from Matsutake mushroom, 10,980 Bq/Kg from wild boar from Minamisoma – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Tepco paid compensation for the man to have his wife return to Europe – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Express] Fukushima worker “(If 311 happens again) We’d break through the gate with contaminated car and run” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Tepco to stop coolant system of SFP in reactor3 from 12/12 to 12/18 in the risk of aftershock after M7.4 – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Nuclear robot fell down to have 2 human workers rescue – Iori Mochizuki
• Japan Times – Mistakes found in all radiation projections
• Japan Times – Japan Atomic financial fears deepen – Kazuaki Nagata
• Japan Times – Mistakes found in all radiation projections
• Japan Times – Monju research role to be drawn up
• Japan Times – First, a solution to nuclear waste – Fred Alsdorf
• Jpubb – Bent Fuel Assembly Water Rod at Unit 5 of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station (Follow-up Report)
• Jpubb – Status of TEPCO’s Nuclear Power Stations after the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyou-Oki Earthquake(Daily Report as of 3:00 PM, December 12)
• Mainichi Daily News – Japan seeks tougher U.N. sanctions against N. Korea, early bilateral talks unlikely – Asahi Shimbun
• NHK World – Survey starts on faults at Higashidori plant

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

• Enformable – Operator of Tsuruga plant says NRA assessment is “beyond comprehension” – Lucas W Hixson
• Greenpeace International – Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for December 7th to December 10th, 2012 – Christine McCann
• Market Oracle – The Big Nuclear Energy Lie – Matt Badiali
• Power Engineering – Japan Atomic Power says seismic results ‘totally unacceptable’ – Diarmaid Williams
• UPI – Custom robots could do Fukushima cleanup
• Asahi Shimbun – TEPCO unable to locate source of leak in Fukushima reactor
• Daily Yomiuri – Editorial: Govt must reshape strategy for new CO2 framework
• Daily Yomiuri – Nuclear regulation body mustn’t be swayed by public
• ENENews – Asahi: Tepco can’t find where huge amount of highly radioactive water is leaking at Reactor No. 2 — ‘Fractures’ in containment vessel suspected
• Fukushima Diary – [Column] 2 most radioactive spots in city area, out of any radiation map – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Fukushima worker “Contaminated water might overflow due to the lack of tanks” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Cesium measured from 100% of the samples of citron – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Concealed explosion at reactor2?] D/W pressure jumped up twice on 3/16/2011 – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Temperature of reactor2 sharply decreasing for some reason – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Water leakage] The picture of the leakage of reactor3 turbine building – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Check this out] The slowness of the nuclear robot – Iori Mochizuki
• Japan Daily Press – Shares in Japan Power Companies Drop Amidst Plant Shutdown Fears – Cherrie Lou Billones
• Japan Times – Nuclear power most common topic in Twitter messages on election
• Kyodo News – Gov’t to draw up Monju test plan for research purposes next summer

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

• AFP Google – Japan utilities drop on atomic plant shutdown fears
• AP Google – Panel: Fault under Japan nuke plant may be active
• BBC News – Robot ‘race’ to fix damaged Fukushima nuclear plant
• Energy Tribune – Nuclear Power ‘Major Issue’ in Japan Poll – Kate Stowell
• Enformable – Tetrapod robot used to investigate vent pipe of Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2 – Lucas W Hixson
• Fairewinds Energy Education – What Are The Consequences of Siting A Nuclear Plant In a Seismically Active Area?
• MarketWatch – Japan nuclear-plant owner questions fault study – Mari Iwata
• Nuclear Engineering – Japanese government reclassifies Fukushima evacuation zone
• Nuclear Engineering – Tsuruga nuclear plant cannot restart due to seismic fault
• Nuclear Engineering – AREVA support contamination mapping in Japan
• World Nuclear News – Hitachi robot to tackle Fukushima rubble
• Xinhua News – Japan, U.S. held drill on nuclear disaster prevention
• Asahi Shimbun – Safety at nuclear plants not even an election issue – Jun Sato
• Asahi Shimbun – Experts fear more nuke reactors may be sited over active faults
• Asahi Shimbun – Update: Tsuruga nuclear plant may have to be decommissioned as active fault found
• Daily Yomiuri – NRA’s strict assessment errs on side of safety / Based on circumstantial evidence, experts agree fault under Tsuruga nuclear plant is likely active – Sho Funakoshi and Yusuke Tomiyama
• Daily Yomiuri – OK unlikely for restart of N-plant / Authority cites possible fault at Fukui site
• Daily Yomiuri – Nuclear regulation body mustn’t be swayed by public
• Daily Yomiuri – Power industry may suffer a blow – Chiaki Toyoda
• ENENews – Fukushima Worker: Concrete reinforcement of Spent Fuel Pool No. 4 is terribly deteriorating… now in a “dangerous state” — Cooling system stopped working, men helicoptered in
• ENENews – “It’s Complicated”: Japan aftershock upgraded to M7.4 — Gov’t now says it was 2 quakes at same time
• ENENews – Gundersen: M7 quake likely caused damage to spent fuel racks at Fukushima Daiichi (VIDEO)
• ENENews – Plant Chief: Fukushima 10 times worse than Chernobyl if containment vessel exploded
• ENENews – Fukushima Evacuee: Many kids in region with symptoms of health damage — Abnormal changes began to occur on my son; Stomatitis, eczema, fever, epistaxis
• ENENews – Japan nuclear plant will likely be scrapped — All gov’t experts say it’s on top of active fault
• Fukushima Diary – [Column] 4 reasons why we must be worried about reactor4 “other than earthquake” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Murata ex JP ambassador, “Coolant system of reactor4 was broken 12/8~12/11, concrete base is terribly deteriorating.” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Leakage for 2 continuous days] 15m3 of contaminated water leaked in reactor3 turbine building – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – The M7.4 of 12/7/2012 was actually 2 continuous different earthquakes – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Highly radioactive water leakage at desalination system of Fukushima plant, “4 mSv/h of beta ray on its surface” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Mainichi] Saitama city builds temporary storage for radiation-contaminated soil – Iori Mochizuki
• Japan Daily Press – Tsuruga nuclear power plant may not reopen due to active fault – Ida Torres
• Japan Daily Press – TEPCO admits to questionable hiring practices at Fukushima cleanup – Ida Torres
• Japan Daily Press – New book reveals stories of the Fukushima No. 1 Plant heroes – Ida Torres
• Japan Times – Tsuruga nuke plant operator disputes NRA verdict on fault
• Japan Times – Tsuruga nuke plant operator disputes NRA verdict on fault
• Japan Times – Japan Atomic financial fears deepen – Kazuaki Nagata
• Mainichi Daily News – Saitama city builds temporary storage for radiation-contaminated soil
• NHK World – Japan, Belarus to sign pact on nuclear disaster
• NHK World – N-plant operator questions regulator’s assessment
• NHK World – Utility yet to decide on scrapping Tsuruga reactor
• Nuclear Engineering – Taipower to draw up decommissioning plan for Chinshan

Monday, December 10, 2012

• AFP Google – Japan may scrap nuclear plant over seismic fault
• AP Google – Panel: Fault under Japan nuke plant may be active
• AP Google – Japan utility admits murky hiring at nuclear plant – By MARI YAMAGUCHI
• eNews Park Forest – Nuclear Energy Institute Report on Japan’s Nuclear Reactors, December 10, 2012 .
• Enformable – TEPCO admits that hiring workers at plant not transparent because of industry-wide hierarchical contract system – Lucas W Hixson
• Enformable – NRA experts agree fault under Tsuruga plant active – Japan Atomic Power calls outcome “totally unacceptable” and vows to counter assessment – Lucas W Hixson
• New York Times – Letter: Japan’s Plutonium Policy – Shunsuke Kondo, JAEC
• Reuters – Japan Atomic may have to decommission plant as active fault found – Risa Maeda
• Asahi Shimbun – Countdown to Dec. 16: Fukushima still divided over radiation hazard – Hiroshi Matsubara
• Asahi Shimbun – Editorial: Parties remain ambiguous on phasing out nuclear power
• Daily Yomiuri – 80% of evacuees report distress
• Daily Yomiuri – New zones set for town near N-plant
• ENENews – Gundersen: I’m sure there’s a lot of damaged nuclear fuel in Fukushima spent fuel pools — The tubes are cracked — May be completely severed (VIDEO)
• ENENews – Fukushima Daini Unit 1 had pressure increase after quake — Gundersen: Reactor has already suffered core damage (VIDEO)
• ENENews – Gundersen: I don’t believe what Tepco said — Some indications of a problem in Unit 1 at Fukushima Daiichi after quake — Hydrogen levels up dramatically (VIDEO)
• ENENews – Japan media reported spike in radiation releases at nuclear fuel plant after recent M7.3 quake (VIDEO)
• Fukushima Diary – Elementary school student in Tokyo area, “We should think all the food is contaminated. We are just left to die.” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Contaminated fish from Aomori was sold in Kyoto – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Japanese critic Yukawa Reiko, “If Japan has military, I would consider abandoning Japan with my grandchild” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Meteorological agency revised the M7.3 to be M7.4, “It was something different from a simple outerrise earthquake” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – [Express] “Radioactive soil produced from decontamination is kept in the home garden” – Iori Mochizuki
• Fukushima Diary – Cesium-134 from sub-drain water of southeast of reactor4 turbine building first time since 10/21/2012 – Iori Mochizuki
• Japan Times – Book reveals human drama in Fukushima No. 1 crisis – Kazuaki Nagata
• Japan Times – Fault under reactor at Tsuruga likely active
• NHK World – Tsuruga nuclear power plant may be on active fault
• NHK World – Noda cabinet support rate hits new low at 20%
• NHK World – Govt. decides most of Okuma Town unfit for living
• Focus Taiwan – Taipower must draft plan for decommission of nuclear reactor by 2015 – Lin Meng-ju and Elizabeth Hsu
• Taipei Times – Taipower to draft nuclear power plant decommission plan