Large Zone Near Japanese Reactors to Be Off Limits

[AsahinaKimi]

By MARTIN FACKLER
Published: August 21, 2011

TOKYO — Broad areas around the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant could soon be declared uninhabitable, perhaps for decades, after a government survey found radioactive contamination that far exceeded safe levels, several major media outlets said Monday.

The formal announcement, expected from the government in coming days, would be the first official recognition that the March accident could force the long-term depopulation of communities near the plant, an eventuality that scientists and some officials have been warning about for months. Lawmakers said over the weekend — and major newspapers reported Monday — that Prime Minister Naoto Kan was planning to visit Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is, as early as Saturday to break the news directly to residents. The affected communities are all within 12 miles of the plant, an area that was evacuated immediately after the accident.

The government is expected to tell many of these residents that they will not be permitted to return to their homes for an indefinite period. It will also begin drawing up plans for compensating them by, among other things, renting their now uninhabitable land. While it is unclear if the government would specify how long these living restrictions would remain in place, news reports indicated it could be decades. That has been the case for areas around the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine after its 1986 accident.

Since the Fukushima accident, evacuations have been a sensitive topic for the government, which has been criticized for being slow to admit the extent of the disaster and trying to limit the size of the areas affected, despite possible risks to public health. Until now, Tokyo had been saying it would lift the current evacuation orders for most areas around the plant early next year, when workers are expected to stabilize Fukushima Daiichi’s damaged nuclear reactors.

more..
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/world/asia/22japan.html?_r=1

[WillyT]

1. K & R !!!

:kick:

[SixthSense]

2. That will soon be the least of their worries

The core is contaminating the groundwater, there have been readings in Tokyo itself that are higher than in some parts of the exclusion zone. Brace yourselves for the possibility that Tokyo may have to be abandoned.

[mahina]

4. The water table on Kaho'olawe was bombed into nonexistance.

There is no groundwater on the island any longer.

I am sure there is a technological solution to groundwater drift. I'm not suggesting the Kaho'olawe approach, but evacuating Tokyo is a little to Godzilla.

I am no fan of nuclear energy by the way, and I think it needs to be replaced.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Hold it, weren't we call crazy for suggesting

exclusion zones?

thanks...

Now I will eat my banannas

[AsahinaKimi]

5. They did it in Chernobyl

only seems logical it would happen in Fukushima. Story says;

Some 80,000 people were evacuated from communities around the plant, which was crippled by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and towering tsunami on March 11.

Those numbers were bound to go up. Where would they go? Down south, I would hope, or maybe North to Hokkaido.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. I know but we were told in the middle of it

that it was irresponsible since things could not get this bad.

I am hoping the china syndrome (it looks like it) does not get all the way to real worst case scenario.

And decades, think centuries and Japan can't afford it.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. Nadin...I got these links in my email today..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sET4fqowKIg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/fukushima-now-radiating-everyone-sbs-exposes-unspeakable-reality

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Hartman does this regularly

if you can watch him on RT, he does cover Fuku regularly. In fact, a friend of his is in Tokyo.

And no, it does not look good

[Yo_Mama]

7. Yomiuri Shimbun has 3 kilometers (about 1.8 miles)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110821002920.htm

I love the bit in the article where they say that they may use these grounds as storage areas for radioactive waste rubble:

Areas within three kilometers of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant likely will be kept off-limits for an extended period--possibly for several decades--because they have been highly contaminated with radioactive substances, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

[AsahinaKimi]

10. I would seriously doubt

They would use it for radioactive storage of waste. It would just seep faster into the ground water faster. Of course, I have seen some articles saying that has already happened. Unless there is some verification, who can tell? :shrug:


http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/fukushima-now-radiating-everyone-sbs-exposes-unspeakable-reality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sET4fqowKIg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Karenina]

13. VERY important links. Thank you AK!

:kick:

[Yo_Mama]

14. Good question

"Unless there is some verification, who can tell?"

They do have a lot of radioactive waste to dispose of, though. The localities are largely declining to bury the radioactive sludge from the water treatment plants, for example. Locals not too happy, for understandable reasons.

[AndyTiedye]

11. k/r

:nuke: :hide:

[grahamhgreen]

12. I wish the Administration would start referring to this nuclear disaster, and stop pushing nukes.