Protesters voice distrust, concern in huge anti-nuclear rally in Tokyo

[robdogbucky]

Protesters voice distrust, concern in huge anti-nuclear rally in Tokyo

When tens of thousands of people marched through central Tokyo on Sept. 19 in the country's largest anti-nuclear demonstration since the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, there were a variety of reasons for people to be there -- fear, anger, loneliness, longing for home, and distrust just a few of them.

"I want to see everyone involved in this -- even people outside of Fukushima," said Kenichi Yamazaki, 65, a former teacher from the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture.

Following the explosions at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), Yamazaki evacuated to Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture together with his wife, daughter and grandchild. His son-in-law, a firefighter, is still working in the prefecture. "We want to return," he says, "but thinking of my 1-year-old grandchild, we can't live there until the city is decontaminated."

"I never thought that at this age I'd be away from home," Yamazaki added as he made his way to the demonstration parade. "I'm concerned and sad, but unless we get involved in action, nothing will ever change..."

(Mainichi Japan) September 20, 2011

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110920p2a00m0na015000c.html




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Tuesday, Sep. 20, 2011

Noda to stress need for nuclear plants at U.N.

Kyodo

...Noda will also say, "There will be a continuing necessity to secure nuclear energy that is safe and more reliable," while promising a thorough investigation into what caused the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years and to fully disclose the information

"There is a consensus among the international community that enhancing safety measures related to nuclear energy should take priority," Noda is expected to say.

He will also stress his resolve to enhance steps aimed at protecting nuclear plants and materials to underscore Japan's intention to work with the United States on the issue at the United Nations.

In a letter sent to Kan, U.S. President Barack Obama urged Tokyo to make all out efforts to ensure nuclear safety.

Noda will also say Japan will work on developing and promoting renewable energy and on decontaminating areas affected by the Fukushima crisis, which was triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami...

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nn20110920a5.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+japantimes_news+%28The+Japan+Times+Headline+News+-+News+%26+Business%29


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Residents furious over 60-page application, 160-page manual for TEPCO compensation

Residents affected by the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant are furious after learning they will have to wade through a 60-page application form -- accompanied by a 160-page manual -- to seek compensation from the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO).

The company, which on Sept. 12 started sending out documents for individual compensation claims for the period between March and August, says its careful explanation of the process resulted in a large amount of documentation. However, this hasn't appeased residents.

"One can only assume it's to prevent people from billing them," one resident commented.

Before the company started sending out the application forms, it was receiving about 1000 inquiries a day, but that figure has now jumped to about 3,000 a day...

(Mainichi Japan) September 20, 2011

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110920p2a00m0na011000c.html




Secrecy in black ink: Redactions speak volumes about those doing the censoring

There is no more expressive a text than one that has been blacked out. I am, of course, speaking of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant accident manuals and other documents submitted to a Diet science committee earlier this month with the vast majority of the content hidden by black blocks and lines. The black ink secrecy speaks volumes about the nature of the organization that submitted them -- plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO).

The redaction of the Fukushima plant manuals brings to mind another instance of the application of so much black ink to written texts: Japanese school textbooks at the end of World War II.

On Aug. 28, 1945, just two days before General Douglas MacArthur landed, the then Education Ministry directed schools use caution in how they used their textbooks, and take "suitable measures," including omissions, that reflected the "changed situation." Then, on Sept. 20, the ministry issued another order commanding schools to eliminate "unsuitable" material outright. These moves came more than a month before the General Headquarters (GHQ) -- the head of the Allied occupation -- issued its own policy on education in Japan. The ministry's prompt action was good preparation for what was to come, but teachers were getting anxious, and the students simply bewildered by the suddenly altered reality.

Just a little while ago, there was a scene in a serial drama called "Ohisama" on public broadcaster NHK that depicts the moment when Japanese school children were ordered to paint over large chunks of their textbooks with black ink. The main character, a teacher named Yoko, stands in front of her students and apologizes for what she had taught them during the war. In reality, it is said that far more brutal versions of this scene played themselves out all across Japan in autumn 1945...

(Mainichi Japan) September 20, 2011

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20110920p2a00m0na016000c.html





Groundwater flowing into Fukushima nuclear plant

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it suspects that 200 to 500 tons a day of groundwater might be flowing through pits and wall cracks into reactor and turbine buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The suspicion is based on the fact that a decline in water levels in these buildings has slowed down.

"The suspected groundwater inflow is now unlikely to cause problems as the plant is capable of treating nearly 1,000 tons of radiation-contaminated water," said an official at the company known as TEPCO.

But the inflow is expected to affect efforts to contain the Fukushima nuclear crisis. "We should assess the groundwater inflow and readjust an overall plan for treating contaminated water," said an official of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.


(Mainichi Japan) September 20, 2011


http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110920p2g00m0dm103000c.html

[AndyTiedye]

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