Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake | Page 1931

Kansai Power to halt more than half its reactors

Kansai Electric Power Company says it will temporarily shut down 2 nuclear power reactors in Fukui Prefecture next week for regular inspections.

The decision will leave the operation of a total of 6, or over half the utility's 11 nuclear plants, suspended.

The company announced on Thursday that the No.4 reactor of its plant in Takahama Town will be brought to a halt for regular inspections on July 21st, and the No.4 reactor of the plant in Oh Town, on July 22nd.

Regular inspections are nearly complete at 2 other reactors. But the government's plan to introduce safety stress tests for the nation's nuclear plants leaves it unclear when they can be brought back on line.
To avoid power shortages in high summer, the utility will continue to call on households and companies to cut power use by around 15 percent, as well as stepping up efforts to boost supply.

Thursday, July 14, 2011 18:24 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano 7/15/2011 1:10:39 AM

The big business response......Kan's pursuit of nuclear station-free Japan could deal serious blow to business
mdn.mainichi.jp
by LM 7/15/2011 1:11:18 AM

@Edano, especially as an American, I have been really stunned by how trusting the average Japanese person is of the government and also of large corporations. There has been, since I got here 6 years ago, a seeming assumption that both tend to act benevolently. Clearly this trust has been savagely betrayed. So, as high as the highest high, is how far we have to fall to the lowest low. This is one reason the outrage is so visceral, the trust betrayed was genuine. Rough waters ahead.
by bo edited by elainekirk 7/15/2011 1:11:54 AM

Phasing out nuke power an aspiration, not policy: Edano
search.japantimes.co.jp
by LM 7/15/2011 1:14:33 AM

Fukushima's radioactive water treatment system fails again. www.asahi.com
by LM 7/15/2011 1:19:17 AM

Kan's nuclear phase-out plan draws anger over lack of details, talks. www.asahi.com
by LM 7/15/2011 1:20:31 AM

Why Fukushima Can Happen Here: What the NRC and Nuclear Industry Dont Want You to Know
www.fairewinds.com
by LM 7/15/2011 1:23:44 AM

By the way, Japanese bath/showers are awesome. Whenever I go back to the states I am definitely having one put into my home. The whole room is waterproof, and you can fill the bath to the top and let it spill over the sides. It is a water-room. Plus, to fill the bath you set the temp and depth of the water and push a button and leave. It will fill the bath and shut off the water automatically and play a song to let you know your bath is ready. And it will keep the bathwater heated to the temp you set while you bathe so the water never goes cold.
by bo 7/15/2011 1:28:11 AM

Also, regarding the heat stroke incidence here in Japan. We are not experiencing a heat wave. This is just the normal Japanese summer. It is even a little less hot than usual. It will get worse. This is not strange weather, it is like this every year. Ugh.
by bo 7/15/2011 1:32:35 AM

@bo There was a large number of deaths claimed as heat stroke. Is this common?
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 1:36:43 AM

Yes.
by bo 7/15/2011 1:40:16 AM

@bo I am going to o to sleep and dream of having a Japanese bathroom...
@Lilly those deaths are terrible
by elainekirk 7/15/2011 1:40:50 AM

@elainekirk sweet dreams. Dream of Putanesca!
by bo 7/15/2011 1:41:34 AM

Nite Elaine! They have heated toilet seats too!

Bo: and they have spray butt cleaners and bidets!
by LM edited by bo 7/15/2011 1:42:18 AM

ANGRA DOS REIS / BRASILIA
The four nuclear power plants under the National Energy Plan of the government are no longer sure the plate. For the first time since the inclusion of nuclear energy planning in 2007, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) admitted it would reassess the projects, along with the National Energy Policy (CNPE).
The change in the speech comes two days after Germany announced that it will disable its atomic facilities by 2022. Until then, even after the accident involving nuclear power plants in Fukushima, Japan, in March this year, the Brazilian government had not shown signs of giving up the nuclear program. translate.google.com
by Majj 7/15/2011 1:42:54 AM

@Bo, something we were trying to figure out. If the temp isn't that bad why would people be dying in large numbers? Hotter temps & humidity go in in US cities and places like New Orleans in the summer with smaller death statistics?
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 1:43:04 AM

@all as one response to the EQ/tsunami we have just received in the mail a large map of the potential tsunami threat to Hiroshima, so that we will understand what parts of town are potentially threatened by tsunami. This is a first here for me.
by bo 7/15/2011 1:43:31 AM

@bo wow. What does someone then do with that information. :-(
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 1:45:45 AM

@lilly I think one reason is the large numbers of very old people. They often don't use AC at all since they grew up in pre-AC times. Also, people tend to continue to work very hard outdoors in the high heat and humidity. Plus, and I don't know how to account for this, I grew up in the midwest, and have lived in places like New Orleans, I have never in my life experienced anything like the intensity of a Japanese summer. Even my friend from Australia, where it typically gets over 40 celsius, was stunned by the August heat here in Japan and had to take refuge.
by bo 7/15/2011 1:45:53 AM

@lilly I think one understands what the threat is where you live, and where you work, so that if there is a large quake you can assess the immediate risk. I'm sure another reason is for the local government to say they have taken action.
by bo 7/15/2011 1:46:46 AM

Now let see if German stop selling Nuclear material to Brazil also. We all know that the standers for factories in German and in other country is total different. Especial the Quimical and Medical Factories. Lets hope they stop subsiding and exporting to Brazil. This live Areva , And the Russians and Chinese... There are no news , in Brazil at all on the Nuclear mater in the Tv ,radio and news paper. Fukushima don't exists around here.
by Majj 7/15/2011 1:51:21 AM

mtv.uol.com.br Activists protest in Berlin against the German subsidy Angra 3 . Angra 1, 2 and now 3? Anti-nuclear activists protested on Wednesday (6) in front of government headquarters in Berlin against the German government plans to assist in the construction of the Angra 3 nuclear power plant on the coast of Rio de Janeiro. During the protest, was presented a petition gathering 125,000 signatures.

After the nuclear disaster Fukushima, Japan, who led Germany to close all its plants by 2022, does not seem to make sense of the Merkel government want to continue to invest in building plants in other countries. As a result, activists demand that the French company Areva to supply equipment to give up Angra 3. translate.google.com
by Majj via Mtv.uol.br 7/15/2011 1:53:17 AM

Brasil-Alemanha
The agreement also provided for the purchase of equipment the company KWU, Siemens subsidiary.
In 1982, Angra 1 began to operate and began the work of Angra Angra 2 and 3. The last building was interrupted four years later.
The National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) authorized the resumption of Angra 3 in 2007, six years after the commencement of the Angra 2. In 2008, IBAMA granted preliminary environmental license to the new plant, which does not have a permanent license.
A year later, the French company Areva has signed a contract to provide services to Eletronuclear to provide engineering services and administration to Angra 3, according to the manufacturer's website.
by Majj 7/15/2011 1:56:00 AM

@Majj What do people in Brazil think of the nuclear plants there?
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 1:57:18 AM

@lillymunster The don't think on it. The think on Football and Carnival. I and all my friend THINK , but we are 0.00000000000000000000000000000001 % of the population. To be honest the magority don't really know what it is. Like Japan....
by Majj 7/15/2011 2:00:34 AM

Hmm following on twitter. The outrage over METI hiring a PR firm to "manage" people and info on the internet is getting interesting. It sounds like the Meti official got defensive when asked what and why they were going to be "monitoring" people.
"When asked, "Monitoring" Kaede said, finally, "What are monitoring What's wrong? "and become serious.."
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 2:04:46 AM

I thought this was fascinating too, concurrent with the Fukushima disaster we had another example of protective systems failing and walls not standing up as they were designed: www.bbc.co.uk
The Pentagon has admitted it suffered a major cyber attack in which thousands of files were taken by foreign hackers.

Deputy Defence Secretary William Lynn said that in a March attack and other breaches, hackers had taken information on "our most sensitive systems".

The admission came as the Pentagon rolled out a strategy for strengthening US cyber capabilities and addressing threats and attacks in cyberspace.

The plan would treat cyberspace in a similar manner to land, air and sea.

"In the 21st Century, bits and bytes can be as threatening as bullets and bombs," Mr Lynn said, unveiling the plan.
by RadioGuy 7/15/2011 2:14:52 AM

I suspect they probably step right from "similar manner to air, sea and land" to "We have to first gain control over the battlefield". The opening salvos of the First Internet World War?
by RadioGuy 7/15/2011 2:19:31 AM

@RadioGuy probably, or an excuse to have internet police ala: TSA.
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 2:20:44 AM

A Farewell to Nuclear Power: An Appeal of Seven Japanese Scientists and Intellectuals: worldpeace7.jp

This is an hour long talk and a document prepared in Japanese, English, German and French.

The first speaker will be a speaker in our Fall Lecture Series at the Hiroshima Peace Institute

The talk is in Japanese and is sequentially translated into English.
by bo 7/15/2011 2:22:12 AM

While there may well have been such an attack, true to form it will be used as an excuse to lock down what they've suddenly started seeing as a dangerous technology, unless they control it and can manage it like the news.
by RadioGuy 7/15/2011 2:24:47 AM

@Radioguy Timely...I'm watching News Hour with Jim Lehrer right now and they're talking about the cyber security issue. www.pbs.org
by LM 7/15/2011 2:27:12 AM

The English document of "A Farewell to Nuclear Power: An Appeal of Seven Japanese Scientists and Intellectuals" worldpeace7.jp
by bo 7/15/2011 2:32:32 AM

@bo giving it a read
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 2:35:06 AM

back in a bit
by bo 7/15/2011 2:44:28 AM

@Majj : Siemens has recently cancelled all contracts with foreign nuclear companies, pulling itself out of nuke business. areva and transnuklear have announced to sue Siemens for not fulfilling contracts. i wonder why they still are involved in Angra 3, maybe they cannot cancel the contracts. At the moment i am not in Berlin (in fact, half the way to brazil), so i am not up to date with the german events, i'll try to find it out.
by Edano 7/15/2011 2:58:58 AM

Here's a deeper story about the Pentagon hack. www.politico.com
William Lynn, the deputy secretary of defense, said at the National Defense University in Washington that the files were stolen from a defense industry computer in a single intrusion in March..

Just like with the NRC and its buddy-buddy relationship with its industry, here we have 24,000 top secret Pentagon documents on a corporate server.
by RadioGuy 7/15/2011 3:04:22 AM

@bo : the japanese attitude towards industry and government reminds me strongly of my parents (and probably most of their generation). after WW2 and the rebuilding efforts they believed entirely in technology and economic growth. they could never understand my concerns and criticism (and they have not changed until today).
by Edano 7/15/2011 3:05:17 AM

@Edano thanks. I will seach the news here.
by Majj 7/15/2011 3:07:44 AM

@RadioGuy One of the biggest risks to govt. & corporate computers are the lowest knowledge employee. The one who is clueless about computers, clicks on anything. That is an easy "in". If they stole from a contractor likely the contractor had lousy security. But 24,000 top secret documents?
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 3:13:01 AM

They are considering shutting down Monju fast breeder reactor.
www.47news.jp
www.nikkei.com
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 3:17:26 AM

People doing independent rad testing - results gendai.ismedia.jp
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 3:22:58 AM

Did my nightly readings and as per Peter's suggestion, I did 5. It's quite interesting to see how the spikes and lows correspond with the wind. The average of 5 was .096 uSv/hr, fairly low all things considered.
by Lurking 7/15/2011 3:26:08 AM

@Lurking are you looking at reactor stats or radiation readings around the area?
by lillymunster 7/15/2011 3:29:56 AM

@Lilly, I have a geiger and do nightly readings. It's my way of watching the wind so to speak. The readings are from my backyard.
by Lurking 7/15/2011 3:32:44 AM