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Overseas reactions to "cold shutdown"

Overseas reaction has been mixed to the news that the state of cold shutdown has been achieved for the crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made the announcement on Friday.

Visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides told reporters in Tokyo that Japan's Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba informed him of the news on Thursday.

Nides said the US government is happy to hear the announcement and feels that Japan has made the right choices in bringing the crippled plant under control.

He also said many US companies are showing interest in helping in the cleanup of radioactive materials, adding that US government has also offered assistance.
Some foreign media expressed skepticism about the announcement.

The New York Times said in its online edition that the claim is facing serious doubts.

The newspaper quoted experts as saying that the announcement simply reflects the government's effort to fulfill a pledge to restore the plant's cooling system by year-end, not the true situation.

The US-based CNN television network said on its website that the announcement is a symbolic milestone. But it also quoted experts who say it may take decades to fully clean up the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. CNN reported that the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company are trying to appease strong public anger and criticism.

China's state-run Xinhua news agency quoted experts on its English website as saying that the precise temperature in the damaged reactors cannot be accurately measured. The experts added that TEPCO has no way to determine how stable the reactors are.

They also warned that the government should not be overzealous in meeting its self-imposed deadline, because doing so could mislead the Japanese public and people around the world.

Friday, December 16, 2011 20:24 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp

Govt team sets radiation exposure limits

A government working group has proposed a radiation exposure limit of 10 millisieverts per year or less for areas contaminated by the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, to be achieved within 2 years.

The working group compiled a report on health effects of relatively low levels of radioactive contamination on Thursday. It is comprised of experts in radiology and other fields.

The report says there is no proof of a clear increase in health risks at the level of 20 millisieverts per year, the mark set by the government for evacuation.

The report proposes a target of 10 millisieverts per year for decontaminating evacuation zones within 2 years.

It says the target should be lowered to 5 millisieverts or less in the next stage and to one millisievert in the long run.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends one millisievert per year as the long-term annual limit for ordinary people.

The task force also urges continued decontamination efforts and control on food safety in areas with radioactive contamination levels below 20 millisieverts.

It also urges radioactivity levels in the air be lowered below one microsievert per hour before reopening schools in evacuation zones. It also calls for continued monitoring of children for internal radiation exposure.

Friday, December 16, 2011 10:15 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp

People remain afraid of returning to homes near Fukushima plant

FUKUSHIMA, Japan, Dec. 16, Kyodo

People who were evacuated from their residences near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remain concerned about the huge obstacles to their returning home despite the government's declaration Friday that the nuclear crisis has been brought under control nine months after its outbreak.

Taisuke Hori, 27, who has fled to Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, said, ''I don't think we will return.'' His home is located in a no-entry zone set within a 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima plant damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

''I doubt if kids can live safely without concerns no matter how thoroughly the local tracts of land are cleaned up,'' said Hori, who has children aged 6, 2 and less than one. english.kyodonews.jp

ah, our s-bahn collapsed, as every winter. the entire power was gone and all trains just stopped where they were, some passengers had to wait 3 hours until liberation. we had a major traffic chaos.

the storms are named after the alphabet, alternating male and female names. the next storm will begin with K, maybe Karin or Kelly ? it doesn't mean anything, actually. :)

@Edano Do they have the soapstone or big ceramic stove fireplaces? Those will keep things warm for days.

The SDF is done scraping the street with screwdrivers. :-) www.japantimes.co.jp

IAEA "welcomes" cold shutdown mdn.mainichi.jp

@Edano I miss having a fireplace. Made the frequent winter power outages no big deal. We had a 2 day outage after a blizzard at our other place. Loaded up the fireplace and it wasn't a big deal other than no internet for 2 days..

workers did not check reactor pressure day before explosions www.yomiuri.co.jp

@lillymunster yes i read about the antique u.s. power lines. they know about the problems to come but don't have the money to modernize it.

@Edano the power companies have the money they just won't spend it. None of them are in danger of going broke

meanwhile the communities try to buy back the waterworks and the power grids, they even think of resocializing the railroads. it is all in the hand of sharks now. high prices, low quality.