5/8/2011 JST | Shut down being considered for Fukushima No. 2: Loss of public confidence in nuclear energy may lead to decommissioning of sister plant

Source: The Japan Times
Date: Sunday, May 8, 2011 JST

Kyodo

The govenrment is thinking of decommissioning the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant in deference to those who have taken the brunt of the ongoing nuclear crisis, a government source said Saturday.

Fukushima No. 2, which is situated on the Pacific coast about 10 km south of its crippled sister facility, Fukushima No. 1, successfully completed a cold shutdown after being hit by the March 11 quake and tsunami, which temporarily disabled its cooling systems.

Because plant manager Tokyo Electric Power Co. faced a severe power shortage in the Kanto region after the disaster, attention is focusing on whether the utility will attempt to restart the four-reactor No. 2 power station.
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5/8/2011 05:51 AM JST | Radiation levels drop inside troubled No. 1 reactor building

Source: Japan Today
Date: Sunday 08th May, 05:51 AM JST

TOKYO —

Radiation levels have dropped inside the building housing the No. 1 reactor at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the plant’s operator said Saturday, a development that would pave the way for workers to reenter the site to stabilize the reactor.
The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), attributed the drop to a ventilator installed in the building on Thursday to filter out radioactive substances inside.
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5/7/2011 | Japan anti-nuclear protesters rally after PM call to close plant

Source : Reuters

By Mari Saito

TOKYO | Sat May 7, 2011 10:00am EDT

(Reuters) - Several thousand Japanese anti-nuclear protesters marched in the rain on Saturday, welcoming a call from the prime minister to shut down a plant in central Japan and urging him to close more to avoid another nuclear crisis.
The surprise call from Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Friday to shut down Chubu Electric Power Co's Hamaoka plant followed pressure on the government to review nuclear energy policy after a March 11 quake and tsunami damaged another plant and triggered the worst disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
Tens of thousands of residents around the Fukushima Daiichi plant on the northeast coast have been ordered to evacuate after radiation leaks into the air, soil and sea. Radiation checks have led to shipment bans of some vegetables and fish.
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5/8/2011 JST | Hamaoka tsunami measures 'insufficient'

Source: The Daily Yomiuri
Date: Sunday May 8, 2011 JST

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked that the operation of all reactors at the controversial Hamaoka nuclear power station be suspended because the government deemed the plant's precautions against damage from a giant earthquake and tsunami to be insufficient.

On Friday, Kan asked plant operator Chubu Electric Power Co. to halt all the reactors, including the currently operating Nos. 4 and 5 reactors.

The safety of the Hamaoka plant has been widely questioned in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake because a so-called Tokai earthquake has been predicted near the plant in the near future. As the entire nation is earthquake prone, Kan's request is expected to have ramifications for other nuclear plants in coastal areas.
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5/6/2011 | Fukushima Groundwater Contamination Worst in Nuclear History

Source: Fairewinds Associates
Date: Friday May 6, 2011

Fukushima Groundwater Contamination Worst in Nuclear History from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.

5/8/2011 Kyodo Time | Shut down being considered for Fukushima No. 2 Loss of public confidence in nuclear energy may lead to decommissioning of sister plant

Source: Japan Times
Date: 5/8/2011 Kyodo Time

Kyodo

The govenrment is thinking of decommissioning the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant in deference to those who have taken the brunt of the ongoing nuclear crisis, a government source said Saturday.

Fukushima No. 2, which is situated on the Pacific coast about 10 km south of its crippled sister facility, Fukushima No. 1, successfully completed a cold shutdown after being hit by the March 11 quake and tsunami, which temporarily disabled its cooling systems.

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5/7/2011 | Fukushima Daiichi Possible Reactor Fires - May 7th 2011

5/5/2011 | Swedish Demolition Robots Arrive at Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Source: Robotland
Thursday, May 5, 2011

Credit: Brokk

Swedish Brokk, the world´s leading manufacturer of remote controlled demolition machines, is delivering two Brokk 330 Diesel robots and a brand new larger robot to Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. 
The first task for the machines is to provide access to highly contaminated areas and clean up contamination. “One key difference between Brokk’s demolition robots and other robots currently on site is that our machines are capable of carrying out multiple different and tougher tasks, such as tearing down concrete structures and take care of heavier contaminated materials” says Martin Krupicka CEO of Brokk. 

The first contact with Brokk and its Japanese partner BGE Company Ltd was taken soon after the accident at Fukushima, as Brokk demolition robots are known globally for decommissioning and material handling in radioactive environments. 

Brokk has successfully delivered robots for demolition, decommissioning and disposal of radioactive material to the nuclear industry for over twenty years, including to the USA, France, Great Britain, Russia and Japan. Brokk machines have for example been used for decommissioning and cleanup at Chernobyl in Urkraine. Brokk was chosen for this extremely challenging work by Taisei Corp, which works for TEPCO at Fukushima, because of  our extensive experience in the nuclear industry. Brokk has over two hundred machines at various nuclear sites worldwide.

5/7/2011| Decision to suspend Hamaoka power plant delayed, Chubu Electric mulling impact

Source: The Japan Times
Date: Saturday, May 7, 2011

Kyodo

NAGOYA — Chubu Electric Power Co. held an inconclusive board meeting Saturday over whether to suspend the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, as requested by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, participants said.

The utility serving central Japan, including Nagoya, was to continue its discussions Sunday or later, they said.
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5/1/2011 | US Military Has anti-Radiation Drug ‘Ex-Rad’, Not Available to the Public

Source: TruthFrequency News
Date: May 1, 2011

These are tragic and tense days indeed in Japan.

The immense loss of life and absolute devastation caused by last week’s earthquake and tsunami is heartbreaking – and serve as the culprits in this unimaginable tragedy. The tension, felt by its citizens and far beyond the country’s borders, centers most immediately on what happens next at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility.

Reports of radioactive contamination and a potential meltdown at the complex have many Americans wondering how prepared our own government would be in the event something similar occurred here. More specifically, could the the health of residents living near a severely damaged nuclear reactor in the U.S. be ensured?
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5/6/2011 | Japan wants utility to halt 3 nuclear reactors while seawall is built as tsunami protection

Source:  Associated Press
Date:  May 6, 2011

TOKYO — Officials at a Japanese power company were finalizing a decision Saturday following a government request that it suspend all three reactors at a coastal nuclear plant while steps are taken to prevent a major earthquake or tsunami from causing another radiation crisis.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Friday that he had asked Chubu Electric Power Co. to halt its three reactors at Hamaoka nuclear power plant in central Japan until the operator can improve safety measures. Though not legally binding, the request is a virtual order.
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5/6/2011 | Expert: "It Seems To Be Part Of The Pattern Of The EPA Trying To Make Sure That There Are No Measurements That Could Cause People To Be Concerned”

"It Seems To Be Part Of The Pattern Of The EPA Trying To Make Sure That There Are No Measurements That Could Cause People To Be Concerned”

Source:  Washington's Blog
Date: May 6, 2011


As I noted Tuesday, the EPA has suspended all heightened radiation monitoring, and will simply test and report every 3 months as if there were no nuclear crisis in Japan.
Bay Citizen writes:

That means that the agency will return to testing radiation levels in rainwater, drinking water and milk every three months. The next such tests are planned in August.
Additionally, the EPA said it is “evaluating the need” for additional radiation air monitors that were deployed around the nation after the nuclear accident.
The lack special monitoring efforts will make it more difficult for residents to assess the local hazards of the Japanese disaster. Critics lambasted the decision Thursday.
“I really am horrified,” said Daniel Hirsch, a nuclear policy lecturer at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “It’s quite staggering and it seems to be part of the pattern of the EPA trying to make sure that there are no measurements that could cause people to be concerned.”

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