10/30/2011 The Lessons Of Fukushima-Interview Of Aileen Mioko Smith

Source: dahawaiiguy808 YouTube channel
Date: 10/30/2011 upload date


This is an interview with Aileen Mioko Smith, the Executive Director of Green Action Japan. Here she states the group's opposition to Japan's fast-breeder reactor program and re-processing to extract plutonium as fuel. In the interview Ms. Smith also describes that nuclear power is actually quite an expensive form of electricity for Japan and how monopolies have grown up within the nuclear industry. TEPCO and the Japanese government work together hand-in-glove. Electric utilities are one of the biggest advertisers in Japan and, as a result, the media does not adequately report on the dangers of nuclear power since they are beholden to their advertisers. The rationale behind not evacuating Fukushima City, which is about 60km away from the melted down Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and the capital of Fukushima Prefecture, despite it being heavily contaminated is also explained.

(Video) Monju fast-breeder reactor at Tsuruga, Japan

Date: 6/22/2011, 6/23/2011 upload dates

6/22/2011 RT: The Big Picture

Thom Hartman's article corresponding to this video reads:

...
Kevin Kamps, Nuclear Waste Watchdog at Beyond Nuclear joins Thom Hartmann. If Japan didn't have its hands full with one melted down nuclear plant at Fukushima - it certainly does now with another nuclear power plant on the verge of melting down. About 300 miles southwest of Fukushima sits the Monju nuclear reactor - a prototype fast-breeder reactor filled to the brim with plutonium - the deadliest element on the face of the planet. And last year - a 3 ton device of some sort fell into the Monju reactor blocking access to the nuclear fuel rods in the reactor core - and despite several attempts - has yet to be recovered. Another attempt will be made next week to clear the 3 ton object from the reactor - but critics caution that the procedure is extremely dangerous and could trigger an explosion in the nuclear fuel rods. One ominous sign of just how dangerous the situation is - a top manager at the plant just recently committed suicide. Think of the damaged Monju plant as a nuclear bomb just waiting to go off that could take out the city of Kyoto which is just 60 miles from the plant - and has a population of 1.5 million people. And Japan's largest city Tokyo is downwind from the crippled Monju plant. So what does this all mean? And what's the latest with the two nuclear plants that are in danger right here in the United States - in Nebraska?[1]
...

Since the Thom Hartman interview with Kevin Kamps, the 3.3 ton device they mention was successfully extracted per NHK World in an 8 hour procedure, without incident.
6/23/2011 NHK World


Although it is a relief to hear that no accidents happened as feared with the heavy machinery extraction process, now the Monju reactor can be re-started after a 14 year idle period. Per The Japan Times:

...
The agency hopes to resume test runs of the reactor at 40 percent of its output capacity by the end of March, aiming for full operation by the end of March 2014.[2]
...

The original premise behind the operation of the (some would argue extremely dangerous) reactor is recycling nuclear fuel. The drawback is that Monju is cooled with liquid sodium, which back in 1995 caused a serious nuclear accident (fire) with this particular reactor when the sodium leaked out in to open air.

Sources:
[1] Thom Hartmann: Second Japan Nuke... More Dangerous Than Fukushima?, truth-out.org
[2] Monju reactor unclogged for restart, The Japan Times

1979? | Atomic Meltdown U.S.A.

Source: "Unit 4" via YouTube
Date: 1979?

Here is a nostalgic Sunday Cinema feature, courtesy of Ray from Glowing Conversations. This news report from "Unit 4" news documents the Sodium Reactor Experiment (S.R.E.) meltdown at the Santa Susanna Field Laboratory (S.S.F.L) in 1959 that was kept secret for 20 years.

Part 1


Part 2

Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku makes a surprise guest appearance 3 minutes 50 seconds in to this segment, as he discusses the dangerous consequences had an uncontrolled reaction continued at the SSFL (Santa Susanna Field Laboratory) SRE (Sodium Reactor Experiment).

Part 3


It appears that the Japanese are trying to restart a contemporary sodium cooled reactor: the Monju fast-breeder reactor in Tsuruga, Japan. This reactor has been out of commission due to heavy equipment falling in to the reactor core, which happened before the Japan earthquake. There have been other safety problems prior to this including a 1995 fire caused by leaked sodium coolant, which was deemed one of Japan's worst nuclear accidents.  Protesters have resisted the Monju project since the 1970's.  Fast-breeder reactors have the advantage of greater efficiency in utilizing a higher percentage of nuclear fuel. However, since this particular reactor uses liquid sodium for cooling there is the danger that the sodium can ignite or explode if it happens to accidentally leak out in to open air (as in 1995) or contacts water.