Risk of radiation leaks from Japan's N plant receding - Indian Express

Grappling with its worst atomic crisis triggered by last month's mega-Quake and tsunami, Japanese authorities have said the imminent threat of the blasts or large radiation leaks at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant zurГ?ckgetreten has.

The Government cannot say that the situation at the nuclear power plant was Fukushima Daiichi has stabilised completely, Goshi Hosono, Prime Minister Naoto Kan Special Adviser responsible for the handling of the accident, said ' the Wall Street Journal'.

However, Japan is policy evacuate comfortable even after studying the different possibilities of deterioration in the work, he said, adding direct danger of explosions or large radiation leaks at the site has retired.

"There is no way to Tokyo or Kyoto come in harm's way," Hosono said the journal, six weeks after the disaster of twin nearly 30,000 people dead or missing.

He said that install cooling functions outside the radiation facility is a component of Japan's efforts to stabilize the situation.

?Our goal is very clear: prevents further spread of radiation in the atmosphere and the ocean, ? Hosono, a legislator with the Democratic Party of Japan, decision was quoted as saying.

The Japanese Government plans, Fukushima send a progress report on the result of his investigations in the Prefecture disaster at an IAEA ministerial meeting in June, he said.

Japanese officials and lawmakers begin to investigate potential causes and the handling of the accident, said Hosono. The investigation is performed by a specific independent Committee consisting of experts with subpoena power,

set up outside Parliament.

... Continuation

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China concerned about Japan's prolonged nuclear crisis - Reuters

By Yoko Kubota and Yoko Nishikawa

TOKYO | Fri Apr 8, 2011 8: 44 on the EDT

Tokyo (Reuters) – China said on Friday it was Japan pump of radioactive water into the sea from his crippled nuclear power plant, which worried growing international unease at the month long crisis triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami.

China will "work closely" Japan of the monitor actions again the control of the plant, the Foreign Ministry said, demanding Tokyo included fast and accurate information about the crisis which began on 11 March when a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami hit.

The comments came as watchdog said Chinese quality, that it 10 ships, aircraft or cargo of Japan with higher than normal levels of radiation arriving since mid-March had found.

During Japan, fights also calls to revive the economy facing to back the control of the nuclear power plant in the worst crisis since Chernobyl, he, shaken by the triple disaster, to prevent one also affects the global economy.

G20 Finance heads of State or Government ask Tokyo for a plan, its economy revive, as she have a risk to global growth, Takatoshi Kato, a the consequences of the earthquake see former IMF Deputy Chief, told of Reuters in an interview on Friday.

The tsunami 28,000 people dead or missing, damaged a fragmented wreck six nuclear reactors, North of Tokyo and Japan's northeast coast. The world's third-largest economy is now in "Serious condition", the Japanese Government said on Friday.

A large 7.1 aftershock on Thursday night rocked Japan's East Coast three people killed, 141 others injured, so four million households without electricity and prompt a brief evacuation of workers from the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima Daiichi.

Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) (9501.T) said, there was no damage to your system, which was leaking up before two days highly radioactive water into the sea. But engineers are used pumps of low-level radioactive sea water, overheated fuel rods, cool off in the sea due to lack of disk space.

"As Japan's neighbors, we of course expressions our concern about this," China's spokesman of the Foreign Ministry Hong Lei, in a statement.

"We ask that Japan the relevant information on the Chinese side in a fast, reported comprehensive and accurate way."

South Korea weighed also on Thursday, throwing Japan of incompetence not to its neighbours to notify that it radioactive would water pump in the sea.

"she communication wouldn't but, perhaps because they simply cannot avoid to think about it, but there is a question which is their incompetence", Prime Minister Kim Hwang-Sik said in answer to a question in Parliament.

ECONOMY COCOONS

Several countries have banned or restricted food imports from Japan fears and some Korean schools have closed on radiation, for fear of toxic rain.

Compounding Tokyo's problems, Japan's economy is reeling since the second world war from the worst disaster and the error is on Japanese supply chains reverberate around the world,.

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Japan's Ocean meets radiation 7.5 million times legal limit - Los Angeles Times

A broker leads earthquake and tsunami disaster between fish at the fish market of Hirakata, Osaka in Kita, Japan, trade, for the first time since the March 11. (Toru Yamanaka / AFP/Getty Images / Bongarts / April 5, 2011)The operator of Japan's Fukushima knit nuclear plant said Tuesday, that it radioactive iodine to 7.5 million times of the permitted in sea water sample in the vicinity of the plant had found, and Government officials imposed a new health limit for radioactivity in fish.

The reading of the iodine-131 was recorded Saturday, said Tokyo Electric Power Co.. Another example taken Monday found on 5 million times of the permitted. The Monday examples were also found contain radioactive caesium in 1.1 million times of the permitted.

The exact source of the radiation was not immediately clear, although Tepco has said that strongly contaminated water from a mine close to the No. 2 reactor were leaking has. The utility initially believed, that was the leak of a crack, but several attempts, the crack seal has failed.

On Tuesday, the company that leak could come instead from a faulty joint said the pit is a tube, so that radioactive water in a layer of gravel under penetrate. The utility said that this would fit "liquid glass" into gravel in an effort to stop more leakage.

In the meantime further Tepco share, what it than water with low radiation into the sea to make room in on-site storage tanks for more highly contaminated water. In all the company said it planned, but on Tuesday morning, it had 11,500 tons of water, less than 25% of that amount will appear.

Although the Government which authorized release of 11,500 tons and said that radiation would quickly diluted and dispersed into the ocean, fish with high readings of iodine are found.

On Monday officials recognized that more than 4,000 Bequerels iodine-131 / kg in a kind of fish called a sand eels caught less than three miles off the coast of the city Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki. The juveniles contained also 447 Bequerels of caesium-137, as problematic regarded as iodine-131, because it has a much longer half-life.

On Tuesday, chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said that the Government was establishing a standard of 2,000 Bequerels of iodine Atom per kilogram fish, allows the same level in vegetables. Previously, the Government had no specific level for fish. An another haul of the eels with 526 Bequerels of cesium was detected Tuesday, about the standard of 500 Bequerels per kilogram.

Fishing of sand removed lances. Local fishermen calls Tepco to stop the release of radioactive water into the sea and demanded that the company they compensate for their losses.

Fishing has in the close to been the plant banned, and the vast majority of fishing activities in the region has stopped tsunami and earthquake damage to boats and port on 11 March was. However, some fishermen are making catches, only to a few buyers due to concerns about the radiation to be found.

It is not clear, which could provide the Fischer Tepco, but has the company Tuesday saying that it "condolence payments" residents to local amounting to 180 million yen ($ 2 million) had to evacuate their homes due to the radiation of the Fukushima plant had offered. A city, refused payment.

The company has yet to decide as residents in the vicinity of the facility for damage, make up for it would, while financial analysts say, the claims could be in the tens of billions of dollars. TEPCO's executive Vice President said on hinges decision on damages Takashi Fujimoto of the company how much the Government are parts of the load.

Edano asked the company to speed up that his decisions on compensation.

For now the company has offered 20 million yen ($240,000) for each 10 villages, towns and cities within 12 miles of the plant give Fujimoto said.

"We hope that they will find it useful for now," he said.

Namie, a city of about 6 miles north of the plant, refused to take the money 20,600. city official Kosei Negishi said, that he and other government officials from a makeshift Office in nihonmatsu, Fukushima city, somewhere else in Fukushima Prefecture, worked and that she faced more pressing issues.

"The coastal areas of Namie hard hit we were by the earthquake and the tsunami but due to the radiation and the evacuation had order still no chance to the 200 people perform a search, are missing," said Negishi. "Why should we use our resources less than 1,000 yen ($12) to everyone, residents spent?"

Tokyo electric power Fujimoto recognised, that was a "gap" in the views of businesses and Namie officials.

TEPCO's shares fell to an all-time low Tuesday covered by the maximum daily trading Grenze--about 18%--362 yen, below the previous record low of 393 Yen in 1951 reached. Share of the company has 80% of their Wertes--nearly 1.1 trillion Yen--since the Quake and tsunami, lost after the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Fujimoto said "We share prices decline very seriously," reporters.

Fujimoto said the company's annual earnings report, which was originally scheduled for April 28, would be moved, but he declined it, all other information.

Julie.Makinen@LATimes.com

Hall is a special correspondent.

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Sour economy and several new crises of test Japan's young

They are a transformed Japan a generation raised released is tested in prosperity by his oldest as selfish materialists TOKYO - hundreds of thousands of young people to start their working lives on Friday.

1. April the traditional entrance together day for incoming classes of the new employees who assume adult responsibilities and values with the new suits and white shirts, which are the uniforms of the corporate Japan razor sharp. But she face so insecure as everyone in their lives, a landscape with Japan's economy hobbled and crush his pride by the triple disasters of earthquakes, tsunami, and nuclear crisis.

Yo expected Miura, type include a bank in the area of Sendai, a steady income and a modest amount of prestige. But his start date at the Bank has during Northeast Japan, struggling to rebuild. He said "My life has completely changed," during the meeting in the Employment Office on the Tohoku University in Sendai, his alma mater. Before, my life "was peaceful and predictable." "Now, I'm not sure what is the future."

While he by his employer expected, plans word Mr. Miura his friends example to follow and to volunteer, to help people rebuild their homes. Mr. Miura hopes that by fixing broken walls and roof retiling, life he can bring the people to repair and deeper meaning to his own.

"So many houses are destroyed, I good help out will feel," he said.

While also spoiled life to traditional Japanese values of self-sacrifice and hard work off wrote many of the older them, many young people find meaning in the crisis. Even before the earthquake fought this generation with a sense of foiled chances in a stagnant economy. Many young people with the erosion of the post-war period compact, a slavish devotion to stable wages and benefits work dealt, felt alienated. Legions of college graduates, to land a full time jobs and eagerly their individuality have expressions in that and drove from part-time work, a limbo-like existence, that unfathomable for older generations.

Some graduates, destined corporate life have found groups purpose volunteering in non-profit work shuttling aid to destitute newly in the prefectures North of here. Students took to the streets to collect donations for those in need. Blogs and social networking sites are flooded with comments from young people questions, what they can do to help.

"Before the earthquake, I was thinking about me and what I can do for my new business," said Miki Kamiyama, which only at the Meiji University and work for a small cable company in Yokohama on Friday begins. "But now I think what I can do for all of society."

The most affected are the new employees to Tokyo electric power company, which has the disabled nuclear power plants in Fukushima. Once one of Japan most prestigious company, Tokyo Electric goal of anger and contempt, and some observers become question whether State aid need it.

Tokyo Electric, known as Tepco, is so consumed with its nuclear reactors in Fukushima, that it is unlikely that many free workers the hires 1,100 or so to train, to start work this week, and many new buildings, the projects was delayed shut down. Still, meaning some new employees the possibility of a broken company fix. "In a way, I feel happy that I to help the front, the people and the society of Japan, will be", said a new entrant, who asked that his name not be used, to alienate not to his employer. "I feel that people who want to work for companies such as Tepco, to help in any way."

The personal transformations are more subtle outside Iwate Miyagi and Fukushima, the three prefectures, which have suffered the most. Without correct obvious damage to young people, dealing with a silent threat of radioactive particles, as well as roles are power outages, which many of the electronic gadgets that were their constant companions have forced Japanese do without instead.

Hiroko Tabuchi, Ken Ijichi and Moshe comma contributed reporting.

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Workers Give Glimpse of Japan’s Nuclear Crisis

of March 15. Hundreds of firefighters, Self-Defense Forces and workers from Tokyo Electric Power convened at the sports training center, arguing long and loudly about how best to restore cooling systems and prevent nuclear fuel from overheating. Complicating matters, a lack of phone service meant that they had little input from upper management.

“There were so many ideas, the meeting turned into a panic,” said one longtime Tokyo Electric veteran present that day. He made the comments in an interview with The New York Times, one of several interviews that provided a rare glimpse of the crisis as the company’s workers experienced it. “There were serious arguments between the various sections about whether to go, how to use electrical lines, which facilities to use and so on.”

The quarreling echoed the alarm bells ringing throughout Tokyo Electric, which has been grappling with an unprecedented set of challenges since March 11, when the severe earthquake and massive tsunami upended northeastern Japan. It is also an insight, through interviews, e-mails and blog posts, into the problems faced by the thousands of often anxious but eager Tokyo Electric Power employees working to re-establish order.

Many of them — especially the small number charged with approaching damaged reactors and exposing themselves to unusually high doses of radiation — are viewed as heroes, preventing the world’s second-worst nuclear calamity from becoming even more dire.

But unlike their bosses, who appear daily in blue work coats to apologize to the public and explain why the company has not yet succeeded in taming the reactors, the front-line workers have remained almost entirely anonymous.

In the interviews and in some e-mail and published blog items, several line workers expressed frustration at the slow pace of the recovery efforts, sometimes conflicting orders from their bosses and unavoidable hurdles like damaged roads. In many cases, the line workers want the public to know that they feel remorse for the nuclear crisis, but also that they are trying their best to fix it.

“My town is gone,” wrote a worker named Emiko Ueno, in an email obtained by The Times. “My parents are still missing. I still cannot get in the area because of the evacuation order. I still have to work in such a mental state. This is my limit.”

At the top, a manager who circulated her note urged his workers to “please think about what you can do for Fukushima after reading this e-mail.”

Tokyo Electric keeps a tight lid on its workers under normal circumstances, and workers say they risk censure for speaking out. Some, however, have become lightning rods. Soon after the crisis began, Michiko Otsuki, who worked at the Daiichi plant after the earthquake, wrote on a social media site called Mixi that Tokyo Electric workers were trying hard and risking their lives to repair the plant.

She apologized for the confusion and the insecurity that people felt as a result of the nuclear accident. But Ms. Otsuki soon removed the post from her site because, she said, people had misinterpreted what she meant to say. It was too early, she added, to ask people to stop being critical of Tokyo Electric.

In the early days after the earthquake and tsunami, many Tokyo Electric workers had little time to speak out. An explosion had blown the roof off one of the reactor buildings in Fukushima, heightening fears of large-scale radiation exposure. To stabilize the reactors and restart cooling systems, the company rushed to reconnect the power plant to the electric grid.

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