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[Ether_Snake]

Japan’s government will lead “emergency measures” to tackle radioactive water spills at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, wresting control of the disaster recovery from the plant’s heavily criticized operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co.

“We’ve allowed Tokyo Electric to deal with the contaminated water situation on its own and they’ve essentially turned it into a game of ‘Whack-a-Mole,’” Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters last night in Fukushima. “From now on, the government will move to the forefront.”

[...]

It’s now up to the government to lead management of the contaminated water that is building up in tanks at the plant at a rate of 400 tons a day, and leaking from underground tunnels into the ocean, Motegi said.

[...]

Tepco’s monitoring of the storage tanks was inadequate and it failed to keep records of its inspections, Kinjo said.

The regulator rated the leak as a 3 on the 7-stage International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale or INES. A 3 rating denotes a “serious incident” making it the worst accident at the plant since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused the meltdown of three reactors. That was rated a 7, the same as Chernobyl.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...means-government-takes-over-in-fukushima.html

Two major nuclear catastrophes in just a bit over two decades, for which we will continue to be affected for a very long time. Who is next? And all of this for the sake of protecting the "free market", when nuclear should obviously be first and foremost a nationalized energy production, since private inherently means generating profits which could have remained dedicated to safety, when profit-generation is not outright done at the detriment of safety itself through cost-cutting measures.

 

[Jintor]

Some stuff you can't leave to the market

 

[ClassyPenguin]

Botched repair operations in Florida and California also point to leaving private enterprise out of nuclear energy.

 

[shanshan310]

Thank god. You can't trust private companies when it comes to health and safety over cost/effort :/

 

[Flatline]

Privatize profits, socialize losses. I see the Japanese are following the new motto too.

 

[Bodacious]

Well, at least now the government will control the information that reaches the public, whether anything gets accomplished or not. That way everyone will stay calm and go to work.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Well, at least now the government will control the information that reaches the public, whether anything gets accomplished or not. That way everyone will stay calm and go to work.

Better to knock at one door than second.

 

[Servizio]

Come on Japan, you're never going to get your real life Godzilla if you keep being such pansies about radiation.

 

[ComputerMKII]

Some stuff you can't leave to the market

Chernobyl wasn't exactly a huge success for state-supplied energy.

 

[Flatline]

That's a new motto?

You've got a point, it's always been there but they've never been so bold with it before. Only neoliberalism can achieve that level of audacity and sheer robbery.

 

[Ether_Snake]

Chernobyl wasn't exactly a huge success for state-supplied energy.

But as I replied, it's easier to knock on one door than two. A government has usually a seat at the UN. That's a form of regulation which corporations can escape from. Governments have to answer to the world, corporations do whatever the fuck they want and are a lot more difficult to regulate through international channels.

 

[Alpende]

It's been two years already? Sheesh.

 

[ComputerMKII]

But as I replied, it's easier to knock on one door than two. A government has usually a seat at the UN. That's a form of regulation which corporations can escape from. Governments have to answer to the world, corporations do whatever the fuck they want and are a lot more difficult to regulate through international channels.

That's what tribunals are for.

 

[DUFFMCWALIN]

It's been two years already? Sheesh.

Time flies while you watch the world fall apart.

 

[Ether_Snake]

edit: screw this, new news new threads

 

[Weenerz]

They should have done this from the start, instead of waiting for 2 years and so much devastation to our planet.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/health-science-technology/nuclear-aftershocks/video-inside-the-fukushima-reactor/
Pretty good doc. They were hiding and lying since the beginning.

 

[mercenar1e]

I heard that Tokyo might possibly be evacuated sometime soon? Mainstream media coverage in November. Anyone hearing the same?

http://youtu.be/97XN1HWxniw

http://americablog.com/2013/09/risk...15000x-radiation-hiroshima-85x-chernobyl.html

 

[Hours Left]

Extremely unfortunate that they waited this long to do this, but at least it's something.

 

[Wiktor]

Chernobyl wasn't exactly a huge success for state-supplied energy.

It was communistic state though. Here in Poland goverment was lying through their teeth that nothing happened in Chernobyl, while kids of politicans, goverment emplyees and policemen were already drinking Lugol's solution.

 

[mercenar1e]

If the worst case scenario happens how long would the evacuation remain in effect? Pretty scary situation... I wonder what the people in Japan think about this

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

I remember watching this TED documentary on 6 ways mushrooms can save the world" and wondering why packs of Fungi (that thrive off radiation) haven't already been used to absorb huge radiation leaks.

 

[ЯAW]

I remember watching this TED documentary on 6 ways mushrooms can save the world" and wondering why packs of Fungi (that thrive off radiation) haven't already been used to absorb huge radiation leaks.

I don't know if this blog post addresses any of the issues brought up in the video since I can't watch it right now. But seems like there are some problems with radiation and 'shrooms.
http://optimalprediction.com/wp/radiation-eating-fungi-they-kill-trees-and-they-kill-people/

 

[Fallout-NL]

I heard that Tokyo might possibly be evacuated sometime soon? Mainstream media coverage in November. Anyone hearing the same?

http://youtu.be/97XN1HWxniw

http://americablog.com/2013/09/risk...15000x-radiation-hiroshima-85x-chernobyl.html

In the second article there's a link to this: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/09/20-1

Is that all bullshit or what? If it's even remotely accurate... that would be troubling. Especially given that this has stopped being front-page news for a long time now.

 

[GorillaJu]

In the second article there's a link to this: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/09/20-1

Is that all bullshit or what? If it's even remotely accurate... that would be troubling. Especially given that this has stopped being front-page news for a long time now.

Looks like FUD to me.

 

[mercenar1e]

Looks like FUD to me.

How would you know?

 

[Fallout-NL]

Looks like FUD to me.

Thanks, I feel better now.

 

[EVOL 100%]

About fucking time.

 

[Irminsul]

How would you know?

Because it is. Those are private radiation measurements, btw.

 

[Mael]

Chernobyl wasn't exactly a huge success for state-supplied energy.

Wasn't that more because they disabled the safeties during an exercise anyway?

 

[mercenar1e]

Because it is. Those are private radiation measurements, btw.

They are talking about the risk and possible outcomes that may occur during the removal process of 1,330 used fuel rods (660 pounds each) that begins in November.

"And if an another strong earthquake strikes before the fuel is fully removed that topples the building or punctures the pool and allow the water to drain, a spent fuel fire releasing more radiation than during the initial disaster is possible, threatening about Tokyo 200 kilometers (125 miles) away."


http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE97D00M20130814?irpc=932

 

[Upsidedown Fuji]

Call me a cynic but I doubt the Japanese government is actually serious or any better prepared to handle Fukushima's cleanup and stabilization.

They've been trying to avoid taking responsibility since the first day of the disaster. I'll be surprised if something notably good comes from this.

Just remember this, the current government headed by Shinzo Abe has been in bed with the nuclear village since it's inception in Japan. They're going to just try to hush things up and make the people forget why allowing companies like Tepco the responsibility of running NPPs in one of the most seismically active parts of the world as they continue to avoid bringing in international help. Sure they got some American recently to join some panel but that's the extent of it.

Can anyone Photoshop Abe's face on the Iraqi official with his hands up. That's how I felt when Abe said straight faced that the government has the situation under control during the Olympic city acceptance ceremony. LOL far from it... Far from it.

I guess one good thing to come off this is the public admittance that Tepco can't handle this on their own. To bad they've been allowed to for nearly 3 years straight now..

 

[jimi_dini]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/18/national/water-radiation-soars-at-fukushima-no-1/

Water radiation soars at Fukushima No. 1

Radiation levels in groundwater under Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant are soaring, Tepco said Friday after taking samples from an observation well.

Tepco said 400,000 becquerels per liter of beta ray-emitting substances such as strontium were detected in water sampled Thursday from the well located some 15 meters from a storage tank that leaked about 300 tons of highly radioactive water in August.

The level of becquerels, a record high for water in that well, was up 6,500-fold from the 61 becquerels found Wednesday.

But that plan appears in jeopardy because the sharp increase in the levels of radioactive materials in the observation well suggest the radioactive groundwater is spreading.

By law, water containing beta particle-emitting substances exceeding certain levels cannot be released into the sea. The upper limit is set at 30 becquerels per liter for strontium-90 and 60 becquerels for cesium-134.

Tepco also said water collected Thursday from a drainage ditch near the leaky tank contained 34,000 becquerels of beta particle-emitting substances per liter, compared with 2,300 becquerels the day before

Officials said Thursday they will solicit proposals from both domestic and overseas nuclear experts and firms on how best to scrap the ruined reactors at Fukushima No. 1.

The International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning will publicly seek ideas as early as this month, an institute official said

They are NOW doing this? Holy fuck. Could someone please get rid of these clowns?

 

[CoachKevin]

Is there any idea what the long term ramifications of this are?