Hard Decisions

Yesterday when I saw the interview of the Japanese political secretary of the former Prime Minister Naoto Kan I began to understand how hard decisions were made during the early days of the Fukushima crisis.

When Mr. Kan had heard the reactor designers warning about the need of a 300 km radius evacuation zone if all the reactors and spent fuel pools are melting down and burning he had been angry why he had not been told by the nuclear regulatory body about the huge amount of spent fuel stored on site. He had been counting the maximum evacuation zone to be 100 km while he wasn't informed about the amount of spent fuel at the area. So after the reactor-3 blew up he had been willing to evacuate all people inside 80 km radius from the plant. But that decision would have caused many people to die because of lack of food and heating at the tsunami disaster area in northern Japan if the no-go zone would have blocked the main roads and no goods could have been delivered to the people suffering of cold and hunger in northern Japan.

So the government decided to order only 30 km stay inside -zone, though a larger zone could have reduced the risks of radiation exposure for the people living there. A quite hard decision to be made.

Link -ENENEWS: 

http://enenews.com/told-fukushima-reactors-could-blow-300-km-prime-minister-kans-secretary-video

JPS

A Man Made Nuclear Catastrophe

As more information is available it seems that the Japan nuclear catastrophe was man made as also the Chernobyl accident and Three Mile Island partial meltdown.

The earthquake broke the containment and caused the beginning of the meltdown in Fukushima Daichi reactor one. The tsunami was just giving the other reactors also meltdowns because of total blackout and collapse of the cooling systems.

Chernobyl was caused by the plant operators risky testing of how the reactor could be steered in a total lack of outside power situation (which caused two reactors and several spent fuel pools to overheat and part of them to melt in Fukushima). But Chernobyl did blow up quickly after getting out of control. Fukushima reactors blew up after a longer time, mostly for hydrogen build-up, except the reactor -3 that seem to have had a prompt criticality nuclear detonation - most likely in the MOX-spent fuel pool.

But the main question remains unanswered until now: what should all the nuclear regulatory officials around the world do now - there are tens of risky reactors at earthquake zones that can suffer FD reactor -1 destiny - a melt through because of a seismic event that causes the reactor fatal damage.

Silence is the basic answer now. The atom- men and atom-women know excactly how risky the game that is going on in nuclear industry right now is. But they don't tell it to the politicians. They don't tell it to the people. They are afraid. Thay are ofraid of loosing whole the industry that is paying their salaries. They are afraid of loosing their status of high-ranking decicion makers in high tech industry. They stay silent or deny it all.

But they shouldn't be afraid. They could continue to be experts in nuclear industry even though all the reactors would be shut down. There is a growing demand of nuclear knowhow when decommissioning the reactors and safely storing all the millions of kilograms of highly radioactive nuclear waste for hundreds of thousands of years. Somebody got to pay for that work. And it should be the nuclear industry. But unless they don't switch quickly to large scale renewable energy generation they can't afford that fun. So I'm afraid it's you and me - the taxpayers worldwide that pay that mistakes of the past-ugly game.

Still there is an urgent need for shutting down the most dangerous nuclear reactors on active faults and EQ-zones. Immediately! All the responsible nuclear watchdogs - take the action, NOW!

JPS

New Science Article: Japan Perhaps Facing Another Nuclear Disaster Because of Denying the Facts

On a recent article by Rob Gilhooly in New Scientist  there are expressions of concern of a new nuclear disaster in Japan  that could occure in Ohi-nuclear plant at any moment because the Government of Japan doesn't admit the scientific facts that tell of a great danger of a devastating earthquake possible in that area. The Nuclear accident in Fukushima Daichi last year was caused by the earthquake - the meltdown may have occurred before the tsunami hit the power plant - according to the new investigative report.

Link - New Scientist:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22031-fukushima-nuclear-accident-down-to-human-factors.html

How many Fukushimas will we need to realize the real dangers of nuclear reactors. Nuclear power will be far more expensive than renewable altarnative energy if we build the reactors to withstand the most powerful earthquakes and tsunamis.

Now we need some global Brainstorm....



JPS

More anti-nuclear demostrations in Tokyo - police blocks demonstrators

This Friday the demonstrations in Tokyo continued with 100 000 - 150 000 demonstrators gathering nearby The Prime Minister office. But this time the police stopped the folks from getting near the meeting place - the official recidence of the Prime Minister. People were stuck at the nearest subway station. Police didn't allow them to get out of there.

Link - ENENEWS: http://enenews.com/asahi-150000-join-tokyo-protest-says-organizer-reporter-eyewitness-there-are-more-than-100000-people

Link - ENENEWS: http://enenews.com/watch-police-clamp-down-in-tokyo-streets-were-not-allowed-to-get-anywhere-near-protest-video

The demonstrations will continue that is quite sure. Let's hope the people stay calm and even more people will gather there in the future. And everywhere around the world. Nuclear power is out and the politicians should know that.

Let's change the world into a better and safer place to live for our children and grandchildren!

We hold the keys for a change!

JPS

200 000 Protesters Against Ohi Restart and Japan's Nuclear Policy

Today there has been reports of a mass demonstration outside the Official Residence of the Prime Minister of Japan. Up to 200 000 demonstrators crowded the streets of Tokyo to stop restarting Ohi nuclear reactors in the beginning of July this year.

Some people are waiting next Friday 300 000 people to be gathering there to express their unwillingness to accept the Ohi restart decicion made by Japanese Government and Prime Minister Noda.

Let's hope the masses stay calm and demonstrations are held peacefully without letting be disturbed by the provocations of Yakuza or pro nuclear demonstrators.

Link - FUKUSHIMA DIARY:
http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/06/photos-demonstration-of-200000-people-occupied-official-residence/


JPS

DEBATING JAPAN'S ENERGY FUTURE

Civitas Musashino and Musashino Energy Shift organized an ICU SSRI Open Forum panel discussion at International Christian University, Tokyo Japan the 23th June 2012. Among the panelists were two active students - organizers of whole the event with their team - Mr. Akira Mouri and Mr.Hiroshi Ichige and the guests were Dr. Hiroshi Takahashi, the Chief Researcher at the Fujitsu Research Institute and Mr. Naoto Kan, the former Prime Minister of Japan and a member of the House of the Representatives.

    

The Japanese energy politics was discussed widely during the open forum. Mr. Kan  hoped that denucleration of Japan would follow in a way that allows the power companies to survive the change. Taxpayers have to take some responsibility of the energy change. He is fighting to get his own party to accept the roadmap for denucleration.

Dr. Takahashi was hoping the Japanese energy market to be more open for competition and for the natural energy production. He was taking Sweden as an example of a country there open energy market made it possible for the consumers to decide the means of producing the energy they consume.

The need for a green party in Japan was also mentioned by the panelists. Musashino Energy Shift was doubtful of the older parties to be able to copy with the denucleration of Japan. Ongoing mass demonstrations of 45 000 people outside the Prime Minister Official Recidence could be seen as an omen for a change during next election in Japan.

JPS

Oi Restart Problems and Greetings From Japan

I have not been able to update my blog for a longer time - sorry for that. The reason for that has been my quickly planned trip to Tokyo, Japan.
I'm writing this with a little mini-laptop that has no updated browser - not supported by blogger any more - so sorry for the mistakes and strange text appearance that may follow!

Japanese government gave permission for Oi-reactors restart in a hurry. And  problems started straight away. The water level of a tank gave insufficient water level alarm and the delay of informing the Japanese people about the incident was a little strange.

http://enenews.com/alarm-sounds-at-newly-restarted-japan-nuclear-plant-warning-that-water-level-in-tank-fell-at-least-10-cm-from-normal-more-water-injected-just-in-case-officials-apologize-for-delayed-di

There has been a lot of other happenings too, but now it's impossible for me to write more this time. I will be sharing my Japan-experiences later on this blog and on the Finnish sister blog http://solarwindpronet-suomi.blogspot.jp/
(It should be http://solarwindpronet-suomi.blogspot.fi/ but because I'm now in Japan the blogger-program sends .jp -address)

Many Greetings from this beautiful

Country of the Rising Sun with plenty of friendly people!

JPS