Here’s the week’s Fukushima news.  Something that I’ve been noticing quite awhile.  Japan’s media appears to take its weekend’s fairly seriously, with very little coverage on Fukushima except in the middle of the week.  Here’s a new website that’s using Twitter to follow Fukushima.

It came out that TEPCo was also actively considering to vent the Fukushima Daiini reactors, but were able to finally get the pumping systems at these units operational on March 12th. In a missed story, on August 12th, 28,000 fishermen from Fukushima protested in front of TEPCO in Tokyo.  The government is allowing the public to use their own car to go back to visit the contamination zones starting in September.  As the industry continues to struggle with Prefectures keeping reactors offline, the media has reported that the industry has doled out at least 2.1 trillion yen to local governments since 1966 or about $25 billion.

TEPCo has publicly come out saying that the quake didn’t damage the reactors, as well as making claims that there has been a dramatic reduction in radiation coming from the damaged facilities.

This week is an annual Buddhist ceremony similar to the Day of the Dead here.

Sunday August 21st, 2011

• Daily Yomiuri – N-plant area uninhabitable ‘for many yrs’ / Govt to keep entry ban for 3-km zone
• Mainichi Daily News – Radioactive decontamination unit to be set up in Fukushima
• Mainichi Daily News – Radiation fears hit Fukushima on multiple fronts
• Mainichi Daily News – Number of Fukushima cows contaminated with radioactive cesium reaches 9

Saturday August 20th, 2011

• Asahi Shimbun – Nation hit by A-bombs placed big bet on nuclear power – Yutaka Shiokura
• Daily Yomiuri – Miyagi farmer to ship rice after own safety inspection
• Daily Yomiuri – Many farmers crushed
• Daily Yomiuri – Better radiation education needed to end prejudice
• Japan Times – Test on to coax cesium in paddy soil up to surface
• Japan Times – Cesium detected in a Miyagi boar
• Mainichi Daily News – Estimated yearly radiation dosage hits 508 mSv in town near nuke plant
• Mainichi Daily News – Fukushima officials worry new discovery of radioactive beef will harm reputation more
• Mainichi Daily News – Radioactive cesium detected in boar meat in Miyagi Pref.
• Mainichi Daily News – Cattle shipment ban kept for Fukushima, lifted for Miyagi
• Mainichi Daily News – Japan-Jordan nuclear pact to clear parliament
• Mainichi Daily News – Map shows spot with high level of radiation near Fukushima plant
• Japan Times – Atomic bomb exhibit to open in St. Petersburg
• Japan Times – Kids deliver 80,000 no-nukes signatures
• Tokyo Reporter – Flustered Fukushima farmers up to their ears in radioactive bullsh*t
• Daily Mirror – Radioactive rice found 90 miles from Japan’s damaged nuclear plant – Damien Fletcher
• GlobalPost – Fukushima: Radiation reports overshadow progress at plant – Justin McCurry
• The Guardian – Inside Fukushima – interactive guide – Christine Oliver
• New York Times – Japan Quake Is Causing Costly Shift to Fossil Fuels – Hiroko Tabuchi
• New York Times – Two Voices Are Heard After Years of Futility – Ken Belson
• UPI – Japan makes shift from nuclear power
• Washington Post – Japan’s Prime Minister Kan, soon to step down, pushes nuclear phaseout – Chico Harlan

Friday August 19th, 2011

• NRC – Commission Seeks Prompt Action on Japan Task Force Recommendations
• Asahi Shimbun – Nearly half of children near Fukushima plant absorbed radiation
• Asahi Shimbun – TEPCO to add more than 4,000 radiation experts
• Asahi Shimbun – Documentary on survivor of both A-bombings shown in London – Takashi Okuma
• Daily Yomiuri – 2-step test to protect Japan’s staple food
• Denki Shimbun – Nuclear Safety Agency to be launched will face challenge in human resource recruitment
• Denki Shimbun – Big reduction in additional radiation release from Fukushima I NPS
• Japan Times – Fukushima beef shipment ban stands
• Japan Times – Nuclear policy scaled back–Five-year science plan no longer promotes next-generation focus
• Japan Today – M6.8 quake jolts Fukushima, Miyagi prefectures
• Mainichi Daily News – M6.8 quake shakes northeastern Japan, no damage to nuclear plants
• Mainichi Daily News – Radiation fears bring psychological stress to Fukushima residents
• Mainichi Daily News – Gov’t defers lifting of ban on Fukushima beef shipments
• Mainichi Daily News – Nuclear Safety Commission struggled to summon experts after disaster, chairman admits
• Mainichi Daily News – Japan tones down nuclear power policy in new 5-yr science strategy
• Mainichi Daily News – 2.5 trillion yen in nuclear money doled out to local governments since 1966
• Mainichi Daily News – Low level of radioactive cesium found in rice grown in Ibaraki Pref.
• Mainichi Daily News – Japanese students present 80,000 signatures for nuke abolition
• Mainichi Daily News – Nuclear safety chief vows to ensure smooth launch of new safety body
• Mainichi Daily News – Gov’t eyes lifting ban on beef shipments from Fukushima, Miyagi
• AP Google – Strong quake hits off NE Japan; no reported damage – Mari Yamaguchi
• AP Google – Japan city declares nuclear Decontamination Month – Eric Talmadge
• Bloomberg – Thyroid Radiation Exposure Found in Children Near Tepco Plant – Chisaki Watanabe
• The Hindu – Japan city declares nuclear decontamination month
• Los Angeles Times – Former U.S. envoy critical of Japan’s nuclear crisis response – John M. Glionna
• New York Times – Japan Finds First Case of Radioactive Contamination in Rice – Martin Fackler
• Reuters – Fukushima’s invisible snow
• Reuters – Japan lifts beef ban for Miyagi but Fukushima on hold – Rie Ishiguro and Yoko Kubota
• Reuters – Update 1-Hokkaido Elec: to begin maintenance on No.2 Tomari reactor on Aug 26 – Risa Maeda
• Reuters – Sunflowers melt Fukushima’s nuclear “snow” – Antoni Slodkowski and Yuriko Nakao

Thursday August 18th, 2011

• Asahi Shimbun – Couple sticking it out in near-deserted evacuation zone – Yohei Goto
• Daily Yomiuri – Tomari reactor’s restart 1st step for combating power crisis
• Daily Yomiuri – High stakes for cleaning system / New technology could provide big boost to end Fukushima N-plant crisis – Hirofumi Imazu and Koichi Yasuda
• Daily Yomiuri – Golf courses trapped in rough by radiation – Naotake Katori
• Japan Times – Water decontamination a ‘major challenge’ in nuclear crisis: Hosono
• Japan Times – No NISA penalties for now: new head – Kazuaki Nagata
• Japan Times – No time to foresee blasts: worker
• Japan Times – Pondering victims and the future
• Japan Times – Tepco: Radiation release plunged – Kazuaki Nagata
• Japan Times – Fukushima kids give silent officials an earful on crisis – Mizuho Aoki
• Mainichi Daily News – Hokkaido nuclear reactor resumes operations, but other plants not expected to follow suit
• Mainichi Daily News – Nuclear safety agency advised Niigata gov’t not to hold joint quake, nuke disaster drill
• Mainichi Daily News – Questions remain over risks despite resumption of operations at Hokkaido nuke plant
• Mainichi Daily News – Tomari reactor resumes commercial operation
• Mainichi Daily News – Fukushima plant leaking less radioactive material: TEPCO
• Nikkei – Tepco To Unload KDDI Stake To Pay For Compensation: Govt Panel
• Al Jazeera – Fukushima radiation alarms doctors – Dahr Jamail
• AP Google – US envoy: Tokyo didn’t take charge when crisis hit – Mari Yamaguchi
• Bloomberg – Tepco Says Fukushima Plants Not Directly Damaged by March Quake – Tsuyoshi Inajima
• Bloomberg – Tepco Behind Schedule in Processing Radioactive Water on Equipment Trouble – Tsuyoshi Inajima and Yuji Okada
• Environment News Service – Fukushima Daiichi Radioactivity Down to 20% of July Levels
• The Examiner – Fukushima ‘alarm’: Ground cracking, radioactive steam seeping (Video) – Deborah Dupre
• Reuters – Refile-Japan may lift Fukushima beef shipment ban -Kyodo – Kaori Kaneko
• Reuters – Japan researcher develops low-cost plastic radiation detectors – Yuko Takeo
• Sin Chew Jit Poh – Tests find thyroid radiation in Japanese children
• Straight.com – Radiation tests urged for sockeye salmon – Carlito Pablo
• Washington Post – Japan’s Prime Minister Kan, soon to step down, pushes nuclear phaseout – Chico Harlan
• Xinhua News – Japan restarts first reactor since quake

Wednesday August 17th, 2011

• Asahi Shimbun – EDITORIAL: Government must ensure independence of new nuclear watchdog
• Asahi Shimbun – Mountains of debris stand in the way of quake reconstruction – Naoto Inagaki And Mizuho Kajiwara
• Asahi Shimbun – Bill compiled to decontaminate radiation from Fukushima nuclear accident
• Daily Yomiuri – New N-safety agency faces difficulties – Yoshihiro Kiyonaga, Atsuki Kira and Satoshi Yamada
• Daily Yomiuri – Nuclear agency plan rushed
• Daily Yomiuri – Resuming Tomari reactor a protracted process – Takayuki Nishizawa and Shozo Nakayama
• Daily Yomiuri – Classes on radioactivity to return after 30 years
• Daily Yomiuri – Govt eyes N-damage dispute center
• Daily Yomiuri – Local govts remain cautious on restart of N-reactors – Tatsuya Watanabe
• Mainichi Daily News – Probe finds TEPCO failed to predict hydrogen explosion at Fukushima nuclear plant
• Mainichi Daily News – Workers rush to decontaminate schools in Fukushima Pref. city before start of term
• Mainichi Daily News – Science teachers stumped over instruction on radiation as nuclear crisis continues
• Mainichi Daily News – Saga Pref. Assembly members demanded donations, perks from Kyushu Electric
• Mainichi Daily News – Head of Tokyo University Radioisotope Center calls for speedy decontamination
• Mainichi Daily News – Renewable energy expansion proposed in bill an unavoidable step for Japan
• Mainichi Daily News – Tomari reactor to resume commercial operation
• Mainichi Daily News – Japanese students to call for nuke abolition at U.N. Geneva office
• Nikkei – Tepco Acknowledges Delay In Water Treatment In Fukushima Cleanup
• Nikkei – Hokkaido Gov OK With Restarting Reactor
• Nikkei – Reactor At Hokkaido Electric’s Tomari Plant Given Go-Ahead For Full Ops
• Mainichi Daily News – Excessive levels of radioactive cesium found 100 km from plant
• AFP Google – Japan approves nuclear reactor restart – Harumi Ozawa
• Daily Telegraph – Operators of Fukushima ‘were warned about failings’ – Danielle Demetriou
• The Examiner – Fukushima now radiating everyone: SBS exposes ‘unspeakable’ reality – Deborah Dupre
• Global Security Newswire – Doubts Grow Over Japan Nuclear Plant Stabilization Schedule
• Reuters – Japan’s Hokkaido Elec gets approval for restarted reactor – Osamu Tsukimori, Risa Maeda and Yuko Takeo
• Reuters – Update 2-Japan disaster plant cold shutdown could face delay – Tetsushi Kajimoto
• Salem-News – Nuclear Nightmare in Fukushima, Japan Much Worse than Revealed
• UPI – Fukushima contaminating China’s seas?
• World Nuclear News – Progress report on Fukushima Daiichi

Tuesday August 16th, 2011

• Daily Yomiuri – New N-watchdog agency must regain public trust
• Daily Yomiuri – Residents frustrated by ‘hot spot’ designation
• Japan Times – Editorial: Ray Of Light Amid The Nuclear Gloom
• Japan Times – Cattle outfit is year’s No. 1 failure
• Japan Times – Japan at critical tipping point – Mark Pendergrast
• Japan Times – Tomari reactor to get official nod to stay online
• Mainichi Daily News – 3 major parties join forces to draw up draft bill to remove irradiated soil
• Mainichi Daily News – Evacuees to visit homes within 3 km of Fukushima nuclear plant
• Japan Times – NGOs, academics call for abolition of nuclear plants – Jun Hongo
• Arirang News – Radioactive Particles Found in Drainage Sludge in Japan
• Big Think – The Japanese Government and Nuclear Power. A Meltdown of Trust – David Ropeik
• New Scientist – Radioactive Fukushima children given cancer all-clear – Rowan Hooper
• Reuters Africa – Update 1-Fukushima cold shutdown process behind schedule – Nikkei – Divya Lad

Monday August 15th, 2011

• Friends of the Earth – Nuclear regulators told law prohibits new reactor licensing until Fukushima review taken into account (pdf-79K)
• Daily Yomiuri – METI urges 30-year plan on energy – Frank Munger
• Japan Times – NGO offers wisdom from Chernobyl
• Japan Times – Unpopular cargo: Radioactive waste shipload coming
• Japan Times – Cabinet OKs new nuke watchdog
• Japan Times – The Song of Chu and Japanese politics today – Kazuo Ogoura
• Japan Times – NGOs, academics call for abolition of nuclear plants – Jun Hongo
• Mainichi Daily News – News Navigator: How is this year’s rice harvest being checked for radioactive cesium?
• Mainichi Daily News – At least 30 prefectures to test newly harvested rice for cesium to alleviate safety concerns
• Mainichi Daily News – Editorial: Urgent task to restore hometowns and their environment for disaster victims
• Mainichi Daily News – Cabinet OKs new nuclear agency under Environment Ministry
• ABC – Japanese schools grapple with nuclear crisis – Mark Willacy
• AP Google – Japan Cabinet OKs new nuclear safety agency
• Bellona – Japan hiding results of Fukushima children’s thyroid cancer screenings in new information blackout – Charles Digges
• Bloomberg – Radiation Bankrupts Japanese Cattle Ranch With $5.6 Billion in Liabilities – QBy Go Onomitsu and Stuart Biggs
• Bloomberg – Ditching Nuclear Risks Third ‘Lost Decade’ in Japan on Increased Oil Costs – Aki Ito and Maki Shiraki
• EurekAlert – First quantitative measure of radiation leaked from Fukushima reactor – Susan Brown
• The Guardian – Editorial: After Fukushima: nuclear dirty tricks
• Nuclear Engineering – Public exposure in Japan
• Nuclear Engineering – Unit 1 spent fuel pool cooling under control
• Reuters – Japan Puts Nuclear Regulation in the Hands of Environment Ministry – Timothy Hurst
• Reuters AlertNet – PET bottles become radiation detectors in Japan – Yuko Takeo
• UPI – Number put on level of Fukushima radiation
• Xinhua News – Japanese gov’t to establish new nuclear safety regulatory body – Yamei Wang