Opinion: We cannot allow return to nuclear power without proper debate

via Asahi Shimbun / July 2nd, 2013 / POINT OF VIEW by Hirohito Ono / The run-up to July’s Upper House election will likely focus on the economy and foreign policy issues, but one topic that must be discussed is the Abe administration’s nuclear energy policy. In its platform for the December Lower House election, the Liberal Democratic Party said it “would seek the establishment of an economic and social … Continue reading

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#Fukushima – Too many unknowns about the accident and the current state

By Chihiro Kamisawa / CNIC / June 1, 2013 / One of Japan’s major newspapers, the Asahi Shimbun, reported on February 7 that Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) had obstructed the investigation of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) by the National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC). TEPCO clearly gave commission members false explanations concerning the condition of the Unit 1 reactor … Continue reading

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Leaking Radioactive Water at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

By Hideyuki Ban / CNIC / June 1, 2013 / The constantly increasing amount of radioactive water stored at the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is becoming a grave problem. This article focuses on the contaminated water leaks. Despite the fact that no one knows where or in what condition the melted nuclear fuel from the reactor core is located at present, it is absolutely … Continue reading

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Decontamination – Sluggish and Ineffective

By Hideyuki Ban / CNIC / June 1, 2013 Decontamination is now ongoing in many areas, including Fukushima. This article summarizes the current state of decontamination. Although we use the term “decontamination,” since the radiation does not disappear, it should perhaps more properly be termed “relocated contamination,” but here we use the term “decontamination.” Basic Policy The actual organization carrying out the decontamination differs according to the degree of contamination … Continue reading

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Leaks, Rats and Radioactivity: Fukushima’s Nuclear Cleanup Is Faltering

by Bryan Walsh / via Time / May 1, 2013 / Honestly, if the consequences weren’t potentially so dire, the ongoing struggles to clean up the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northern Japan would be the stuff of comedy. In March, an extended blackout disabled power to a vital cooling system for days. The cause: a rat that had apparently been chewing on cables in a switchboard. As if that’s … Continue reading

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