Saturday, October 15, 2011

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Infrared Photos of Reactor 1 and Reactor 3

Photos were taken on October 13, released on October 15, 2011. Temperature is in Celsius.

Reactor 1:



Reactor 3:



TEPCO also released the photos of the facilities at J-Village including photos of the cafeteria (opening special - all 500-yen menu) and the concession stall. You can view them by going to TEPCO's "Photos for Press" page (look for releases on October 15), or this PDF file.

Must Read: Asahi Shinbun "Trap of Prometheus" Series Part 1 - Men in Protective Clothing (4,5) "This Is a Homicide"

(Installment 1, Installments 2 and 3, Installments 4 and 5, Installment 6, Installments 7 and 8, Installments 9 and 10, Installments 11 and 12)

Asahi Shinbun's series "Trap of Prometheus" - Men in Protective Clothing, which documents what happened in Namie-machi in Fukushima Prefecture right after the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident.

=====================================

防護服の男:4 殺人罪じゃないか

Men in Protective Clothing (4) This is a homicide, isn't it?

 SPEEDI(スピーディ)というコンピューター・シミュレーションがある。政府が130億円を投じてつくっているシステムだ。放射線量、地形、天候、風向きなどを入力すると、漏れた放射性物質がどこに流れるかをたちまち割り出す。

There is a computer simulation system called SPEEDI, which the national government has spent 13 billion yen to develop. If you input the amount of radiation, topography, weather, wind direction, etc., the system will calculate where the leaked radioactive materials may go.

 3月12日、1号機で水素爆発が起こる2時間前、文部科学省所管の原子力安全技術センターがそのシミュレーションを実施した。

On March 12, two hours before Reactor 1 had a hydrogen explosion, the SPEEDI simulation was carried out by Nuclear Safety Technology Center under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Science.

 放射性物質は津島地区の方向に飛散していた。しかし政府はそれを住民に告げなかった。

The simulation showed radioactive materials flowing toward Tsushima District [in Namie-machi]. But the national government didn't tell the residents.

 SPEEDIの結果は福島県も知っていた。12日夜には、東京の原子力安全技術センターに電話して提供を求め、電子メールで受け取っていた。しかしそれが活用されることはなく、メールはいつの間にか削除され、受け取った記録さえもうやむやになった。

The result of the SPEEDI simulation was known to the Fukushima prefectural government. The Fukushima government even called up Nuclear Safety Technology Center on March 12 night to ask for the simulation result, which was then sent via email. However, the prefectural government never acted on it. The email has been deleted since, and the record of the receipt of the email is lost.

 3月15日に津島地区から避難した住民に、県からSPEEDIの結果が伝えられたのは、2カ月後の5月20日だった。県議会でこの事実が問題となったためだ。

Residents evacuated from Tsushima District on March 15, but it was not until May 20 that they were informed of the SPEEDI result by the Fukushima prefectural government, because the subject was brought up in the Prefectural Assembly.

 福島県の担当課長は5月20日、浪江町が役場機能を移していた二本松市の東和支所を釈明に訪れた。

A manager in charge at the prefectural government visited the temporary town hall of Namie-machi in Nihonmatsu City on May 20 to explain.

 「これは殺人罪じゃないか」

"It is a homicide, isn't it?"

 町長の馬場有は強く抗議した。

Namie-machi Mayor Baba strongly protested.

 馬場によると、県の担当課長は涙を流しながら「すみませんでした」といい、SPEEDIの結果を伝えなかったことを謝ったという。

According to Baba, the manager in charge apologized in tears for not having passed on the SPEEDI result.

 知らされなかったのはSPEEDIの情報だけではない。

It was not just the SPEEDI information that had been withheld.

 福島県は、事故翌日の3月12日早朝から、各地域の放射線量を計測している。

Fukushima Prefecture had measured the radiation levels in various locations since early morning of March 12.

 同日午前9時、浪江町酒井地区で毎時15マイクロシーベルト、高瀬地区では14マイクロシーベルト。浪江町の2地点はほかの町と比べて異常に高い数値を示した。1号機水素爆発の6時間以上も前で、近くには大勢の避難民がいた。

At 9AM on March 12, it was 15 microsieverts/hr in Sakai District, and 14 microsieverts/hr in Takase District. These two locations in Namie-machi showed abnormally high radiation levels compared to other towns. It was more than 6 hours before the hydrogen explosion of Reactor 1, and there were many evacuees in these districts.

 これらの数値は6月3日に経済産業省のHPに掲載された。しかし、HPにびっしり並ぶ情報の数字の中に埋もれ、その重大さは見逃された。

These numbers were uploaded on the homepage of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on June 3. However, the significance of these numbers were lost among the copious data on the METI's homepage.

 8月末、浪江町の災害救援本部長、植田和夫にそれらの資料を見せると、植田は仰天した。

At the end of August, [I] showed the data to Kazuo Ueda, who is in charge of disaster assistance. He was flabbergasted.

 「こんなの初めて見た。なぜ国や県は教えてくれなかったのだろう」

"I've never seen these before. Why didn't the national government and the prefectural government tell us?"

 菅野みずえはいう。

Mizue Sugano [from installments 1, 2, 3] says,

 「私たちは、国から見捨てられたということでしょうか」

"I suppose we were abandoned by the government."

 (前田基行)

(Reported by Motoyuki Maeda)
------------------------------

防護服の男(5) 私、死んじゃうの?

Men in Protective Clothing (5) Will I die?


菅野みずえの家にいた25人の人々は、その後どこに向かったのだろう。

Where did the 25 people in Mizue Sugano's house go?

 その一人、谷田(やつだ)みさ子(62)はいま、愛知県春日井市の市営住宅で避難生活を送る。

One of them, Misako Yatsuda (age 62) have evacuated to Kasugai City in Aichi Prefecture. She lives in a municipal housing.

 みずえの遠い親戚だ。同じ浪江町の小野田地区に家がある。みずえの家からは約20キロ海寄りで、福島第一原発から10キロ以内の距離にある。

She is a distant relative of Mizue. Her house is in Onoda District of Namie-machi. It is located about 20 kilometers east of Mizue's house, and within the 10 kilometer radius from Fukushima I Nuke Plant.

 3月11日午後、自宅で地震に襲われた。

In the afternoon of March 11 when the earthquake hit, she was at home.

 翌12日早朝、隣の双葉町に住む次女一家が「ここは危ないから逃げるのよ」と駆け込んできた。朝9時、家を出た。

Early next morning, on March 12, her second daughter who lived in neighboring Futaba-machi came with her family to get her. "It's dangerous here, we have to get out." They left on 9AM.

 みずえの家がある津島方向に向かう国道114号はすでに大渋滞。国道6号に出て北に進み、南相馬市小高区の長女宅に向かう。ここで1号機の水素爆発を知り、さらに全員で津島を目指した。

Route 114 was clogged up with cars going in the direction of Tsushima District where Mizue lived. They took Route 6 and headed north, and went to the house of Misako's eldest daughter in Kodaka District in Minami Soma City. There, they heard of the hydrogen explosion of Reactor 1, and all headed for Tsushima District.

 みずえの家に着いたのは夕方6時を回っていた。他の避難者が炊き出しの握り飯を食べ終わったところだった。

When they arrived at Mizue's house, it was past 6PM. Other evacuees there had just finished eating supper.

 一日中走り回って疲れていたが、避難者の会議には出席した。共同生活ルールのうち、使用済みトイレットペーパーを段ボール箱に捨てるよう提案したのは、みさ子だった。以前メキシコ旅行をしたときの経験を思い出したからだ。

They were tired from running around all day, but they joined the meeting of the evacuees. It was Misako who suggested that they throw used toilet paper in the box, from her experience when she traveled in Mexico.

 しかし、ほっとしたのもつかの間、白い防護服の男たちの警告をみずえから聞かされた。

They were barely settled down when Mizue told them of the warning from the men in white protective clothing.

 生後1カ月の赤ちゃんを抱えた次女一家7人と、長女一家4人を、夜中に逃がした。翌13日夕、みさ子も発った。

Misako had the family of 7 of her second daughter with a 1-month-old baby, and the family of 4 of her eldest daughter evacuate during the night. Misako herself evacuated on March 13 evening.

 行くあてはなかったが、「少しでも遠くに」と郡山市を目指す。

She didn't know where to go, but she headed for Koriyama City to get as far away as possible.

 郡山市では、避難して来る人たちの放射能測定をしていた。みさ子に測定器が向けられると、針が大きく振れた。「私、死んじゃうの?」と測定係に叫んだ。

In Koriyama City, they were measuring the radiation on the evacuees. When they tested Misako, the needle of the meter swung significantly. " Am I going to die?" Misako shouted.

 その晩は車で寝た。15日朝、地震当時は相馬市にいた夫(54)と携帯電話でようやく連絡が取れた。会津若松市で合流し、新潟県経由で、22日、姉が暮らす春日井市に逃れた。

That night, she slept in the car. On March 15 morning, she was finally able to talk over the cellphone with her husband (age 54) who was in Soma City when the earthquake struck. They met in Aizu Wakamatsu City, and went, via Niigata Prefecture, to Kasugai City [in Aichi Prefecture] on March 22 where her sister lived.

 国や東京電力から的確な指示が一切ないまま、12日間の逃避行だった。

It was the 12-day flight, without any clear direction from the national government or TEPCO.

 「原発は安全」。これまで、そんな説明を何度も聞いていた。それを前提とした生活がすべて崩れた。

"Nuclear plant is safe". She had heard such explanation a number of times. Her life, based on that word, has crumbled to pieces.

 しかし、原発のおかげで住民が恩恵を受けてきたのは事実なのだ。「原発だけ悪いなんて、私たちはいえないのよ」。みさ子はため息をつく。(前田基行)

However, it is also true that the residents have benefited from the nuclear power plant. "We cannot say that only the nuclear plant is bad", Misako sighs.

=========================================

Not only the Fukushima prefectural government had the SPEEDI data, but it also had the simulation data given by TEPCO. It decided to sit on both sets of data. The same is true for the national government.

Futaba-machi, where Misako's second daughter lived and where Fukushima I Nuke Plant is located, did receive at least the simulation data from TEPCO, and the town duly informed the residents to evacuate. The national government did tell the town to evacuate.

Namie-machi did benefit from nuclear power, as it received the special subsidy from the national government for a number of years for having agreed to let Tohoku Electric Power Company plan a nuclear power plant construction in the town.

OT: Kiyoshiro Imawano "Meltdown"

He was a rock musician, composer, producer and actor. He died of a cancer in 2009.

Way ahead of his time.

Imawano and his band RC Succession were stopped from releasing their album "Covers" in 1988 allegedly because of anti-nuclear and ant-war messages in the songs. Their record company? Toshiba.

(English subtitle by greendiamondism)

Strontium in Yokohama: Citizen Threatened for Breaking the News

He took down his blog overnight which had a ton of useful visual information regarding radiation contamination, and restricted access to tweets after he and his family were anonymously "threatened" after the disclosure of strontium discovery in Yokohama City.

He says, "The whole purpose of my studying the radiation and radiation contamination and sharing information has been to protect my family, especially our young daughter. There is no point in doing so if my family's safety is threatened because of it. Please understand."

Yes, it's so "yesterday's news", isn't it, when a citizen is threatened for breaking the news that part of his city has been heavily contaminated by the radioactive fallout from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant? Time to move on. If you don't see, don't say, don't hear anything, it doesn't exist.

Must Read: Asahi Shinbun "Trap of Prometheus" Series Part 1 - Men in Protective Clothing (2,3) "We Were the Only Ones Who Didn't Know"

(Installment 1, Installments 2 and 3, Installments 4 and 5, Installment 6, Installments 7 and 8, Installments 9 and 10, Installments 11 and 12)

In the first installment, two mysterious men in white protective gear told Mizue Sugano, resident of Tsushima Discrict in Namie-machi in Fukushima Prefecture, to flee the place. She had been taking care of the evacuees from the area near Fukushima I Nuke Plant all day.

============================================

防護服の男(2)

Men in Protective Clothing (2)

 3月12日夕、菅野みずえは自宅に駆け戻り、防護服の男たちの話を避難者に伝えた。議論が始まった。

Evening of March 12. Mizue Sugano ran back inside her house, and told what the men in protective gear just told her. Argument ensued.

 「本当に危険なら町や警察から連絡があるはずだ。様子をみよう」。やっと落ち着いたばかりで、みんな動きたくなかった。

"If it is really dangerous, the town or the police will surely tell us. Let's wait and see." People were just settling down, and didn't want to move.

 しかし深夜、事態が急変する。数台のバスが、避難所になっている公民館に入って行った。それに避難者の1人が気付く。バスの運転手は「避難者を移動するのだ」といったという。

But in the midnight, the situation changed. Several buses went in to the community center which was used as emergency shelter. One evacuee noticed the buses. One of the bus drivers told the evacuee that he was to "move the evacuees".

 当時、浪江町は、逃げ遅れた20キロ圏内の町民たちを津島地区までバスでピストン輸送していた。しかし、みずえはそんなことは知らず、やはりここは危ないのではないかと思った。みずえは寝ていた人々を起こし、再び議論となった。

At that time, Namie-machi was shuttling the remaining residents within the 20-kilometer radius to Tsushima District. Mizue didn't know that, and concluded that this place was in danger, as the men had told her. She woke up the evacuees, and they discussed the situation again.

 多くは動きたがらなかった。しかし、一人の女性が「みんながいたら、菅野さん家族が逃げられないでしょう」といった。それで決まった。

Many still didn't move. But one woman said, "If we all stay, then Sugano's family cannot escape." That decided it.

 「車のガソリンが尽きるところまで避難しよう」

"Let's escape as far as the gasoline lasts."

 深夜0時すぎ、若い夫婦2組が出発した。2月に生まれたばかりの乳児や、小さい子どもがいた。

Just past midnight, two young couple with small children departed. They had a baby who was born in February, and small children.

 夫婦は最初、「こんな深夜に山道を逃げるのはいやだ」と渋ったが、「子どもだけでも逃がしなさい」とみずえがいい、握り飯を持たせた。

At first, they were reluctant. "We don't want to escape through the mountain route in the middle of night." Mizue persuaded them by saying "Let your children escape", and gave them rice balls.

 翌13日の朝食後、再び話し合った。前夜「逃げない」といっていた若い夫婦連れが「子どものために逃げます」といった。年配の女性が、夫婦に自分の車を貸した。

They discussed again after breakfast on the next day, March 13. A young couple who had said they wouldn't escape now said "We will escape, for our child." An elderly woman let the couple use her car.

 「私は1人だから、避難所でバスに乗るわ」

"Since I'm alone, I can ride the bus at the shelter."

 夕方までには、25人全員が福島市や郡山市、南相馬市などへそれぞれ再避難した。

By evening, all 25 evacuees at her house re-evacuated to Fukushima City, Koriyama City, and Minami Soma City.

 みずえは近くの家で避難している人たちにも、防護服の男たちのことを伝えた。1人が笑って答えた。

Mizue told what the men in protective gear had told her to the evacuees in the nearby houses. One of them said to her, laughing.

 「おれは東電で働いていた。おれらのつくった原発がそんなに危ないわけねえべ」

"I used to work for TEPCO. The nuclear power plant that I helped build cannot be that dangerous."

 男は原発事故からではなく、津波から逃れてきたのだ。みずえはこれで気が抜けた。みずえと長男の純一(27)は避難を取りやめた。

The man had escaped from tsunami, not the nuclear accident. Mizue was relieved at his word. Mizue and her eldest son Junichi (age 27) decided not to evacuate.

 純一は避難所の活性化センターの炊き出し係で、握り飯をつくっていた。

Junichi was in charge of cooking for evacuees at the shelter, making rice balls.

 「おれだけ逃げるわけにいかないよ」。このとき津島地区から10キロほどの地点で、30マイクロシーベルト用測定器の針が振り切れていた。(前田基行)

"I cannot just escape by myself." At that time, the survey meter that could measure up to 30 microsieverts/hour went overscale 10 kilometers from Tsushima District. (Reported by Motoyuki Maeda)

------------------

防護服の男(3)警察官、なぜあんな格好を

Men in Protective Clothing (3) Why are policemen dressed that way?

3月13日に菅野家の25人が出て行った後も、津島地区の避難者は大半が残っていた。

Even after 25 people at the Sugano's house evacuated on March 13, most of the evacuees remained in Tsushima District.

 避難指示は12日午前5時44分に10キロ圏内に拡大。1号機が水素爆発した後、午後6時25分に20キロ圏内に広がった。

The evacuation order was expanded to 10-kilometer radius at 5:44AM on March 12. After the hydrogen explosion of Reactor 1, it was expanded to 20-kilometer radius at 6:25PM.

 しかし官房長官の枝野幸男は12日夜の記者会見で、「放射性物質が大量に漏れ出すものではない。20キロ圏外の地域の皆さんに影響を与えることにはならない」と語った。

However, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said in the press conference on March 12 evening, "It is not that a large amount of radioactive materials is leaking. People outside the 20-kilometer radius won't be affected."

 要するに、たいしたことはないが念のため避難してくれ、という趣旨だ。人々は30キロの津島地区は安全だと信じていた。

The gist of his message was, "It is no big deal, but please evacuate just in case". People believed Tsushima District, 30 kilometers from the plant, was safe.

 東電の社員が12日と13日に浪江町の津島支所を状況報告に訪れた。彼らは防護服ではなかった。「ここは危ない」ともいっていない。菅野みずえが会った男たちの様子とは大きく違っていた。

TEPCO employees came to the Tsushima branch of Namie-machi town hall on March 12 and 13 to report on the situation. They were not in protective gear. They didn't say "this place is dangerous". They were totally different from the men Mizue had met [on March 12 evening].

 役場職員も区長も、みずえの会った防護服の男を見ていない。しかし、みずえは見聞きしたことをしっかりメモに書きとめていた。

The branch officials and the district chief didn't see the men Mizue had met. However, Mizue wrote down what she had seen and heard.

 15日早朝、前日の3号機に続いて、2号機で衝撃音がし、4号機が爆発した。政府は初めて20~30キロ圏内の「屋内退避」を要請する。

March 15 early morning, after Reactor 3 had exploded the previous day, there was an explosive sound in Reactor 2 and an explosion in Reactor 4. For the first time, the national government asked the residents to "evacuate indoors" for the area between 20 and 30 kilometer radius.

 津島地区の住民が避難したのはそのころだった。町長の馬場有らが14日の3号機の爆発をテレビで知り、隣の二本松市に15日から自主避難することを決めたのだ。

It was about that time the residents of Tsushima District started to evacuate. The Mayor Baba and his staff had learned of the explosion of Reactor 3 on March 14 on TV, and decided to evacuate voluntarily to the neighboring Nihonmatsu City starting March 15.

 福島第一原発の正門では、15日午前9時に毎時1万1930マイクロシーベルトの高い放射線量が観測された。それでも枝野の発言は楽観的だった。

At the front gate of Fukushima I Nuke Plant, 11,930 microsieverts/hour radiation was recorded at 9AM on March 15. But Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano still sounded optimistic.

 「放射性物質の濃度は20キロを越える地点では相当程度薄まる。人体への影響が小さいか、あるいはない程度になっている」

"The density of radioactive materials is significantly diluted past 20 kilometer radius, to the degree that it has only a small or no effect on humans."

 「1号機、2号機、3号機とも今のところ順調に注水が進み、冷却の効果が出ている」

"Water injection to Reactors 1, 2 and 3 is proceeding smoothly, and the reactors are being cooled."

 原子炉が12日のうちにメルトダウンを起こしていたことが国民に知らされるのは、後になってからだ。

It would be some time before the Japanese were told that the reactors had had a meltdown on March 12.

 12日朝、浪江町で交通整理などにあたる警官が、防護服を着用した。

On March 12 morning, policemen controlling traffic in Namie-machi were wearing protective clothing.

 「警官はなぜあんな格好をしているのか」

"Why are policemen dressed like that?"

 住民は不安を抱いた。浪江町議会議長、吉田数博(65)は津島地区の警察駐在所を訪れ、「不安を与えるので防護服は着ないでほしい」と要請した。

The residents wondered and feared. Kazuhiro Yoshida (age 65) was the Chairman of the Town Assembly. He visited the police station in Tsushima District, and requested that the police stop wearing the protective gear as they were making the residents fearful.

 吉田はいう。

Yoshida now says.

 「知らないのはわれわれだけだったんだ」(前田基行)

"We were the only ones who didn't know." (Reported by Motoyuki Maeda)

===========================================

(Yukio Edano is the current Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. We should never forget what he said since the start of the accident, and hold him accountable for the lies he spewed "to prevent panic", supposedly.)

Friday, October 14, 2011

Must Read: Asahi Shinbun "Trap of Prometheus" Series Part 1 - Men in Protective Clothing (1) "Why Are You Here? Flee!"

(Installment 1, Installments 2 and 3, Installments 4 and 5, Installment 6, Installments 7 and 8, Installments 9 and 10, Installments 11 and 12)

Asahi Shinbun print version (including digital print) has started a series called "Trap of Prometheus (プロメテウスの罠)" - comparing nuclear energy to the mythical fire that the Greek god gave to humans. The first installment of Part 1 "Men in Protective Clothing" was published on October 3, 2011. The series is written by the Asahi Shinbun journalist Motoyuki Maeda.

It is an astonishing read. Part 1 "Men in Protective Clothing" deals with 25 people in Namie-machi in Fukushima Prefecture, where no information about the seriousness of the plant accident reached, and where many evacuees from within 10 kilometers radius from the plant sheltered. There are 12 installments for the Part 1 so far.

Tsushima District of Namie-machi in the article is about 30 kilometers northwest of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, considered very safe from radiation. The government and the experts who appeared on TV right after the accident were all saying "The further you evacuate from the plant the safer it gets, and there is no worry for people outside the 10 kilometer radius".

It looks Asahi, after nearly 7 months after the accident, finally feels guilty enough to report the truth for a change.

The following is my quick private translation of the 1st installment of Part 1, as it appeared in Asahi Shinbun digital version on October 3, 2011. It deals with March 12 night in Tsushima District in Namie-machi.

=========================

防護服の男(1)

Men in Protective Clothing (1)

 福島県浪江町の津島地区。東京電力福島第一原発から約30キロ北西の山あいにある。

Tsushima District in Namie-machi, Fukushima Prefecture lies in the mountains about 30 kilometers northwest of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

 原発事故から一夜明けた3月12日、原発10キロ圏内の海沿いの地域から、1万人の人たちが津島地区に逃れてきた。小中学校や公民館、寺だけでは足りず、人々は民家にも泊めてもらった。

On March 12, one day after the nuclear accident, 10,000 people fled from the coastal area within the 10 kilometer radius from the plant to Tsushima District. Elementary school, middle school, community center, temples were used to house them, but there were not enough public shelters. People were housed in private residences in the district.

 菅野(かんの)みずえ(59)の家にも朝から次々と人がやってきて、夜には25人になった。多くが親戚や知人だったが、見知らぬ人もいた。

Mizue Kanno (age 59) welcomed these evacuees at her home all day. By nightfall there were 25 people. Most of them were her relatives and acquaintances, but some were total strangers.

 築180年の古民家を壊して新築した家だ。門構えが立派で、敷地は広い。20畳の大部屋もある。避難者を受け入れるにはちょうどよかった。門の中は人々の車でいっぱいになった。

Her home is a newly built home after demolishing the 180-year-old house. It has a large gate, and the compound is large. It has a big room with 20 tatami mats [32.4 square meters, or 349 square feet]. Quite ideal for accepting evacuees. Soon, inside the gate, the yard was full of evacuees' cars.

 「原発で何が起きたのか知らないが、ここまで来れば大丈夫だろう」。人々はとりあえずほっとした表情だった。

"I don't know what happened at the nuke plant, but we should be OK here". People looked relieved, at least for now.

 みずえは2台の圧力鍋で米を7合ずつ炊き、晩飯は握り飯と豚汁だった。着の身着のままの避難者たちは大部屋に集まり、握り飯にかぶりついた。

Mizue cooked 7 cups of rice in each of the two pressure cooker she had. The supper for the evacuees was rice balls and miso soup with pork and vegetables. The evacuees, with only the clothes they happened to wear when they fled, gathered in the big room and ate supper.

 夕食の後、人々は自己紹介しあい、共同生活のルールを決めた。

After supper, people introduced themselves, and decided on the community rule.

 一、便器が詰まるのを避けるため、トイレットペーパーは横の段ボール箱に捨てる。

- To avoid clogging up the toilet, toilet paper should be discarded in the paper box next to the toilet.

 一、炊事や配膳はみんなで手伝う。

- Everyone helps in cooking and laying out the dishes

 一、お互い遠慮するのはやめよう……。

- Let's not be too shy.

 人々は菅野家の2部屋に分かれて寝ることになった。みずえは家にあるだけの布団を出した。

The evacuees were to sleep in two rooms in the house. Mizue rounded up all the futons there were in the house for the evacuees.

 そのころ、外に出たみずえは、家の前に白いワゴン車が止まっていることに気づいた。中には白の防護服を着た男が2人乗っており、みずえに向かって何か叫んだ。しかしよく聞き取れない。

Then, Mizue stepped outside and noticed there was a white wagon parked in front of her house. There were two men in white protective gear in the wagon, and they shouted at her. But she couldn't hear well.

 「何? どうしたの?」

"What? What is it?"

 みずえが尋ねた。

Mizue asked.

 「なんでこんな所にいるんだ! 頼む、逃げてくれ」

"Why do you remain here? Please, we beg, flee."

 みずえはびっくりした。

Mizue was shocked.

 「逃げろといっても……、ここは避難所ですから」

"Flee? But this is a shelter."

 車の2人がおりてきた。2人ともガスマスクを着けていた。

Two men came out of the wagon. Both were wearing gas masks.

 「放射性物質が拡散しているんだ」。真剣な物言いで、切迫した雰囲気だ。

"Radioactive materials are spreading." They spoke seriously and urgently.

 家の前の道路は国道114号で、避難所に入りきれない人たちの車がびっしりと停車している。2人の男は、車から外に出た人たちにも「早く車の中に戻れ」と叫んでいた。

In front of her house was the Route 114, lined with cars of people who couldn't find shelters. Two men shouted at people who were stepping out of their cars, "Get back inside the car quick!"

 2人の男は、そのまま福島市方面に走り去った。役場の支所に行くでもなく、掲示板に警告を張り出すでもなかった。

Two men then drove away toward Fukushima City. They didn't go to the town office branch or post a warning on the message board.

 政府は10キロ圏外は安全だと言っていた。なのになぜ、あの2人は防護服を着て、ガスマスクまでしていたのだろう。だいたいあの人たちは誰なのか。

The national government said it was safe outside the 10-kilometer radius. Then why were these two men wearing the protective clothes and gas masks? Who were they anyway?

 みずえは疑問に思ったが、とにかく急いで家に戻り、避難者たちにそれを伝えた。(前田基行)

Mizue didn't know the answers. But she hurried back inside the house, and told the evacuees what the men just told her. (Reported by Motoyuki Maeda)

----------

ギリシャ神話によると、人類に火を与えたのはプロメテウスだった。

According to the Greek mythology, Prometheus gave fire to humans.

 火を得たことで人類は文明を発達させた。化石燃料の火は生産力をさらに伸ばし、やがて人類は原子の火を獲得する。それは「夢のエネルギー」とも形容された。しかし、落とし穴があった。

By obtaining fire, humans developed civilizations. Fire from fossil fuel increased the productivity. Then, humans obtained fire from nuclear energy. It was dubbed as "dream energy". But there was a pitfall.

 プロメテウスによって文明を得た人類が、いま原子の火に悩んでいる。福島第一原発の破綻(はたん)を背景に、国、民、電力を考える。

Humans, who obtained civilization by Prometheus fire, are troubled by the nuclear fire. This series will consider the nation, the people, and the electricity in the backdrop of the failure of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

     ◇

 「プロメテウスの罠(わな)」は、数カ月にわたり長期連載します。第1シリーズ「防護服の男」は十数回の予定です。文中はすべて敬称を略します。

"Trap of Prometheus" series will be written over the next several months. The 1st in the series "Men in Protective Clothes" will have over 10 installments. In the series, names will be listed without honorifics.

================================

(Translation for the 2nd and 3rd installments are on this post.)

#Radioactive Plankton 3 km off the Coast of Fukushima

Bio-concentration hard at work. NHK News Japanese reports that a high level of radioactive cesium has been detected from plankton in the ocean off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture.

The news only mentions, as usual, cesium-134 and cesium-137. If the researchers did test for other nuclides like strontium and plutonium, NHK is not saying anything. If they didn't, why didn't they?

NHK News (4:54AM JST 10/15/2011):

ことし7月に福島県いわき市の沿岸で採取したプランクトンから、放射性セシウムが高い濃度で検出され、調査を行った東京海洋大学の研究グループは、食物連鎖によって、今後、スズキなど大型の魚で影響が本格化するおそれがあると指摘しています。

Radioactive cesium in high density has been detected from plankton collected off the coast of Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture in July. The marine survey was done by a research group at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. The group points out that the radiation effect may soon become apparent in big fish like sea bass by way of food chain.

東京海洋大学の研究グループは、東京電力福島第一原子力発電所から流れ出た放射性物質の影響を調べるため、ことし7月、いわき市の沿岸から沖合およそ60キロまでを調査船で航海し、プランクトンなどを採取しました。

In July, the research group at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology on board a survey ship surveyed the ocean from the coast of Iwaki City out to about 60 kilometers off the coast and collected plankton in order to study the effect of radioactive materials on marine life.

このうち、沿岸3キロ付近で採取した動物性プランクトンを分析した結果、放射性セシウムが1キログラム当たり669ベクレルの高い濃度で検出されました。半減期が2年のセシウム134が含まれることから、原発から流れ出た放射性物質がプランクトンに蓄積したものとみられています。

The analysis of zooplankton collected 3 kilometers off the coast revealed the high density of radioactive cesium at 669 becquerels/kg. It includes cesium-134 whose half life is 2 years, indicating the radioactive materials from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant being concentrated in plankton.

動物性プランクトンは、さまざまな魚の餌になることから、研究グループでは、食物連鎖によって放射性物質の蓄積が進み、今後、スズキなど大型の魚で影響が本格化するおそれがあると指摘しています。

Zooplankton become food for various kinds of fish. The research group points out that by way of food chain radioactive materials may concentrate, and start to seriously affect large-size fish like sea bass.

研究グループのリーダーを務める石丸隆教授は「この海域では南向きの海流の影響で、原発から高い濃度の汚染水が継続して流れ込んだためにプランクトンの濃度が高くなったとみられる。魚への影響がいつごろまで続くのかさらに詳しく調べる必要がある」と話しています。

The leader of the group, Professor Takashi Ishimaru, says, "Due to the southerly ocean current, the highly contaminated water from the nuke plant continuously flowed into this area of the ocean, raising the radioactive material density in plankton. We need to further study how long the effect of radiation on fish will continue."

Well, according to Japan's Fisheries Agency, bio-concentration and accumulation were not supposed to happen, as they made it abundantly clear when the Japanese government sanctioned the release of "low" contamination water from the nuke plant. Well they did.

Not only they did happen, but clearly at an accelerated pace. Bigger fish have already been found with surprisingly high levels of radioactive cesium. The ocean contamination is probably of much bigger scale and the degree of contamination much more serious than the Japanese government has dared to admit so far.

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor 1 Cover-up Complete, Still Detects 4.7 Sieverts/Hr Radiation Inside (Updated with Video)

But don't worry, the nuke accident is "winding down" successfully, according to the Japanese government under the new administration and TEPCO.

First, Reactor 1 coverup (TEPCO handout for the press, 10/14/2011). What was the cover for again? TEPCO has been claiming the air coming out of the wrecked reactor is far below what's allowed for radiation control area in a nuclear power plant. (Oh I forgot. It was to avoid Google Earth.)

2 packbots entered the reactor building of Reactor 1 to measure the radiation on October 13. The location where 4 sieverts/hr steam was observed in June still has very high radiation - maximum 4.7 sieverts/hr - but no more steam, says TEPCO.

(OK, where is the corium? Has it escaped the water-filled basement?).

From TEPCO's handout for the press, 10/14/2011:

Here's the link to the video (for download) of the location of the 4.7 sieverts/hr radiation: http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/news/110311/images/111014_01.wmv

A lot of white noise.


(UPDATED) Strontium in Yokohama: City Still Hides (But Information Wants to Be Free...)

(UPDATE: Iwakami just disclosed the number that Yokohama City wanted to hide in the press conference last night.

From the apartment building rooftop sediment:

  • Radioactive cesium (previously measured): 105,600 becquerels/kg

  • Radioactive strontium (89 and 90 combined): 236 becquerels/kg

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The City of Yokohama did have a press conference late at night on October 14, but the officials only disclosed the data of strontium (89 and 90 combined) from the samples taken from the public locations - side of the road and at the fountain in a public park in Kohoku-ku in Yokohama.

It kept mum on the rooftop sediment in an apartment building that had over 100,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium, citing some sort of agreement with the person who provided the sample. (That person says, "What are they talking about?", by the way.)

The results of the testing done by Yokohama City, as provided by Yasumi Iwakami on twitter:

From the sample taken from the side drain of the road in Kohoku-ku:

  • Radioactive cesium (measured previously): 39,012 becquerels/kg

  • Radioactive strontium (-89 and -90): 129 becquerels/kg

From the sample taken at the fountain in Shin Yokohama:
  • Radioactive cesium (measured previously): 31,570 becquerels/kg

  • Radioactive strontium (-89 and -90): 59 becquerels/kg

The city considers strontium to have come from from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, and will ask the national government to test for strontium outside the 100-kilometer radius from the nuke plant. Yokohama is about 250 kilometers away from the plant.

Mr. Iwakami reports that during the press conference the city was heavily criticized for not disclosing the number for the sediment on the rooftop of the apartment. The city didn't have a convincing argument as to why they were not disclosing, Iwakami says.

Just In: Yokohama City Just Confirmed Strontium-90 Existence in Rooftop Sediment

(UPDATE: for more details, see my new post.)

-----------------------------------------------

The city was testing on its own, using the sample that had over 100,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium.

195 becquerels/kg of strontium-90 has been detected from the sample that had over 63,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium. Both samples were taken from the same rooftop of an apartment building in Kohoku-ku in Yokohama City.

Details to be announced later in a press conference, according to a Yokohama Assemblywoman (Ms. Sakura Inoue). Right now the city is holding an emergency meeting of the radiation countermeasures staff.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Fukushima Government to Push Fukushima Rice in Restaurants and Schools

Now that the rice from all districts and cities in Fukushima Prefecture are declared "safe" (i.e. below the provisional safety limit of 500 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium), the Fukushima prefectural government is gearing up for the PR campaign it plans to mount to promote Fukushima rice in restaurants and school lunches and to consumers in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

From NHK Japanese (10/13/2011):

福島県が進めてきた収穫後のコメの放射性物質の検査が終わり、コメの作付けが行われたすべての市町村で国の基準を下回って出荷が認められました。福島県は、今後、コメの安全性を消費者にピーアールするなど風評被害対策を強化することにしています。

Fukushima Prefecture finished testing for radioactive materials in harvested rice. In all districts where rice was planted, the level of radioactive materials was lower than the national safety standard, and the shipment of rice is now allowed. Fukushima is planning to counter "baseless rumors" by appealing the safety of the rice to consumers.

原発事故を受けて福島県が進めてきた収穫後のコメの検査は、12日、二本松市などを最後に終わり、すべての地点で国の暫定基準値を下回ったため、ことしコメの作付けを行った48市町村すべてで出荷が認められました。

The testing of harvested rice was completed on October 12 with Nihonmatsu City, and as rice from all districts tested lower than the national provisional safety limit the shipment of rice is allowed in all 48 municipalities that planted rice this year.

検査をした1174か所のうち82%に当たる964か所で放射性物質は検出されず、1キログラム当たり200ベクレル以上の放射性物質が検出されたのは、1か所にとどまりました。

Rice from 1,174 locations were tested, in 82% of those locations or 964 locations no radioactive materials were detected. Only one location tested more than 200 becquerels/kg of radioactive materials [cesium].

このため福島県は、県内産のコメの安全性は確保されているとしています。福島県は、今後、知事や職員が首都圏などの消費地に出向いてピーアールを行ったり、飲食店や学校給食で県内産のコメの積極的な利用を呼びかけたりするなど、風評被害対策を強化することにしています。

Therefore, Fukushima Prefecture considers the rice grown in Fukushima is safe. The prefectural government is planning to send the governor and other city officials to the Tokyo metropolitan area to appeal to consumers and to call for increased use of Fukushima rice in restaurants and school lunches in order to counter the "baseless rumors".

The NHK article has an accompanying news clip, where you get to see how the "testing" was done at the Fukushima prefectural government. A government worker is waving a scintillation meter over a plastic bag that contains a small amount of brown rice. He spends about 2 seconds at most for each bag.

If you recall, waving a scintillation meter over the meat cow was how they were testing the meat for radiation at first. We know how that ended up. 

In the "main" test after the rice harvest, they tested 2 samples per district (villages and towns before they were incorporated into nearby large cities), except for one district in Shirakawa City where 500 becquerels/kg of cesium was detected in the preliminary test. There, if the testing was done according to what the Fukushima prefectural government had announced, samples from two locations per 15 hectares in the district were measured.

But good luck persuading the consumers who refuse to buy Fukushima rice, when a rice farmer in Fukushima is not sending his crop this year to his family members and relatives because of radioactive cesium, no matter how it is "below the safety limit". According to Asahi Shinbun (10/13/2011),

本検査で104ベクレルを検出した福島市水原地区でコシヒカリを作る男性(69)は「離れて暮らす孫には『ほかで買ってくれ』と言うしかない」と話した。

A man, aged 69, grows "Koshihikari" brand rice in Mizuhara district in Fukushima City where 104 becquerels/kg [of radioactive cesium] was detected in the "main" testing. He said, "I have no choice but to tell my grandchild who lives far away to buy rice somewhere else".

 毎年、札幌市の次女の一家に1年分のコメを送ってきた。ほかにも福島市内の親戚や知人ら十数人に送るのが慣例だったが、今年は難しいと考えている。

He always sends a year supply of rice to his second daughter's family who lives in Sapporo City. He also sends rice to relatives and acquaintances in Fukushima City. But this year, it will be difficult to do so [he probably won't send the rice this year].

Radiation in Fukushima Produce, October 13, 2011

Now that the rice from Fukushima is set to be sold all over Japan, let's check what else is going out from that prefecture these days that is radioactive.

From Fukushima Prefecture's daily monitoring (i.e. sampling) results on October 13, 2011:

Only iodine-131, cesium-134, cesium-137 are measured, as usual, and the Japanese only cares about the total cesium density (provisional safety limit of 500 becquerels/kg). Radiation detected was all radioactive cesium.

Apple (Fukushima City): 13 to 37 becquerels/kg
Persimmon (Fukushima City): 25 to 124 becquerels/kg
Persimmon (Iwaki City): 31 becqerels/kg
Persimmon (Minami Soma City): 59 to 135 becquerels/kg
Kiwi (Minami Soma City): 220 becquerels/kg
Kiwi (Kunimi-machi): 270 becquerels/kg
Citron (Date City): 860 becquerels/kg
Citron (Koori-machi): 720 becquerels/kg
Pomegranate (Motomiya City): 148 becquerels/kg
Gingko nut (Yukawa-mura): 22 becquerels/kg

Lotus root (Shirakawa City): 73 becquerels/kg
Beef (Minami Soma City): 32 to 97 becquerels/kg

Everything but citrons from these to locations are good to sell.

(UPDATED) New Twist on 4.7 Microsieverts/Hr Radiation in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo: Radium??

(UPDATE: They say it was most likely radium-226, the surface radiation was 600 microsieverts/hour.)

From Tokyo Shinbun quoting Kyodo News (10/14/2011):

東京都世田谷区弦巻の区道で局地的に高い放射線量が検出された問題で、保坂展人区長は13日夜、区役所で記者会見し、区道沿いの住宅の床下にあった瓶の付近から毎時30マイクロシーベルト以上の高い線量が検出されたと発表した。

Regarding the localized hot spot location on the municipal road in Tsurumaki, Setagaya-ku in Tokyo, the Mayor of Setagaya-ku, Nobuhito Hosaka, held a press conference on October 13 evening that over 30 microsieverts/hour radiation was detected from the bottles found from under the floor of the house that borders the road.

 区から通報を受けた文部科学省は瓶の中の物質を調査し、ラジウムとほぼ特定。原発から放出される放射性セシウムなどとは異なるため、同省は東京電力福島第1原発事故とは関係ないと断定した。

The Ministry of Education and Science analyzed the content of the bottles, and almost identified it as radium. Since it was not one of the nuclides released from a nuclear reactor such as radioactive cesium, the Ministry concluded that it had nothing to do with the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident.

 区や文科省によると、瓶はガラス製とみられ、高さ約7センチ、直径5~6センチ程度のものなど数十本が木箱に入っており、中身は粉状。

According to Setagaya-ku and the Ministry of Education and Science, the bottles look to be made of glass, about 7 centimeters long and 5 to 6 centimeters in diameter. There are several tens of bottles in a wooden box. The content of the bottles are powdery.

The radiation was so high that the survey meter that they brought couldn't measure as it went overscale. No one is currently living in that house.

Whether people believe the government is another matter. Some simply do not. I am rather shocked to see the Ministry of Education, of all people, responding so quickly, even releasing the photo above so quickly. That ministry is the last one I'd expect to respond to ordinary people's concern. How ironic.

(Oh wait... The radiation near the surface of the side walk (5 centimeters off) was rather high at 1.34 microsievert/hour, according to Mainichi Shinbun (10/13/2011). Radium in the bottle under the house cannot explain that, can it??)

In the meantime, more radiation "hot spots" (often several microsieverts/hour) have been discovered in the Tokyo metropolitan area. More later.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Fukushima Rice All Cleared for Shipment, Radioactive or Not

because in the "main" test administered by the Fukushima prefectural government, none exceeded the stringent national provisional safety limit of 500 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium.

The highest was from a district in Nihonmatsu City, 470 becquerels/kg (page 9 of the linked PDF file). But not to worry, rice farmers of the particular district. The Fukushima prefectural government will buy up all your rice, according to Kyodo News English (10/12/2011), probably using the money from the national government (i.e. nation's taxpayers' money).

It's a win-win for Fukushima rice farmers who went ahead and grew rice. If tested for less than 500 becquerels/kg of cesium, they are all set to sell. If tested close to 500 becquerels/kg, the government will buy the crop. No information on what the prefecture is going to do with the rice it buys up, but I suspect it will find its way to the market eventually. It's a lose-lose for a minority of conscientious farmers in Fukushima who chose not to grow at all this year - no sales, no compensation. Good luck, consumers, finding radiation-free rice and fighting critics who tell you that you are selfish on insisting on clean food.

In the meantime, a tweet from a farmer in Iitate-mura who evacuated from the village says:

10月初旬飯舘帰村顛末記9:留守中依頼していた直播稲の放射能検査の結果が出ていた。驚くなかれ玄米で2194ベクレル/KGを検出し規制値の4倍強。 あまりにも高いので念のため再検査を手配した。尚、この田んぼは残念だが今週中にトラクターで刈り込むので新米は猪の餌になる運命。

Diary of my temporary return to Iitate-mura in early October: The result of the radiation test for the rice came in. Surprise, surprise. 2,194 becquerels/kg [of radioactive cesium] in brown rice, more than 4 times the provisional safety limit. Since it was so high I arranged for the re-testing, just in case. As to the rice crop in the rice paddy, it has to be mowed down by the end of this week. So the new crop of rice will be feeding the wild boars.

He had said in his earlier tweets that when he had to leave the village in spring, he sprinkled the seed rice on his rice paddy and let the nature take its course instead of throwing it away. To his great surprise, the rice thus sowed directly (as opposed to planting carefully cultivated seedlings) and grown without any fertilizer or pesticide and without any tilling grew better than ever. He duly noted the irony, but also now says, "If I ever grow rice again, I will do the direct sowing and do none of the maintenance work. The traditional way of growing rice by planting seedlings, using fertilizer and pesticide, tilling, weeding and other constant care is nothing but a conspiracy by the agribusiness and JA (agricultural producer co-op)."

Way to go, farmer A1271. I hope you can get to grow crops again somewhere cleaner.

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Hydrogen Gas in a Pipe Leading to Reactor 2 CV

The concentration is less than in the case of Reactor 1 pipe (63%), as it was only 6.5%.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (10/12/2011):

東京電力は12日、福島第一原子力発電所2号機の格納容器につながる配管から、高濃度の水素が検出されたと発表した。

TEPCO announced on October 12 that the high concentration of hydrogen gas was detected from the pipe that connects to the Containment Vessel of Reactor 2 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

 1号機の配管で検出された水素濃度63%よりも低い6・5%だったが、東電は「格納容器の水素濃度は1%未満なので、配管の濃度は想定より高い」としている。事故直後に発生した水素が配管に押し込められていた可能性が高い。

The concentration was 6.5%, lower than 63% detected in the pipe in Reactor 1 the other day. Nonetheless, TEPCO says "Normally the concentration of hydrogen gas within the Containment Vessel is less than 1%. The concentration detected in the pipe is higher than expected". It is likely that hydrogen gas generated right after the accident remains in the pipe.

 この配管には、格納容器内のガスに含まれる放射性物質をフィルターで除去するシステムを新設する予定で、設置後に水素を抜く。空気中に4%以上の水素と5%以上の酸素が同時にあると爆発の危険性が高まる。

TEPCO plans to install a gas management system to filter out radioactive materials in the gas inside the Containment Vessel. After the installation TEPCO plans to remove hydrogen gas. If there are more than 4% hydrogen and more than 5% oxygen in the atmosphere, a chance of explosion increases.

After the installation?

However, looking at TEPCO's diagram (from press handout on 10/12/2011), this pipe is different from the one they found 63% concentration in Reactor 1. The Reactor 1 pipe was originally used for the core spray system - i.e. it was a pipe for water, so were the valves. But the Reactor 2 pipe and valves on the pipe are for the flammable gas, which I suspect has different specs.

It looks like the ever-incurious TEPCO decided to use the pipe for gas in Reactor 2, probably correctly assuming the valves would stop hydrogen gas from the CV better than the valves for the core spray system.

One of the "Plutonium Brothers" Was a TEPCO Employee

Professor Hirotada Ohashi of Tokyo University, one of the three "Plutonium Brothers" who declared that the toxicity of plutonium was much exaggerated and it was safe even if some villains dumped plutonium in a reservoir for tap water and people drank that water, used to work for TEPCO before he became assistant professor at Tokyo University.

After he got his PhD in nuclear engineering from Tokyo University in 1980, he joined TEPCO and remained there until 1986, when he went to Tokyo University to become an assistant professor. (His short bio in Japanese, here.)

It all makes sense.

Radioactive Cesium from Breast Milk from Mothers in Hiroshima Prefecture, 840 km from Fukushima I Nuke Plant

One mother had lived in Hiroshima since before the March 11 nuclear accident. The expert at Hiroshima University who measured the density of radioactive cesium suspect it is internal radiation from ingesting contaminated food.

Hiroshima is over 840 kilometers from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

From Chugoku Shinbun (10/12/2011):

内部被曝(ひばく)防止に取り組む市民団体「繋(つな)がろう広島」は11日、広島県内在住の母親2人の母乳から微量の放射性物質が検出されたと発表した。東日本大震災後に東京から避難した1人と以前から県内に住む1人。測定に協力した広島大は「授乳には問題ない値」としている。

A citizens' group called "Tsunagaro Hiroshima (Let's connect, Hiroshima" announced on October 11 that a minute amount of radioactive materials has been detected from the breast milk of two mothers who live in Hiroshima Prefecture. One of them escaped from Tokyo after the March 11 disaster; the other had lived in Hiroshima since before the disaster. The researcher at Hiroshima University who measured the breast milk says there is no problem feeding their babies with the breast milk.

 検査は10月上旬、震災後に関東地方から広島県内に避難してきた4人と、震災前から同県内に住む2人の計6人を対象に実施。それぞれ100ccの母乳を採り、同大大学院工学研究院の静間清教授が検出器で調べた。

The survey was done in early October on 4 people who evacuated to Hiroshima from the Kanto region after the March 11 disaster, and on 2 people who had lived in Hiroshima since before the disaster. 100 cc of the breast milk was taken from each mother, and tested by Professor Kiyoshi Shizuma of Hiroshima University Graduate School of Engineering.

 その結果、いずれも30代の2人から微量の放射性セシウムを検出した。厚生労働省は、牛乳・乳製品の放射性セシウムの暫定規制値(1キログラム当たり200ベクレル)を母乳の指標とする。同団体は2人の意向で具体的数値を明らかにしていないが、厚労省の指標は大幅に下回っているという。

A minute amount of radioactive cesium was detected from two mothers in their thirties. The Ministry of Health and Labor uses the provisional safety limit for milk and dairy products for radioactive cesium (200 becquerels/kg) for the breast milk. The citizens' group has not disclosed the detailed numbers as the mothers do not wish the numbers to be disclosed, but says they are well below the standard set by the Ministry of Health and Labor.

 静間教授は「以前から県内に住む1人は食材からの摂取の可能性がある」とみて継続検査する。

Professor Shizuma will continue to monitor the mother who has lived in Hiroshima since before the accident, as "It is possible that radioactive cesium came from ingesting the contaminated food."

 同団体の三田拓代表は「行政には母乳や尿の検査態勢を整え、食品の放射線量の測定場所を設けるよう求めていく」としている。

The leader of the citizens' group says he will ask the prefectural government to set up a system to test the breast milk and urine, and to measure the radiation in food.

#Radiation in Tokyo: Over 2.7 Microsievert/Hr in Setagaya-ku on a School Route

That is the air radiation. NHK News says the number happens to be much higher than the current air radiation in Iitate-mura (2.1 microsieverts/hour at the village office) in Fukushima Prefecture, where all the villagers have had to evacuate.

Just like in Yokohama City, a citizen measured the air radiation, and alerted the municipal government who then went and measured. At least the municipal governments have started to at least respond.

The result was 2.8 microsieverts/hour. The Setagaya-ku government power-washed the 10-meter stretch of the side walk, and the radiation came down to ... (hold your breath)... 2.71 microsieverts/hour.

Setagaya-ku is one of the special wards of Tokyo that located at the western end of the 23 special wards on the east Tokyo. It borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the south. (Setagaya-ku is marked in deep purple in the map, where the special wards are marked in light purple.)

From NHK News Japanese (10:58PM JST 10/12/2011):

今月初め、東京・世田谷区の区道で1時間当たり最大で2.7マイクロシーベルトという高い放射線量が検出され、世田谷区は、この場所に立ち入らないよう呼びかけるとともに今後の除染を検討しています。

2.7 microsieverts/hour radiation was detected on a municipal road in Setagaya-ku (special ward) in Tokyo earlier this month, and the Setagaya-ku government is asking people to avoid the location while it considers the decontamination plan.

高い放射線量が検出されたのは、世田谷区弦巻の区道の歩道の長さおよそ10メートル、幅およそ1メートルの部分です。世田谷区によりますと、今月3日、区民から「放射線量が高い場所がある」という情報が寄せられたため、区が測定したところ、1時間当たり最大でおよそ2.8マイクロシーベルトと周辺に比べて特に高い放射線が検出されたということです。

The high radiation was detected in the 10-meter long, 1-meter wide stretch of the side walk in Tsurumaki in Setagaya-ku. According to the Setagaya-ku government, a resident informed the government on October 3 that there was a location with high radiation. When the Setagaya-ku government measured, the radiation was 2.8 microsieverts/hour maximum, much higher than the surrounding area.

このため高圧の洗浄器を使って歩道部分の洗浄を行いましたが、放射線量はあまり下がらず、1時間当たり最大で2.707マイクロシーベルトが検出されたということです。原因について世田谷区が専門家に聞いたところ、問題の場所は雨水が集まって放射線量が高くなったことが考えられるということです。

The Setagaya-ku government used the pressure washer to wash the stretch of the side walk, but the radiation level only came down to 2.707 microsieverts/hour. The expert whom the government consulted with said the radiation level there may have become elevated because of the rainwater collecting there.

ただ、今回の測定では地表より高い場所でより高い数値が出るなど、通常あまり見られない結果が出ていることから、世田谷区では原因を詳しく調べることにしています。

However, the measurement revealed that the air radiation was higher off the ground than on the ground, and the Setagaya-ku government is planning to investigate further to identify the cause of this unusual result.

この区道は小学校の通学路にもなっていることから、区は、12日朝からこの場所をコーンで囲って立ち入らないよう呼びかけるとともに今後の除染を検討しています。世田谷区は、ことし7月から8月にかけて区内の小中学校や保育園、それに幼稚園で放射線量を測定しており、その際、高い放射線量は検出されていませんでした。世田谷区は、子どもへの影響を重視し、今月下旬から区内の砂場がある258か所の公園について調査することにしています。

This municipal road is a designated school route to an elementary school. Setagaya-ku has put up the road cones to alert people not to enter the area, and is considering decontamination. Setagaya-ku measured the radiation in elementary schools, middle schools, kindergartens and nursery schools in July and August, but there was no high radiation detected at that time. It plans to measure the radiation of 258 parks later this month to ensure safety for small children.

世田谷区環境総合対策室の斉藤洋子室長は「現場は小学校の通学路で、近くには幼稚園や保育園もある。心配する保護者の方がいると思うので、専門家とも相談してできるだけ速やかに除染などの対応をとりたい」と話していました。

Yoko Saito, head of the Setagaya-ku environmental office said, "This is a school route to an elementary school, and there are a kindergarten and a nursery school nearby. I think there are parents who may worry. We will respond as quickly as possible, such as decontamination, after we consult with experts."

Who wouldn't be worried? From what I have heard from an acquaintance, the majority of the parents. They are more worried if their toddlers can get into a prestigious kindergarten. (She is considering moving to Australia with her children.)

How is Setagaya-ku going to "decontaminate", anyway? Power-washing failed. They may have to remove the side walk altogether, and take down part of the yard that borders the sidewalk. I wonder if they are testing the soil or sediment on the side walk. There is no news or announcement at the Setagaya-ku government website.

Looking at the NHK video clip that accompanies the article, the particular stretch looks no different from any other stretch. It is bordering somebody's yard with plants. According to the Ministry of Education and Science aerial survey map of contamination for Tokyo, there should be hardly any contamination for Setagaya-ku.


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Test Result on Strontium-90 Detection in Yokohama

Here's the image of the test report by Isotope Research Institute in Yokohama City:

Strontium-90: 195 becquerels/kg

From the same sample, cesium-134 and cesium-137 were also detected earlier.

Cesium-134: 29,775 becquerels/kg
Cesium-137: 33,659 becquerels/kg
Total cesium: 63,434 becquerels/kg

Isotope Research Institute didn't start testing for radioactive strontium until August 20, according to the Institute's website. Thus the time lag.

At the Institute, it costs 65,000 yen (US$847) (pre-tax) to test one sample for strontium-90 (no separate testing for strontium-89), and it takes one week. No volume discount, the webpage says.

The ratio of strontium-90 to cesium-137 in this case is about 0.58%. In comparison, the same ratio from the samples taken in Fukushima Prefecture was between slightly less than 0.1% to 8.2%. In other words, the ratio varies too much to discern any pattern.

Yokohama City has said it is testing for strontium in the sample taken from the same apartment rooftop but with much higher cesium density (105,600Bq/kg total cesium). But remember there was no official announcement about this high cesium detection because "the apartment building is a private property", according to the city. We'll see if Yokohama will announce anything about strontium-90.

The Yokohama Mayor is having her regular Wednesday press conference, but she has refused to let independent journalists including Yasumi Iwakami, who broke the news, attend the press conference. She only wants to deal with the "press club" members.

For my recent posts on strontium-90 in Yokohama City, go here and here.

#Radiation in Japan: A Shizuoka Tea Plantation Declares "Our Green Tea Is SAFE!" with 175 Bq/kg of Radioactive Cesium

Totally in line with the radioactive chestnut story from the yesterday's post, where a grocer uses a certificate of 44 becquerels/kg of cesium from the chestnuts as a sales promotional tool.

A tea plantation in Shizuoka proudly displays the certificate that says the tea from the plantation contains 175 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium, as the proof of safety.

Why safe? Because it is below the provisional "safety" limit set by the national government, of course. The tea plantation says their tea is also exported.

From the website of Ohkuraen tea plantation, which declares "Our green tea is SAFE!":


(H/T William Milberry)

"I Knew That" Was the Reaction From a Yokohama City Assemblyman to Strontium Discovery in Yokohama

Concerned residents of Yokohama City tweeted their City Assemblymen about the discovery of radioactive strontium in Yokohama, the news broken by independent journalist Yasumi Iwakami. (Read my posts here and here for more.)

One assemblyman, Yutaro Yokoyama, gave an interesting answer to the strontium question. He said on his tweets:

(1st tweet)

『9月初旬から事実として扱っています。私たちの会派にとってSrは過去の事です。9/13常任委員会でも私自身が触れています。Srは水溶性が高いという特性がありますので。但し、降り注いだのか、ボランティア等(人・車)が媒体になったのかは不明。』

I knew that [discovery of radioactive strontium in Yokohama] since early September. For our political faction, strontium is a thing of the past. I myself touched on the [subject, I hope, not strontium] on the standing committee on September 13, as strontium is highly water-soluble. However, it's not known whether it fell from the sky or was carried by a volunteer (in person or by car).

(2nd)

『放射性物質、、福島に行けばどこでも手にいる物です。人為的に持ち込む事も可能です。人為的に持ち込まれたとしたら、市会議員はそれを追及する事は仕事ではないと思っていますので、私はしません。』

Radioactive materials can be easily obtained anywhere in Fukushima. It is possible to carry them by artificial means [as opposed to naturally falling from the sky, I guess]. If radioactive strontium came by artificial means, I don't think it is a job of a City Assemblyman to pursue how it got here, so I won't.

He is insinuating that water-soluble radioactive strontium was carried intentionally by a volunteer or by a car driven by a volunteer and released on top of an apartment building, as any radioactive material is readily available anywhere in Fukushima Prefecture. And it's none of his business as a City Assemblyman to figure out how it got there.

Best of luck, citizens of Yokohama.

In the meantime, one major MSM newspaper carried the story, and more to follow I hear.

Here's from Asahi Shinbun (3:32AM JST 10/12/2011):

横浜市港北区のマンション屋上の堆積(たいせき)物から、195ベクレル(1キロあたり)のストロンチウムを、民間の分析機関が検出した。東京電力福島第一原発事故で放出されたとみられ、結果の報告を受けた横浜市は、再検査を始めた。

195 becquerels/kg of radioactive strontium has been detected from the sediment on the rooftop of an apartment building in Kohoku-ku in Yokohama City. A private laboratory did the testing. It is considered to have been released from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant after the accident. On receiving the result, Yokohama City has doing its own testing.

 検出されたのはストロンチウム90(半減期約30年)。文部科学省の調査では福島県内や宮城県南部など福島第一原発から100キロ圏内で検出されているが、約250キロ離れた横浜市内では初めて。

It was strontium-90 (half life of about 30 years) that was detected. The nuclide has been detected within 100 kilometers from Fukushima I Nuke Plant in Fukushima Prefecture and the southern Miyagi Prefecture according to the survey by the Ministry of Education and Science. However, this is the first detection in Yokohama City, about 250 kilometers from the plant.

 場所は築7年の5階建てマンション屋上。7月、溝にたまった堆積物を住民が採取し、横浜市鶴見区の分析機関「同位体研究所」で測定した。放射性物質が蓄積しやすい条件とみられるため単純に比較できないが、4~5月に福島市内の土壌から検出された77ベクレルと比べても高い値だ。

Strontium-90 was detected on the rooftop of a 5-story apartment building which was built 7 years ago. A resident of the apartment building took the sediment in the drain and had it tested at Isotope Research Institute in Tsurumi-ku in Yokohama City. The result may not be easily comparable to the results in Fukushima, as radioactive materials may be concentrated in locations like this one. Nonetheless, it is higher than 77 becquerels/kg of radioactive strontium detected in Fukushima City in April and May.

 同じ堆積物からは6万3434ベクレル(1キロあたり)のセシウムも検出。私有地であることを理由に公表していないが、市衛生研究所でのセシウムの再検査でも、同じ堆積物から10万5600ベクレルが検出された。

From the same sediment, 63,434 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium has been detected. The city hasn't publicly released the data as the building is a private property, but when the city did its own testing of the same sediment at Yokohama City Institute of Health, 105,600 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was detected.

Germany's ZDF's Latest on Fukushima: Interviews with Workers at Fukushima I Nuke Plant

German TV ZDF's "Frontal 21" features Japan's nuclear disaster on a regular basis, and here's the latest from October 4, 2011. The reporters interviewed Fukushima plant workers, whose remarks coincide with what the Fuku-1 Livecam finger-pointing worker has said - that they are kept ignorant of the radiation danger.

They also interviewed Dr. Eisuke Matsui of Gifu Environmental Medicine Research Institute, who talked about potential damage from radiation on the workers at the plant.

They also went to the TEPCO headquarters in Tokyo to ask about the unfair contract that the workers receive (if at all) for their work at Fukushima I Nuke Plant. A junior manager (if that) met them, only to tell them it was none of the TEPCO's problem. It's subcontractors' problem, of course.

The program concludes with these words:

Workers, who for a pittance do the dangerous dirty work at the atomic ruins,
An employer who steals away from his responsibility,

Doctors who recommend smiling as protection against radiation damage.


Contempt for human beings, in Japanese.

That doctor is of course Dr. Shunichi "Damashita" (I tricked you) Yamashita.

Translation of the Frontal 21 segment into English was done by Viola, who also regularly posts comments on this blog. Thank you. Her Youtube channel has many Fukushima-related videos in English and German.

(If you do not see the subtitle, click on the "cc" button.)


In case you missed it, France 24 also had an excellent report on Fukushima workers, which I posted here.

Monday, October 10, 2011

How to Enjoy Radioactive Autumn in Japan in Kindergartens and Elementary Schools

In Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, they all do these fun-filled activities to enjoy and celebrate autumn, just like they did last year and year before, radioactive fallout or not. A minor nuclear accident must not disturb the preset schedule, ever.

At this point, though an increasing number of parents are simply horrified, the majority are quite happily following whatever the school teachers say and accuse the concerned parents as "monster parent" (a Japlish word that they use in katakana) - a troublemaker. The majority are more worried about their children's prospect of getting into prestigious schools.

1. Radioactive school lunch with tastes of autumn, including chestnuts and mushrooms.

The most hilarious and sad is the school nutritionist in Koto-ku, Tokyo where the high radiation spots have been detected which were likely the result of radioactive fallout from the garbage incineration plant.

According to the blog "Protect children in Koto-ku" (link is in Japanese), a grocer that supplies school lunch food items came to Edagawa Elementary School with the test result of the chestnut that the grocer wanted to sell to school. The test result was: 44 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium detected.

And from the "togetter" collection of related tweets on the subject:

Apparently the grocer brought with him the printout of the test result as an "advertisement", of how "safe" his chestnuts were. Looking at the result, the school nutritionist was relieved that it was such a low number and therefore it was safe. So the school bought the radioactive chestnuts from the grocer and served them in lunch to feed 700 children.

They knew the chestnuts were radioactive, and they served them anyway. The producer, the wholesaler, the retail grocer, and the school all seemed to think that anything below the provisional safety limit was literally, genuinely safe. The school nutritionist was a recent college grad with no influence over lunch decision.

The chestnuts were grown and harvested in Ibaraki Prefecture, just south of Fukushima.

As to mushrooms which tend to concentrate radioactive materials very effectively, many schools are having some sort of "mushroom festival" lunch - using multiple varieties in a spaghetti sauce for example.

2. Radioactive school cleanup

This still goes to the now-infamous Yokohama City. Schools are still having the students do the autumn cleanup of dead leaves and branches in the school yards and rooftops. In Naka-ku, the air radiation on the school rooftop was 0.56 microsievert/hour, but the city official who came to measure left without doing anything, because it was 0.03 microsievert less than the level where the city would have to take some action (0.59 microsievert/hour).

(There are a whole lot more stories like this at the message board of Yokohama Assemblyman Ota, here.)

3. Collecting radioactive leaves and acorns dropped in the leaves

This is very, very popular among kindergartens and nursery schools in Kanto. Children like small stuff like acorns buried in the colorful, fallen leaves. The teachers let small children have fun collecting the leaves and acorns, with bare hands, no masks. One mother was horrified when her kid came back with an extra bag of acorn that the teacher gave him as souvenir. She said she tried her best to smile, and would throw away the bag when the boy was not watching.

Collecting dead leaves for composting in the school yards is also quite popular. One kindergarten in Kashiwa City was asking parents to bring dead leaves to the kindergarten so that the kindergarten could start a new pile of leaf compost in the school yard.

4. Visiting the high radiation spots in Chiba and dig up sweet potatoes

That's another popular activity. Chiba is famous for sweet potatoes in Kanto. Kindergartners and school children from Tokyo and Chiba go there to harvest sweet potatoes, collect fallen leaves to build a fire and bake the potatoes in the fire. In spring, they most likely did the planting of rice on bare feet in the radioactive rice paddies. In autumn, they get to dig the radioactive soil to get sweet potatoes.

In one kindergarten in Kashiwa City (hot spot), they make children dig sweet potatos with bare hands this year, because many children lost the digging tools that the kindergarten gave them last year. So this year after nuclear fallout, the teachers force the kindergartners to use their own tiny hands. No gloves allowed.

5. Radioactive "undokai" (school athletic meet)

Small children and pupils get to run and play in the dirt school yard for the autumnal athletic meet. Many will get to do certain activities like gymnastics on bare feet (the teachers won't allow them to wear shoes). A parent who begged his daughter's school to at least hose down the dust was totally ignored.

It is as if they were intent on killing their young. It is as if the current radiation level was not high enough to cause immediate damage so they wanted to hasten the onset of the damage by piling radiation upon radiation on the young, at every occasion.

So, if you escape Kanto, you don't need to worry anymore? Yes you do. A resigned mother who fled Yokohama with her children to Okinawa tweets that they use cabbages grown and harvested in Gunma Prefecture in school lunch. People living in Kansai report that the local supermarkets are full of vegetables and fruits from Kanto and Tohoku, a phenomenon that they do not recall ever happening in their area.

Soon, radioactive debris will follow, thanks to the tireless campaign by the Ministry of the Environment which is set to grow so fat (in terms of budget appropriation for the Ministry) from the "decontamination" bubble it is creating.

Some of my twitter followers in Japan are jokingly asking if there's any country that would accept Japanese people as "radiation refugee". To me, they should qualify as "political refugee" because if they stay in Japan, their lives are threatened daily by their own government.

Update on Strontium-90 in Yokohama City

Additional information to what I posted on Sunday, as information is very slowly filtering through to the Internet.

195 becquerels/kg of strontium-90 was detected from the sludge on top of the apartment building in Kohoku-ku, Yokohama City, where the very high level of radioactive cesium was also detected back in mid August, though the news did not break until mid September. (See my post here.)

So in the same sludge sample, there were:

  • Cesium-134: 29,775 becquerels/kg

  • Cesium-137: 33,659 becquerels/kg

  • Strontium-90: 195 becquerels/kg

Yokohama City is supposedly conducting its own testing of the different sample from the same rooftop using the same laboratory, and the result may be announced this week.

The ratio of strontium-90 to cesium-137 in the soil samples within 80-kilometer radius from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant varies widely from less than 0.1% to over 8% - in other words, as the Ministry of Education and Science said in its report on strontium and plutonium, there is no telling if strontium is there if there is cesium.

There is an unconfirmed piece of information on a blog by a Yokohama citizen that the city knew about radioactive strontium in the sludge as early as mid September and dismissed it because the city's radiation advisor said it was impossible to find radioactive strontium of Fukushima origin in Yokohama.

The reality seems more like this, though: Since strontium was not supposed to fly far from Fukushima, so the city bureaucrats didn't know what to do or how to respond. (from communication with the person who ordered the testing)

Yasumi Iwakami, independent journalist who broke the news yesterday, asked the Minister of Education and Science in the press conference on October 11 (in Japan) and asked about strontium in Yokohama. The minister said "Thank you for your information. We may do the testing in wider area if necessary." Other people who was watching the press conference live in USTREAM said the Minister answered "There is no report to me yet."

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant Hydrogen-Filled Pipe: TEPCO Cut the Pipe, TIG Welded

and everything is dandy now. The whole work took about 5.5 hours on October 9, according to Yomiuri. No information of the radiation exposure for the workers who had to work in the high-radiation Reactor 1 building.

TEPCO, which has caused the worst nuclear disaster in the world since Chernobyl (if not ever), is not at all interested in finding out WHY hydrogen gas was in the pipe.

The information that it was TIG welding came from the independent journalist Ryuichi Kino, who attends almost all TEPCO press conferences.

From TEPCO's handouts for the press on October 10:

(Pipe cutting operation)




(After the pipe was cut: the bottom part was welded shut, but I see duct tape on the top part...)




Good weld, I think. But my understanding is that TIG welding takes more time than other types of welding. I wonder what the radiation exposure for the welder was. I hope he was paid extremely well.

This bottom part of the pipe connects to the Suppression Chamber. The top part is where TEPCO will attach the "gas management" system.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

(UPDATED) Strontium-90 Discovered in Yokohama City, 245 km from Fukushima I Nuke Plant

Details in the mail magazine by the independent journalist Yasumi Iwakami (paid subscription). I'm asking if I could translate and post it here.

The number is 195 becquerels/kg, more than 150 times more than the background (1.2 becquerels/kg).

This is probably the lower of the two samples; the other sample is currently being analyzed.

As far as the Ministry of Education is concerned, the southern most detection of strontium-90 was in Shirakawa City, 79 kilometers from the plant. The Ministry doesn't have a plan to test for strontium or plutonium outside the 80 kilometer radius.

On September 30, a government radiation expert appeared on NHK News to tell the viewers that strontium had not flown to the Tokyo Metropolitan area, and the only radionuclides people had to worry about were cesium-134 and cesium-137. In the video clip, the expert looks nervous, so does the male NHK announcer trying to wrap up his remarks.

September 30 was the day when the Ministry of Education and Science released the map of plutonium and strontium in the 80-kilometer radius from the plant. It was also the day when the Japanese government abolished the "evacuation-ready zone" in the area between 20 and 30 kilometers from the plant.

Free Trip to Japan for the Lucky 10,000 Foreigners Next Year

The Japan Tourism Agency under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is competing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in giving away free trips to Japan to foreigners in the hope of "favorable" coverage on the Internet social media.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (10/10/2011):

観光庁は、東日本大震災後に激減している外国人観光客の回復を狙い、2012年度に全世界から、旅費無料で1万人の一般観光客を日本に招待する方針を固めた。

The Japan Tourism Agency has decided to invite 10,000 tourists from all over the world in the fiscal 2012, free of charge. The purpose is to help increase the number of visitors from abroad which has plummeted after the March 11 disaster.

募集は主にインターネットを通じて行い、応募者の旅行計画などが審査に合格すれば、日本への往復航空券を提供する。

The Agency will invite foreigners to apply via the Internet. If the application and travel plan is accepted by the Agency, the applicant will be given a free round-trip ticket to Japan.

 こうして来日する旅行者には、日本滞在中にインターネットで世界へ情報発信してもらう方針だ。日本国内の滞在が安全・安心であることを口コミで世界的に広げる効果を見込んでいる。旅行者にはこのほか、震災後の日本旅行についてアンケート調査をしたり、新たな日本旅行のモデルとなるような旅行プランを提案してもらったりする。事業費として、観光庁は12年度予算の概算要求に11億円を盛り込んだ。

The Agency plans to have these tourists broadcast information to the world during their stay in Japan via the Internet. The Agency is hoping the message of how safe it is to stay in Japan will spread to the world by word of mouth. The tourists will be asked to participate in the opinion survey on traveling in Japan after the March 11 disaster and to submit travel plans that can be used as a new model for travel in Japan. For the project, the Japan Tourism Agency is asking 1.1 billion yen (US$14.3 million) in the budget proposal for the fiscal 2012.

The fiscal 2012 year will start on April 1, 2012 in Japan.

So my readers outside Japan, watch out for the formal announcement on the Agency's website, which should come before that date: http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/en/index.html

I don't know if the Agency (or for that matter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) has the "Plan B" - what if these foreigners do not tweet favorable impression? (Confiscating their return tickets, maybe, or send them off to "volunteer" somewhere north of Tokyo. Just kidding.)

The Agency's catchphrase is "Japan. Endless Discovery."

No kidding.

#Radiation in Japan: US State Dept Does Say Risk is Higher Within 80-km Radius

When Goshi Hosono, Minister of the Environment and Minister in charge of Fukushima nuke accident, said "It's a great endorsement by the United States government on the Japanese government effort in winding down the accident", he was talking about the supposed decision by the US government to "shrink" the area for the US citizens in Japan to avoid from the 80-kilometer radius from the stricken plant to the 20-kilometer radius.

Here's what Yomiuri Shinbun quoted Hosono on October 8 as:

細野原発相は8日午前、米政府が東京電力福島第一原子力発電所事故に伴う米国人向けの避難勧告の範囲縮小を発表したことについて、「米国とは(避難区域についての)考え方のすりあわせを長い間かけてやってきた。我々の取り組みが国際社会の理解を得られたという象徴的な出来事で、歓迎したい」と述べた。

Hosono, Minister in charge of the nuclear accident, commented in the morning on October 8 on the US government announcement to shrink the area that the US government recommends for the US citizens in Japan to avoid. "We have been discussing with the US government for a very long time to come to a consensus on the evacuation area. This decision by the US government is a symbolic event that we welcome. It shows the international communities consider our effort in a positive light".

(Effort? What effort? Oh that one about spreading the radioactive debris all over Japan?)

And the US government decision as reported (10/8/2011) by the same newspaper which grew to one of the largest newspapers in Japan under the leadership of a known CIA agent and Japan's first Director General of the Science and Technology Agency (Matsutaro Shoriki):

米国務省は7日の渡航情報で、福島第一原発の半径50マイル(約80キロ)としていた米国人向けの避難勧告の範囲を半径20キロに縮小すると発表した。

The US State Department announced on its October 7 Travel Alert that it will shrink the area for evacuation recommendation for the US citizens from the 80-kilometer radius from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant to 20-kilometer radius.

 この範囲外でも、日本政府が定めた「計画的避難区域」や「特定避難勧奨地点」は避けるよう求めているほか、妊婦や子供、高齢者は30キロ圏内に居住しないよう呼びかけている。

Outside the 20-kilometer radius, the State Department asks the US citizens to avoid the "planned evacuation zone" [between 20 and 30-kilometer radius] and "specific spots recommended for evacuation" [outside 30-kilometer radius in Fukushima]. It also advises that pregnant women, children, and the elderly should avoid residing within 30 km of the plant.

 米政府は放射性物質の放出が止まらない事態を想定し、3月16日に80キロの避難範囲を設定した。原子炉の状態が落ち着いてきたことを受けた今回の緩和により、日本政府が設定した半径20キロの「警戒区域」と足並みがそろった。

The US government set the evacuation recommendation zone of 80-kilometer radius from the plant on March 16, assuming that the emission of radioactive materials would continue. As the situation of the reactors at Fukushima I Nuke Plant has stabilized, this loosening of the evacuation recommendation [by the US government] is in line with the Japanese government's 20-kilometer radius "no entry zone".

Isn't it interesting that the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan invited Dr. Wade Allison right before this announcement to assure the US businesses in Japan that there's nothing to worry about the radiation contamination in Japan, by suggesting 1.2 sievert/year exposure is still totally safe.

In line with the Japanese government, that's for sure.

But what did the State Department actually say? It said more than the select reporting by the Japanese MSM, which is the part about shrinking the original 80-kilometer radius evacuation recommendation. Here's from the actual State Department "Travel Alert" on October 7, 2011:

Other Areas Within 80km of Fukushima Daiichi Plant

TEMPORARY VISITORS: Government of Japan data measurements show varying levels of radiation in land areas outside of the area described above, but within 80 kilometers of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. The U.S. government believes the health and safety risks to temporary visitors to these areas are low and exposure does not pose significant risks to U.S. citizens making visits of less than one year. We recommend U.S. citizens contemplating travel to these areas consult with Japanese authorities regarding local conditions at the proposed destination.

LONG-TERM RESIDENTS: The risks may be higher for U.S. citizens who reside for more than one year within 80 kilometers of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that U.S. citizens who choose to reside for more than one year within 80 kilometers of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant consult with local authorities to receive current guidance on expected levels of radiation and recommendations for reducing exposure to radiation. In addition, pregnant women, children, and the elderly should avoid residing within 30 km of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant.

So, the US government is saying that living within the 80-kilometer radius for more than one year may increase the risks, and should the US citizens choose to do so at their own risk they should get the information about radiation from local authorities. (Good luck with the last one.)

The Japanese government is entertaining the IAEA Decontamination Mission right now within that 80-kilometer radius. It will be also inviting 10,000 foreigners to Japan, free of charge, so that they spread the word via the Internet that "Japan is safe". I'm not sure if this is different from the previously announced project of inviting the social media writers with big followers to the disaster-affected area, but judging by the number of foreigners it intends to invite, it is a separate project.

(OK, it is a separate project. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will invite social media writers, and the Japan Tourism Agency under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will invite 10,000 foreign tourists. Total 2.6 billion yen giveaway, courtesy of the Japanese taxpayers.)

A full-on "safety" campaign is on in Japan right now, using various media outlets (more later). The details of the US State Department's announcement are just that, details. Who cares about the details?