#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Ministry of Defense Says Reactors Are Not Hot

They don't have any prior data to compare the surface temperatures they measured from the SDF helicopter, but that doesn't seem to faze the Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa. He seems to be saying that since the temperatures are lower than he feared, the cooling by sprayed water must be working and there must be enough water in the pool now.

That's his narrative and he's sticking to it, I suppose. Luckily for him, the reactor didn't blow up while he was speaking.

From Kyodo News (in Japanese, 5:33PM JST 3/19/2011):

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa announced in the press conference that the temperatures measured by the Self Defense Force helicopter for the Reactors No.1 through 4 were all below 100 degrees Celsius [212 degrees Fahrenheit]. Kitazawa said "The temperatures were lower than we had expected. We believe there is a good amount of water in the Spent Fuel Pool now," indicating he considered the dousing operation by the SDF and fire departments has been effective to some degree, and that the operation will continue.

I believe the US military has been flying unmanned drones over the Plant and collecting data. They don't seem to be sharing the data with their Japanese counterpart. Or are they, and the Japanese are simply not telling? (Answer: They are not telling. See my later post.)

Defense Minister isn't saying how much below 100, though.

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