Tuesday, April 10, 2012

US National Academy of Sciences to Set Up Fukushima Investigation Commission

So reports Mainichi Shinbun (4/10/2012):

東京電力福島第1原発事故について、米国最大の学術団体「米科学アカデミー」が独自の事故調査委員会(事故調)を設置したことが分かった。今後2年かけ、事故原因や日本の原子力政策を調査、米国の原発や原子力政策改善に反映させる。

It has just been revealed that the US National Academy of Sciences has set up its own commission to investigate the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident. In the next two years, the commission will investigate the cause of the accident and Japan's nuclear policies in order to improve the nuclear power plants in the US and the US nuclear policies.

 関係者によると、事故調は米議会の要請で設置された。米国内の専門家約20人に参加を呼びかける。さらに日本の原子力分野の研究者や技術者にもアドバイザーとして委員会への参加を要請する。日本原子力学会などの専門家を念頭に置いているものとみられる。

According to the people involved, the commission has been set up by the request from the US Congress. About 20 experts in the US will be asked to join. Japanese nuclear researchers and engineers will be asked to participate as advisors. They will probably be the experts who are the members of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan.

 福島原発事故をめぐっては、日本でも政府、国会、民間など複数の調査委員会が事故の真相解明に取り組んでいる。米国での調査はこれらの調査結果を参考にしながら、事故の教訓を分析し、米国内の原発の安全性向上や使用済み核燃料保管といった日米共通の課題解決に生かす。

Over the Fukushima nuclear accident, there are several investigation commissions set up in Japan by the cabinet, the Diet or by a private entity to uncover what happened. The US's commission will refer to the results of these Japanese commissions, analyze the lessons learned from the accident, and use them to solve the problems that are shared by both Japan and the US, including enhancing safety of nuclear power plants and storage of spent fuel.

事故調のトップを務める米科学アカデミー原子力放射線研究委員会責任者のケビン・クローリー氏は「事故調のメンバーを日本に派遣し、日本政府、東京電力、専門家などに話を聞きたい。また、米国政府や世界の原子力産業など幅広い関係者から情報を集めたい」と話す。

The commission will be headed by Kevin Crowley, Director of Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board at the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Crowley says, "We would like to send the commission members to Japan to hear from the Japanese government, TEPCO and experts. We would like to collect information from a wide range of people including those in the US government and the nuclear industry people around the world."

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

What? Why are these idiots figuring out how to prevent a catastrophe if no. 4 or other fuel pools collapse due the next big earthquake? We have it under control, nothing to see here, please move along.

Anonymous said...

Make nuclear power plants safer? Ha ha ha ha ha ha haaah.

Anonymous said...

Haha. Nice reply, above anon.

I wish these people would investigate BEFORE accidents occur.

Apolline said...

Is this information true ?

The Japanese Government are drawing up plans for evacuation of Tokyo for 39 million residents. The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant is at a critical stage and may become a threat yet again. The exposure to radiation the people of Tokyo have been subjected to be causing cancerous effects that the government is choosing to ignore.

They have been incarcerating residents in psychiatric hospitals when they voice concerns about their radiation contact. Reactor number 4 is at risk of collapse. This reactor holds 460 ton of nuclear fuel. That is 75% more nuclear fuel than Chernobyl held prior to its meltdown.

If the storage pool were to fracture, the nuclear fuel would immediately heat up and explode. Radioactive fallout would be dispersed over a wide and uncontainable area. At this time now, the Japanese government are creating blueprints for forcibly removing 39 million people from the Tokyo metro-area.

http://www.uaff.us/fukushima_forcing_tokyo_to_evacuate.htm

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

@helios, that's news to me. But it looks like a telephone game..

Mainichi Daily written by a columnist (not a reporter): "If this were to happen, residents in the Tokyo metropolitan area would be forced to evacuate", commenting on the scenario in the reports by the independent commissions on the Fukushima accident

This turns into...

"Government Plans for the Worst: Forced evacuation of Tokyo" and "The Japanese Government are drawing up plans for evacuation of Tokyo for 39 million residents."

There is no such plan.

Anonymous said...

@Laprimavera,

Could you please provide a broader citation from Mainichi to give more context to your above quote from the columnist who wrote: "If this were to happen, residents in the Tokyo metropolitan area would be forced to evacuate".

What particular "scenario" (from the reports by the independent commissions) would necessitate the evacuation of Tokyo? Do the reports themselves say that, or is it a conclusion drawn by the columnist?

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

I'm writing the post right now in Japanese. Will write in English, too. The first problem is the Mainichi translation from the original Japanese.

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

It is NOT the columnist's conclusion, but the English sites who quoted Mainichi Daily treat it that way and then it's off to the races...

Anonymous said...

Can you show us the map described in this article:

"Tsunami Projections Offer Bleak Fate for Many Japanese Towns"
By HIROKO TABUCHI NYT
Published: April 9, 2012

Anonymous said...

--------------------------------------------------
Laprimavera,

I'm puzzled as to what has recently happened to the English edition of Mainichi Daily News.

NOTE: On the subject of the Fukushima crisis, Mainichi has always been widely cited by North American blogs as being the most critical of the English language newspapers from Japan.

I have hundreds (literally) of links and titles to Mainichi stories on Fukushima that have just recently become completely inaccessible. If I enter any of these links and titles now, it takes me to a newly overhauled Mainichi site in Japanese. At the site, I can click on "English" which takes me to the current English edition of the paper, but it still isn't possible to access the archive or search a story by title.

For instance, these two links and titles were accessible a few days ago and now they no longer are:

1) "Preventing Radiation Contamination More Important Than TEPCO's Stock Prices", By Takao Yamada, Expert Senior Writer, Mainichi Japan, June 20, 2011. [LINK: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/pulse/archive/news/2011/20110620p2a00m0na005000c.html]

2) "In Light of Further Nuclear Risks, Economic Growth Should Not Be Priority"; (By Takao Yamada, Expert Senior Writer, Mainichi Japan, April 2, 2012. [LINK: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20120402p2a00m0na002000c.html]

BTW, at Daily Kos, the links to Mainichi, on both newer and older posts, are also ending up the same way as I've described above.

Have you heard anything relating to these changes?

Much thanks, JP
--------------------------------------------------

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

@JP, Mainichi has always been bad about preserving the links, but it has gotten worse. They don't even have links to the article only a few days old. I don't know what has happened.

I would suggest Mainichi Daily readers to complain to the editors.

One thing, though. Mainichi's coverage of Fukushima disaster has dropped off very, very significantly starting this year on their Japanese sites. Worse than Yomiuri or Asahi. To the credit of Yomiuri and Asahi, their links remain valid for a very long time. Not just the number of articles but also the quality of the articles.

The only remaining good paper in terms of critical coverage is Tokyo Shinbun, but they don't have English paper and their links last as long as Mainichi.

Karen Sherry Brackett said...

Thankfully, it was announced here last week too that the National Academy of Sciences is going to include a smalltown here in a study as well which has produced fuel for fifty years but has never had any comprehensive studies done outside of the fence so to speak. The study right now in Erwin, Tennessee is limited to 30 miles and really needs to go even further out because of Oak Ridge being only 90 miles away. America was hastily trying to start building new reactors without first updating our standards which have not been updated to current technology since the 1970's when slide rules were in use. It was a ethical mistake and I am glad to know they will be studying more seriously also the lessons learned from Fukushima. Absolute zero for industry release whether nuclear, plastic or whatever needs to be the standard of the future. We have the technology to do it and there's just no sense in not doing it right for this next generation.

Anonymous said...

"The commission will be headed by Kevin Crowley, Director of Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board at the National Academy of Sciences."

"Kevin Crowley admits it is a struggle to express things in layman’s terms due to primarily working in scientific environments where shorthand technical terms are the norm, but he was more than happy to help the writers of USA Network’s Covert Affairs. Covert Affairs is a one-hour spy drama television series with writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman at the helm. "

From http://www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org/article/under-microscope-covert-affairs

Guess he wasn't around to advise on the "China Syndrome".

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

@anon at 6:14PM: oh great...

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

As to the "story' of the Japanese government "planning to evacuate entire Tokyo", see my post on telephone game: http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2012/04/telephone-game-over-fukushima-reactor-4.html

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