It's Friday in Japan, It's Protest Time From Hokkaido to Kagoshima

(UPDATE: For people going to the Kantei Demo in Tokyo, only No.4 exit at Kokkaigijidomae Station will be open. Better walk from the neighboring stations. Also, the police will set up metal fences and try to confine the protest areas. Asahi Shinbun has the map of the "designated" areas of protest by the police.)

For those of you who want to watch USTREAM live video, IWJ has 9 channels. Nico Nico Video has one channel you can view without subscription. See my latest post for channel links.

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But people who plan to participate in the protest at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo, watch out. The Metropolitan Police has announced that they will use (for the first time since the protest started in March this year) metal fences to prevent the protest walkers from spilling into the road and confine them to the sidewalks. Bad move. Some suspect the Police, under the direction of the Noda administration that seems to worship the US, wants to emulate the police in the United States. Bad move.

More "Friday Protests" seem to be cropping up in various parts of Japan, and the following may be just a partial list:

Hokkaido
Time: 6PM
Event: Anti-Nuke Action against Hokkaido Prefectural government
Place: in front of the Hokkaido Prefectural government office

Tokyo:
Time: 6PM
Event: protest against the restart of Ooi Nuke Plant
Place: near Prime Minister's Official Residence in Nagata-cho, Tokyo

Ishikawa
Time: 6PM
Event: protest against the restart of nuclear power plants
Place: in front of Hokuriku Electric Ishikawa Office

Aichi
Time: 6PM
Event: Action against KEPCO
Place: in front of KEPCO Nagoya Office

Osaka:
Time: 6PM
Event: protest against the restart of Ooi Nuke Plant
Place: in front of KEPCO headquarters

Kyoto
Time: 5PM
Event: Protest against KEPCO
Place: KEPCO Kyoto Office

Hyogo:
Time: 6PM
Event: Occupy KEPCO Kobe Office
Place: in front of KEPCO's Kobe Office

Nagasaki
Time: 12:20PM to 12:50PM
Event: Lunch time protest walk "Hydrangea action"
Place: Nagasaki City Hall Water Department - City Police - Nagasaki City Hall (長崎市役所水道局前→県警前折り返し→長崎市役所前)

Saga
Time: 6PM
Event: Goodbye Nuke Plant Saga
Place: at a park on the east of Saga Prefectural Government Office 佐賀県庁東側の城内公園

Kagoshima
Time: 6PM
Event: Emergency Action against Kagoshima Prefectural Government, against the restart of Sendai Nuke Plant (in Kagoshima) 対鹿児島県庁、川内原発再稼働反対の緊急抗議行動
Place: unknown

(Ugh. Hydrangea.)

There is one thing that has made me stop and think about the protest that's been on every Friday in Tokyo. It has swelled to 150,000 (according to organizers), and the organizers is pressing the participants to adhere to their guideline that this is a "single issue" protest. The single issue is to protest against the nuclear power plants, including the restart of Ooi Nuclear Power Plant.

The most telling, if this is true (I have no reason to doubt), was the tweet from someone who was either at the scene or watching the live netcast of the protest:

官邸前抗議、ある女性が、目の前の警官たちにも語りかけるように、被曝防護も不十分に全国の若い警官が汚染地に任務に就かされたことを切々と訴えていいスピーチだなぁと思って聞いていたら終わった直後に主催者が関係ないスピーチはお断りみたいなことを言ってちょっとびっくりしたことはあった

During the protest at Prime Minister's Official Residence, one woman made a speech. She was talking to the policemen in front of us, telling them and to us that young policemen from all over Japan have been sent to the areas contaminated with radiation without adequate protection against radiation exposure. I was listening to her, and thinking what a wonderful speech. Right after she was finished, the organizer said something like "Do not make speeches on irrelevant issues". I was taken aback a little.

If the radiation contamination and effect of radiation exposure on people are "irrelevant" to the organizers, what is relevant to them? From the tweets of some of the members of the organizers (coalition of organizations), it is pure "anti nuclear" movement, without even considering what has happened as the result of the nuclear accident at Fukushima I Nuke Plant. Thus their tweets about excluding "Kinoshita-esque" elements and "Hayakawa-esque" elements from the protest movement, as both Mr. Kinoshita and Professor Hayakawa do worry about radiation contamination and radiation exposure effect on people.

I wonder how the sheer majority of people who have joined the protest on Friday in Tokyo respond to the request by the organizers to focus only on "anti nuclear" and not speak about anything else. As the people so good at following orders and even outdoing what the orders require of them, I'm afraid they will simply follow the order this time, too. "Well I didn't know we shouldn't be talking about such a thing..." was the next tweet by the person whom I quoted above.

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Photos of #Fukushima Reactor 3 Torus Room by Survey Runner

At the bottom of each photo, you can see the radiation levels encountered by the robot at that location. (See my previous post for the video.)

From TEPCO's Photo and Video Library page:

Torus Room entrance (18 to 117 millisieverts/hour):

Manhole, southeast (177 to 234 millisieverts/hour):

Primary Containment Vessel side (234 to 254 millisieverts/hour):

Stairway, southwest (192 to 324 millisieverts/hour):

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant Reactor 3 Torus Room Video Taken by Robot "Survey Runner" Before It Became Inoperable

The tethered robot also carried a recording equipment to record any sound of water in the Reactor 3 Torus Room, but the equipment was stand-alone.

Since the cable was apparently damaged and the robot became inoperable, there is no way for now to retrieve any audio recording it did. The radiation levels inside the Torus Room is too high for human co-workers (100 to 360 millisieverts/hour), as you see below in TEPCO's handout for the press (7/12/2012):

According to the handout, the survey was about three-quarters done. The workers and the robot spent about 3 hours on the work, when the cable communication to the robot was interrupted. 6 TEPCO employees who had been scheduled for 8 millisieverts radiation exposure for their work of carrying the robot through the narrow passage in the basement and holding the Torus Room door open actually got 5.32 millisieverts.

The photographs and video released show no major damage inside the Torus Room. The stairway in the southwest corner shows damage. (The photographs and the video can be downloaded at TEPCO's site, here.)

Video by Survey Runner:

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant Accident: "I'm Not Responsible" Says Naoto Kan, Former Prime Minister of Japan

From Jiji Tsushin (7/11/2012):

自己責任を否定＝原発事故調に反論－菅前首相

Former Prime Minister Kan denies responsibility for self, argues against the Diet Investigation Commission['s conclusions]

民主党の菅直人前首相は１１日付のブログで、東京電力福島第１原発事故について「原因の大半は、事故発生の２０１１年３月１１日以前にある。これが私の結論だ」と述べ、自らの責任を否定する一方、東電や経済産業省原子力安全・保安院の対応を批判した。

In his blog post dated July 11, former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, of Democratic Party of Japan, commented on the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident by saying, "Almost all the causes for the accident had existed before March 11, 2011, the day the accident happened. And that's my conclusion." He denied his own responsibility, and criticized the response [to the accident] by TEPCO and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

国会の事故調査委員会が報告書で、首相官邸の過剰な現場介入を「事故の進展を止められず、被害を最小化できなかった最大の要因」と結論付けたことへの反論。菅氏は当面、ブログで持論を連載する。

It is a rebuttal to the Diet Investigation Commission's report that concluded the excessive interference by the Prime Minister's Office with the efforts at the plant was "the largest factor that prevented [TEPCO from] arresting the progress of the accident and minimizing the damage". Mr. Kan plans to write about his conclusions on his blog for a while.

Mr. Kan sounds very familiar. Just blame the predecessors. It's the default position of the current president of the United States.

Mr. Kan's blog is here, if you read Japanese: http://ameblo.jp/n-kan-blog/

(Or "Blame Canada"...)

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Robot "Survey Runner" Lost in High-Radiation Reactor 3 Torus Room at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant

(UPDATE 7/12/2012: TEPCO released the photographs and the video taken by Survey Runner. See my latest post.)

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On the second job since its debut in June surveying the Reactor 2 Torus Room, the robot Survey Runner became inoperable inside the Reactor 3 Torus Room. TEPCO says the radiation levels inside the Torus Room are just too high to retrieve the robot. The maximum radiation recorded by the robot before it became inoperable was 360 millisieverts/hour.

The robot was tethered. TEPCO does not have the footage of the mission available.

(For the details of what the robot and its human co-workers had hoped to achieve, see my previous post.)

From Jiji Tsushin (7/11/2012):

東京電力は１１日、放射線量の測定や映像撮影のため、福島第１原発３号機原子炉建屋地下に無人走行ロボットを投入したところ、操作不能になったと発表した。同社は「放射線量が高く、当面ロボットの回収は難しい」としている。

TEPCO announced on July 11 that the robot became inoperable after it was sent to the Reactor 3 building basement at FUkushima I Nuclear Power Plant to measure radiation levels and take the video. The company said it would be difficult to retrieve the robot for the moment because of the high radiation levels.

東電によると、ロボットを使った作業は１１日午前１１時から午後３時まで行われた。格納容器の一部で、水をためる圧力抑制室を収納する「トーラス室」でロボットを走行させ、調査を実施。線量は最大で１時間当たり３６０ミリシーベルトを記録した。

According to TEPCO, the work using the robot was done from 11AM to 3PM on July 11. The workers operated the robot that went inside the Torus Room that houses the Suppression Chamber (which is part of the Containment Vessel) to survey. The highest radiation level recorded [inside the Torus Room] was 360 millisieverts/hour.

ロボットは有線で操作していたが、途中で動かすことができなくなった。東電は「原因はまだ分からないが、有線のケーブルが損傷したことなどが考えられる」としている。ロボットには水の流れる音などを把握するため、録音機器も取り付けており、その回収も当面できなくなった。

The robot was tethered, but it became inoperable in the middle of the work. TEPCO said, "We don't know the cause yet, but it is possible that the cable got damaged." The robot was fitted with the recording equipment to record the sound of running water, but the equipment cannot be retrieved for the moment, either.

Quince 1 is still stranded in the Reactor 2 building, "for the moment", in much lower radiation, relatively speaking (10 millisieverts/hour where it sits).

I do hope TEPCO will release whatever footage they have, as well as the detailed information of what they did find. If anything, the new TEPCO under the control of the national government is releasing less information, not more. When they do release, they do so without detailed enough explanation on what they were doing.

Case in point is the set of photos of the upper floors (operational floors) of Reactor 3 that the company released also on July 11. It is just photographs of the mangled upper floors, with no explanation when it was taken and how it was taken. I suppose everyone is expected to tune in to their press conference to find more (if there's more). From the looks of the photos, they seem to have been taken from the boom of the crane they use to take air samples above the reactors at Fukushima. The air sampling at Reactor 3 was done on July 5, 2012, and the result of the nuclide analysis was released on July 10.

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Minor Damage Found on Channel Box (That Contains Fuel Bundles) in Onagawa Nuke Plant Reactor 3 Spent Fuel Pool, Says Tohoku Electric

It's been a long time since we heard anything about other nuclear power plants on the Pacific Ocean side of Japan. Tohoku Electric Power Company released the monthly report for Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in Miyagi Prefecture for June 2012, and said a very minor damage was found in one of the channel boxes (that contains fuel bundles).

It looks one of the top corners of the channel box in question had cracked and the portion had been chipped away (1.9 centimeter piece).

It was discovered on June 15, 2012 during the inspection of the spent fuel pool of Reactor 3 using a submerged video camera. The company checked other channel boxes, and found several others with potentially similar damages, according to the June 2012 report on Onagawa Nuke Plant, released on July 7, 2012, page 21:

It's not clear from the document whether these channel boxes were in the reactor when the earthquake hit and later removed to the Spent Fuel Pool, but Mainichi Shinbun (7/10/2012) says they were, and there are more than 10 of them damaged in a similar way.

Tohoku Electric says there is no problem with the functionality of the channel boxes found with damages, and there is no leak of radioactive materials.

There was a spike in radiation level at the monitoring posts at Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in the early hours on March 13, 2011. The highest was 21 microsieverts/hour. At that time, Tohoku Electric announced that it was not from Onagawa Nuke Plant, which had achieved cold shutdown on all reactors. It was concluded that the spike was caused by a radioactive plume from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

Attachment to Tohoku Electric's announcement on March 13 last year:

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant Reactor 3 Torus Room Survey Planned on July 11, 2012

TEPCO is sending 11 TEPCO employees and one robot (Survey Runner, which looks like a smaller version of Quince and has already gone inside Reactor 2's Torus Room in April this year - photo, video) down to the basement of Reactor 3 to survey the inside of the Torus Room. Planned radiation exposure for the human workers is 8 millisieverts.

No information of how long each worker will have to stay there to assist their robot co-worker. They won't go inside the Torus Room, as the very high radiation levels are expected inside. Instead, Survey Runner will go. The human workers will carry the robot through the narrow passage in the basement to the Torus Room door, which they will open for the robot.

8 millisieverts of radiation exposure. Before the Fukushima accident, it was rare even for the nuclear plant workers to get 1 millisievert exposure in one year. Now, the workers may get 8 years' worth of radiation in a day's work at Fukushima I Nuke Plant.

When the workers tried to enter the Reactor 3 Torus Room in March this year, the access door was warped and didn't open. The workers didn't stick around to open the door, because the radiation levels were probably too high for the work (it was 75 millisieverts/hour in front of the door). TEPCO sent workers again in June to measure the water level in the basement.

From TEPCO's handout for the press, 7/10/2012:

Investigation Outline

Purpose: As water leak investigation and water stop measure implementation are planned for the area from PCV / Reactor Building to the Turbine Building, it is critical to understand the current condition of the Torus Room. A robot will investigate the inside of Torus Room with high radiation dose to obtain inputs to be leveraged for planning the water leak investigation and water stop measures.

Investigation Items

The following will be done in the Torus Room in Unit 3 Reactor Building basement.
-Visual confirmation (Acquire photos and moving images)
-Dose rate measurement
-Collect sound samples in the Torus Room

Equipments: Remote control robot (Survey runner)
Members involved: 11 TEPCO employees
Investigation date: Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Planned expose dose
8 millisievert: 6 Carrying the robot through the triangle corner, opening doors
2 millisievert: 5 Robot operation, preparation

*Robot operation control is done in Unit 3 S/B (0.1mSv/h)

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Diet Independent Investigation Commission Report: Fuel Debris Re-Melt of Reactor 3 May Have Caused March 21 and 22, 2011 Spike in Radiation Levels

On page 243 of its 646-page main report (available in Japanese only, for now), the National Diet Independent Investigation Commission on the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident speculates on the causes of the spikes in radiation levels at monitoring stations in March 2011. (This particular page was mentioned in a tweet by Professor Ryugo Hayano at Tokyo University Physics Department.)

The Commission seems to have concluded that Reactor 1 released large amounts of radiation on March 15 and 16, and again on March 21, 2011. It also suspects the fuel debris (corium) re-melt of Reactor 3 for the spike of radiation on March 21 and 22, 2011. In the latter, the Commission cites a research paper by Fumiya Tanabe published earlier this year but was reported in August last year.

(Tanabe is the one who also said Reactor 2 Suppression Chamber and Dry Well were damaged in the earthquake, and the efforts to vent released a large amount of radioactive materials from the breaches.)

The particular section discusses the recriticality issues and the hydrogen explosion in Reactor 4. The Commission writes in the subsection titled "a. outside monitoring data" that says (my personal translation):

We referred to the outside monitoring data regarding the short-lived nuclides that are produced should the recriticality occur.

At the CTBT Monitoring Post in Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture, increased amounts of nuclides, including the short-lived nuclides, were sampled and observed around March 15 [2011]. However, we cannot deny the possibility that they were produced during the course of the regular reactor operation [as opposed to being produced by recriticality] or that they were decay products of such nuclides.

According to the measurement by the Japan Chemical Analysis Center, the amount of tellurium-129, iodine-132, and xenon-133 showed rapid increase, but it is likely that they were originated in the normal reactor operation.

From these monitoring data, we cannot find the data that clearly shows recriticality was taking place. However, it is apparent that there were large-scale releases of radioactive materials from Reactor 1 on March 15 and 16, and on March 21. The release of radioactive materials between March 15 and 17 is likely to have been caused by the damaged S/C (Suppression Chamber) and D/W (Dry Well) of Reactor 2, and by the Reactor 3 vent and the hydrogen explosion. As to the rise on March 21 and 22, we need to consider the possibility of the fuel debris re-melt in Reactor 3.

Well, in other words, we still don't know what happened and how it happened after 16 months. The Diet Commission quotes the data and research papers, but all it can do is to suspect everything, and ends up listing all possible causes for the releases of radioactive materials. I read the tweets between the researchers (including Professor Hayano who tweeted this particular page). They are nowhere near any conclusion.

The only thing that is notable for me is the mention of Reactor 1 as a large source of radioactive materials. Both TEPCO's and the government institutions' analyses indicate the release from Reactor 2 was an order of magnitude bigger than other reactors. I guess I will have to read the 646-page report to see if they have the data to back up their assertion about Reactor 1.

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#Nuclear Japan: Fukui Prefecture Handed the Blacked-Out SPEEDI Simulation Map to Green Peace Japan to "Show" the Effect of Release of Radioactive Iodine in a Severe Accident at Ooi Nuke Plant

(If you can see it, that is.)

If you think TEPCO was hiding something when the company first produced the document that was almost completely blacked out to the Diet Independent Investigation Commission back in September last year, wait till you see this map.

It's a SPEEDI simulation map, done at the request from Shiga Prefecture to assess the risk of a severe accident at Ooi Nuclear Power Plant and shared with Fukui Prefecture, where Ooi Nuclear Power Plant is located. Shiga Prefecture is downwind from Ooi Nuclear Power Plant. Green Peace Japan requested the map from Fukui Prefecture under the freedom of information request, and this is what the Fukui prefectural government gave to Green Peace on May 9, 2012.

The map is blacked out except for Shiga Prefecture, the prefecture who originally requested the SPEEDI simulation, even though Green Peace's request was for the SPEEDI map that shows Fukui Prefecture, which is located to the west of Shiga. The map is supposed to show, in different colors, the dose equivalent at thyroid for Fukui Prefecture in case of a severe accident at Ooi Nuclear Power Plant that would release a huge amount of radioactive materials including iodine-131.

From Green Peace Japan's post on June 19, 2012, soon after the government decided to restart Ooi Nuclear Power Plant:

This is the map that the Fukui prefectural government disclosed to the Fukui residents: a blacked-out map that doesn't even show Fukui Prefecture.

Why?

Green Peace Japan's page has the scanned document from Fukui Prefecture that gives the reason for the blackout:

滋賀県および福井県が行う防災対策に係る事務に関する情報であって、公にすることにより、当該事務の適正な遂行に支障を及ぼすおそれがあるため

It is the information that has to do with the disaster response measures to be undertaken by Shiga Prefecture and Fukui Prefecture, and there is a possibility that the proper execution of the measures may be hindered by making the information public.

Alright then, Fukui Prefecture must at least have such countermeasures in place for a "severe accident" like it happened at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, correct? No, says Green Peace and Fukui Prefecture. In another document on the site, Fukui Prefecture says:

Since we haven't done the simulation of a "severe accident" that releases iodine-131 at 10^16 to 10^17 becquerels/hour, there is no information to disclose.

So what DID the Fukui prefectural government do? Tokyo Shinbun in June this year had this article (I don't know the exact date, but it is about Green Peace Japan's freedom of information request to Fukui Prefecture.) The article says, toward the end:

In the fiscal 2011, Ministry of Education and Science gave Fukui Prefecture 24 SPEEDI simulation maps each for Ooi Nuclear Power Plant and Mihama Nuclear Power Plant. The amount of radioactive material release that Fukui Prefecture set for the SPEEDI simulation calculation was the same as before the Fukushima accident, about one-millionth of the amount of iodine-131 released per hour at Fukushima.

So, the Noda administration lied through their collective teeth when Prime Minister Noda and top ministers said Ooi Nuclear Power Plant and KEPCO could easily deal with an accident similar to the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident. The Fukushima accident was a "severe accident", but they didn't even do the severe accident simulation for Ooi Nuclear Power Plant. How would they know that they could easily deal with a severe accident they didn't even plan for?

PM Noda said again and again that he would be personally responsible for the safe operation of Ooi Nuclear Power Plant. Now, I can only take it to mean that he is responsible as long as the plant operates safely, but he is not responsible if the plant doesn't operate safely.

But this map really takes the cake. Move on, nothing to see here, literally.

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TEPCO Releass 33 Additional Photos of Tsunami As It Hit #Fukushima I Nuke Plant on March 11, 2011

Following the almost artistic tsunami photograph in the previous post, here's TEPCO releasing 33 additional photographs of the tsunami that hit Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant on March 11, 2011.

There are people (including the Diet Investigation Commission on the accident, who just released the report) think the earthquake may have caused the initial damage to the plant that led to the core melt of Reactor 1. It may have indeed. But that doesn't in any way diminish the destructive effect of the tsunami.

After all, a tsunami is not a one-off high wave on the beach but a manifestation, so to speak, of the massive amount of ocean water behind it moving toward the land.

According to Jiji Tsushin (7/9/2012), TEPCO originally released 11 photographs in May last year. In September, NISA requested TEPCO to release all the photographs it took of the tsunami, but the company didn't. The final report by the Diet Independent Investigation Commission on the Fukushima accident pointed to the existence of these additional photographs, and finally TEPCO released them on July 9. The photographs were taken by a worker at a TEPCO affiliate company from the building located to the south of Reactor 4.

TEPCO's explanation was that the company thought the photographs were redundant.

The worker who took these photos was apparently inside the building when the tsunami was approaching the plant, then moved to the rooftop of the building after it hit the facilities just outside the building where he was.

In the first several photographs, you can see a small oil tanker hurrying out of the breakwater to avoid the on-coming tsunami.

The earthquake hit at 2:46:18 PM on March 11, 2011, Japan Standard Time.

From TEPCO's Photos and Video Library, 7/9/2012:

3:35:16 PM

3:35:50 PM

3:36:18 PM

3:36:42 PM

3:40:16 PM

3:40:28 PM

3:41:24 PM

3:41:36 PM

3:41:52 PM

3:41:58 PM

3:42:20 PM

3:42:24 PM

3:42:58 PM

3:43:12 PM

3:44:06 PM

3:44:30 PM

3:46:06 PM

3:47:10 PM

3:48:32 PM

3:49:58 PM

The entire 33 photographs at the link.

The most telling picture (to me) is the very last one, taken at 4:01:04 PM. It shows the terraced hillside, showing the original elevation of the plant location. If the plant had been built on that level, instead of digging down to the near-sea level, there might not have been the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident. The earthquake might have still caused damages, but the cooling of the reactors might have continued as the emergency power generators wouldn't have been swept away in the tsunami and the basement control panels wouldn't have been flooded.

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March 11, 2011 Tsunami Picture Taken in Iwate

A sublime piece of art, unintended though it may be.

Photograph from a book titled "Nihon Rekishi Saigai Jiten (encyclopedia of historical disasters in Japan)" compiled by Itoko Kitahara, Ritsuko Matsuura, Reo Kitamura, published by Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 2012. The location is Maehama, Noda-mura, Iwate Prefecture.

北原糸子・松浦律子・木村玲欧編『日本歴史災害事典』（吉川弘文館、2012年）岩手県野田村前浜付近

(Click to enlarge)

The person who tweeted this photo says he can tell the book is the fruit of the long labor by the authors.

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(Humor) Jellyfish Protesting Against Ooi Nuclear Power Plant Restart

This is so cute it warrants a own post.

Jellyfish protesting against Ooi Nuclear Power Plant restart. "Saikado Hantai, Saikado Hantai..." Notice the nice fade effect on the words.

For a slightly more serious (not by much) response to the protesting jellyfish from the senior vice minister on site, see my previous post.

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Ooi Nuke Plant Restart: Senior Vice Minister Tells KEPCO "Lowly Jellyfish Should Never Stop a Modern Nuclear Power Plant!"

Little does he know about nuclear power plants.

As the readers of this blog have tirelessly pointed out, jellyfish and nuclear power plants go together very well. (For more info, here, and here, for a start.)

But never mind that. To Seishu Makino, Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, it's all about your fighting spirit. Against jellyfish.

From Jiji Tsushin (7/9/2012):

関西電力大飯原発３号機（福井県おおい町）がフル稼働に達したのを受け、安全監視の現地責任者の牧野聖修経済産業副大臣は９日未明、同町で記者団に「行き詰まっていたエネルギー政策が一歩前進した喜びはあるが、４号機の再稼働までミッション（任務）は続く。今まで以上に気を引き締め、安全のための職務を遂行したい」と語った。大飯４号機は１８日に原子炉を起動し、２１日にも発電と送電を再開する予定。

On the resumption of full operation of Reactor 3 at KEPCO Ooi Nuclear Power Plant (Ooi-cho, Fukui Prefecture), Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Seishu Makino, who is in charge of special surveillance on site to secure safety, spoke to the press in Ooi-cho in the early hours on July 9. "I am happy that it is a one step forward for the energy policy that has been deadlocked. But the mission [he actually said this word in English, instead of using the perfectly good Japanese word for it] continues until Reactor 4 restarts. We will gird ourselves more, and perform our duty to insure safety", he said. Reactor 4 at Ooi is scheduled to restart on July 18, with power generation and transmission to restart on July 21.

また、３号機の海水取水口周辺でクラゲが大量発生し、出力低下が懸念されたことには、「科学技術の粋を集めた原発で、クラゲごときに惑わされてはいけない」と関電に対策を指示したと述べた。

Commenting on the concern for the power decline because of jellyfish swarmed near the water intake for Reactor 3, he said he instructed KEPCO to come up with countermeasure, because "We must not be disturbed by [lowly creasures like] jellyfish, at a nuclear power plant built with the best of science and technology."

That this person can only talk in cliches is amazing, and in this case extremely funny (for Japanese speakers).

One of my Japanese Twitter followers just tweeted me that the jellyfish at Ooi Nuke Plant are recognized as "enemy" of some sorts by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Science. Enemy, like a alien monster in a Godzilla movie.

NISA's email to journalists on the Ooi jellyfish that swarmed the water intake apparently describes the incident as "jellyfish attack/invasion" (クラゲ来襲）. Any Japanese who sees this word 来襲 would associate it with those alien monsters from outer space to be repelled by Godzilla or Ultraman.

The follower who tweeted the NISA's characterization of the incident astutely observes that this senior vice minister sounds (and looks, too) like the fictional minister in charge of science and technology who appears in those Godzilla/Ultraman movies and makes a futile attempt after futile attempt to direct the Self Defense Force to repel the alien monster invasion, telling them "We can't be defeated by such a creature! We will commandeer the best of the best of our science and technology to repel and destroy it!"

Someone already created an image of jellyfish swarming and protesting "再稼動反対　Saikado Hantai" (against restart).

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The US and Allies to Give Away $16 Billion to the New "Major Ally" Afghanistan, Pledge Made in Conference in Tokyo

Following the declaration by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Afghanistan is now a "major, non-NATO ally" of the United States, an 80-nation conference to cough up money for the newly minted US ally was held in Tokyo, in which international donors including the ever-obliging Japanese government pledged the total of $16 billion through 2015.

And what will the donors get from the Afghanistan's government in exchange?

Get this: "commitments to crack down on corruption".

From The Hill (7/8/2012):

Clinton hails international pledges to donate $16B for Afghan development
By Meghashyam Mali - 07/08/12 08:06 AM ET

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed international donors on Sunday for pledging to provide Afghanistan with $16 billion in aid thorough 2015 in exchange for commitments to crack down on corruption in that country.

Clinton announced the agreement after a conference on Afghan development hosted in Japan.

Clinton said the sum was “more than enough to meet the World Bank’s estimated requirements.” The bank had estimated that Afghanistan faced a $3.9 billion shortfall between previous pledges and the amount the country would need to sustain their economic development.

Clinton stressed that the pledges were tied to promises to begin tackling widespread corruption in the country, which had made international donors hesitant to contribute.

“We need a different kind of long-term economic partnership, one built on Afghan progress in meeting its goals, in fighting corruption, in carrying out reform, and providing good governance,” she said in a press conference.

Reports said Japan had initially sought $18 billion in commitments, but settled for a lower figure after continued doubts about Hamid Karzai’s ability to institute reforms.

... ...

The development aid pledged Sunday would be spent on healthcare and education and would be in addition to $4.1 billion in military aid pledged to Afghanistan.

On Saturday, Clinton also arrived in Kabul on an unannounced visit to announce the administration’s designation of Afghanistan as a “major non-NATO ally.” That announcement is part of a broader strategic partnership between Washington and Kabul.

In Tokyo, Clinton said the U.S. was committed to ensure that the transition to a democratic Afghanistan was “irreversible and that Afghanistan can never again be a safe haven for international terrorism.”

“Just as we met in Chicago three months ago to safeguard Afghanistan’s security future, today we have charted a way forward on Afghanistan’s economic requirements,” she said.

But Clinton cautioned that Afghanistan would eventually need to pull itself off dependence on international aid. “I believe that we have really made a good commitment to putting Afghanistan on a path to economic self-sufficiency,” she said. “As Afghan capacity and revenues increase, our contributions can decline.”

(Full article at the link)

They can, but they may not. I doubt that Afghan self-sufficiency is ever a goal for the US.

Becoming a "major non-NATO US ally" means more military and economic assistance from the US. Snippets from CNN News (7/7/2012):

... it makes Afghanistan eligible to receive military training and assistance, including expediting the sales and leasing of military equipment long after NATO troops leave.

"There are a number of benefits that accrue to countries that have this designation," she said. "They are able to have access to excess defense supplies, for example, and they can be part of certain kinds of training and capacity building."

(I'd be more than happy to crack down on corruption in my household. Can I get a million dollar or two?)

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Jellyfish Clog Up Water Intake for Reactor 3 at Ooi Nuclear Power Plant

(UPDATE: Somehow jellyfish was repelled, and the full operation started. To read about the response the senior vice minister in charge of securing safety of the plant to the jellyfish attack, go to my latest post.)

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

Even the jellyfish is anti-nuclear these days in Japan. A large number of jellyfish clogged up the water intake at Ooi Nuclear Power Plant, and KEPCO may be forced to delay the full operation of Reactor 3.

From Fukui Shinbun (7/8/2012):

大飯３号機クラゲ発生で出力低下 フル稼働ずれ込む可能性も

Reactor 3 at Ooi Nuclear Power Plant power decline due to jellyfish, full operation may get delayed

経済産業省原子力安全・保安院と関西電力は８日、大飯原発３号機（福井県おおい町、加圧水型軽水炉、１１８万キロワット）の取水口付近にクラゲが大量発生し、電気出力が若干低下したと発表した。９日午前１時ごろを予定していた定格熱出力一定運転によるフル稼働がずれ込む可能性がある。

Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and KEPCO announced on July 8 that due to a large outbreak of jellyfish at the water intake for Reactor 3 at Ooi Nuclear Power Plant (in Ooi-cho, Fukui Prefecture, 1.18 million kilowatt pressurized water reactor) the electrical output decreased slightly. The full operation is scheduled at about 1AM on July 9, but that may be delayed.

関電によると、取水口にクラゲが押し寄せたため、タービンを回した後の蒸気を冷やす海水の取水量を８日午後２時５５分から絞り込み、発電の効率が下がった。７日午後１１時２０分には電気出力が１００％の１１８万キロワットに到達していたが、現在は約２％低い１１６万キロワットで運転している。

According to KEPCO, jellyfish swarmed the water intake, and the company reduced the amount of seawater intake for the heat exchanger for the steam that turns the turbine at 2:55PM on July 8, which lowered the power generation efficiency. The electrical output had reached 100% at 11:20PM on July 7, but it is currently about 2% lower.

関電は８日午後９時ごろまでにクラゲが引かなければフル稼働を遅らせる考えで、９日午前７時ごろになる可能性もあるという。

KEPCO will delay the full operation if jellyfish don't go away by 9PM on July 8. The full operation may not start until 7AM on July 9.

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July 8 EdaNO! Protest Against Nuke Plant Restart & Yukio Edano in Omiya City, Saitama (Mr. Edano's Constituency)

I just missed the USTREAM live netcast, but there were several hundred people gathered in Omiya City in Saitama Prefecture to protest against the Ooi Nuclear Power Plant restart and against Mr. Yukio Edano, whose constituency is Omiya City.

Mr. Edano was Chief Cabinet Secretary in March last year under Prime Minister Kan, and he was the voice and the face of the government and administration dealing with the nuclear accident and radiation contamination (of which he was instrumental in de-emphasizing and diminishing the severity). His refrain of "There is no immediate effect" at his press conferences in those days will be forever remembered by the Japanese people. He is the current Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

According to the tweets of people who were watching the USTREAM (IWJ's channel), they even stopped in front of the huge mansion of Edano and protested. Residents of Omiya City were seen receiving the anti-nuke and anti-Edano flyers from the protesters. Way to go, people.

I'm watching the video recorded live. Ordinary people, quietly walking the main street of Omiya City. As they walk and are warmed up, they start to shout very funny slogans. They also have an excellent collection of hand-made signs and banners.

Screenshot of the USTREAM video (recorded live, still available for a little while), organizers of the event and their handmade sign featuring Mr. EdaNO:

Look at the caricature of Mr. Edano in the screenshot below. The words say "Let's immediately un-elect EdaNO! Goodbye Nuclear [Goodbye] EdaNO! Protest Executive Committee". Take a close look at a yellow balloon that's coming out of Mr. EdaNO's behind. It is a "vent":

People are yelling "Usotsuki EdaNO!" (Liar Edano, with emphasis on NO), "Sayonara EdaNO!", "Don't take us for fools!" "Don't lie to us!", "NO, NO, Eh-Dah-NO!, NO, NO, Eh-Dah-NO!" Then, "Edano wa Jiko Bengoshi." "Jiko bengo" is to defend oneself, make excuse for oneself. "Bengoshi" is an attorney. Edano is an attorney.

This man's sign on his back says "He that will lie will become EdaNO!":

Ah...this is fun.

I think this is Mr. Edano's house. It looks like a fortress (just like TEPCO's former chairman Katsumata's house in central Tokyo):

People are shouting, "EdaNO, Yamero! (Resign!), EdaNO, Yamero!" It rhymes. Sort of. They shouted "Resign!" in front of Mr. Edano's district office in the city center.

Well, Mr. EdaNO is extremely unlikely to resign, so he has to be un-elected, come the Lower House election.

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PM Noda Will "Nationalize" Senkaku Island, No Matter What China or Taiwan Says

After planning to lower the retirement age for the Japanese to 40 to compete with developing countries on wages, now he says he will nationalize the islands disputed by Japan, China, and Taiwan.

Why? He thinks that will win him the next election. Absolutely tone-deaf, harebrained move by the prime minister who seems to be rather popular in the US and UK (particularly among the financial media) for his resolute moves to combat fiscal deficit by raising taxes and cutting social welfare for the hapless citizens.

The move may give more headaches for the Chinese Communist Party who has been battling the unrest cropping up in the country, and cause the Chinese government to appease the angry public by instituting some anti-Japanese measures.

As the Nikkei article below indicates, Noda's move is to prop up support for him and his party in the next Lower House election. By appearing tough, he thinks he can get the right-wing votes, I suppose.

From Nikkei Shinbun (7/8/2012; part):

尖閣国有化、慎重論押し切った首相　弱腰批判を回避

In nationalization of Senkaku Islands, Prime Minister overcame the faction that preached prudence, to avoid criticism of being weak

政府が尖閣諸島の国有化に向けて動き始めた。尖閣購入に先に乗り出した東京都の石原慎太郎知事に触発され、野田佳彦首相が政府内の慎重論を押し切った。次期衆院選に向けて「弱腰」批判をかわし、領土保全で毅然とした姿勢を印象付ける狙いがある。中国の反発は覚悟のうえで、日中関係悪化という火種を抱える決断となった。

The national government is moving toward nationalizing Senkaku Islands. Inspired by Governor of Tokyo Shintaro Ishihara, who has already to purchase the islands, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda overcame the faction inside his government who are more cautious. The purpose is to deflect the criticism of "being weak-kneed" and to create an image of a resolute leader protecting the national border, in preparation for the next Lower House election. The prime minister [and his supporters, if any?] is prepared for the opposition from China. This decision may worsen the relationship between Japan and China.

...

　玄葉光一郎外相は７日、外務省内で記者団に、中国と台湾が事実関係の説明を求めてきたことを明らかにした。７日は日中戦争の発端となった盧溝橋事件から75周年にあたり、中国外交筋は「最悪のタイミングだ」と語る。

Minister of Foreign Affairs Koichiro Genba told the press corp at the Ministry on July 7 that China and Taiwan had contacted his ministry to explain the situation. July 7 marked the 75th anniversary of Marco Polo Bridge Incident [in 1937) that triggered the [Second] Sino-Japanese War. Chinese diplomatic sources say "It's the worst possible timing."

Shintaro Ishihara says his purchase plan with donation money is still in place. As of July 5, 2012, he has collected 1.325 billion yen (US$16.6 million) from nearly 90,000 entities.

Japan claimed these uninhabited islands as its own in 1885, having determined by several surveys that the islands did not belong to any country. During the occupation period after the World War II, the islands were administered by the United States as part of Okinawa. China and Taiwan started to claim Senkaku Islands as their territories after a survey done by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in 1969 indicated a potential of huge oil and natural gas reserves under the sea. (From Japanese Wikipedia)

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#Radioactive, Idiosyncratic Japan: Fukushima People Protest Against Nuke Plant, Miyagi Fish with 3,300 Bq/kg Cesium, PM Noda Wants To Lower Retirement Age to 40

Last post of the day (or night, whatever), a collection of small news pieces that I saw in the past hour or so:

Independent journalist Ryusaku Tanaka tweets he's at Fukushima Prefectural Government Building in Fukushima City. People gathered there are shouting "We don't need nuke plants!" Prime Minister Noda is visiting the governor of Fukushima at his office there today.

Meanwhile, the general manager of the antenna shop in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo that sells agricultural produce from Fukushima says he will drive the sales as hard as he can, paying close attention to quality, according to Jiji Tsushin. Uh huh. The Jiji article did say he asked the wholesalers to conduct the test for radioactive materials last year. No word about this year. And we know how the wholesalers' testing goes.

Miyagi prefectural government announced on July 6, 2012 that 3,300 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium was detected from black seabream caught off the coast of Higashi Matsushima City in Miyagi. That is extremely high, even compared to last year. Miyagi's governor continues to ship disaster debris outside the prefecture even when his own Assembly says the debris should stay inside Miyagi, and he continues to support fishermen without spending much or doing much on testing the catch for radiation.

Nikkei Shinbun says the government committee on national strategy (chaired by Prime Minister Noda) has compiled the report on the government's long-term strategy called "Frontier Plan". What's in the "Frontier"? Japan is indeed going where no one has gone before. Noda and his people want to make the retirement age at 40, with the retirement money of 1 to 2 years worth of salary. Why? To make employment more mobile, to compete with developing nations. They want to eliminate the distinction between contract workers and full-time employees - i.e. cutting the benefits for full-time employees. In their mind, this somehow will translate into (hold your breath).... birthrate increase.

How will an extremely insecure employment with the developing country-level wage lead to the increased birthrate? It won't, except in Noda and his experts' minds it will.

Oh, and the baby Panda is male, says NHK.

I can't take it any more for the day. Signing off...

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Independent Journalist Ryuichi Kino Banned from TEPCO Press Conference, Kino Accuses TEPCO of Censorship

after he transmitted TEPCO's shareholders meeting via audio using his smartphone on June 27, 2012. At that meeting, the company officially became the ward of the state (well, "effectively"), and the state that "effectively" took over is in turn barely sustained by the taxpayers in Japan, now and the future.

Ryuichi Kino has been attending the TEPCO press conferences since March 17, 2011, asking questions which often didn't even occur to the reporters at established media outlets and TEPCO managers alike. He wrote a book with Kazuo Hizumi, who also attended the TEPCO press conferences from the beginning despite his terminal gallbladder cancer which finally took him in June this year, detailing their efforts to wrestle information out of TEPCO on the Fukushima accident.

To summarize Kino's blog entry on July 4, 2012:

• Kino has been barred from attending TEPCO's press conferences since June 27, 2012. The emergency emails to Kino from TEPCO for the journalists who cover the Fukushima accident have also stopped.

• The reason is that Kino was transmitting the audio of the shareholders' meeting on June 27. TEPCO had explained that the recording of audio and video at the shareholders' meeting would be prohibited, and that anyone who violated that rule would not be allowed to attend the press conference any more. So accordingly TEPCO banned Kino after finding out about his transmitting the audio of the shareholders' meeting.

• Kino had asked TEPCO before about netcasting the shareholders' meeting. On June 26, TEPCO's Matsumoto said in the regular press conference that the company had no intention of making the shareholders' meeting public because it was the place to discuss [issues] with TEPCO's shareholders. Chairman Katsumata declined to vote on the motion [last year?] to allow NHK and Nico Nico to do a live broadcast/netcast, saying he didn't think it was necessary. Kino takes these to mean that this so-called "rule" is not a legally-binding prohibition, but it simply says TEPCO doesn't think it's necessary to make the shareholders' meeting public.

• Kino thinks TEPCO is exercising media censorship.

It seems Kino was fully aware of this TEPCO's private rule and deliberately disobeyed the rule. Why?

Kino asks, "Does it make sense?"

Kino continues in his blog (I am paraphrasing to take his meaning):

Does it make sense for TEPCO to have the shareholders' meeting closed to the public, when close to 1 trillion yen worth of taxpayers' money, aka public fund, has already been given to the company, and in July another 1 trillion yen will be poured by the government to effectively take over the company by controlling the majority?

Any information related to TEPCO now affects the entire nation. Shouldn't such information be made readily available to the public? As part of that information, I believe the shareholders' meeting, which will significantly affect the operation of the company, should be broadcast live, just like the regular press conferences.

I cannot agree more. Besides, many ordinary people may be indirect owner (=shareholders) of TEPCO through mutual funds, through the holdings by the municipal governments (like Tokyo Metropolitan government who is one of the largest shareholders of TEPCO). Yet many more may be stakeholders through the bonds and bond funds that they own, as TEPCO's corporate bonds had been considered one of the best, safest investments until March 11, 2011.

Kino sounds a bit crest-fallen. To add insult to injury, it has turned out:

• Reporters from the mainstream media either secretly video-recorded the meeting proceedings or obtained the secretly recorded footage and broadcasted on the TV news, but TEPCO says the company either doesn't know about it or cannot identify the individuals, and therefore no action will be taken. (OurPlanetTV report)

• TEPCO's PR manager under Matsumoto had the temerity to thank Kino for having attended the press conferences for such a long time, after TEPCO told Kino that he wasn't allowed at the press conference any more.

I have been following Kino's reporting via Twitter, IWJ live feed, and personal communication. I have written on this blog what he reports from TEPCO's press conferences. Without people like Kino, we would have probably been still in the dark regarding the Fukushima accident. Please, if you will, support Kino by:

• Tweeting your support to @kinoryuichi;

• Visiting his blog (Japanese) at http://kinoryu.cocolog-nifty.com/ and write a comment of support; and most importantly

• Calling/emailing TEPCO to tell the company it must allow Kino back at the press conference: http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/other/contact/contop-e.html

• Spreading this post.

Perhaps a sign of the slowly changing times, Asahi Shinbun has an article about this incident. Tokyo Shinbun's article says it is unconscionable what TEPCO has done to Kino, and even if Kino broke TEPCO's rule, the shareholders' meeting of a company that is being effectively nationalized should be made public, as well as any information concerning the company.

Some comments at Kino's blog post are nastier than the mainstream media reports. Agents hard at work, some say in the same comment section.

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#Fukushima I Nuke Plant Reactor 1: Collaborating Robots Found 5 Sieverts/Hr Spot on 1st Floor

On the 4th of July, in a US-Japan joint operation at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, Packbot 1 opened the door to the TIP room for Quince 2 using the key (how sophisticated, instead of simply knocking down the door like a SWAT team), and Packbot 2 measured radiation levels in the Reactor 1 building first floor, in the high-radiation south side in preparation for the future endoscopic probe into the Containment Vessel. (Who needs Gundam?)

The spot that measured 4.7 sieverts/hour last year measured even higher this time (No.21 in the table below): 5,150 millisieverts/hour, or 5.15 sieverts/hour. There are several other locations with radiation levels easily exceeding 1 sievert/hour at 150 centimeters off the floor.

In general, the radiation levels at 150 centimeters off the floor were SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER than those at 15 centimeters. No place for carbon-based workers.

From TEPCO's Photos and Video Library, 7/5/2012 (click to enlarge):

There's also a video, clearly edited, and very bad. I'm downloading it just for the record, and will post it here later.

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