Fukushima News

According to Tepco, Cs-134/137 in marine soil (outside of 20km area) hasn’t decreased since 9/1/2012. On 5/17/2013, Tepco published the marine soil contamination data. They took the samples (Dry soil) at 9 locations outside of 20km area. The sampling dates are 3/5 ~ 3/23/2013. They have conducted the marine measurement for 7 times since 9/1/2012. [...]

On 5/12/2013, honorary director of Hokkaido cancer center, Nishio commented primary radiology will no longer be developed in Japan. He had a speech in Koriyama city Fukushima. He stated, Primary radiology is not profitable, most of the universities stopped investing into the study since Japanese national universities became independent administrative corporation. Radiation Effects Research Foundation dominated the [...]

According to Tepco, they had 27.5 m3 of contaminated water overflowed from the tank of reactor5 and 6. Tepco states Cs-137 and total β were lower than the detectable levels, and the water didn’t reach the Pacific ocean because the tank is  100m from the sea, which is supposed to be far enough for some [...]

Since 5/14/2013, Fukushima Diary has been reporting the unusual increase of temperature in reactor1. (cf, Reactor1 reaching 49℃, increased by 3℃ within 24 hours [URL]) On  5/17/2013, Tepco reported the temperature increased just after they injected nitrogen gas into PCV. (cf, Tepco to restart nitrogen gas injection into reactor1 [URL 2]) However last year, reactor1 [...]

In order to purify the increasing contaminated water, Tepco is planning to install ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System). The system is to remove 62 sorts of multiple radionuclides including Sr-90. They started the test operation on 3/30/2013. 6 weeks have passed and the radiation level is significantly increasing around the facility already. According to Tepco, [...]

Tepco injected nitrogen gas into the suppression chamber of reactor2 from 5/14 to 5/17/2013. (cf, Tepco to start nitrogen gas injection into reactor2 for the first time, “Not knowing the hydrogen gas concentration” [URL]) (cf, [Reactor2] Air pressure of Suppression Chamber was lower than Dry Well, “can’t purge hydrogen gas” [URL]) In order to purge [...]

Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa, excellent interpretation - lyrical but not overly dramatic, clean.

(I am playing this on Friday night (second violin, principal), and have been busy doing the rehearsals. Sorry I haven't been able to post much because of that.)

A reporter from Asahi Shinbun went to the daily briefing at the State Department on May 16, 2013 and asked questions to the spokesperson Jen Psaki.

What do you think of Mayor Hashimoto's comments?

What do you think, were those women "comfort women" or "sex slaves"?

(Oh boy.)

From the US Department of State Daily Briefings transcript for May 16, 2013:

QUESTION: Hi, my name is Takashi from Japanese newspaper Asahi. Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto recently made a comment on the so-called “comfort women” issue, arguing that even though it is unacceptable from the moral perspective value, but the comfort women were necessary during the war period. And he also argued that it is not fair that only Japan is criticized by the United States and other countries, because there are other country military that were provided sexual service by prostitute. And do U.S. has any position on his comment or criticism against the United States?

MS. PSAKI: We have seen, of course, those comments. Mayor Hashimoto’s comments were outrageous and offensive. As the United States has stated previously, what happened in that era to these women who were trafficked for sexual purposes is deplorable and clearly a grave human rights violation of enormous proportions. We extend, again, our sincere and deep sympathy to the victims, and we hope that Japan will continue to work with its neighbors to address this and other issues arising from the past and cultivate relationships that allow them to move forward.

QUESTION: Do you describe this issue sex slave or comfort women?

MS. PSAKI: Again, I don’t know that I’m going to define it. You kind of laid out the specific details there, and we have described this issue in the past as comfort women[ii].

What is the footnote ii? Well I am afraid even the Asahi reporter managed to piss off the State Department (emphasis below is mine):

[ii] Rather than focusing on the label placed on these victims, we prefer to address the fact that this was a grave human rights violation of enormous proportions. The United States is also committed to working with our partners and allies around the world to denounce modern-day slavery and trafficking in persons no matter where it occurs.

これらの被害者につけられたラベル［慰安婦（Comfort women)か性の奴隷（Sex slaves）か］にこだわるよりも、私たちは、これが、重大で恐ろしく大規模な人権の蹂躙であったという事実に向き合う[事実を扱う］方を好む。アメリカ合衆国はまた、世界のパートナーや同盟諸国と共に、世界のどこであろうと現在存在する奴隷制度、人身取引を強く非難する。

I couldn't believe it until I read several articles by the Japanese media and tweets by some Japanese, but some people in Japan do seem to think if those women were called "comfort women", somehow they were part of the legitimate business. And they are shocked that foreign media portrays these women as "sex slaves". Thus the Asahi reporter asked that question.

If you start to believe in your own shit (often called "tatemae" in Japanese, literally "a facade"), you are toast. But many Japanese do not even know that　any more. Lost art of tatemae and honne.

I have been in this apartment for 3 months but all I bought was the curtain. (Too bright in day time) From living like a Buddhism monk, I got to know I’m a minimalist. Work, walk and eat. No time on TV, bar, movie or Karaoke and such and such. I spent plenty of time [...]

  About the endlessly increasing contaminated water, Tepco announced they cannot build the underground impervious wall. As Fukushima Diary has been reporting, there is no way of technically stopping contaminated water increasing in Fukushima nuclear plant. (cf, [Analysis] There is no way of stopping ground water flowing into the plant [URL]) 400 tones of ground [...]

According to a citizen’s radiation measuring station in Sendai city Miyagi, 336 Bq/Kg of Cs-134/137 was measured from the vacuum cleaner dust. The measuring date was 5/7/2013. Cs-134 : 108.4 Bq/Kg Cs-137 : 227.6 Bq/Kg Location : Sendai city Miyagi   The vacuum cleaner was used from 11. 2012 to 4. 2013. (6 months) http://www.chiisakihana.net/20130507soujiki/ [...]

According to JT (JAPAN TOBACCO INC.), Cs-134/137 was measured from 89.29% of Fukushima burley and native leaf tabacco (Dry) produced in 2012. The highest reading was 110.7 Bq/Kg (Cs-134 : 36.4Bq/Kg, Cs-137 : 74.3Bq/Kg). Also, Cs-134/137 was measured from 83.33% of Iwate burley and native leaf tabacco produced in 2012. The highest reading was 93.3 [...]

I guess Ms. Macfarlane probably doesn't know that the word "New Normal" was coined by PIMCO's co-president Mohamed A. El-Erian, as she doesn't give any credit to PIMCO when she quotes the word...

El-Erian's "New Normal" is the phrase he coined in 2009 to describe the post-Lehman world of slow economic growth, high unemployment and high government debt.

In Macfarlane's "New Normal", she says that "public interest in nuclear power, whether positive or negative, remains heightened."

So what exactly is her definition of "New Normal" in nuclear industry regulation, other than to say "In the months and years ahead, we should continue to consider “the new normal,” and assess the nature of the influence Fukushima will have on our daily work"?

Continue to consider?

Well I haven't had time and patience to read the 5-page statement yet, but you can read her entire prepared statement at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) Nuclear Energy Assembly on May 14, 2013, here.

Feel free to leave the summary in the comment section.

In early April this year, NRC effectively ditched the idea of filtered vent (a la Sir Humphrey, "further study is needed").