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Today's Top News
Thousands Rally in Japan Against Nuclear Power
TOKYO — Thousands of people rallied in Japan Saturday to demand a shift away from nuclear power after an earthquake and tsunami sparked the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl a quarter-century ago.
Broadcasters estimate 10,000 people joined the anti-nuclear demo in Tokyo (AFP, Yoshikazu Tsuno) Braving spring drizzle, thousands of demonstrators gathered at a park in Tokyo's Shibuya district, many holding hand-made banners reading: "Nuclear is old!" and "We want a shift in energy policy!"
The protest came a day after Prime Minister Naoto Kan called a halt to operations at a nuclear plant southwest of Tokyo because it is near a tectonic faultline, fearing a disaster like that which hit the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March.
"I'm happy to see the prime minister finally taking action," said protester Manami Inoue, 28, who had a black and yellow "No" sign around her neck.
"But I want to know when the plant will really stop operations," she said.
Fellow demonstrator Shinji Matsushita, 59, said: "I feel so frustrated because no politicians have made their stance clear -- whether they are for nuclear or against nuclear.
"They keep saying nuclear is dangerous but never say they are against it."
More than 10,000 people gathered for the demonstration, public broadcaster NHK said, after organisers spread the word through online social networks.
Kan said Friday he was ordering the suspension of operations at the Hamaoka plant 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital while a higher sea wall was built and other measures taken to guard against quake and tsunami damage.
Local media said the suspension would be for about two years.
Seismologists have long warned a major quake is overdue in the Tokai region where the ageing Hamaoka plant is located, while anti-nuclear campaigners argue the seismically unstable area makes Hamaoka the most dangerous atomic facility in the quake-prone archipelago.
Resource-poor Japan, highly dependent on Middle Eastern oil, meets about one third of its energy needs with nuclear power.
The ruling party has said it would review government energy policy after the stricken Fukushima plant leaked radiation into air, soil and sea and forced the evacuation of 85,000 people living near the plant.
But it said it would not abandon nuclear power.
Major Japanese newspapers largely welcomed the move by Kan, although he does not have a legally binding power to stop a running nuclear reactor, urging the operator of the Hamaoka plant to accept his decision.
"It is difficult to explain to the international community why the Hamaoka plant, which is considered to be 'the most dangerous' continues operating," said the liberal Asahi Shimbun newspaper in its Saturday editorial.
The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper also said: "We would like to see the government never to lower its vigilance also over other nuclear plants."
The conservative Yomiuri Shimbun daily said: "Chubu Electric Power Co. should accept the prime minister's request."
But Chubu Electric Power, which held a board meeting on Saturday, put off its decision about what course of action it should take after Kan's announcement.
The Nikkei business daily expressed concerns for a possible power shortage in the region, where major manufacturers are located, including Toyota.
"Can we keep the impact on the society and industry as small as possible? The government has the responsibility to explain to the citizens based on the actual condition of power supply," it said.
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29 Comments so far
Show AllIt will be millions of protesters in Japan as the Fukushima Number One plant continues to spew out radioactive poisons of several different types, 24/7, --365..
The only reason it isn't millions already is because TEPCO and the Japanese government haven't told the (true) amout of radiation spreading acoss their country nor how far it has actually spread so far.
Yesterday TEPCO reported they had sent workers into the number one unit to work on installing hardware so they could reduce the amount of radiation and eventually stabalize the reactor. Stabalize a melted down nuclear reactor's core is next to impossible unless it is sealed with concrete, and that procedure will be highly unlikely at that plant, it isn't an open deadly lava pit like Chernobyl was and there are three of them to stabalize at Fukushima plus a fuel storage pond. .
TEPCO said last week they plan on having the plant under control within (six to nine months)!!! Months! They said that when the radiation readings were only 50 millieservents an hour, which was too high for any workers to realistically enter the units and repair anything. Now the radiation levels have soared to the 1,200 Msvs (an hour)!! Workers can enter for ten minutes at a time and after they have been exposed to 250, they cannot work in the units for another year.
That melting down plant will be spewing out radioactive poison for years and those poisons will be circling the globe and (accumulating) in our soils and water tables, the glaciers and into our food supplies.
And don't inhale any of it, which of course is not possible to prevent, unless one is wearing a specially filtered mask 24/7, 365 days a year.
Okay shills, your turn. Give us the "good" news.
Japan's nuclear power plants are a national security threat to the the US.
Fukushima fallout over the US has the potential to contaminate America's food supply.
Any of the enemies, that Americans are told to fear, must be considering Japan's remaining nuclear reactors as easy & efficient targets in any attack on the US.
So, North Korea and Al Quida, thanks to the nuclear power industry, are already nuclear powers - they just didn't realize it until Fukushima.
{Resource-poor Japan, highly dependent on Middle Eastern oil, meets about one third of its energy needs with nuclear power}
What a crock! Everytime we visit my wife's family in Chiba-ken we spend a day or two at one of the thousands of Onsen (geo-thermal hot springs) which are spread throughout Japan. Here in Hawaii the Big Island generates 20% of it's needs from beneath Kilauea volcano, (http://www.punageothermalventure.com/)
The Japanese government has been working overtime to minimize the truth of Fukushima. This protest in Tokyo has the potential to subvert the designs of Nuclear Power shills. Go Geothermal!
(liveitnow) If you're a gal, I'd kiss you and buy you steak or veggie dinners for a week for mentioning (geothermal).
Japan is sitting on so much geothermal they could furnish ALL of their energy needs for thousands of years, from not thru perpatuity.
So could we do the same in the US. No worries about earthquakes, tornadoes, power outages, terrorist attacks, storing dealdy nuclear waste, no fear of a meltdown, ratiation poisoning, killing the planet with poisons from nuclear or (coal) fired power plants. .. Thank you very much..
Liveitnow,
Given that Hawaii has some of the most electricity in the country ($0.30/kwh - about 3X US average), why is the geothermal fraction so low for the big island?
Bill
Hi there (Bill), how ya doin? Good to see ya again.
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/faqs.html
From the article in that link... For a geothermal power plant, ("Operating and maintenance costs range from $0.01 to $0.03 per kWh. Most geothermal power plants can run at greater than 90% availability." ) Coal at 75%, nuclear less.
Geo for the consumer cost can run to near seven cents per kwh, average is less than five cents per kwh in the continental US. Japan could do it for less I'd bet.
Don't heve to hide away any poisonous nuclear waste either Bill.... Pretty neat, am sure you would appreciate that.
How many Trillion$ is it going to cost Japan to clean up their nuclear power messes? It' s not just Fuku shima. How many eventual deaths from cancers, etc? We will never learn the truth of that. Right?
Wayne,
US nuclear has had an availability of 90% or better for the last 6 or 7 years. That figure includes scheduled downtime for refueling. It is not lower than coal.
Geothermal is a great power generation source when you have high temperature available at a shallow depth. The plant in Hawaii and the Geysers plant in California are good examples. The front end cost cited in your link is comparable to nuclear.
The question that I have is, given the size of the thermal field on the big island, why is only 20% of the electric power generated by geothermal? The market is too small for any of the currently available nuclear reactors so they use oil for most of their power needs. This makes for very expensive electricity. Why isn't the geothermal potential tapped more extensively?
It also mystifies me why the geothermal potential of Japan is not more extensively developed. It could be that, because it is a tectonic subduction zone, their thermal hot spots are not shallow enough to be cost effective. I obviously am not opposed to nuclear power but having a diversity of generating approaches is good. I assume that Japan has pretty well tapped out their hydroelectric potential.
Bill
Bill, nuclear, coal, oil and geo plants can all operate at 100% 24/7, 365 days a year, but they don't. When they are down for scheduled maintenance, which is what the article I posted is speaking of in respec to availability, their availability is zero%. When a nuker is down for maintence, it is normally out for service for a far more lenghty time frame than a geo plant.
Geo is a great power source when the heat is at a great debth also, it just costs a lot more to drill down to it and the initial cost of the plant is then higher, but it is far less costly than building a nucler plant and then buying the fuel to power it.
I believe I can answer your question inpart.. Geo is not used almost anyplace becaue GE, and the powers who be, who own the uranium mines, own and finance our government's elected and their lobbyists and shlls, and our MSN, who feed the bull propaganda to the public, cannot make a profit from the geo fuel. Same situation is true for the coal and oil cartels. The same corruption and stupidity appears to be true for Japan.
I've always thought to myself; "why not geo? It's a long-lived heat source, same as nukes, and we're only looking to boil water to make steam to spin the rotor inside the generator's stator to generate electricity". As to why we don't have it, your answer makes sense; it's the same reason we don't have electric trolleys (oil & rubber tire cartel), or electric cars. R.R.Searl has an interesting invention; the SEG (Searl Effect Generator), which relies on the proper placing of permanent magnets to spin rotor-in-stator. Permanent magnets, like Geo and Nuke fuel, is long lasting. Tom Bearden has some interesting research on the fundamental electromagnetic phenomena that maintains our basic understanding of it has been "buggered up" from the beginning, in the 1800's. Again, banks & cartels(the JP Morgan & Westinghouse people I think it was) had a hand in "hamstringing" our foundational knowledge, because they saw it would cut them out of the profit-seeking scam they wish to foist upon society. There are probably THOUSANDS of such creative inventions out there, awaiting their adoption for society, but the oligarchy/plutocracy stands in the way. They are living, breathing "crimes against humanity".
Bill
Great question. Geo dug it's first well in 1976 and went online from 1981-89 producing 3MW and many of us living in that area opposed it for a number of reasons.
1. Native Hawaiians - viewed it as an affront to Pele, the goddess of the volcano as well as an assault on Hawaii culture.
2 Greens - opposed it due to the recurring release of sulfur dioxide as well as the high noise levels during venting which happens when pressure builds too high. There were also fears about what might happen if the well-heads were to fail.
3. NIMBYs - there are two subdivisions near wells 1 and 2 and #2 above applied to them.
A new consortium called Puna Geothermal Ventures went online with 25-30MW in 1993 after residents near the wells who wanted to relocate were payed off. It had also become clear the the ongoing eruption on the east flank of Kilauea since 1983 was and continues to naturally release many times the amount of SO2 that Geo does.
As to why current production only accounts for 20%, one of the reasons stated by Hawaii County is that they don't want to put all their eggs in one basket. There have also been talks for years about supplying O'ahu with juice via undersea cables.
A question we have not considered here is, why is electricity so cheap on the mainland US, when its externalities are so great?
Obviously, it is in our "economic interest" to keep the price of electricity low, even as we sweep its other long-term costs under the rug (mercury and many other contaminants from coal, insurance costs for nuclear, loss of mountaintops, coal slurry ponds, nuclear cooling ponds that must be maintained for an undetermined time).
Perhaps the cost of electricity _should_ be higher. This would drive efficiencies, the way that rising gas prices will make for more sensible auto use (not to discount the impact on lower-income drivers who need the fuel to get to work).
The bottom like is: We could have geothermal power almost entirely in the US with almost zero atmospheric, land and water pollution, IF, if, we had the brains, political integrity and the will to do it.
There are near 30 nuclear plants in the Ohio to Arkansas valley region alone, several combined in Illinois, MIchigan and Wisc and there is ample readily available geo there, also it's readily available along our coast lines and in most northern states and the power grids are already in place.
Supplement the geo power with solar and hydro and continue to improve on solar technology and development. We (must stop) burning coal and nuclear is (not) the answer.
"We could have geothermal power almost entirely in the US with almost zero atmospheric, land and water pollution"
No we could not. Not without cutting into corporate profit.
Yep braithwa842, that is why we have been burning coal for years like Hell would not have it and why we have nuclear power plants. A very few rule us and (we the people),,, are not. And what you wrote is actually "the bottom line".
It seems one of the most energy conservation methods around is to NOT too expect everything asap or yesterday.
Now, far too many have...
--------------------------------------------
I Have Seen the Dragon
I have seen the Dragon
Through clenched lids and arms pressed tight.
I have felt its hot breath on my back
And listened to the rumble of its voice.
I have looked upon its breath,
Glowing Amethyst, red and purple,
Climbing towards the stratosphere
To deposit its venom downwind.
I have waited in fear as my gums began to bleed
And my hair came out in clumps.
I breathed a prayer of thanks
As I began to heal.
After fifty years, our ranks are thin,
We who have seen the Dragon and survived.
Those who have died or are sickened still,
Their numbers are legion.
All we can hope for, work for, pray for,
Is that no madman will ever be allowed
To unleash the Dragon again.
For its legacy to all is death, disease and decay.
© Stephen M. Osborn
2 November 2006
------------------------------------------------------
You don't need a Hydrogen bomb to see and feel the Dragon. Many thousands have felt its breath. Many have died. The horror of what is coming in the wake of Fukushima is beyond belief, but it is coming none-the-less.
For crying out loud, wake up, people of the world!
To bad that it has taken a tragedy to wake up the Japanese people. We should learn a lesson from this ourselves. How sad that during the meltdown our president stated his support for further development of Nuclear Power in this country. As Forest Gump once said stupid is as stupid does.
I just happened to see 'The China Syndrome' yesterday, as a friend had recorded it from a movie channel. It is worth seeing, and it is very, very relevant for us still.
I don't believe a thing that is coming out about the state of reactors - anywhere, of course. But since the article is about Japan - they need more than ten thousand people holding signs and balloons. If the prime minister wants a plant shut down.........it must be really, really bad. They know more than they are saying - and that is an understatement. Of course, as it turns out, the P.M. can't order a shut down. So perhaps he is just trying to gain popular support since his job is at stake now.
If any nation could get its politicians, bureaucrats and mega-businessmen out of the equation, there would be a (probably small) chance of actually having a government representing the people.
Ah yes, to dream the impossible dream...
I love this one.
The workers at Fukushina number one plant left the door to reactor number one open overnight, Sunday, so that the extremely high radiation level in the room would more readily escape from the holes in the destroyed roof of the building, which was ripped open when there was an explosion in the building the first few days of the accident.
Officials of TEPCO said the released radiation "was not a health hazard for anyone" and they deem it is now "safe for workers to enter the room" to replace cooling system hardware. Yeah, uh-huh. Radiation has always been coming out of the holes in the roof and entering the atmosphere. Leaving the door open however created a draft effect and the radioactive poisons came out faster, "but they aren't a health hazard for anyone"... Anyone who isn't within 50,000 miles of the plant anyway.
Relieved to hear that. If and when they ever do begin to pump cooling water into the inner reactor's continment vessel, which has holes in it now due to the melted down reactor core, what will they do with the deadly radioactive water which leakes out? And I wonder if they remember there are two other reactors and a fuel storage pond which are still melting down?
Since very few others are commenting here, and it's near midnight and I'm not busy doing anything else, I'll add a couple more rosy comment to help fill the page.
Greenpeace has been taking independent radiation readings in areas within a fifty mile radius of the Fukushima nuclear plant and say that radiation levels in several areas within a fifty mile radius of the plant are so high that thousands of people in those areas should be evacuated... The Japanese government and officials from TEPCO are not pleased with Greenpeace who are offering vastly different information about radiation levels than they are.
In addition; according to Greenpeace, they say... Quote (" Radiation experts on board the Rainbow Warrior are attempting to conduct independent monitoring but the Japanese Government is restricting their activities. This is despite some evidence that marine radiation is already at high levels all around the world")... Unquote... Isn't that just swell?
Whom should be trust here?
Wayne,
The Japanese government has established a maritime exclusion zone off the coast of the Fukushima-1 plant analogous to the land based one. They do collect and publish contamination level information from that area.
Are you saying that Greenpeace and any other NGO who wants to push an agenda should be permitted in this exclusion zone?
Bill
("Are you saying that Greenpeace and any other NGO who wants to push an agenda should be permitted in this exclusion zone?")
Yes (Bill) that is exactly what I am saying. We, you and I and everyone who has been following the accident at Fukushima is fully aware that TEPCO has from the start given false information on the amount of radiation being emitted from the plant. Nuclear scientists from all around the world who were there to assist stated that fact and you know it.
The Japanese governmnent got on TEPCOs case about that and they began increasing the evacuation zone areas and for a few days they did give accurate information, they had to until they were able to keep others, greenpeace, etc away from the areas.
What are they (afraid) of Bill? __ (The truth)! __ Just like BPs oil spill and Chernobyl, etc. The same old bull from big business, their shills and governments.
Now you say Greenpece has an (agenda). Yes they certainly do, and so do billions of other sensible, aware and intelligent humans around the world, who with justification fear nuclear power. TEPCO and the Japanese government do not wish for (anyone) to know just how serious the continuing emissions of radioactive poisns are being emitted from the three reactors and the spent fuel rod pond.
They left the door open overnight on unit number one Sunday to allow radioactive gases to escape more rapidly into the atmosphere and they claim there was no increase of radiation near the plant, That of course is ridicilous. Where did it go if it was released? Anywhere the wind took it and some had to have landed near the plant.
As to having an (agenda), that works both ways Bill. TEPCO also has an agenda, as do you and other nukers. I had hoped you would have answered my question btw instead of being bull headed and obtuse. You know the score at Fukushima.
WayneWR wrote:
'They left the door open overnight on unit number one Sunday to allow radioactive gases to escape more rapidly into the atmosphere and they claim there was no increase of radiation near the plant, That of course is ridicilous. Where did it go if it was released? Anywhere the wind took it and some had to have landed near the plant.'
Gases don't land; they diffuse throughout the atmosphere. The only fission product that's a gas at normal temperature and pressure is Krypton-85. If there were vapors of volatile solid radioisotopes like I-131 and Cs-137, they too would diffuse throughout the atmosphere.
John
And another of interest to mull over.
A couple of weeks ago, TEPO officials stated that they figured number one unit's core had suffered (70%) damage. That figure has now been revised by the International Atomic Energy Commision (IAEC), to (55%) damage, a figure which was determned from TEPCO's latest radiation reading level figures'... Hmmm.. Pretty good news, apparently the melting down core is healing itself.
I personally have a little trouble understanding how Japanese math works, especially since they still often use those fun and age old wooden calculators with the litte wooden balls strung on bamboo rods. A habacus? Anyway; even if they are using a Japanese manufactured computer, I don't understand their math, but then I have a little trouble with our math and the "theories" of economics.
For example; a couple of weeks ago the radiation readings in unit's mumber one room were 50 milleaservents an hour, which were too high for any workers to safely enter the room and the core damage was figured at (70%). Now the readings have soared to over (1,200) milleaservents an hour and the core damage is now only (55%) and workers can now enter the room for up to 30 minutes at a time. They haven't announced the reading since they left the door open all night. I wonder if they believe if they leave the door open that the reactor's core would stop radiating deadly poisons?
I have a question and perhaps someone can answer it for me.
How long did it take for the reactor core at Chernobyl to melt totally down when cooling was cut off? I know it was not a water cooled reactor, but the cooling was cut off. I thought it was just a couple of days. It's been almost two months now since coolant was cut off of the three reactors at Fukushima. How long would it normally be until they melted totally down. Give or take a few days,,, or hours.
TMI came within ten minutes of a total meltdown within just a few days and it was a water cooled reactor.
And the radiation level in number 2 unit is so high, even the robots aren't allowed to enter, or at leat they haven't entered it yet, just unit's number one and three. So why do they say unit number one is the most seriously damaged? Funny huh? Yeah, funny as a pissed off rabid skunk in the master bedroom at midnight.
Howz about you replying to those published and undeniable facts which were grudgenly acknowledged by TEPCO Bill.
Let's hear some more from the nuker's poisonous, planet destroying (agenda).
When the party is over everybody dies