Japanese officials in charge of natural disaster measures have discussed preparations for stranded commuters after major disasters such as earthquakes.
National and local government officials along with representatives from business groups held the second meeting of its kind in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Many people were stranded in the Tokyo metropolitan area on March 11th as most public transport was suspended after the quake.
A Cabinet Office survey found that more than 47 percent of over 5,300 respondents said they left their school or office before 6 PM on that day.
The office estimates that 5 million 150,000 people were stranded in Tokyo and the 4 neighboring prefectures, including the southern part of Ibaraki.
A guideline compiled at the meeting says firms should dissuade employees from leaving their offices after disasters as rescue operations and firefighting should be given priority. It recommends that companies store supplies of food and drinking water to last for 3 days.
Tokyo's Deputy Governor Naoki Inose, who chaired the meeting, said it's important for people to realize that they should stay put after a disaster and preparations will be crucial. He added that the Tokyo Metropolitan government will propose a regulation that will require firms to store food and water. He said the guideline should set a tone for policy-making and he hopes that neighboring local governments will follow suit.
2011年11月23日水曜日
2011年11月10日木曜日
TEPCO: hydrogen from reactor caused blast
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the explosion of the facility's Number 4 reactor on March 15th was caused by a backflow of hydrogen from an adjacent building.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, announced the finding on Thursday.
The blast was initially thought to have been caused by hydrogen created when spent fuel stored in a pool at the reactor building was damaged by the devastating March 11th quake.
TEPCO workers who entered the building on Tuesday to determine the cause found that the 5th floor was more severely damaged than the 4th, where a pool of spent fuel is located, and that the fuel was intact.
The workers also confirmed that an air conditioning duct on the floor was severely damaged.
TEPCO says the hydrogen likely flowed into the reactor through the duct connected to the plant's Number 3 reactor when workers released pressurized air from it to prevent a hydrogen blast.
The firm says the explosion very likely occurred after the density of hydrogen in the duct increased.
A hydrogen blast took place at the Number 3 building a day before the explosion at the Number 4 building.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, announced the finding on Thursday.
The blast was initially thought to have been caused by hydrogen created when spent fuel stored in a pool at the reactor building was damaged by the devastating March 11th quake.
TEPCO workers who entered the building on Tuesday to determine the cause found that the 5th floor was more severely damaged than the 4th, where a pool of spent fuel is located, and that the fuel was intact.
The workers also confirmed that an air conditioning duct on the floor was severely damaged.
TEPCO says the hydrogen likely flowed into the reactor through the duct connected to the plant's Number 3 reactor when workers released pressurized air from it to prevent a hydrogen blast.
The firm says the explosion very likely occurred after the density of hydrogen in the duct increased.
A hydrogen blast took place at the Number 3 building a day before the explosion at the Number 4 building.
2011年11月7日月曜日
Fish market in tsunami-hit town reopens
A fish market in a northeastern Japanese town that was devastated by the March tsunami has begun trading again.
The market in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, had been closed for about 8 months after the tsunami swept away the market building and an ice-making facility.
On Monday, 20 tons of mackerel, salmon and other fish were brought in. The market's first fish auction since the tsunami was about a half the normal haul for this time of the year but enough to bring life to the market again.
Before the auction, about 30 fishermen and market officials observed a moment of silence for those killed in the disaster.
The head of the town's fisheries cooperative says he has mixed emotions. He says the reopening is only a small step forward and that more fisheries workers should come back to the market.
One dealer says the market will gradually be revitalized now that the fish have returned.
The market in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, had been closed for about 8 months after the tsunami swept away the market building and an ice-making facility.
On Monday, 20 tons of mackerel, salmon and other fish were brought in. The market's first fish auction since the tsunami was about a half the normal haul for this time of the year but enough to bring life to the market again.
Before the auction, about 30 fishermen and market officials observed a moment of silence for those killed in the disaster.
The head of the town's fisheries cooperative says he has mixed emotions. He says the reopening is only a small step forward and that more fisheries workers should come back to the market.
One dealer says the market will gradually be revitalized now that the fish have returned.
Crown Prince to fill in for duties of sick Emperor
Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito will temporarily take over the duties of state affairs for his ailing father, the Emperor.
Emperor Akihito was admitted to the University of Tokyo Hospital on Sunday evening for bronchitis complicated by persistent fever. He entered the hospital accompanied by Empress Michiko.
The 77-year-old Emperor saw doctors earlier in the day and was recommended to stay in the hospital as precaution.
After developing a fever due to a cold on Thursday, he cancelled his attendance at a tea party with recipients of the Order of Culture and Persons of Cultural Merit. The Emperor did not attend a national convention of supporters for people with mental disabilities on Sunday.
The Emperor has had a persistent mild form of bronchitis, but accumulated fatigue is believed to have weakened his immunity and worsened the symptoms.
While the Emperor is in the hospital, Crown Prince Naruhito will take his father's place in awarding this fall's Orders recipients in a ceremony on Monday.
The Crown Prince will be standing in for the Emperor for the first time since January 2003, when his father had surgery for prostate cancer.
The Crown Prince is also expected to attend the 100th anniversary of a donation of forestland by the Meiji Emperor, scheduled for November 13th in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Emperor Akihito was admitted to the University of Tokyo Hospital on Sunday evening for bronchitis complicated by persistent fever. He entered the hospital accompanied by Empress Michiko.
The 77-year-old Emperor saw doctors earlier in the day and was recommended to stay in the hospital as precaution.
After developing a fever due to a cold on Thursday, he cancelled his attendance at a tea party with recipients of the Order of Culture and Persons of Cultural Merit. The Emperor did not attend a national convention of supporters for people with mental disabilities on Sunday.
The Emperor has had a persistent mild form of bronchitis, but accumulated fatigue is believed to have weakened his immunity and worsened the symptoms.
While the Emperor is in the hospital, Crown Prince Naruhito will take his father's place in awarding this fall's Orders recipients in a ceremony on Monday.
The Crown Prince will be standing in for the Emperor for the first time since January 2003, when his father had surgery for prostate cancer.
The Crown Prince is also expected to attend the 100th anniversary of a donation of forestland by the Meiji Emperor, scheduled for November 13th in Yamanashi Prefecture.
2011年10月21日金曜日
"Kotatsu" heaters delivered to disaster survivors
Volunteers are delivering traditional Japanese heaters to survivors of the March 11th disaster, before the start of the harsh winter.
On Friday, evacuees welcomed the arrival of the "kotatsu" heaters at the playground of a junior high school in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture.
The kotatsu is a low table with an electric element fitted to its underside, and a quilt to cover the thighs. The heaters are being jointly provided by Lion's Club groups in Okayama and Taiwan.
The volunteers delivered kotatsu and a letter of encouragement to occupants of housing units in the playground.
The 2 groups plan to donate 600 kotatsu to the Kesennuma evacuees.
On Friday, evacuees welcomed the arrival of the "kotatsu" heaters at the playground of a junior high school in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture.
The kotatsu is a low table with an electric element fitted to its underside, and a quilt to cover the thighs. The heaters are being jointly provided by Lion's Club groups in Okayama and Taiwan.
The volunteers delivered kotatsu and a letter of encouragement to occupants of housing units in the playground.
The 2 groups plan to donate 600 kotatsu to the Kesennuma evacuees.
2011年10月15日土曜日
Radioactive cesium found in plankton off N-plant
High concentrations of radioactive cesium have been found in plankton from the sea near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Researchers from Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology collected plankton in waters up to 60 kilometers from the coast of Iwaki City in July. They found 669 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in animal plankton from waters 3 kilometers offshore.
They say a wide range of fish feed on animal plankton and that the contamination could accumulate in the food chain and have a more serious impact when it gets into relatively large fish.
The research group's leader, Professor Takashi Ishimaru, says the plankton were so heavily contaminated because sea currents continuously carried contaminated water southward from the nuclear plant. He says detailed studies are needed to determine how long the effect on fish will continue.
Researchers from Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology collected plankton in waters up to 60 kilometers from the coast of Iwaki City in July. They found 669 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in animal plankton from waters 3 kilometers offshore.
They say a wide range of fish feed on animal plankton and that the contamination could accumulate in the food chain and have a more serious impact when it gets into relatively large fish.
The research group's leader, Professor Takashi Ishimaru, says the plankton were so heavily contaminated because sea currents continuously carried contaminated water southward from the nuclear plant. He says detailed studies are needed to determine how long the effect on fish will continue.
2011年10月8日土曜日
New safety rules for outdoor nuclear workers
Japan's health ministry will introduce safety guidelines to protect workers who clean up radioactive substances around the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Existing guidelines target only those working indoors at the plant.
Citizens groups had complained that the ministry was not doing enough to minimize the exposure of workers who engage in decontamination outdoors.
The new guidelines will require outdoor clean-up workers to wear protective masks and carry dosimeters to monitor radiation.
The ministry says it will work to ensure that the rules are upheld, as efforts to decontaminate farmland and residential areas near the Daiichi plant will soon begin in earnest.
Existing guidelines target only those working indoors at the plant.
Citizens groups had complained that the ministry was not doing enough to minimize the exposure of workers who engage in decontamination outdoors.
The new guidelines will require outdoor clean-up workers to wear protective masks and carry dosimeters to monitor radiation.
The ministry says it will work to ensure that the rules are upheld, as efforts to decontaminate farmland and residential areas near the Daiichi plant will soon begin in earnest.
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