Map of Contamination Shown by Actual Measurement Values: A Part of Fukushima City at the Level of Evacuation Zone, High Contamination Zone in the Metropolitan Tokyo Area, and A Call for Immediate Examination on Internal Exposure and Food Contamination

The pro-nuke politicians and business leaders have been so busy trying to have the prime minister Naoto Kan step down by playing with ordinary people's anger and making the PM look like a bad guy. Their goal is to create a grand coalition between the historically pro-nuke and conservative Liberal Democratic Party and ruling Democratic Party, and these two parties will surely do anything to protect a survival of their long-time best friend, the nuclear power industry, by undermining its impact on our health and lives. Meanwhile, Naoto Kan seems to have shown increasing motivation to enhance the development of renewable energies probably because he no longer has concerns in keeping alliances with pro-nuke buddies who started attacking him in order to create the grand coalition. In this political confusion, what we ordinary people got to do is to share our information, to understand real risks surrounded us, and to make an action to have these self-centered politicians focus on how to protect our lives, rather than nuke plants.

Until recently, in order for us to understand real levels of radioactive contamination, we were only provided the WSPEEDI data only on 2 days, which were finally released 2 months after the accident, and actual measurement of local data on soil research. We have used mainly these two things to estimate contamination level in wider area, yet some more important data have come out in June.

Map of Cesium 137 Contamination Created by Tsukuba University

Radioisotope Research Center at Tsukuba University collected 110 soil samples from the end of March to the beginning of May in order to create a map of Cesium 137 concentration. The values here are as of March 29, 2011. They are not perfect data by considering that sample numbers are low; however, this study has much meaning as the first of its kind to show the contamination zones by using actual measurement values. The below is the publicized study results (just relized that the actual online article by Chunichi Shinbun has been erased so I here attach a blog that copied the article) , and I added a map of the areas and Ci/km2 values so that it can be easily compared with the Chernobyl contamination.

   *Click the image to expand

According to the map, populated Fukushima City and Koriyama City are both included in the severely contaminated zone at the level of the Chernobyl accident where voluntary relocation with compensation was accepted (5-15Ci/km2). Moreover, some areas near the capital is found to be at high level of contamination, which is as serious as Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture. This zone is at the same contamination level as a part of Belarus. At the third contamination category (1-5Ci/km2), despite the fact that the Former Soviet and IAEA claimed that the level of contamination does not affect human bodies, it is well known now that the increases of cancer and leukemia have been found in the 20 years after the accident (we wrote about this fact in our past blog). When you look at the map above, you can tell that the publicized WSPEEDI data are pretty good at forecasting the actual contamination. It is clear that some parts of Fukushima City are no longer habitable due to the severe contamination, and the Metropolitan Tokyo area has already reached to the level that will definitely cause major impact on residents' health there if no immediate interventions follow. Cesium 137's half life is 30 years, and it will take over 100 years till its radiation level becomes as little as nothing. 

Tokyo Map of Spacial Dose Distribution Created by Volunteer Citizens

Citizens take monitoring into their hands while we have found the governmental data unreliable as the data are measured at inconsistent heights (for example, some of the spacial dose in Tokyo were measured on the top of a building! I guess they are more concerned about birds over human beings?). So, this map created by volunteer citizens with Geiger counters can be much more reliable as they consistently measure spacial doses on the ground surface. Here's a map below that is from this site (red = 2-1μSv/h, purple = 1-0.5μSv/h, yellow = 0.5-0.25μSv/h, blue = 0.25-0.1μSv/h). Please take a look at Kinshi-cho where high dose of 1.75μSv/h has been detected. 0.1μSv/h=1.0milliSv/year. 

   *Click the image to expand

Air Monitoring Part II

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the US Department of Energy released the May 26 version of air monitoring data. It is very disappointing that this version extended the covered area only a bit wider than the previous data, yet it can tell details of severely contaminated areas in Fukushima Prefecture and its surrounding areas. This data measured Gamma ray at 1 meter (= 3.2 feet) from land surface. They have not yet released data on Alfa and Beta rays that can be considered more critical when we look at internal exposures in human bodies. Also, they should conduct these measurements not at 1 meter above but near land surface by considering children who get affected by contamination at lower heights (Plus, these values will be much much higher when measured near land surface). 0.1 microsievert/hour = 1 millisievert/year. 

 The Results of MEXT & US DOE Air Monitoring

  (Total Accumulation of Cesium 134&137)

 

The results of MEXT & US DOE 

(Total Spacial Dose Distribution)

 

*Click the images to expand

MEXT WSPEEDI Data on March 15

Infamous MEXT continues to conceal WSPEEDI data. They almost secretly released March 15 WSPEEDI data on its website sometimes in the beginning of June. MEXT has not apologized people how they have concealed, or better say, have been concealing much of these critical data, and this is putting so many people at high risk of exposure that can be prevented if these WSPEEDI data were released on time. This blog's reader, Mr. Tengu, provided us information that the Japanese government definitely held WSPEEDI data as of March 15 (Mr. Tengu saw the WSPEEDI data that somehow showed up on TV for a second, and he was smart to record the screen data). This data recently released by MEXT is different from what Mr. Tengu found on TV. Though these values are not actual measurements, it shows relative contamination levels and how Krypton 85, Iodine 129, and Cesium 137 spread. And it is clear that high level of radioactive concentration (in red) had already reached the Greater Tokyo Area at the time. 

*Click the images to open GIF animation

Dragging Governmental Response And Hot Particles: A Call to Prioritize Saving Lives

TEPCO and the Japanese government have tightly closed their mouths about Alfa and Beta emitting radioactive materials that can cause serious damage inside bodies. On June 5, 2011, NHK – Japanese National broadcasting – aired a program "ETV Special: Follow-Up on Radioactive Contamination Map" and it talked about Plutonium detected in the residential area 2km outside of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant (studied by Kanazawa University). Later, MEXT released information that Strontium 89/90, Uranium 234/235/238, Plutonium 239, Americium 241, Curium 242 have been found in soils at 20km zone. Americium and Curium both emit Alfa ray and are deadly once inhaled into a body. In addition to the land contamination, on-going contamination in the ocean has reached the worst level in our humanhistory.

In this unheard-of major crisis, the government has done almost nothing to clean up the contamination and to order examinations on people in the affected areas. Finally, starting the end of June, people in Fukushima can start receiving check-ups on internal exposures, but it can only check a few people, less than 100, per day for now. What's wrong with the government? They should order to create more Whole-Body Counters so that more effective and efficient check-ups can happen. They should also conduct urine/fecal examinations in order to check Alfa and Beta ray exposures. They also should expand these examinations on people living in the Greater Tokyo Area. The contamination in the capital area is getting serious, and in the Chernobyl accident, levels of internal exposures did not differ between residents in the severely contaminated areas and the lower level of contamination areas. If the government starts saying that these examinations can be only possible in random areas or limited to the severely contaminated zones, we must raise our voice to stop irresponsibly underestimating the level of contamination! We are not so stupid to naively believe that this does not cause any health damages!!

It is so crucial to have in-depth analysis on food contamination and complete disclosure of its data so that we can try to minimize damages of internal exposures. As of today, inhumane Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare set up murderous tentative safety standard on food, and the governmental agency is so indifferent in actively creating health monitoring programs by hiring more workers and getting more tools to check on contaminated food. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has also joined the evil force by letting seafood from the severely contaminated ocean go into market. And, seafood does not have to show which area of the ocean it is from, as long as it shows the fishing harbor that fish and seafood end up to. Therefore, it is entirely possible that a package might say that the seafood is from 1000km away from the currently contaminated ocean near the Fukushima Daiichi Plan, but the product is actually fished near the area. Let me repeat this again; there is no limit for you to intake radiation safely into your body. If the government cannot prove that there is no radiation in food, they should stop accusing people on spreading "harmful rumors" that prevent purchasing food produced in Japan. It is actually a totally opposite; the government's inhumane policies of not conducting necessary check-ups and not releasing these critical data on food are creating the "rumors" that distance consumers from food products in the affected areas. We call for an expansion of local health centers that can start checking all the food products, and for an immediate release of more in-depth information of contamination despite whatever safety standard that they are using for now. 

I-TWEET (3): AREVA's Decontamination System A Joke!; Illegal Work Environment Created by the Nuclear Industry; Relationship Between Nuclear Capital and the Pharmaceutical Industry; No Apology of Whatsoever from the Nuclear Giants- Toshiba, WH, and Hitachi GE

Here's a part 3 of our past tweet collection. I added some comments and sources that I couldn't include in my tweets.

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AREVA's Decontamination System….Such A Joke!: Money-hungry nuke company AREVA is lending the decontamination system to the crippled Fukushima plant at huge sum of cost. AREVA has been criticized for increasing cases of leukemia at their reprocessing plant, where it supposedly uses perfect filters that clean radiation. Even the US NRC is suspicious of their technologies. [Tweeted on 6/4/2011]

<Comment>

The world biggest nuclear company AREVA (headquarter in France and affiliated with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) has been revealed their crooked businesses by European scholars and Greenpeace. They lend their decontamination system to the Fukushima Daiichi plant charging ridiculous 200,000,000 yen per 1 ton of contaminated water (yes, per a ton)!! There is acheaper and much more reliable technology already existed in Japan. I can't stand that a nuclear company makes more profits from nuclear accidents! If the government has such money, it must be used to victims and survivors at the 311 disaster and evacuees in Fukushima. The government should cancel the agreement with AREVA immediately.

<Reference>

Forbes Magazine (4/25/2011) "FrenchSystem For Cleaning Fukushima Water Blamed For Leukemia, Polluted Beaches InEurope"

"The process a French firm will use to clean Fukushima's radioactive water has been blamed for a leukemia cluster in France and for polluted beaches and irradiated waters from the English Channel to the Arctic Sea……"

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[MUST SEE DOCUMENTARY] Whereabouts of 65,000 Out of 270,000 Nuclear Plant Workers Are Unclear. Nuke Industry Does Not Know Whether They Are Alive or Dead. It has been a daily practice for workers to take off their dosimeters when it reaches the maximum level on the job, and workers continue their work at the over-the-limit radiation level. Another shocking practice is that they are often expected to report lower amount of exposure dose on the record. Why? Because they aren't got a job once reached a max level! This is an absolutely illegal working condition, and these temp workers' human rights have been widely ignored for so many years at nuclear power plants. [Tweeted on 6/1/2011]

<Comment>

Nuclear power business cannot be maintained without sacrifices of human beings. I feel shame that I did not know about this fact before the Fukushima accident. It totally made me cry by watching these people who engage in day labor at nuclear plants on this video. Whether there is an accident or not, the existence of nuclear power plant itself is a sin. Please check this documentary (about 10 minutes in Japanese).

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Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Plans to Authorize New Medications to Help Expel Radioactive Materials Such AsPlutonium from Body…Profits are going to Sumitomo, led by Yonekura from the Federation of Economic Organizations, and Nihon Medi-Physics Co., affiliated with GE(!). Its effects and side effects are still unknown. [Tweeted on 6/7/2011]

<Comment>

According to EX-SKF's blog, these medications are only effective when taken right after such radionuclides as Plutonium are taken into bodies. Plus, its side effects are severe. Also, this another blog has links to some reports on the medications. I don't know much about pharmacology, this is definitely shady. If something to be done to protect as many people as possible, what is most important is to closely monitor and report food contamination by expanding public health centers and to conduct internal exposure check-ups in wider area. By refusing these intervention, the government shockingly easily authorizes a go to this new medication that can promise some profits to corporations……this is absolutely unacceptable. The worst thing is that the profit indirectly goes to the very culpable company GE through Nihon Medi-Physics. A SICK WORLD!!!

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Retweet @kamitori Boycott Hitachi and Toshiba products!! RT @hosriki When do Hitachi and Toshiba learn a lesson? @Reuters_co_jp Hitachi and Toshiba bid for building nuclear plants in Lithuania. [Retweeted on 6/1/2011]

<Comment>

The Fukushima catastrophe does not have any effect on the Nuclear Industry?? These companies are still fearlessly continuing their marketing efforts in the world. I absolutely boycott any products by Toshiba, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and Sumitomo unless they decide to stop nuclear business one day.

<Reference>

Reuters (6/1/2011) "Hitachi-GE, Westinghouse bid for Lithuania nuclear plant"

"The Energy Ministry said in a statement the new bids were from an alliance of Japan's Hitachi Ltd. and General Electric Co, and Westinghouse, a U.S.-based unit of Japan's Toshiba……The proposals are being assessed and the strategic investor shall be selected this summer."

I-TWEET (2): The Fukushima Daiichi Was Fatally Damaged by the Earthquake NOT by the Tsunami! Don't Get Fooled by "We Can Sit Down and Relax Because the Hamaoka Plant Has Been Stopped."

Here's a part 2 of our past tweet collection. I added some comments and sources that I couldn't include in my tweets.

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I knew It! It Was The Earthquake That Fatally Damaged The Fukushima Diichi Nuke Plant! This means the Wakasa and Kashiwazaki plants are also at risk. Prof Katsuhiko Ishibashi has conducted risk assessment on faults at all the nuke plants in Japan. Please immediately start planning to stop all the nuke plants! [Tweeted on 5/23/2011]

<Comment>

Nuke Plants can be easily destroyed by earthquakes. I can't believe the government is talking about strengthening anti-flood system from tsunami so that nuke plants can be operated safely. Plus, even though they start strengthening earthquake protections, they do not make the risk at zero. Patronized scholars who are bought by the nuke industry have all compared the nuke accidents at as such low risk as you get hit by a car on the street today. Really? A car accident could put risk of cancers, leukemia, and heart diseases on thousands of people at a time? In such a case, we must not continue with this nuclear craze unless the risk can be said absolutely zero.

<Reference>

Tokyo Shinbun (5/26/11): (translated summary)

Tokyo Shinbun found from a TEPCO data, "that indicates possibility of steam started leaking from the reactor container due to breakage in the pressure vessel or in pipes attached to the vessel, which was caused right after the earthquake." It also says, "Right after the earthquake on March 11, both temperature and pressure at the reactor container of #1 reactor raised high rapidly." According to Mitsuhiko Tanaka (a former nuclear equipment engineer), "Steam at high temperature leaked into reactor container after the pressure vessel or pipes to the vessel got cracked." Also, the #3 reactor's High Pressure Core Flooder System (HIPCF) is thought of being damaged after the earthquake. "This is creating so much suspicion in the earthquake resistant code set by the government."

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There Is Absolutely No Persuasiveness In The Government's Saying The Hamaoka Is Safe In Its Operation. A report said there is 87% of chance the Hamaoka will be hit by a big earthquake while the same report said 0% chance in Fukushima being hit by an earthquake….Excuse me?? [Tweeted on 5/8/2011]

<Comment>

It was definitely a great decision that the prime minister, Naoto Kan, ordered Chubu Electric Co. to tentatively stop the Hamaoka Nuclear Plant in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 6. But, it doesn't make sense for the government to keep saying that nuclear plants other than the Hamaoka are safe to be operated. According to the Earthquake Research Committee, a possibility of having the earthquake that is stronger than intensity of 6, is 84% at the Hamaoka plant in the next 30 years. The 84% is ten times more than areas where other nuclear plants are. But, check this out. The same report as of January 2011 stated that it had 0% possibility that a big earthquake would hit where the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant is. Go figure. If you are sound and able to do a simple calculation, you easily understand that all the nuclear plants in Japan must be stopped immediately.

<Reference>

Attest by Prof. Katsuhiko Ishibashi(Seismologist) at the Upper House Oversight Committee Hearing (5/23/2011)

"The Hamaoka Nuclear Plant definitely is at the greatest risk. Unlike the government's plan to tentatively shut down the plant till the system to prevent tsunami flooding is built, I believe that the plant must be closed for good. I say this because anticipated Tokai Grand Earthquake can cause severe damages to the plant, in terms of its scale of impact, big aftershocks that follow, changes in ground conditions, and of course grand tsunamis. They can all become serious threats to the Hamaoka Nuclear Plant. And It is clear that only having counterplan to tsunami cannot prevent these threats from the plant."

"It is said that nuclear plants other than the Hamaoka are all safe, and I want you to know that this is quite an untruth……… there are various reasons why many nuclear plants in Japan can be said at risk. I urge you to call for immediate safety inspections at all the plants, and we need to eventually shut them all down."

When the Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Plant got shut down after the Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake in 2007, the Nuclear Safety Commission, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), and TEPCO all underestimated its 60km-fault on the sea floor as only 36km. "This can be called a serious organizational fraud by these agencies." Prof. Ishibashi also said that academia in the seismology and geology and their scholars all work together with the Nuclear Industry by ignoring the existences of faults on the sea floor below Japan."

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Don't Get Fooled by "We Can Sit Down and Relax Because the Hamaoka Plant Has Been Stopped." This does not change the fact that pipping hot fuels are still on the active faults. Remember that the Fukushima #4 reactor was not in operation at the time of the earthquake and it has been out of control since then. [Tweeted on 6/3/2011]

<Reference>

Tokyo Shinbun (5/15/11): (translated summary)

Prof. Tsuyoshi Misawa at the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute said "stopping a nuclear plant does not mean it is safe from earthquakes and tsunamis." There are 9000 fuels that include 6600 spent nuclear fuels at the Hamaoka plant even after it stopped its operation. If we are unable to cool the fuels, it becomes a serious crisis just like what is going on at the Fukushima Daiichi #4 reactor. "Plus, it is very dangerous to transport fuels to other places. Our nation's fast-breeder reactor is still too unreliable to be able to reprocess nuclear fuels, and we have not even decided where to bury radioactive waste."

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The Tsuruga Nuclear Plant in Fukui Prefecture Was Found to Have 33 Holes in Its Pipes. There has been no inspection since its operation started in 1987. The plant leaked 4,900,000,000 Bq of radiation in May of this year, but the Japan Atomic Power Company boldly insisted the amount of leaking is safe until it reaches 1,700,000,000,000,000 Bq (!!!!!) [Tweeted on 6/3/2011]

<Comment>

It's very simple; nuclear plants get into trouble without earthquakes. If serious accident happen at the area so-called Nuclear Ginza in the Wakasa Bay where 14 nuclear plants are located, many people will die in Kansai and Chubu areas. When Prof. Ishibashi was asked about the next possible nuclear plant at greater risk after the Hamaoka nuclear plant, he immediately answered it's the Wakasa Bay. The safety standard of leakage by the Japan Atomic Power Company is 1,700,000,000,000,000 Bq, which is 2,800 times more than the official emitted radiation of 600,000,000,000 Bq at the Three Mile Island accident. I just don't believe that this number can be possibly safe for any standard, and the company says it as if they got no shame. If this number doesn't become a problem, I bet that such accidents happen all the time…..now that more people are sensitive about nuclear power so they just can't fool us as before. 

I-TWEET (1): Nonconfidence Resolution Was Planned by Pro-Nuke Politicians; Blackouts Due to Lack of Electricity Was Nothing But A Threat & Lie!

This is a part 1 of series in which I collected some of my past tweets and retweets (in Japanese @chuoni_blog). I also added comments and references with them.

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Nonconfidence Resolution Was Let by Pro-Nuke Politicians! We are sick and tired of these pro-nuke politicians playing their own games without thinking of our health and lives. Let's continue to strength anti-nuke public opinions and put pressure on the politicians. Reference from Tokyo Shinbun's article on 6/3/11 (Tokyo Shinbun is now an only reliable mainstream newspaper in Japan). [Tweeted on 6/6/2011]

<Comment>

This blog, of course, is very critical of the Naoto Kan Administration that has done amazingly hazardous interventions in this national crisis since 3/11, but we are even more skeptical when it comes to other politicians who do anything to stop Kan who recently started showing increasing interest in renewable energies over nuke power. Yes, there are tons of politicians and business leaders decades in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Business Federation who have devoted their lives and energies into expanding nuke power for decades. So their stance is completely different from us, ordinary people who are asking to abolish nuclear power. These politicians are using our anger and trying to have Naoto Kan step down his PM position in their political battle. At the end, pro-nuke politicians in the ruling Democratic Party decided not to vote for the nonconfidence resolution because they realized that we are not stupid to buy into their game to have Kan down. Let me tell you it won't change much or it will even get worse if Naoto Kan steps down now. There are unfortunately no other candidates who can step up to reflect what we really want and need in the crisis. Mainstream conservative media and cooperate industries are calling for a grand coalition between the historically pro-nuke conservative Liberal Democratic Party and the ruling Democratic Party, which in our opinion, will be a fascist-ish administration who shuts down all the necessary policies to protect our health and lives. What we urgently need is to expand and strength anti-nuke public opinion and democratize the parliamentary government system by abolishing the single-seat districting system and increasing numbers of congress members. 

<Reference>

Tokyo Shinbun (6/3/2011): "Shadow of the Pro-Nukes Behind the Nonconfidence Resolution: Connections to the Nuclear Industry in Both Ruling and Opposition Parties" (translated summary)

Pro-Nukes Behind the Nonconfidence Resolution

How come this Nonconfidence Resolution against Naoto Kan has become increasingly powerful recently? "We can't deny the shadow of the nuclear industry behind the political game. The prime minister, the first kind who was involved in grass-roots activism, seems to have busted taboos of the nation."

"The more Naoto Kan leans towards reexamination of the nuclear power policies, the stronger the opposition grows against him in the Liberal Democratic Party, Komei Party, and even within the ruling Democratic Party."

For example, on May 6 the prime minister ordered to stop the Hamaoka Nuclear Plant, on May 18 he expressed the need to consider separation between generation and transmission of electricity, on May 24 he built the commission on accident investigation, and on May 25 he talked about his plan in increasing renewable energies to 20% in the entire power sharing by 2020.

Meanwhile, conservative Liberal Democratic Party and Komei Party are making them look like working hard on post-disaster reconstruction, but "these parties have attacked the prime minister's lean towards anti-nuke. Nobuteru Ishihara, Chief Secretary of LDP (who boldly stated that the 6/11 anti-nuke rally was just a hysteria by ordinary people!), accused Naoto Kan on considering separation of generation and transmission of electricity, and on moving forward with stopping the Hamaoka plant without carefully considering the fact that 30 % of energy source comes from nuclear plants in Japan." Ishihara basically admitted that nonconfidence resolution was submitted due to the prime minister's distancing from the nuclear power industry.

Within the ruling Democratic Party, people around "Ichiro Ozawa, who has a very close relationship with the nuclear power industry" started working on the nonconfidence resolution in the beginning of May, which was joined by Kozo Watabe, who was described as "very active pro-nuke in his local Fukushima area since he was in the Liberal Democratic Party."

Hiromasa Yonekura, the chairman of the Japan Business Federation, has also stood in the way of Naoto Kan. Yonekura has said "(PM's) Decision on stopping the Hamaoka plant is proving that Kan's thought process is a black box", "(Idea of separating generation and transmission of electricity is) something to do with the fact that the PM is only concerned about compensation, and his true motivation is still unclear" and "(expansion of renewable energy is) just setting a goal which doesn't get us anywhere."

The article on Tokyo Shinbun continues to say, "Though many of us know that the Liberal Democratic Party and Komei Party both have much responsibility on the Fukushima Accident, these parties still trying to cover up what they did in the past by accusing the Kan administration."

Tight Connection to the Nuclear Industry within Both Ruling and Opposition Parties

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Nuclear Industry: In 1954, former PM, Yasuhiro Nakasone, allocated national budget into development of nuclear power plants for the first time in the Japanese history in the name of "peaceful use of nuclear power." In 1955, the Atomic Energy Basic Law was enacted in the year that LDP was born. At the time of the Kakuei Tanaka administration in 1974, the Power Source Siting Laws enabled to build rapidly increasing nuclear plants by giving out compensations to deprived local communities. In the record from 2009, there is a list of chairmen, presidents, and vice presidents from electric companies who funneled political donations to LDP. Tokio Kano, a former vice president of the Policy Research Council at the LDP, is also a former vice president of TEPCO, and he was a leader at LDP in expanding the nuclear power industry.

Democratic Party and the Nuclear Industry: Gaishi Hiraiwa, a former president and chairman of TEPCO, was also a former chairman of the Japan Business Federation, between 1990 to 1994. Hirasawa also supported Ichiro Ozawa from Democratic Party, at the time of his establishing "John Manjiro Group (a grass-roots group that bridges cultural activities between Japan and the United States)." Kaoru Yosano has made comments to advocate on TEPCO, and he worked at Japan Atomic Power Co. The useless labor union, Federation of Electric Power Related Industry Workers Union of Japan, has also supported the Democratic Party. Democratic Party has politicians like Masao Kobayashi (a former TEPCO related union member) and Masashi Fujiwara (a former Kansai Electric Power related union member). "Electric companies and its unions together have pressed forward for expansion of nuclear power."

"Prime Minister Naoto Kan has created a huge group of enemies described above by setting his goal to shift nuclear power to renewable energies. As a result, Naoto Kan is about to be thrown away, and his seemingly sound ideas will be called off probably soon. The pro-nuke politicians have been going with their scenario on stepping Kan down by making this crisis all look like his responsibility."

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Lack of Energy was All Lie!! Electric Companies and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Worked Together On Controlling Public Information All In the Goal of Maintaining Nuclear Power Plants! Thank You Tokyo Shinbun for Publishing This Article!! [Tweeted on 5/12/11]

<Comment>

This is an awesome article by Tokyo Shinbun! The reporter Kei Sato appears to be a reliable journalist that we rarely see in mainstream newspapers. True journalists must stand with ordinary people against systems and authority that exploit us.

<Reference>

Tokyo Shinbun (5/12/2011): "Object to the Lacking Energy Campaign!" (translated summary)

"After the decision to tentatively stop the Hamaoka nuclear plant came out, the Lacking Energy Campaign started again………(This campaign by electric companies started right after the earthquake that made citizens feel anxiety over not having enough electricity due to crippled nuclear plants)…. It is a lie that we will not have sufficient electricity in the summer because the Hirano Thermal Power Station will be in full operation again by mid-July. What we can see from this campaign is to make us believe we rely on nuclear power, and there are politicians and electric companies who still cannot let go of the nuclear power industry."

TEPCO estimated that the supply of electricity in the summer time will be about 52,000,000 kW, only 1,000,000 kW of which will be supplied from western Japan (and only a tiny part comes from the Hamaoka Nuclear Plant that is located in the western Japan). The Hirano Thermal Power Station can produce 3,800,000 kW, and TEPCO's hydroelectric power plant can supply maximum 10,500,000 kW. Maximum forecasted demand of summer-time electricity is 55,000,000 kW can be easily met as stated above.

TEPCO continues to scare us by making a big deal about lack of electricity so that we believe we rely on nuclear power plants.

The government, unfortunately, is also supporting the Lacking Energy Campaign with TEPCO. Planned blackouts that were conducted after the earthquake and tsunami is nothing but a threat and lie. "Public opinions right after the earthquake were still leaning towards pro-nuke sentiments due to the planned blackouts." "The government did not disclose the existence of hydroelectric power plants, and kept talking about scary blackouts in the wider areas that can happen anytime due to the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima."

According to the NPO Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, even if we stop all the nuclear power plants in Japan, we can be supplied with enough electricity. In western Japan where a half of energy is supplied by nuclear power, hydroelectricity power plants and home generation of electricity can be sufficient to meet their entire demand. Director of the NPO group said about the Lacking Energy Campaign by TEPCO and the government, "It clearly is a propaganda to keep nuclear power plants in operation except for the Hamaoka reactor. It is obvious that the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and electric companies have worked side by side on this."

"Mystery of Plutonium that Crossed the Pacific Ocean" Article by Sunday Mainichi Magazine

On the 6/12/11 issue of Sunday Mainichi, there is an article called "Mystery of Plutonium that Crossed Across the Pacific Ocean" that includes comments by Professor Kunihiko Takeda. We blogged at the end of April about dramatically increased amount of Plutoniumand Uranium detected on the west side of the United States. Though that blog was widely shared on internet, this Sunday Mainichi article would give chance to many more people to get to know this serious matter. Here's a summary of the Sunday Mainichi article.

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Sunday Mainichi (2011/6/12) "Mystery of Plutonium that Crossed Across the Pacific Ocean" (pg. 19-21).

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) detected Plutonium and Uranium "in the maximum amounts in last 20 years" at the west side of the country (Guam, Hawaii, California, Alaska etc.) from the end of March to the beginning of April. Also, other "abnormal data" have been found in the United States; for example, Strontium has been detected in Hawaiian milk.

Prof. Kunihiko Takeda at Chubu University, who is also a former member of the Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission, said, "(These particles) Must have spread from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. It is quite possible that they are Plutonium and Uranium that came from the Reactor #3 (MOX)."

Based on the radiation forecast by the German meteorological Agency, Prof. Takeda stated that "In Japan, the amount of spread Plutonium could reach over 100 times of what have been detected in the United States."  

These US data plus facts of meltdown and breakage of reactor containers could imply the possibility of spreading Plutonium in Japan. Prof. Takeda said if Plutonium has been thrown out by explosions, "TEPCO and the government is probably concealing some very important facts about the hydrogen explosions."

Prof. Takeda also talked about the US report on 4/6/11 in which detected amounts of Plutonium were all described in "ND (Not-Detected)" though raw data shows the amounts seemingly much more than just being called non-detected. Prof. Takeda thinks that The US government could have considered "consistency" with official information that have been publicized by TEPCO and the Japanese government.

Prof. Takeda concluded that the EPA findings are "very valuable" in order to be able to understand the real picture of contamination that has still been unclear to us. The EPA data could warn us possibilities of very serious contamination in Japan.

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We repeatedly ask the Japanese government the following things 1) immediate check on more radioactive materials including ones emit Alfa ray 2) health check-up on internal exposure on its citizens by Whole-Body Counter and urinalysis 3) obligatory food inspection that tells us levels of contamination in Bq units 4) monitoring of all the radioactive materials in water, soil, and air in wider areas of Japan, and 5) enforcement of sufficient measure to clean up radiation.

In this article by Sunday Mainichi, it also features Prof. Teruo Henmi at Ehime University mentioning that "Filters that TEPCO is going to use in order to clean contaminated water cannot get rid of Plutonium." The correspondent of the article has asked EPA for an interview, but he has not heard back their answer yet. I hope that this matter of Plutonium gets more attention so that we can understand a real picture of contamination by the Fukushima Daiichi Accident.