Japanese reaction to Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→‎Political reaction: yearly evacuation drills, guidlines were unclear after the Fukushima disaster, the local politicians did not know how to react
Line 120: Line 120:


In August 2011, about 2,500 people including farmers and fishermen marched in Tokyo. They are suffering heavy losses following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and called for prompt compensation from plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the government, chanting slogans such as "TEPCO must pay compensation swiftly".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110813p2g00m0dm011000c.html |title=Fukushima farmers, fishermen protest over nuclear crisis |author= |date=August 13, 2011 |work=Mainichi Daily News }}</ref>
In August 2011, about 2,500 people including farmers and fishermen marched in Tokyo. They are suffering heavy losses following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and called for prompt compensation from plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the government, chanting slogans such as "TEPCO must pay compensation swiftly".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110813p2g00m0dm011000c.html |title=Fukushima farmers, fishermen protest over nuclear crisis |author= |date=August 13, 2011 |work=Mainichi Daily News }}</ref>

In September 2011, anti-nuclear protesters, marching to the beat of drums, “took to the streets of Tokyo and other cities to mark six months since the March earthquake and tsunami and vent their anger at the government's handling of the nuclear crisis set off by meltdowns at the Fukushima power plant”.<ref name=reut11/> An estimated 2,500 people marched past TEPCO headquarters, and created a human chain around the building of the Trade Ministry that oversees the power industry. Protesters called for a complete shutdown of Japanese nuclear power plants and demanded a shift in government policy toward alternative sources of energy. Among the protestors were four young men who started a 10-day hunger strike to bring about change in Japan's nuclear policy.<ref name=reut11>{{cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/11/us-japan-quake-protests-idUSTRE78A1AB20110911 |title=Japan anti-nuclear protests mark 6 months since quake |author=Olivier Fabre |date=11 September, 2011 |work=Reuters }}</ref>


==Political reaction==
==Political reaction==

Revision as of 03:04, 12 September 2011

Japan towns, villages, and cities around the Daiichi nuclear plant. The 20km and 30km areas had evacuation and sheltering orders, and additional administrative districts that had an evacuation order are highlighted.
Fukushima I and II Nuclear Accidents Overview Map showing evacuation and other zone progression and selected radiation levels

The Japanese reaction to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster occurred after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A nuclear emergency was declared by the government of Japan on 11 March. Later Prime Minister Naoto Kan issued instructions that people within a 20 km (12 mile) zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant must leave, and urged that those living between 20 km and 30 km from the site to stay indoors.[1][2] The latter groups were also urged to evacuate on 25 March.[3]

Japanese authorities have admitted that lax standards and poor oversight contributed to the nuclear disaster.[4] They have come under fire for their handling of the emergency, and have engaged in a pattern of withholding damaging information and denying facts of the accident.[4][5][6] Authorities apparently wanted to "limit the size of costly and disruptive evacuations in land-scarce Japan and to avoid public questioning of the politically powerful nuclear industry". There has been public anger about an "official campaign to play down the scope of the accident and the potential health risks".[5][6] The accident is the second biggest nuclear accident after the Chernobyl disaster, but more complex as all reactors are involved.[7]

Once a proponent of building more reactors, Prime Minister Naoto Kan took an increasingly anti-nuclear stance in the months following the Fukushima disaster. In May, he ordered the aging Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant be closed over earthquake and tsunami fears, and said he would freeze plans to build new reactors. In July 2011, Mr. Kan said that "Japan should reduce and eventually eliminate its dependence on nuclear energy ... saying that the Fukushima accident had demonstrated the dangers of the technology".[8] In August 2011, the Japanese Government passed a bill to subsidize electricity from renewable energy sources.[9]

As of August 2011, the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is still leaking low levels of radiation and areas surrounding it could remain uninhabitable for decades due to high radiation.[10]

Assessment and requests for help

Prime Minister Kan visited the plant for a briefing on 12 March.[11] He had been quoted in the press calling for calm and minimizing exaggerated reports of danger.[12] Kan met with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on 15 March and lamented the lack of information. According to press accounts, he asked, "What the hell is going on?"[13] Secretary of Government Yukio Edano stated around 18 March, "We could have moved a little quicker in assessing the situation."[14]

The Japanese government asked the United States to provide cooling equipment to the plant. As of 15 March, the U.S. had provided 3,265 kilograms (7,198 lb) of "special equipment", a fire truck,[15] to help monitor and assess the situation at the plant.[16][17]

The French nuclear accident response organization Groupe INTRA shipped some of its radiation-hardened mobile robot equipment to Japan to help with the nuclear accident.[18] At least 130 tonnes of equipment has been shipped to Japan.[18]

Japan requested that Russia send the Landysh, a floating water decontamination facility originally built with Japanese funding and intended for decommissioning nuclear submarines.[19]

Former chiefs of key nuclear safety commissions and government agencies have apologized for overlooking important nuclear safety concerns.[20]

Evacuations

U.S. military dependent-family dog is unloaded off an evacuation flight from Japan

After the declaration of a nuclear emergency by the Government at 19:03 on 11 March, the Fukushima prefecture ordered the evacuation of an estimated 1,864 people within a distance of 2 km from the plant. This was extended to 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) and 5,800 people at 21:23 by a directive to the local governor from the Prime Minister, together with instructions for residents within 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of the plant to stay indoors.[21][22] The evacuation was expanded to a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) radius at 5:44 on 12 March, and then to 20 kilometres (12 mi) at 18:25, shortly before ordering use of seawater for emergency cooling.[21][23]

The Guardian reported at 17:35 JST on 12 March that NHK advised residents of the Fukushima area "to stay inside, close doors and windows and turn off air conditioning. They were also advised to cover their mouths with masks, towels or handkerchiefs" as well as not to drink tap water.[24] Air traffic has been restricted in a 20-kilometre (12 mi) radius around the plant, according to a NOTAM.[25] The BBC has reported as of 22:49 JST (13:49 GMT) "A team from the National Institute of Radiological Sciences has been dispatched to Fukushima as a precaution, reports NHK. It was reportedly made up of doctors, nurses and other individuals with expertise in dealing with radiation exposure, and had been taken by helicopter to a base 5 km from the nuclear plant."[26]

Over 50,000 people were evacuated during 12 March.[27] The figure increased to 170,000–200,000 people on 13 March, after officials voiced the possibility of a meltdown.[28][29]

On the morning of 15 March, the evacuation area was again extended. Prime Minister Naoto Kan issued instructions that any remaining people within a 20 km (12 mile) zone around the plant must leave, and urged that those living between 20 km and 30 km from the site should stay indoors.[30][31] A 30 km no-fly zone has been introduced around the plant.[citation needed]

Evacuation flight departs Misawa

On 16 March, the U.S. Embassy advised Americans in Japan to leave areas within "approximately 50 miles" (80 km) from the plant. Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said before the United States Congress, believing the Japanese government was not telling the full story, "We would recommend an evacuation to a much larger radius than has currently been provided by Japan."[32] Spain advised to leave an area of 120 km, Germany advised to leave even the metropolitan area of Tokyo, and South Korea advised to leave farther than 80 km and plans to evacuate by all possible means.[33][34] Travel to Japan is very low, but additional flights are chartered to evacuate foreigners. Official evacuation of Japan was started by several nations.[35] The US military expects to voluntarily evacuate over 7000 family dependents from Japan,[36] and has moved ships under repair away from Japanese ports.[37]

Of 90 bedridden patients moved from a hospital in the town of Futaba-machi, a sample of three patients were tested and shown to have been exposed to radiation. The patients had been waiting outdoors for rescuers before being moved by helicopter at the time an explosion happened.[38][39] On 25 March, residents in the 30 kilometer circle were urged to leave their houses as well.[3]

On 30 March the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) discovered 20 MBq/m2 of Iodine-131 samples taken from 18 to 26 March in Iitate, Fukushima, 40 km northwest of the Fukushima I reactor. The IAEA recommended expanding the evacuation area, based on its criteria of 10 MBq/m2. Japanese Secretary Yukio Edano stated the government would wait to see if the high radiation continued.[40] On 31 March the IAEA announced a new value of 7 MBq/m2, in samples taken from 19 to 29 March in Iitate.[41] The material decays at 8% to 9% each day.

On 11 April, with ongoing concerns about the stability of the reactors, Japan considered extending the evacuation zone around the Fukushima I.[42] Then, on 21 April 2011, the Japanese government declared a 20-km zone around Daiichi as a "no-go" zone, and threatened anyone who entered or remained in the zone with arrest or detention and fines. The order affected 80,000 residents.[43] Shortly thereafter, on 22 April, the Japanese government officially announced that the evacuation zone would be extended from the 20 km "circular" zone to an irregular zone extending northwest of the Fukushima site.[44] Then, on 16 May, the Japanese government began evacuating people from outside the official exclusion zones, including the village of Iitate, where high levels of radiation had been repeatedly measured.[45][46]

Evacuees from the radiation zone have reported that some evacuation shelters, including ones run by the city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, have refused to allow them entrance to their facilities, claiming that the evacuees could be carrying radioactive contamination with them. The shelters have required the evacuees to present certificates obtained by the government of Fukushima prefecture stating that the evacuees are "radiation free".[47][48]

Meltdowns and radiation

Three of the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi overheated, causing meltdowns that eventually led to hydrogen explosions, which released large amounts of radioactive gases into the air.[49]

Nuclear meltdowns at three of Fukushima Daiichi’s six reactors went officially unacknowledged for months:

In one of the most damning admissions, nuclear regulators said in early June that inspectors had found tellurium 132, which experts call telltale evidence of reactor meltdowns, a day after the tsunami — but did not tell the public for nearly three months. For months after the disaster, the government flip-flopped on the level of radiation permissible on school grounds, causing continuing confusion and anguish about the safety of schoolchildren here in Fukushima.[50]

At 12:33 JST on 13 March the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yukio Edano, was reported to have confirmed that there was a "significant chance" that radioactive fuel rods had partially melted in Unit 3 and Unit 1, or that "it was 'highly possible' a partial meltdown was underway".[29] "I am trying to be careful with words... This is not a situation where the whole core suffers a meltdown".[51] Soon after, Edano denied that a meltdown was in progress. He claimed that the radioactive fuel rods had not partially melted and he emphasized that there was no danger to the health of the population.[52][53] Edano later said that there were signs that the fuel rods were melting in all three reactors. "Although we cannot directly check it, it's highly likely happening".[54]

In April 2011 the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission said that some of the core of a stricken Japanese reactor had probably leaked from its steel pressure vessel into the bottom of the containment structure, implying that the reactor damage was worse than previously thought. If molten fuel has "left the reactor’s pressure vessel and reached the drywell in substantial quantities, it raises the possibility that the fuel could escape the larger containment structure, leading to a large-scale radioactive release".[55]

According to the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan, "by April 27 approximately 55 percent of the fuel in reactor unit 1 had melted, along with 35 percent of the fuel in unit 2, and 30 percent of the fuel in unit 3; and overheated spent fuels in the storage pools of units 3 and 4 probably were also damaged".[56] The accident has surpassed the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in seriousness, and is comparable to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.[56] The Economist reports that the Fukushima disaster is "a bit like three Three Mile Islands in a row, with added damage in the spent-fuel stores",[57] and that there will be ongoing impacts:

Years of clean-up will drag into decades. A permanent exclusion zone could end up stretching beyond the plant’s perimeter. Seriously exposed workers may be at increased risk of cancers for the rest of their lives...[57]

On March 24, 2011, Japanese officials announced that "radioactive iodine-131 exceeding safety limits for infants had been detected at 18 water-purification plants in Tokyo and five other prefectures". Officials said also that the fallout from the Dai-ichi plant is "hindering search efforts for victims from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami".[58]

A report from the Japanese Government to the IAEA says the "nuclear fuel in three reactors probably melted through the inner containment vessels, not just the core". The report says the "inadequate" basic reactor design — the Mark-1 model developed by General Electric — included "the venting system for the containment vessels and the location of spent fuel cooling pools high in the buildings, which resulted in leaks of radioactive water that hampered repair work".[59]

As of July 2011, the Japanese government has been unable to control the spread of radioactive material into the nation’s food, and "Japanese agricultural officials say meat from more than 500 cattle that were likely to have been contaminated with radioactive cesium has made its way to supermarkets and restaurants across Japan". Radioactive material has also been detected in a range of other produce, including spinach, tea leaves, milk, and fish, up to 200 miles from the nuclear plant. Inside the 12-mile evacuation zone around the plant, all farming has been abandoned.[60][61]

As of August 2011, the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is still leaking low levels of radiation and areas surrounding it could remain uninhabitable for decades due to high radiation. It could take “more than 20 years before residents could safely return to areas with current radiation readings of 200 millisieverts per year, and a decade for areas at 100 millisieverts per year”.[62]

Radiation in schools

Because of radiation concerns, tens of thousands of children are being kept inside school buildings during the hot summer, where some wear masks even though the windows are kept shut. They are banned from their own school playgrounds, unable to play in local parks and kept inside by their parents. Workers are removing the surface soil from schoolyards contaminated with radioactive particles from the nuclear plant, despite often having nowhere to dump the soil, except in holes dug in the same grounds.[63]

The results of a scientific survey conducted in March show that about 45 percent of 1,080 children in three Fukushima communities tested positive for thyroid exposure to radiation. The government has said that the levels were too low to warrant further examination.[63]

The government has "flip-flopped" on radiation standards in schools, causing "continuing confusion and anguish about the safety of schoolchildren in Fukushima".[63]

TEPCO response

There has been considerable criticism to the way the plant operator TEPCO has handled the crisis. Kuni Yogo, a former atomic energy policy planner in Japan’s Science and Technology Agency[64] and Akira Omoto, a former Tepco executive and a member of the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission[65] both questioned Tepco's management's decisions in the crisis.[65] Reports in the The Yomiuri Shimbun portray Prime Minister Naoto Kan repeatedly ordering TEPCO to take actions such as opening steam valves with little response from the utility.[66]

On 1 April 2011, ABC News reported that the plant's operators were "woefully unprepared for the scale of the disaster". Water is still being poured into the damaged reactors to cool melting fuel rods. John Price, a former member of the Safety Policy Unit at the UK's National Nuclear Corporation, has said that it "might be 100 years before melting fuel rods can be safely removed from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant".[67]

Three weeks after the beginning of the disaster in Fukushima, Spiegel Online reported how "helpless and casual" TEPCO has been in its improvised efforts to cope with the accident. The company hasn't put forward a strategy to regain control over the situation in the reactors. Helmut Hirsch, a German physicist and nuclear expert, says "they are improvising with tools that were not intended for this type of situation".[68] There are roughly 400 workers onsite risking their lives to prevent the situation from deteriorating even further, who sleep in a building on the plant grounds. Each man has been given a blanket and they lie on the floor in hallways, in stairwells and even in front of the clogged toilets.[68][69]

TEPCO could face 2 trillion yen ($23.6 bln) in special losses in the current business year to March 2012 to compensate communities near its crippled Fukushima I nuclear plant, according to JP Morgan.[70] As of June 2011, TEPCOs stock has "slumped 91 percent, erasing 3.2 trillion yen ($40 billion) in market value".[71]

Japan plans to put TEPCO under effective state control so it can meet its compensation payments to people affected by radiation leaking from its Fukushima I plant. Tokyo will set aside several trillion yen in public funds that TEPCO can "dip into if it runs short for payouts to people affected".[72]

Business reaction

On the 14 March, the first full business day after the accident, Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index fell 6%, followed up by another 11% drop on 15 March after the government warned of elevated radiation risks.[73] Likewise, plant owner TEPCO's shares fell 62% in the four days following the accident, then started a 14% recovery.[74] However, by 29 March, TEPCO shares had fallen further, reaching a 34-year low.[75]

The Japanese National Strategy Minister suggested nationalizing TEPCO on 28 March, in response Secretary Edano denied that approach was being considered.[76] On 13 April, the government considered a plan to limit TEPCO's liability to approximately 3.8 trillion yen (US$45 billion).[77]

Some foreign firms (including SAP, Dow Chemical, IKEA, BNP Paribas, and H&M) have moved staff from Tokyo westward to Osaka or to other countries, as did some Tokyo embassies (including those of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark) reshuffles to Osaka. Some airlines (KLM, Air France, Lufthansa and Alitalia) changed destinations from Tokyo's Narita airport to Kansai airport in western Japan for some period afterward.[78][79] [80]

Anti-nuclear protests

Nuclear protesting following the disaster

There have been many anti-nuclear protests in Japan.[81] On 27 March at least 1000 people attended the monthly demonstration of the Japan Congress Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs in Tokyo after advertising on social network sites.[82] Protesters have typically been polite and restrained, but the government is "acutely aware that public anger against nuclear power is growing", and that is forcing Japan's leaders to rethink the country's energy policies.[83]

On March 26 two dozen Diet members signed a letter calling on the government to "immediately get young children and pregnant women out of the 30-km danger zone around the heavily damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant". The statement also called for "extending the current 20-km mandatory evacuation zone radically to avoid further exposure and discontinuing official declarations that there is no immediate harm to human health, charging they aren't properly transmitting to the public the dangers of possible long-term radiation harm". The statement, drawn up by antinuclear groups, is to be delivered to Prime Minister Naoto Kan.[84]

As of March 30 there was growing consensus that the severity of the Fukushima I nuclear accidents had surpassed the Three Mile Island accident to become the world's second-worst nuclear accident. The early effects on Japanese public opinion and government policy were felt. NGOs and anti-nuclear groups gained credibility, including Greenpeace, which launched a study on the impact of the Fukushima crisis.[85]

On March 31 an anti-nuclear activist attempted to drive into the radiation-leaking Fukushima I complex, and later crashed through a locked gate at the Fukushima II power plant.[86]

In mid-April, 17,000 people protested at two demonstrations in Tokyo against nuclear power.[87][88] One protester, Yohei Nakamura, said nuclear power is a serious problem and that anti-nuclear demonstrations were undercovered in the Japanese press because of the influence of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. He said that "If the mass media shows anti-nuclear-power activities like demonstrations, they risk losing TEPCO as an advertiser."[87][89]

Three months after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, thousands of anti-nuclear protesters marched in Japan. Company workers, students, and parents with children rallied across Japan, "venting their anger at the government's handling of the crisis, carrying flags bearing the words 'No Nukes!' and 'No More Fukushima'."[90] The ongoing Fukushima crisis may spell the end of nuclear power in Japan, as "citizen opposition grows and local authorities refuse permission to restart reactors that have undergone safety checks". Local authorities are skeptical that sufficient safety measures have been taken and are reticent to give their permission – now required by law – to bring suspended nuclear reactors back online.[91] More than 60,000 people in Japan marched in demonstrations in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukushima on June 11, 2011.[92]

In July 2011, Japanese mothers, many new to political activism, have started "taking to the streets to urge the government to protect their children from radiation leaking from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant". Using social networking media, such as Facebook and Twitter, they have "organized antinuclear energy rallies nationwide attended by thousands of protesters".[93]

In July 2011, the Hidankyo, the group representing the 10,000 or so survivors of the atomic bombings in Japan, called for the first time for the elimination of civilian nuclear power. In its action plan for 2012, the group appealed for "halting construction of new nuclear plants and the gradual phasing out of Japan’s 54 current reactors as energy alternatives are found".[94] Sumiteru Taniguchi, director of the Nagasaki Council of A-Bomb Sufferers, has linked the Fukushima disaster to the atomic bombings of Japan:[95]

Nuclear power and mankind cannot coexist. We survivors of the atomic bomb have said this all along. And yet, the use of nuclear power was camouflaged as 'peaceful' and continued to progress. You never know when there's going to be a natural disaster. You can never say that there will never be a nuclear accident.[95]

In August 2011, about 2,500 people including farmers and fishermen marched in Tokyo. They are suffering heavy losses following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and called for prompt compensation from plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the government, chanting slogans such as "TEPCO must pay compensation swiftly".[96]

In September 2011, anti-nuclear protesters, marching to the beat of drums, “took to the streets of Tokyo and other cities to mark six months since the March earthquake and tsunami and vent their anger at the government's handling of the nuclear crisis set off by meltdowns at the Fukushima power plant”.[97] An estimated 2,500 people marched past TEPCO headquarters, and created a human chain around the building of the Trade Ministry that oversees the power industry. Protesters called for a complete shutdown of Japanese nuclear power plants and demanded a shift in government policy toward alternative sources of energy. Among the protestors were four young men who started a 10-day hunger strike to bring about change in Japan's nuclear policy.[97]

Political reaction

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's ruling party suffered embarrassing losses in April local elections after the Japanese leader came under fire over the nuclear disaster, further weakening his influence and bolstering rivals who want him to quit once the crisis ends.[98]

Fukushima Governor Yūhei Satō refused to meet former TEPCO president Masataka Shimizu on two occasions due to his anger at the utility's handling of the disaster.[99] Shimizu later resigned.

Problems in stabilizing the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have hardened attitudes to nuclear power. As of June 2011, "more than 80 percent of Japanese now say they are anti-nuclear and distrust government information on radiation".[91] The ongoing Fukushima crisis may spell the end of nuclear power in Japan, as "citizen opposition grows and local authorities refuse permission to restart reactors that have undergone safety checks". Local authorities are skeptical that sufficient safety measures have been taken and are reticent to give their permission – now required by law – to bring suspended nuclear reactors back online.[91]

Prime Minister Naoto Kan took an increasingly anti-nuclear stance in the months following the Fukushima disaster. In May, he ordered the aging Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant be closed over earthquake and tsunami fears, and he said he would freeze plans to build new reactors. In July 2011, Kan said that "Japan should reduce and eventually eliminate its dependence on nuclear energy in what would be a radical shift in the country’s energy policy, saying that the Fukushima accident had demonstrated the dangers of the technology".[100] Kan said Japan should abandon plans to build 14 new reactors by 2030. He wants to "pass a bill to promote renewable energy and questioned whether private companies should be running atomic plants".[101]

The biggest positive result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster could be renewed public support for the commercialization of renewable energy technologies.[102] In August 2011, the Japanese Government passed a bill to subsidize electricity from renewable energy sources. The legislation will become effective on July 1, 2012, and require utilities to buy electricity generated by renewable sources including solar power, wind power and geothermal energy at above-market rates.[103]

Evacuation drills

In Japan each fiscal year a prefecture, that has nuclear power-stations on its territory, is legally due to hold nuclear accident disaster drills. How to evacuate the population out of the 10 kilometer evacuation-zone according the governmental anti-disaster guidelines. The Fukishima Daiichi accidents proofed this 10 kilometer a big underestimation of the evacuation zones, that would be really needed to protect the population of the prefecture from escaping radiation in a proper way. On 5 September 2011 three prefectures -- Aomori, Fukushima and Ibaraki -- were are unable to hold the drills before March 2012. Six prefectures, including Hokkaido and Fukui, had not taken a decision to hold a drill, and were awaiting new governmental guidelines how far to evacuate. Four other prefectures, including Ehime and Saga, planned to hold drills by establishing temporary guidelines and by expanding evacuation zones on their own. The Nuclear Safety Commission aimed to review the evacuation zones and other policies by the end of October. [104]

Financial liability

Under Japanese law[105] the operator is liable for nuclear damage regardless of culpability except in cases of exceptionally grave natural disasters and insurrection. Government spokesman Edano said this exception would be "impossible under current social circumstances".[106]

Reactor operation is prohibited unless the operator concludes a private contract of liability insurance as well as an indemnity agreement with the government for damage not covered by private insurance. An amount of coverage of 120 billion yen per installation is required.[107] The Japan Atomic Energy Insurance Pool does not cover damage caused by earthquakes and tsunamis.[108] If damage exceeds the amount of coverage, the government may give the operator the aid required to compensate the damage, if authorized by the Japanese Diet.[109] On 13 April, the government considered a plan to limit TEPCO's liability to approximately 3.8 trillion yen (US$45 billion).[110]

See also

References

  1. ^ Richard Black. "BBC News – Japan quake: Radiation rises at Fukushima nuclear plant". BBC News. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Japan's PM urges people to clear 20-km zone around Fukushima NPP (Update-1) | World | RIA Novosti". En.rian.ru. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Japan steps up nuclear plant precautions; Kan apologizes". L.A. Times. 25 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b "U.N. atom body wants wider nuclear safety checks". Reuters. August 15, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Norimitsu Onishi (August 8, 2011). "Japan Held Nuclear Data, Leaving Evacuees in Peril". New York Times.
  6. ^ a b Charles Digges (10 August 2011). "Japan ignored its own radiation forecasts in days following disaster, imperiling thousands". Bellona.
  7. ^ "Analysis: A month on, Japan nuclear crisis still scarring," International Business Times (Australia). 9 April 2011, retrieved 12 April 2011; excerpt, According to James Acton, Associate of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, "Fukushima is not the worst nuclear accident ever but it is the most complicated and the most dramatic ... This was a crisis that played out in real time on TV. Chernobyl did not."
  8. ^ Hiroko Tabuchi (July 13, 2011). "Japan Premier Wants Shift Away From Nuclear Power". New York Times.
  9. ^ Chisaki Watanabe (August 26, 2011). "Japan Spurs Solar, Wind Energy With Subsidies, in Shift From Nuclear Power". Bloomberg.
  10. ^ "Areas near Japan nuclear plant may be off limits for decades". Reuters. August 27, 2011.
  11. ^ "Kan inspects quake-hit nuclear plant in Fukushima". Kyodo News. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  12. ^ "Japanese nuclear plant hit by fire and third explosion". The Guardian. 15 March 2011.
  13. ^ Halloran, Liz. "Nuclear Information Gap Spreads Doubt, Fear". NPR. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  14. ^ Rayner, Gordon. "Japan still racing against the clock". Telegraph. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  15. ^ "Frantic cooling efforts continue". joongangdaily. 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  16. ^ Takahara, Kanako, and Kazuaki Nagata, "Meltdown looks more imminent", Japan Times, 16 March 2011, p. 1.
  17. ^ "The Canadian Press: Obama defends use of nuclear energy despite calamity in Japan". AP (Canada). 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  18. ^ a b "Work on Fukushima Daiichi power connections". World Nuclear News. 21 March 2011.
  19. ^ "Japan Seeks Russian Help On Nuclear Crisis". Radio Free Europe. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  20. ^ Michael Alison Chandler (April 10, 2011). "In Japan, new attention for longtime anti-nuclear activist". Washington Post.
  21. ^ a b http://www.nisa.meti.go.jp/english/files/en20110313-3.pdf Seismic Damage Information (19th press communicate released by NISA on 08:30 13 March 2011).
  22. ^ Inajima, Tsuyoshi; Okada, Yuji (11 March 2011). "Japan Orders Evacuation From Near Nuclear Plant After Quake". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  23. ^ "Blast destroys part of Japan nuclear plant". CBC.ca. 12 March 2011.
  24. ^ Glendinning, Lee. "Japan tsunami and earthquake – live coverage | World news | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. UK. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  25. ^ "Pilot information for Sendai Airport". 12 March 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  26. ^ "Radioactive emergency team dispatched". NHK World. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  27. ^ Joe Weisenthal (4 March 2011). "Fukushima Nuclear Plant". Businessinsider.com. Retrieved 12 March 2011. {{cite web}}: Text "12 March 2011, 4:08 am" ignored (help); Text "194,758" ignored (help); Text "259" ignored (help)
  28. ^ Associated, The. "The Canadian Press: IAEA says 170,000 people evacuated from area near damaged Japan nuclear plant". Google. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  29. ^ a b Mufson, Steven (13 March 2011). "Japanese nuclear plants' operator scrambles to avert meltdowns". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  30. ^ Richard Black. "BBC News – Japan quake: Radiation rises at Fukushima nuclear plant". BBC News. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  31. ^ "Japan's PM urges people to clear 20-km zone around Fukushima NPP (Update-1) | World | RIA Novosti". En.rian.ru. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  32. ^ Sanger, David E.; Wald, Matthew L.; Tabuchi, Hiroko (17 March 2011). "U.S.: Reactor may spew radiation". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  33. ^ Foreigners stream out of Tokyo Inquirer Headlines
  34. ^ Seoul ready to send planes, ships to evacuate its citizens from Japan Korea Herald
  35. ^ US evacuates nationals from Japan Travel News
  36. ^ Mass, Chief. "Military Families Arrive in Seattle from Japan". Navy.mil. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
  37. ^ Font size Print E-mail Share 18 Comments By David Martin (2011-03-21). "Pentagon weighs pullout from Japan hot zone - CBS Evening News". CBS News. Retrieved 2011-03-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ "10,000 missing in Japanese town | News.com.au". news.com.au. 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  39. ^ "Japan: At least 3 exposed to radiation in nuclear station explosion – Israel News, Ynetnews". ynetnews.com. 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011. The three residents were among a group of some 90 patients hospitalized in the town of Futaba-machi, and were chosen at random by doctors for tests linked to the nuclear incident, the public broadcaster NHK reported. (AFP)
  40. ^ Takahara, Kanako, and Kazuaki Nagata, "High radiation found outside no-go zone", Japan Times, 1 April 2011, p. 1.
  41. ^ http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110402x3.html
  42. ^ Shinichi Saoshiro and Chisa Fujioka (April 10, 2011). "Japan set to extend nuclear evacuation zone". Reuters.
  43. ^ Associated Press, "No-go zone trespassers face fines, arrest", Japan Times, 22 April 2011, p. 1.
  44. ^ http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/22_20.html Evacuation area officially expanded
  45. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/16/3217488.htm?section=world Japan evacuates villages outside nuclear zone
  46. ^ http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110513f1.html Fukushima village on way to becoming ghost town
  47. ^ Agence France-Presse/Jiji Press, "Atomic evacuees getting cold shoulder at shelters", Japan Times, 16 April 2011, p. 2.
  48. ^ Jiji Press, "Tsukuba asked evacuees for radiation papers", Japan Times, 20 April 2011, p. 2.
  49. ^ Martin Fackler (June 1, 2011). "Report Finds Japan Underestimated Tsunami Danger". New York Times.
  50. ^ Norimitsu Onishi (August 8, 2011). "Japan Held Nuclear Data, Leaving Evacuees in Peril". New York Times.
  51. ^ "Japan battles to stop nuclear catastrophe". Financial Times. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  52. ^ "Government: No meltdown in Japanese nuclear plant". Monsters and Critics. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  53. ^ "Water injected into Fukushima reactor". The Japan Times Online. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  54. ^ "Japanese Officials: Nuclear Fuel Rods Appear to be Melting in 3 Reactors". NationalJournal.com. 14 March 2011.
  55. ^ Matthew L. Wald (April 6, 2011). "Core of Stricken Reactor Probably Leaked, U.S. Says". New York Times.
  56. ^ a b Jungmin Kang (4 May 2011). "Five steps to prevent another Fukushima". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
  57. ^ a b "Nuclear power: When the steam clears". The Economist. March 24, 2011.
  58. ^ Michael Winter (March 24, 2011). "Report: Emissions from Japan plant approach Chernobyl levels". USA Today.
  59. ^ "Japan says it was unprepared for post-quake nuclear disaster". Los Angeles Times. June 8, 2011.
  60. ^ Hiroko Tabuchi (August 25, 2011). "Japan Lifts Ban on Beef From Disaster Area". New York Times.
  61. ^ Hiroko Tabuchi (July 18, 2011). "Radiation-Tainted Beef Spreads Through Japan's Markets". New York Times.
  62. ^ "Areas near Japan nuclear plant may be off limits for decades". Reuters. August 27, 2011.
  63. ^ a b c Norimitsu Onishi (August 8, 2011). "Japan Held Nuclear Data, Leaving Evacuees in Peril". New York Times.
  64. ^ Belson, Ken, Keith Bradsher and Matthew L. Wald, "Executives May Have Lost Valuable Time at Damaged Nuclear Plant", The New York Times, March 19, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  65. ^ a b Shirouzu, Norihiko, Phred Dvorak, Yuka Hayashi and Andrew Morse, "Bid to 'Protect Assets' Slowed Reactor Fight", The Wall Street Journal, March 21, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  66. ^ http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110411004567.htm TEPCO tardy on N-plant emergency
  67. ^ David Mark, Mark Willacy (April 1, 2011). "Crews 'facing 100-year battle' at Fukushima". ABC News.
  68. ^ a b Veronika Hackenbroch, Cordula Meyer and Thilo Thielke (5 April 2011). "A Hapless Fukushima Clean-Up Effort". Spiegel Online.
  69. ^ "Disaster in Japan: Plutonium and Mickey Mouse". The Economist. March 31, 2011.
  70. ^ Antoni Slodkowski (April 11, 2011). "Tepco may face $23.6 billion compensation costs: JP Morgan". Reuters.
  71. ^ Takahiko Hyuga and Tsuyoshi Inajima (June 10, 2011). "Police to Send Riot Squads to Tepco Meeting". Bloomberg.
  72. ^ "Japan to control TEPCO to handle compensation claims after nuclear disaster". Herald Sun. April 20, 2011.
  73. ^ Tokyo Shares Plunge 13% The Wall Street Journal 15 March 2010
  74. ^ http://www.marketwatch.com/story/tepco-shares-rebound-after-crashing-more-than-62-2011-03-17 Tepco shares rebound after crashing more than 62%
  75. ^ http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20110329a5.html Tepco stock plunges to 34-year low
  76. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/29/us-tepco-nationalisation-idUSTRE72S0E220110329 Japan government mulls Tokyo Electric nationalization
  77. ^ http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFTFD00673420110413 CORRECTED-TEPCO damages liability may be capped at $45 bln-Yomiuri
  78. ^ 駐日大使館や外資系企業、帰国勧告や日本西部に避難 Nikkei newspaper 16 March 2011
  79. ^ 大阪のホテルに予約殺到、外資系幹部の避難用か Yomiuri newspaper 18 March 2011
  80. ^ 成田から関空へ発着便振り替え　航空会社 Mainichi newspaper 19 March 2011
  81. ^ Rupert Wingfield (25 March 2011). "Anti-nuclear protests take place in Japan". BBC News.
  82. ^ "Anti-nuclear activists march through Tokyo". Euronews. March 27, 2011.
  83. ^ Anthony Kuhn (March 31, 2011). "Public Anger Against Nuclear Power Mounts In Japan". NPR.
  84. ^ Eric Johnston (March 26, 2011). "Get kids, pregnant women well clear of nuke zone: politicians". Japan Times.
  85. ^ Michael Penn (March 30, 2011). "Japan disaster boosting anti-nuclear movement". Press TV.
  86. ^ Michael Winter (March 31, 2011). "Activist crashes gate at 2nd Fukushima nuke facility; failed at crippled plant". USA Today.
  87. ^ a b Krista Mahr (April 11, 2011). "What Does Fukushima's Level 7 Status Mean?". Time.
  88. ^ Michael Alison Chandler (April 10, 2011). "In Japan, new attention for longtime anti-nuclear activist". Washington Post.
  89. ^ "Disaster in Japan: Plutonium and Mickey Mouse". The Economist. March 31, 2011.
  90. ^ Antoni Slodkowski (June 15, 2011). "Japan anti-nuclear protesters rally after quake". Reuters.
  91. ^ a b c Gavin Blair, (June 20, 2011). "Beginning of the end for nuclear power in Japan?". CSMonitor.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  92. ^ Tomoko Yamazaki and Shunichi Ozasa (June 27, 2011). "Fukushima Retiree Leads Anti-Nuclear Shareholders at Tepco Annual Meeting". Bloomberg.
  93. ^ Junko Horiuichi (July 9, 2011). "Moms rally around antinuke cause". The Japan Times.
  94. ^ Martin Fackler (August 6, 2011). "Atomic Bomb Survivors Join Nuclear Opposition". New York Times.
  95. ^ a b Amy Goodman (10 August 2011). "From Hiroshima to Fukushima: Japan's atomic tragedies". The Guardian.
  96. ^ "Fukushima farmers, fishermen protest over nuclear crisis". Mainichi Daily News. August 13, 2011.
  97. ^ a b Olivier Fabre (11 September, 2011). "Japan anti-nuclear protests mark 6 months since quake". Reuters. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  98. ^ Linda Sieg and Chisa Fujioka (April 10, 2011). "Japan PM weakened by local election losses, nuclear woes". Reuters.
  99. ^ http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-11/tepco-chief-rebuffed-in-fukushima-as-crisis-enters-second-month.html Tepco Chief Rebuffed by Fukushima Leader for Second Time on Nuclear Anger
  100. ^ Hiroko Tabuchi (July 13, 2011). "Japan Premier Wants Shift Away From Nuclear Power". New York Times.
  101. ^ Stuart Biggs and Kanoko Matsuyama (Jul 14, 2011). "'Nuclear Village' Protester Turns Hero as Fukushima Drives Atomic Backlash". Bloomberg.
  102. ^ Justin McCurry (May 3, 2011). "Japan's nuclear energy debate: some see spur for a renewable revolution". CSMonitor.
  103. ^ Chisaki Watanabe (August 26, 2011). "Japan Spurs Solar, Wind Energy With Subsidies, in Shift From Nuclear Power". Bloomberg.
  104. ^ JAIF (5 September 2011) 70% of prefectures baffled on nuclear drill
  105. ^ Act No. 147 of 1961 原子力損害の賠償に関する法律, English Act on Compensation for Nuclear Damage, Section 3
  106. ^ Natural disaster exemption not to apply to Tokyo Electric: Edano, 25. März 2011
  107. ^ Act No. 147 of 1961, Section 7
  108. ^ Natalie Obiko Pearson and Carolyn Bandel. "Atomic Cleanup Cost Goes to Japan's Taxpayers, May Spur Liability Shift". Bloomberg. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  109. ^ Act No. 147 of 1961, Section 16
  110. ^ TEPCO damages liability may be capped at $45 bln-Yomiuri
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_reaction_to_Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster&oldid=449930944"