Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Ominous Sign?


Enenews is reporting a story from Mainichi:

Japan gov’t prepares for further large-scale radiation release from Fukushima — Emergency drill on Monday presupposed further meltdown of No. 3 reactor core
http://enenews.com/japan-govt-prepares-further-large-scale-emission-radioactive-materials-fukushima-emergency-drill-monday-presupposed-further-meltdown-3-reactor-core

Here is the link to the original article
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110913p2a00m0na010000c.html

The original article has been translated from Japanese and it does not identify the nature of the organization that was involved in this emergency drill other than through its name, the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF).

However, the article states that 400 civilians were involved in this exercise and the accompanying picture shows helicopters in use during the drill.

This drill is a MAJOR operation in itself.

Why would the Japanese government expend funds toward or support such a costly exercise that is likely to encourage fear among residents?

I cannot imagine that the goal is to "reassure" residents of the government's capability in executing an emergency evacuation after taking a full month to evacuate residents within 20 k of Fukushima (see bottom of this post for a historical sequence).

My best guess is that there is a real fear that Fukushima may blow again. That fear has been expressed publicly by Dr. Kaku and most recently by Dr  Hiroaki Koide a radiation metrology and nuclear safety expert from Kyoto's University Research Reactor Institute.

"Radiation expert says outcome of nuke crisis hard to predict, warns of further dangers september 9 2011" http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20110909p2a00m0na016000c.html
Dr Koide was quoted back in May as expressing fears about how Fukushima could be possibly 'wound-down' given the melt-through that was believed at that time to have been occurring (http://majiasblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/fukushima-updates-may-21.html)
Here is what he had to say in May, as reported by Blogger Ex-SKF:
http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/05/hiroaki-koide-of-kyoto-university-no.html
Hiroaki Koide of Kyoto University: "No One Knows How Fukushima Could Be Wound Down" As the Corium May Be Melting Through the Foundation
[excerpted from Ex-SKF]"So says Hiroaki Koide of Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, in a telephone interview on May 19 with independent video-journalist Tetsuo Jinbo of Videonews.com (who did the video report of the 20-kilometer radius evacuation zone back in April, showing cows and dogs prowling the deserted towns).
"Koide is practically agreeing with Christopher Busby that there's not much anyone can do to stop the release of radioactive materials and further contamination of air, soil and water, other than somehow "entomb" the reactors (a.k.a. Chernobyl solution).
"Koide reiterates his view that the corium (he says "melted fuel" and "melted core" in the interview for lay people, but it is melted fuel, and anything else that melted with the fuel inside the RPV) may have already escaped the Containment Vessel in the Reactor 1….
"…We're in the uncharted territory that we enter for the first time ever since the human race started to use nuclear power..."
MAJIA HERE AGAIN. Dr Koide has a history of speaking truth to power. I hope that another explosion is not actually anticipated. If so, why doesn't the Japanese government evacuate now?
Ok. Now here is the narrative of evacuation that I have pieced together while following events
On March 11, the Japanese government ordered persons within a 1.9 mile radius of the Fukushima I plant to evacuate and recommended that those within 6.2 miles stay within their homes.[i] On March 12, the evacuation was extended to 20 kilometers. On March 13, after the first explosion, the World health Organization reported that the risk from the reactors was “probably quite low.”[ii] On March 17, the U.S. declared that U.S. citizens and troops should stay at least 50 miles from the Fukushima reactors.[iii] However, it was not until March 25 that the Japanese government declared a voluntary evacuation for people within 30 kilometers of the plant while the official evacuation zone remained 20 kilometers, or approximately 20 miles.[iv]  On April 4, The Wall Street Journal reported that Japanese authorities had finally acknowledged that the evacuation zone needed to be expanded beyond the 30 kilometer zone.[v] By June, radioactive contamination could be detected in the urine of residents still living within the Fukushima prefecture, ranging[vi] and residents were still living in Fukushima City despite spreading soil contamination and readings far exceeding levels used by the Soviets to mandate compulsory resettlements after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.[vii]



[iii] Norihiko Shirouzu and Rebecca Smith “U.S. Sounds Alarm On Radiation,” The Wall Street Journal (2011, March 17): A1.

[iv] Andrew Morse and Mitsuru Obe “Setback for Japan at Rogue Reactors,” The Wall Street Journal (2011, March 26-27): A1.

[v] Yoree Koh, Daisuke Wakabayashi,  and Miho Inada “Worries Mount Over Residents Still Near Plant,” The Wall Street Journal (2011, April 4): A11.

[vi]Fukushima Residents' Urine Now Radioactive,” Japan Times (2011, June 27): http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110627a2.html.



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