Wednesday, January 4, 2012

News from Japan: Tepco Fails to Pay Claimants, Japan Continues Nuclear Exports, and Local Communities Struggle to De-Contaminate and Store Radioactive Materials

 

Japan Today: Over half of claimants yet to receive compensation from TEPCO

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/more-than-half-of-claimants-yet-to-receive-compensation-from-tepco

[Excerpt] A consultation center that has been helping displaced Fukushima residents through the process of claiming compensation from Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) revealed this week that less than half of claimants have received payment in the first round. As of Dec 31, of approximately 70,000 claimants who applied for compensation, only 34,000 applications were accepted, NHK reported" 


Mainichi: News Navigator: What are Japan's agreements with other countries on nuclear exports?
[Excerpted]
Q: Is Japan going to export nuclear plant technology even after its huge disaster?

A: Prime Minister Noda said at the Diet this month that as long as the export of nuclear plant technology contributes to peaceful nuclear use and the safety of other countries' nuclear power, it is worthwhile. He has expressed a policy of continuing discussions with other countries that began before the Fukushima disaster. At the same time, on domestic energy policy he has said, "Looking toward the near-term future, we will work to reduce our dependence on nuclear energy as much as possible."

MAJIA HERE. Interesting tidbit in the article: "In a Mainichi poll in November, 65 percent of respondents said they were against Japanese nuclear exports"


NHK: Fukushima mayors seek help over waste storage

[Excerpted] "Municipalities around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have asked for help from the prefectural government over the central government's plan to temporarily store radioactive waste in the communities...

[Tomioka Town Mayor] Endo said the municipalities take the state government's proposal seriously but that it is too much of a burden for them to handle alone..."

MAJIA HERE: The NHK account is cryptic, but I wonder whether this story implies that the local Fukushima communities outside of the exclusion zone are indeed going to be required to cover clean-up, de-contamination, and storage of radioactive waste.



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