Sunday May 27, 2012

Kan calls quake worst crisis since World War II; OKs power outages

National ( 62 )

Kan calls quake worst crisis since World War II; OKs power outages
Shelves are empty at a Tokyo supermarket Sunday in anticipation of power blackouts on Monday. PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA HOMMA

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  • 0

    GKEYHAN

    I live in a remote part of Iran and I would like to express my condolences about the earthquake in Japan .I believe in Japanese hero people and I am sure that Japan soon come back to its normal living. This large scale disaster wants to test Japanese people strength and I am sure that Japanese people will come out victorious. I think that Japan is proud of humanity and must remain eternal.

  • 0

    geronimo2006

    Will the trains run if the power is out? Not really sure if it's a good idea to go to work tomorrow. I have a suggestion for Mr. Kan. Make tomorrow a holiday, tell everyone to stay home and save power by snuggling up - this might even help with the declining population, and shut all the pachinko parlors.

  • 0

    Zenny11

    I am sure power outages won't affect public services, etc.

    Most likely will only hit private homes and companies. BTW, JR, etc got their own power-plants

  • 0

    Disillusioned

    Are they going to actually be specific on which areas will get blacked out and for how long or are they just gonna leave in the dark? (pun intended) - The panic buying and hoarding has already started and half baked statements like this only make it worse.

  • 0

    Zenny11

    Just heard the won't blackout 23 wards except for arakawa. Take that with a shovel of salt till confirmed.

    Don't help me as I am not in the 23 wards.

  • 0

    american_bengoshi

    Kawasaki-shi: 1:50-7:00pm

    Seems a bit unreasonable for Kawasaki-shi to be included in two separate groups. However, it is the least we can do to contribute in some way. I'm hoping the govt. can remedy the crisis at the nuclear reactors. If that happens I hope to head to the northeast to volunteer.

  • 0

    sillygirl

    watch the news - they are telling us where and approximately how long between what hours.

  • 0

    Zenny11

    What channel? NHK right now is about the reactors.

  • 0

    thepro

    I dont understand this at all. I saw my area in yokohama in 3 or 4 groups. means i have no power all day???

  • 0

    Zenny11

    JT. pls post the times and areas for all.

  • 0

    himehentai

    So (just want to clarify) they are only doing the blackouts in Kanto? Not Kansai, hokkaido, kyushu etc?

  • 0

    ilcub76

    @himehenti--

    So (just want to clarify) they are only doing the blackouts in Kanto? Not Kansai, hokkaido, kyushu etc?

    Kyushu, Hokkaido, and Kansai are not part of TEPCO. That's why there will be no blackouts in those areas.

  • 0

    himehentai

    I know Ilcub76, but in his speech he said that rolling blackouts would be going on throughout the country, not just in the TEPCO area. Thats why I was confused...

    To be honest I think that the whole country should be participating in this, if it could help.

  • 0

    smartacus

    Why are Tokyo's 23 wards being let off? That's not fair. Everyone in every ward should do their bit, including the emperor.

  • 0

    rajakumar

    Time for some changes and challenges for Japan and Japan people due to Sendai Quake-Tsunami.

    Prosperity will turn its wheels back to normal again,some time in coming months in 2011.

  • 0

    american_bengoshi

    I think Kan is simply trying to lift spirits and morale and rally the people to respond to the crisis by volunteering and sacrificing for others in need. However, that being said there are very real and serious political consequences for both the DPJ and the LDP in how this crisis is handled and how it is presented by the national media. Make no mistake about it, political wrangling is very much at work and will become more obvious as more time passes.

  • 0

    JohnBecker

    Thank goodness for Japan's sense of community involvement, and for their general good behavior. I believe they'll handle this crisis better than most countries would.

  • 0

    ppayne

    I run a server at work. Ack. Got to find a way to keep this from affecting our company too much.

  • 0

    waltery

    2220 - 1020pm There is announcement on NHK but I cant read or speak Jpns

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    JohnBecker: "Thank goodness for Japan's sense of community involvement, and for their general good behavior. I believe they'll handle this crisis better than most countries would."

    It's a rich nation, relatively speaking. When I look at the photos of the devastation I am awe-struck -- it certainly doesn't seem that bad in Southern Honshu. Still, the people will help each other out, and facilities for this kind of crises are many. Aside from donating money, I am going to search for other ways in which I can help out.

  • 0

    SamuraiBlue

    Why don't they close all retailer within the 23 special wards ESPECIALLY PACHINKO palors till who knows when this planned black out is initiated. Do we really need all those Mac, Starbucks and other fast food joints/convenience stores bleeding power 24/7 every 400 meters?

  • 0

    cstaylor

    TEPCO can't even keep their website running.

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    SamuraiBlue: The problem is that you cannot simply choose chain stores and close them down without closing down everything else. Why should the local McD's be closed (which might offer food and shelter) if the next door mom and pop kissaten is allowed to stay open? True, they should not be excluded from power outages, but I don't think they need to be made some kind of example. Pachinko? hard to see how they can help. McD's? as disgusting as it is, the might be able to help out the public.

  • 0

    desmosedici

    I dont understand this at all. I saw my area in yokohama in 3 or 4 groups. means i have no power all day???

    For Yokohama check TVK. It is a bit confusing. Teiden tomorrow for some wards in Yokohama is 9.20~13.00 and 18.20~22.00 Yokohama (all wards) either 13.50~17.50 and/or 15.20~19.00

    I am not whining or anything, but for years Tepco ran those commercials where they were proudly proclaiming how diversified their power supply system is, ready for any contingency, as opposed to other countries, but one plant is more or less out and the whole system is in disarray.

  • 0

    Zenny11

    From what I heard, they use 3 categories for the blackouts.

    23wards and some other areas = none(big business and money there), light industrial = 1 outage per day, residential = 2 outages per day.

  • 0

    LFRAgain

    The rolling blackouts make sense. TEPCO needs to be able to serve emergency services that are dedicated to helping those in the affected areas.

    I can also see how it might be preferable to exempt Tokyo. It's unquestionably the economic heart of the Japanese economy, and this earthquake already knocked the market for a loop. Japan's going to need to keep the ball rolling to pay for all of this. However, it's still going to hurt many businesses that rely on the power, like ppayne mentioned above.

    At this stage though, I think Japan's going to need to make some big sacrifices in the days, weeks, and months coming up. While more people were killed in the Kobe quake, this quake in Sendai dwarfs that one in the sheer scale of how broad an area was affected. It's nothing like Kobe. Entire towns were wiped off the map.

  • 0

    Pukey2

    I found a timetable in Japanese at Asahi's website. My area is also in 2 groups and there is no way of knowing which group I'll be in. Just be prepared for power cuts anytime. 23 wards in Tokyo will not be affected because many governmental offices are located there.

    samuraiblue:

    ESPECIALLY PACHINKO palors

    Absolutely. Agree with you 100%. Those and all the vending machines. They can sell drinks in convenience stores. Completely no need for all the bright lights you see in the centre of Tokyo. We've all got to do our part.

    I couldn't even find canned fruit. Got lots of tea (no water left), canned beans, snacks, etc.

    Everyone good luck. Be prepared for a possible magnitude 7 within the next 3 days.

  • 0

    rurika

    Yokosonews has some info in English for the blackouts (list currently being updated). look under home > news. It won't let me post the link here, sorry.

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    rurika: That's due to the spam filters, but if you insert a space between the ww w and ht tp .co m and what have you you can link it. Should be easy enough to find in Google with those who have access, though, given what you have given. Thank you.

    Pukey2: "Absolutely. Agree with you 100%. Those and all the vending machines. They can sell drinks in convenience stores"

    I agree that vending machines are a bane in general, but it might be hard to regulate. It would be good if the individual shop owners (who run the machines) unplug them of their own will on government suggestion, but other than that not sure how people could turn off the machines.

  • 0

    Youdontknow

    I agree with what another poster said...shut down all the pachinko parlours for one! You'll save a crap load of power!

  • 0

    american_bengoshi

    In typical fashion, the plan developed by the Japanese govt. for handling the power suspensions was poorly devised, not well thought out and poorly presented to the general public. Why should some residential areas go 6 hours or more a day without electricity? It is too extreme.

  • 0

    himehentai

    american_benhoshi ... yeah way too extreme.

    I mean ... 6 HOURS a day. wow. I mean ... I use 6 hours of power a day just styling my hair in the morning. Total craziness. Its not like the people up north who were hit by the tsunami have NO power at all. Or NO drinking water. Or NO food... oh wait ...?

    Seriously though, get a grip. "Extreme" is losing your family, or seeing your home literally washed away. I think its perfectly reasonable to expect "residential areas" in the vicinity to go without power for a while in order to be able to provide for others.

    And personally I think the plan the Japanese government has devised is pretty darn good. Considering this situation has only been around for 2 days. Its not like they have had all month to plan it...

    You come across as pretty selfish...

  • 0

    Ultradude

    Yes, shutter all the panchinko parlors FOREVER!!! That would be a small ray of sunshine in this crisis.

  • 0

    USNinJapan2

    LFRAgain

    While more people were killed in the Kobe quake, this quake in Sendai dwarfs that one in the sheer scale of how broad an area was affected

    Pretty sure the death toll is going to be quite a bit North of the Hanshin Earthquake toll. Think of the shear number of people who are missing at this point...

  • 0

    american_bengoshi

    himehentai: I have no problem with losing power for a few hours. Like I posted above, it is the least we can do to contribute. However, it is still not fair for people to go without power for 6 hours or longer when Tokyo is completely exempt and sacrifice nothing.

  • 0

    shiva1963

    It is heart breaking event which occured in Japan. My condolences for bereaved families & those who are affected by this natural calamity. It is great to understand that people of Japan are people who keep patience & return back strongly & have the sense of community living which has been displayed. It is above par in the world which has gone through such tragedies. It is a very unfortunate moment for most of you.My prayers & whishes that Japan emerges back & lead Asia more stronger. The loss offcourse is irrepairable & no words can pacify the great loss. Shiva Nair

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    himehentai: "Seriously though, get a grip. "Extreme" is losing your family, or seeing your home literally washed away. I think its perfectly reasonable to expect "residential areas" in the vicinity to go without power for a while in order to be able to provide for others."

    You're right, of course, losing your family or your own life is makes a few hours of power a day seem quite small, but it's still not a great comparison. We are used to having power 24/7, and so not having it for six hours (no laundry, no light, and no JT!) is something we are NOT used to. I will gladly give it up to help, but it won't keep me from thinking it's unusual, as is the disaster.

  • 0

    Fadamor

    For those bad-mouthing chains like McD's, when our CAP unit was activated for a search and rescue mission to find a missing woman, the local McD's in the area got together and assembled hamburger, small fries and small drink packages for the searchers... gratis. We're talking thousands of lunches over the 4-day search. I'm sure the ones in Japan will do something similar.

  • 0

    hokkaidoguy

    For those bad-mouthing chains like McD's, when our CAP unit was activated for a search and rescue mission to find a missing woman, the local McD's in the area got together and assembled hamburger, small fries and small drink packages for the searchers... gratis. We're talking thousands of lunches over the 4-day search. I'm sure the ones in Japan will do something similar.

    Been there, and I'm sure that McD's will do something here - and they won't be the only corporation to provide assistance in all of this.

    Some people seem to want to forget that businesses - even the ones that you might not like - are what puts food on people's tables. The blackouts have to be structured to affect people's jobs the least - because without that, people are in very serious trouble.

  • 0

    PearlsGrace

    another trial for Japan to rebuild themselves...

  • 0

    smithinjapan

    Hokkaidoguy: "Some people seem to want to forget that businesses - even the ones that you might not like - are what puts food on people's tables."

    I don't know anyone that would deny this. My only hope is that they do it out of hope and help, not as a commercial.

  • 0

    spucky

    Already today i saw some People here in Setagaya/ Tokyo who get a PTSD-Syndrome, without Light it will be very bad for this People.

    And don't trust the People on NHK or other Japanese Terebi, use at least BBC, German and CNN Channels to get a full view of this bad situation

    Why they cant use the Energy from the West, do this Country can't even change 50Hertz into 60? How do they want to handle this Cores with 3.500 Celsius when they cant even bring Energy to us?

  • 0

    Junnama

    CNN was running an interview with a guy in Shibuya and asked him with all seriousness if the government was handing out food and water in Tokyo...

    Is CNN this clueless???

    Sorry to say when of the things I have not missed about the US is the tendency of the news companies to panic people whenever possible.

  • 0

    globalwatcher

    The information is still confusing and conflicting.

    What about people who depends on medial equipments? Should they die?

  • 0

    METinTokyo

    @spocky:Why they cant use the Energy from the West

    So you are proposing a very long extension cord from Japan to for example the USA?

    FYI most of the world uses 50 Hertz North America being one of the notable exceptions.

    Most of the reporting I've seen from the international media has been based on speculation and obfuscation of fact to sensationalize the situation. I will stay with those sources that have boots on the ground.

  • 0

    METinTokyo

    Apologies, I meant spucky not spocky

  • 0

    kp123

    I understood there was a converter system that changes the 50/60 cycle transmission between East and West Japan somewhere in or near Nagoya some years ago.

  • 0

    spucky

    @MetinTokyo, i am talking about the region behind Shizuoka-Prefecture and not the US of A!

    There is a border for the Energy System, they use 2 different forms here

    You can research this by yourself

  • 0

    spucky

    Wow, now even Tokai is in a big danger southern of Fukushima

  • 0

    METinTokyo

    spucky I don't need to research it, I have lived in Shizuoka-Prefecture for 25 years and am well aware of the two systems. Most appliances work quite happily on either system, it is only those which use pulses for internal timing (example electric clocks) which are cycle specific.

    I run many machines that are variously specified at 60 or 50 Hertz and they are quite happy, standard electric motors in particular simply run at a slightly different rpm.

  • 0

    spucky

    @MetinTokyo, so what's the problem, why they cut down the Energy, why they dont feed us with the Energy from the West?

  • 0

    METinTokyo

    spucky, it's quite simple you can't run (feed) 50 and 60 hertz over the same transmission lines. If you wanted to feed power from the west side of Japan into the east side infrastructure you would need to cancel all the feeds from the east first which would result in an even greater lose of power. As stated above by kp123 there are converters available between 50 and 60 hertz but that is on a single usage. To convert the kind of volumes of power we are talking about would be very impractical.

    I don't actually think this is a TEPCO issue but more the centuries old rivalry between Kansai and Kanto, this power issue is only a small reflection of the differences between east and west Japan.

  • 0

    METinTokyo

    lose = loss

  • 0

    spucky

    @Metin Tokyo,

    Domo, informative to read!

    Why do they don't use the Off-Time for a Change?

  • 0

    Seawolf

    At least in those areas affected by the black-outs the recent boom of going "all-denka", using electricity for everything in the home instead of gas, will suffer. Would be nice if Japanese would finally start to think about how to use less energy overall, but thats just wishful thinking..

  • 0

    METinTokyo

    spucky: Why do they don't use the Off-Time for a Change?

    I think they are busy taking care of other more urgent matters during this time.

  • 0

    METinTokyo

    @Seawolf, I think if you compare home energy usage in Japan to other industrial nations you will find it's actually quite low.

    The reason for utilizing electricity is that at least in theory it is quite efficient as it is centrally generated (doesn't necessarily mean nuclear) and then distributed to the final place of use. If that final place of use used other means to generate the same amount of energy by itself multiplied by all other users doing the same then the amount of core materials needed for this generation would be considerably greater.

    Japan is actually a world leader in energy conservation as they must be since energy of any kind here is extremely expensive.

  • 0

    luilui

    "all denka" is alot cheaper than having gas and electricity in a household. (gas is dear). all denka is also more efficient. that is why it has become so popular. appliances like the hotwater system fill up in the middle of the night when usage is at its lowest, hence cheaper. but yes, in case of a black out, houses with gas ofcours are better off (hot water, cooking, etc.) but those houses would still be eating dinner in the dark.

  • 0

    imenevazno

    Stay strong. Thoughts and prayers.

  • 0

    jj1980

    I have a couple questions.

    1. If the power is off, how are people suppost to keep track on the crisis, and/or future warnings in case something happens again? People will not know anything. Unless they assume that everyone is on their phone.

    2. Are people able to send care packages to people in Japan around the Yokohama area? I'm not sure how backed up, or disabled the post system is there.

  • 0

    sunshinenikki

    My friend live South of Iwaki-shi,Onahama Okaona. There are no more food. I am asking Army forces to drop food off the airplane. Please...

  • 0

    genjuro

    Be strong, Japan. You'll pull out of this. Just as you did after the Great Kanto quake, WWII, and the Hanshin quake.

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