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TEPCO took months to release record strontium readings at Fukushima

38 Comments
By Mari Saito

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38 Comments
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So long as they're making fat profits!

It's these kinds of cronyist clowns that REALLY run Japan.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

Have to wonder what's it's doing to the sea food, there is a lot of tainted water flowing out to sea and along the coast. Wait another 6 months to find out about that.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

3 Years shortly and yet not a single person is held even slightly responsible.. they have a meal ticket and they are going to ride it to the very end.

Disgusting company and terrible political system that allows it continue... very sad

15 ( +15 / -0 )

"The operator of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant knew about record high measurements of a dangerous isotope in groundwater at the plant for five months before telling the country’s nuclear watchdog"

That's some watchdog! not!.... like an old cartoon character.

Shouldn't there be rioting in the streets? SHouldn't there be politicians all over Japan saying enough is enough? After all the lies, and deception and govt money received, isn't this the final nail on the coffin? What more needs to happen? Are Japanese all half dead?

“We have been repeatedly pushing TEPCO to release strontium data since November. It should not take them this long to release this information.”

Can someone tell me how long it takes to measure this stuff? If you have to recheck the date, how long does it take to re-measure it? I assume from this that if must take at least weeks?? So, it's not like you take a sample and analyse it? Do they have to send the lab results to Russia or something (by seamail?)

Isn't it obvious that Tepco is just making fools of everyone? "How's that retest going?" "Oh, yeah we're right on it. We'll get back to you. Had a few computer probs here. So how's the wife? You ready for the Nuclear Industry Golf Tournament next month?"

Or more to it, isn't it obvious that the NRA is holding everyone in Japan in contempt? Can't the NRA chairman say "Not good enough. If i don't have the results of the restesting by next week/ or whatever, we will be sending someone there."

So can anyone tell me what the chairman and secretary and all the other people in the NRA do from 9 to 5? Maybe they could set up camp in Fukushima.

This is insane. Get one man, perhaps a general or SOMEONE who has been shown to have a sense of responsibility to be the ONE PERSON responsible. We have Tepco and something called the NRA and still we have ridiculous things like this happening. Not to mention underpayment of employees.

"The NRA’s chairman said on Wednesday that TEPCO still lacks a fundamental understanding of measuring and handling radiation."

................................. So....isn't that a case for getting rid of the bums? So, what's the answer? Give them millions so they can go somewhere and study Radiation Measuring and Handling 101???

“This is not an appropriate way to deal with the desire of the public (for transparency) said Martin Schulz, a senior research fellow at the Fujitsu Research Institute.

Dear Martin, did you do your Phd in Understatement?

I think Martin has been Japanified.....

Don't hold your breaths waiting for some hard-hitting objective journalism from the boys at NHK either.

Okay, I need to get back to the really important news. How is the figure skating going?

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Its ok for the TEPCO management because there office is in Tokyo far enough away from the issue, out of sight out of mind.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

“We have been repeatedly pushing TEPCO to release strontium data since November. It should not take them this long to release this information.”

For goodness' sake, the tail is wagging the dog here! Who the hell has the teeth to make TEPCO do the right thing? It's pathetic. Didn't the government say it was taking control of the situation?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Business as usual in Japan

6 ( +7 / -1 )

There seems to be no end to their evil.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I can almost hear the collective sigh and "shouganai" from the people who bother to pay attention to this, if it's even reported in the media with Abe's secrecy laws. What will come of this? NOTHING. TEPCO will simply say they did not "want to confuse people" or that they, "didn't know", both of which could fall under criminal negligence given the circumstances. But hey, it's Japan. Where they otherwise would have been broken up and sold off, here they are celebrated and given bailouts and bonuses to the execs, while the execs decide to jack up utility costs.

TEPCO is too big, and the government too corrupt, for the company to fail. And by 'fail' I mean, of course, actually face consequences for all their failures.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Abe is scheduled to visit towns around the Fukushima plant later this week.

Perfect timing PM Shinzo, go armed with 500,000 Radiation Emergency Kits J Govt has stockpiled. Machines for testing internal contamination too Thank You...... Each Kit includes Prussian Blue (Ferric Hexacyanoferrate) for the removal of radioactive Cesium absorption in the body. Zinc and or Calcium DTPA (They do the same thing but the Zinc DTPA is more easy on the system) for the removal of radioactive Plutonium, Yttrium, Amercium, Uranium(good within the first 4 hours for Uranium removal). Sodium Alginate along with Calcium Gluconate and Ammonium Chloride for the removal of radioactive Strontium. Potassium Phosphate for the removal of radioactive phosphate. Penicillamine for the removal of radioactive Cobalt, Iridium and Palladium.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Doesn't the government have an EPA? There should be some government agency watching out for these things. Japan should be monitoring the air, water, and soil all over Japan. You need to know that base and any changes. If N Korea does a nuclear test, you should fist see it in the air. Same for a problem at a nuclear plant. They still don't have an accurate picture of the radiation spread. Insane to have all those reactors and no monitoring.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

TEPCO, the economy, Japan, the EU, the US. Many dangerous things are going on right now, but the MSM (NHK, CNBC, BBC, etc) are painting rosy pictures or ignoring it. This is clear evidence that the the elite/corporations are trying to control the truth and our lives. It's so frustrating to have such dishonest and evil people as leaders. Books and movies have told us about this for years, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and my favorite movies were the 70's Silent Running and Soylent Green. I have to admit, I never thought it would come to this, but it has.

I'm glad JT is in Japan and not the States, the NSA is gonna have to spend a few more seconds reading this.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Totally unavoidable I'm sure!

/sarcasm

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The legal limit for releasing strontium into the ocean is 30 becquerels per liter.

So 5 million becquerels per liter of radioactive strontium-90 should see at least the top 3 or 4 echelons of management in court being charged for committing this illegal act. Just to start with, then reel off every other illegal act, practice and event that this POS company has committed. Should be enough to keep them all tied up in court for the next 250 years.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Ka chan

Japan's Atomic Energy Agency (AEA) reported a nuclear accident from all the way in China on October 2011. You can best believe they have the technology and know the spread of contaminates in Japan.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Where are the fines? Where are the people in jail? Meanwhile Tepco posts record profits!

It doesn't compute!?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Here is the thing, and while I shouldn't have to say.. I for the most part love Japan and its people it is my home...However... there is a massive problem here, if the government has shown they are incapable or unwilling to better manage not just this incident but this crucial time where other power plants want to restart the PEOPLE need to do something about it, voting in a pro-nuclear (along with several other undesirable traits) party certainly was a step backwards in this specific but extremely important issue.

In most other democratic countries at this point and probably far earlier the vast majority of people would have gotten together and refused to pay Tepco a cent/yen until they actually start taking responsibility and putting actually planning and action into place to address they disaster they caused..

And yet nearly a single person in my office, or amongst my Japanese friends ever even mentions this whole thing.. like it never, and isn't happening.. it makes me very sad.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

State secrets! Arrest them, arrest them all!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Everything is hidden from everyone in this country!

5 ( +7 / -2 )

I don't know which is more alarming. The fact they withheld the information or the fact their reading were inaccurate. Who is in charge of the testing? Are they professionals or a bunch of monkeys from the zoo?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Tepco #1...no other choice

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Honesty and integrity have been shown to be completely absent, democracy is failing as the elected representatives of Japan look the other way!

In the meantime the radionuclides continue to increase.....

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Withheld? They HID something they knew will rise the public anger!

From day 1 I am asking why independent supervision is not allowed at the site. And now when the state has taken the most shares in TEPCO (or am I wrong?) its agency is still not checking on place for themselves but relying on Tepco's readings?

Beyond my comprehension - as much TEPCO is at fault is the government letting them continue lying to us...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

A lot of hoo-ha here about arresting people and putting them on trial, but that isn't the Japanese way, is it? To do such things would break the wa and there is a lot of wa holding this baby from going ballistic!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

shhh, it's a secret, nobody should ever even know.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Just don't look and then it is not there. We will all know when the Japanese and tourists alike start dying like flies.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

According to TEPCO, the news reports, originating from Jiji News, are wrong. They reported the new reading to the NRA when they discovered it themselves, on February 5th.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/announcements/2014/1234213_5932.html

0 ( +0 / -0 )

As long as people keep their protests on blogs nothing will change.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This news story gets 30 comments ... Some story about china and/or Korea gets hundreds and hundreds.... Depressing.

Fix home first people !!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The actions of Tepco tell you everything you need to know about how the power elites work in this country. . But nothing ever changes.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This news story gets 30 comments ... Some story about china and/or Korea gets hundreds and hundreds.... Depressing.

You're onto something... maybe all this nationalism is just a distraction for the nuclear disaster...

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Dave that's depressing, but probably true. Add a volcanic eruption, and a long overdue earthquake an inept Government and dis functional relationship with neighbours, massive debt, poorly trained response teams top to bottom, slow response lack of accountability, clueless population. Not going to end well.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

So apparently the fuel has melted through? Isn't that like one of the worst case scenarios?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Eiji Takano

Exactly.... Spread the word........

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This is the norm for TEPCO's actions and inactions, is anyone really surprised? The only surprise, is that people still think the government wants a change in the way things are done. If they wanted change, someone in TEPCO would be held responsible for these endless mistakes, miss information or lack of it. Instead, it's business as usual, with record profits.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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