Sunday May 27, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Tokyo 'not doing enough' for Fukushima: Greenpeace

National Dec. 08, 2011 - 06:05AM JST ( 19 )

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19 Comments

2

CrickyDec. 08, 2011 - 07:46AM JST

Think it's been and being proven the Government are hapless,corrupt and simply don't care, these people (residents) are an embarrassment to it. Citizen groups have to test the food and environment themselves, as the disaster unfolds so to does the complete ineptitud of Official response.
2

jojo_in_japanDec. 08, 2011 - 08:16AM JST

Dear Greenpeace ... pls read the article called, "Japan using quake disaster budget for whaling aid"
0

Elbuda MexicanoDec. 08, 2011 - 09:17AM JST

Bless GreenPeace's heart!!
2

Elbuda MexicanoDec. 08, 2011 - 09:18AM JST

May I add Tokyo does not care about Fukushima and it's victims!!
0

Darren BrannanDec. 08, 2011 - 09:30AM JST

There is a movement underway at present by a group of scholars suggesting that the radioactive soil be put in barrels and dumped at sea. http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/12/university-researchers-lets-dump.html Given that the current approach of local governments rallying citizens to use power cleaners to 'decontaminate' buildings and soil has been proven to be an abject failure, then in the cases of the worst hotspots the government is not doing what is right, but what is expedient. The people who were forcibly evacuated get the most compensation from the government, but the caveat is that they have lost everything. For those who voluntarily left or decided to stay in even the most contaminated areas, the remuneration is lower and they must live with the spectre of radiation poisoning for probably the rest of their lives. It is a lose-lose situation for the citizens of Fukushima. The cleanup has largely been left to local citizen volunteers and NPO groups and there is neither a satisfactory means of decontaminating the area nor a place to store the contaminated soils. It certainly seems that the situation has been dropped by the national government and let's be honest, Tepco still hasn't got the shituation under control either.
0

Ted BarreraDec. 08, 2011 - 09:55AM JST

The government needs to be restricted to a diet of radioactive whale meat, since they're more supportive of this heinous 'tradition' than its own people.
-1

ReformedBasherDec. 08, 2011 - 11:51AM JST

Why don't Greenpeace go to Fukushima and help with the cleanup? If they can afford ships to stop whaling, they can afford radiations suits.
0

cleoDec. 08, 2011 - 12:01PM JST

Why don't Greenpeace go to Fukushima and help with the cleanup? If they can afford ships to stop whaling, they can afford radiations suits.

They're doing what they have the expertise to do and what the Japanese government is not doing, ie monitoring contamination, analysing samples, identifying dangerous areas and urging that people be moved from them.
0

Star-vikingDec. 08, 2011 - 12:41PM JST

You know, for a radiation expert, it's strange that Ike Teuling doesn't show up on Google Scholar at all.
-4

smithinjapanDec. 08, 2011 - 12:50PM JST

What is Greenpeace talking about?? Japan has admitted they are donating money earmarked for reconstruction towards whaling! How is that not helping!!?? (sarcasm off).

As usual, criticism of the government on Fukushima is bang on, while the government just grumbles, ignores it, and instead spends the money on vested interests (like whaling).
-1

WilliBDec. 08, 2011 - 01:10PM JST

Greenpeace will be happy to hear that Tokyo is using reconstruction money to support their whaling fleet.
0

The_the_in_the_wayDec. 08, 2011 - 01:28PM JST

I think the most anyone could do for the residents of Fukushima is to get everyone out that is willing to go and make sure they have a decent place to live.

I never believed decontamination was practical or possible and each month only makes me more sure. The Japanese seem to want to separate themselves from the Russians, but the Russians are looking far more intelligent for abandoning the Chernobyl area than try to clean it.
0

MaboDofuIsSpicyDec. 08, 2011 - 02:24PM JST

What is with all the whaling comments. Talk about being off topic! geeze

The govt is working hard at it. The just passed a bill promoting the 2020 Olympics be attempted.

How much more do you expect them to do in one session?
0

m5c32Dec. 08, 2011 - 02:43PM JST

This is such an obvious ploy by Greenpeace to make a PR coup in Japan to generate goodwill which they would hope to leverage to turn Japanese against whaling.

Taking advantage of people's precarious situation like this is very unsavory and abhorrent.

This from me, someone who would personally oppose whaling. GP's stunts are coming close to making me want to HATE whales and wish someone would just pull the plug on them so that GP would stop its antics and get back to the actual business of promoting 'green' practices.
-1

naruhodo1Dec. 08, 2011 - 02:49PM JST

Im with the govt. They dont want to use my tax money to evacute. Which is great. I blame all the stubborn ones risking their lives and the lives of their children for fear. Fear of change. Fear of moving outside of their beloved fukushima. Welfare for those poor people. It does exist u know. That what u get for not studying ar school and want to be a poor farmer. Cant find work in the city? Right? Lesson to all farmers, educate your children so they could move around and not be limited. Anyone that puts trust in others (govt etc) to dictate their lives deserve what they get. Do what u have to survive and keep your family safe. No sympathy from me.
0

Star-vikingDec. 08, 2011 - 03:12PM JST

And another thing, why do we get all these news stories from Greenpeace, but no sign of a basic report on that the news story concerns?
0

Star-vikingDec. 08, 2011 - 10:52PM JST

cleo Dec. 08, 2011 - 12:01PM JST

"Why don't Greenpeace go to Fukushima and help with the cleanup? If they can afford ships to stop whaling, they can afford radiations suits."

They're doing what they have the expertise to do and what the Japanese government is not doing, ie monitoring contamination, analysing samples, identifying dangerous areas and urging that people be moved from them.

Well if they're doing that then why can't they provide more details in the form of a report? We get these Greenpeace pronouncements all the time, and most of them could have been produced by someone sitting in front of a computer half a world away. Look at this for example:

"Teuling said tests showed “radioactive hotspots” with radiation “hundred times higher than the background radiation.”

Some figures would be nice. It would be even better if they could provide their sampling data.
0

cleoDec. 08, 2011 - 11:03PM JST

Well if they're doing that then why can't they provide more details in the form of a report?......Some figures would be nice. It would be even better if they could provide their sampling data.

Why do people assume that just because something isn't wrapped in ribbon, delivered to their door and read out loud to them personally, that it isn't there?

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/nuclear/safety/accidents/Fukushima-nuclear-disaster/Radiation-field-team/
0

Star-vikingDec. 13, 2011 - 12:59PM JST

Thanks Cleo, though I was more after a report - it's standard in science to present your survey finding in a report form.

Looking at the data, on the spreadsheet link on the page you linked to, In the highest reading (in an area of a park), you'd be looking at just under 14 millisieverts per year, if you stayed in the park all year. Other areas could face lower, and eyeballing the figures I'd guess around 5 millisieverts per year. The former is above the Earth's range of background radiation exposure, the latter much lower.

However, not having a report we don't know if the samplers sought out areas of high levels of radiation, or just took random samples in order to get an average reading for an area.

The reported levels in the newspaper this Sunday was 0.99 microsieverts per hour in Fuskushima City - equivalent to a yearly exposure of 8 millisieverts per year. That's pretty much in the balpark Greenpeace are reporting, and so I have to wonder about their media approach - they seem to be sensationalizing things.

That said, J-Gov should be surveying the area.

In Yamagata, we've got around 0.042 microsieverts per hour - so we're looking at 0.3 milliseiverts per year (though the historical high in the 1993-2009 period was twice that.