JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Blair Herron's past comments

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  Blair HerronMay. 28, 2012 - 09:39AM JST

  Edano says he didn't deliberately mislead public about extent of nuclear crisis

  Maybe he didn’t deliberately mislead public, but a lot of people including some JT readers were fooled as I can see the majority of the posters were praising him when he was appointed as the minister of METI last September.

  http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/edano-to-be-next-industry-and-trade-minister#comment_1063281

  Posted in: Edano says he didn't deliberately mislead public about extent of nuclear crisis

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  Blair HerronMay. 27, 2012 - 04:27PM JST

  These people have the easiest jobs, take holidays, & have better pensions, their pay shud be cut more!

  My husband is a civil servant (Coast Guard).

  The easiest jobs=risk his life to save other people

  Take holidays=when we were about to go to TDL, his cell phone rang. Within 15 minutes, he’s gone.

  Have better pensions=maybe so, I don’t know.

  Their pay should be cut more=we move around from one place to another every 2~3 years throughout the country. Always in deficit. We save money for the next transfer.

  He never complains about the salary cuts because he's more proud to serve the country❤

  Posted in: 241 civil servants file suit over salary cuts

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  Blair HerronMay. 26, 2012 - 03:07PM JST

  The current radiation level in Fukushima is 36 MICRO-Sv/hour

  Where in Fukushima? Not the whole prefecture I believe.

  “Suzuki Construction” Okuma town, Fukushima: 38microSV/hr

  “Ashinomaki Onsen” Aizuwakamatsu city, Fukushima: 0.07microSV/hr (5.22.2012)

  http://www.nnistar.com/gmap/fukushima.html

  http://www.city.aizuwakamatsu.fukushima.jp/ja/joho/kankyo/radial/radial_original.htm

  FYI, “Mizumoto Koen” Katsushika-ku, Tokyo: 0.2~0.5 microSV/hr (12.7.2011)

  http://www.city.katsushika.lg.jp/dbps_data/_material_/_files/000/000/012/613/chuou-a.pdf

  Posted in: WHO releases mixed Fukushima radiation report

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  Blair HerronMay. 25, 2012 - 07:50PM JST

  Christopher Cheung,

  Of course. It's logical to think like that because it is a fact.Take a look at this map:

  http://gunma.zamurai.jp/pub/2012/0305Gmap.jpg

  According to the map as of December 2011, all of those cities and towns that were affected by the tsunami are still being hit with radiation from the Fukushima fallouts.

  According to the map you provided, Yamada and Otsuchi town where Shimada city will accept debris are not affected (or at least less than 0.125microSv/hr)

  山田町(Yamada town) and 大槌町(Otsuchi town) are located between 釜石(Kamaishi) and 宮古(Miyako)

  http://www.pref.iwate.jp/view.rbz?cd=3237

  Posted in: City in Shizuoka starts incinerating tsunami debris

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  Blair HerronMay. 24, 2012 - 10:21PM JST

  First, I can find no solid information on the Kobe debris vs. the Tohoku debris. Second, the debris is going to be of vastly differing forms - collapsed urban structures vs. a pounded mix of trees, wooden structures, plastics, chemicals, sewage, and I'm sure a lot of other stuff. The decaying matter gives off methane, and poses a health hazard if left alone.

  [according to environment ministry: 4.16.2012]

  ＊Kobe debris: 19,800,000t (93% was disposed locally)

  ＊Tohoku debris: 22,495,000t (82% will be disposed locally)

  (Iwate:4,220,000t)

  (Miyagi:14,443,000t)

  (Fukushima:1,857,000t)

  Because it was largely suited for landfill?

  Yes. Kobe debris was mostly concrete and asphalt.

  the debris is going to be of vastly differing forms - collapsed urban structures vs. a pounded mix of trees, wooden structures, plastics, chemicals, sewage, and I'm sure a lot of other stuff. The decaying matter gives off methane, and poses a health hazard if left alone.

  Yes. (according to TV Asahi)

  Tohoku do not have enough facilities to dispose all hazardous material, such as things covered by heavy oil.

  http://ameblo.jp/idiotic-uncle/entry-11227245393.html

  Posted in: Demonstrators block delivery of tsunami debris in Kitakyushu

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  Blair HerronMay. 18, 2012 - 09:54AM JST

  Too many variables which could go wrong imminently

  Maybe so, but I think at least it’s worth knowing there are possible alternatives.

  had a long reply ready to go and my browser ate it. Will send later.

  kk :)

  （ホンネ：え゛～まだやんの…）

  Posted in: Oi assembly agrees to restart 2 reactors

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  Blair HerronMay. 17, 2012 - 12:00AM JST

  SuidBert, zichi, thank YOU :)

  Posted in: Oi assembly agrees to restart 2 reactors

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  Blair HerronMay. 16, 2012 - 10:16AM JST

  One problem I would have with Haruki Madarame, is that I think for most of last year he was in kind of denial. Being the top commissioner for nuclear safety I would have thought he had his finger on the button for dealing with the nuclear disaster, but we heard almost nothing from him, until he appeared before the Diet Commission last Jan/Feb?

  I’m not sure what Madarame is up to now. In March he said he wants to quit because he is exhausted mentally.

  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nn20120311a6.html

  Posted in: Oi assembly agrees to restart 2 reactors

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  Blair HerronMay. 16, 2012 - 10:02AM JST

  Who is Iida Tesuya, and what are his qualifications?

  He is the head of ISEP(Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies) and attends Osaka Energy Strategy Council.

  http://www.isep.or.jp/e/Eng_index.html

  http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm17579019

  From the web he seems to be a geologist/environmentalist, not a power expert. Also, are there any translations available of his comments?

  Masao Takano, associate professor of earth environmental systems at Nagoya University, is skeptical of arguments that nuclear power is indispensable for propping up the Japanese economy. “It is mistaken to believe that (the economy) would not be able to survive without nuclear power,” he said. He compared last summer’s peak electricity demand projected by each utility against its capacity to supply energy through power plants other than nuclear facilities. TEPCO had a surplus of 3.8 percent, and KEPCO had a surplus of 5.2 percent, according to Takano’s research. Takano said overall, the utilities will have no problems supplying power this summer.

  http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201202160062

  But do they have the excess capacity? I assume they already have people they supply power to.

  I don’t have any further info for that, sorry.

  So if KEPCO faces a shortfall of around 20% it needs around 5.6 GW, gels with the Asahi article above.

  KEPCO’s shortage percentage changes quite often. They said:

  April 23: 16.3% shortage

  May 6: 14.9% (with Oi NPPs)

  May 10: 14.9% (without Oi NPPs)

  May 15 (yesterday): 5% (without Oi NPPs according to KEPCO employee Yamane Motoki at Osaka Energy Strategy Council)

  http://sankei.jp.msn.com/life/news/120515/trd12051514520009-n1.htm

  TEPCO area saved power 18% last summer. KEPCO projects Kansai area would save power 3%. (Kansai people don’t like setsuden?) Kansai could save more power according to Kazuhiro Ueda (政府受給検証委員会government panel)

  http://www.at-douga.com/?p=5329

  What are the possibilities if they were as hot as 2010?

  I have only one source to answer that question since KEPCO changes numbers quite often. (KEPCO employee Yamane Motoki said they don’t want to disclose the numbers because people start calculating.)

  The max demand in 2010 in Kansai was 31,380,000kw.

  Pro. Takano’s calculation (according to Agency for natural resources and energy white book電源開発の概要2010) shows KEPCO can generate total power of 38,600,000kw(with NPPs), 34,080,000kw(without NPPs)

  http://www.at-douga.com/?p=4811

  I am still waiting for further detail how KEPCO has come up with the number of 5% shortage this summer.

  I never ignore your posts Blair, always good stuff in them.

  Thank you. I remember you are the only poster that left comments for “pumped hydro” thing.

  Posted in: Oi assembly agrees to restart 2 reactors

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  Blair HerronMay. 15, 2012 - 10:25PM JST

  The article also states that, according to the stress test, the reactors have a massive safety margin before meltdowns could occur.

  Yes. I hope the stress test proves it’s safe although some experts I posted above say the stress test is insufficient.

  There are also some changes need to be made if they restart the reactors.

  *Oi NPPs need to set up vent systems with filters attached in order to reduce the risk of the release of radioactive substances in the event of a sever nuclear accident.

  *Oi NPPs need to set up earthquake-proof accident management facilities.

  *Oi NPPs need permanent electricity generation systems for emergencies.

  All these three above are the ones on the timetable of 30 safety measures required by the government. They don’t have them yet. Edano said Oi NPPs are “more or less safe”. “More or less safety” makes me worried.

  Posted in: Oi assembly agrees to restart 2 reactors

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  Blair HerronMay. 15, 2012 - 07:43PM JST

  They obviously see the oi reactors a safer option for restart, as the region sees far fewer earthquakes than the rest of japan. With it not being on the pacific coast either the tsunami risk is far far lower too.

  I see big active faults near Oi NPPs on the map. NISA told KEPCO that it should plan for the possibility of a simultaneous rupture along underwater faults near the plant as well as the land-based Kumagawa fault. Those faults have a combined length of 63 kilometers.

  http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201203290069

  Posted in: Oi assembly agrees to restart 2 reactors

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  Blair HerronMay. 15, 2012 - 03:16PM JST

  The central government last month said reactors No. 3 and No. 4 at Kansai Electric Power Co’s plant in Oi, 360 km west of Tokyo, were safe to restart.

  Masashi Goto, a former nuclear power plant designer, and Hiromitsu Ino, emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo, who both served as members of an advisory committee to Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) for the stress tests criticized the narrow scope of the test criteria and the lack of citizen involvement.

  Ino said, “The stress tests are an “optimistic desk simulation. It doesn’t look at complex scenarios, such as system-wide failure due to the aging of the plant, or human error."

  Goto said “Even the scenarios for the two disasters the tests purport to simulate are insufficient. The tsunami was not just an issue of water; there was rubble and boats flowing in, large amounts of fuel, fires out at sea (just like what happened in Kesennuma)—none of those factors were considered."

  NISA decided to ignore the experts’ advice. The final version was submitted to the NSC for checking.

  http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201202010057

  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120209b2.html

  Haruki Madarame, the NSC chairman, said, “The initial assessment is insufficient to determine the safety of a plant. The secondary evaluation should involve.”

  PM Noda and other 3 ministers decided to ignore what the NSC chairman said, which is by the way against the law. Atomic Energy Basic Act, Chapter II Article 5: The Nuclear Safety Commission shall plan, deliberate on and determine the matters related to ensuring safety among the matters related to the research, development and utilization of nuclear energy.

  http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201203240040

  http://www.nsc.go.jp/NSCenglish/documents/laws/1.pdf

  Some experts of NISA and NSC say those reactors are not safe enough, but the government says they are safe!?!?!?!

  Posted in: Oi assembly agrees to restart 2 reactors

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  Blair HerronMay. 15, 2012 - 08:21AM JST

  I am honestly looking for alternatives, as I often hear people say, we don't need to restart these plants, but they never offer alternatives, or how to cope.

  I often post alternatives, but I am often ignored somehow… :'( I don’t know the long term effect, but according to some experts we could get through this summer without NPPs.

  “Koide Hiroaki (assistant professor of Kyoto University)”

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTx942kwh94

  “Sharing excess power could avert summer supply crisis” by Asahi Shimbun

  http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201204100065

  Iida Tetsuya

  http://www.at-douga.com/?p=5022

  Takano Masao (professor of Nayoya uni)

  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjsp9n_yyyyyy-yyyyyyyy-1-2_news

  LNG projects based on shale gas have been proposed to partially meet Japan’s LNG needs.

  http://nippon.com/en/in-depth/a00303/

  There are a number of IPP: Independent Power Producer, such as Sumitomo Kinzoku Co., Osaka gas, Kanden Plant Co., …and many others.

  http://www.shikoku.meti.go.jp/soshiki/skh_d6/9_info/top/e-arekore.htm

  KEPCO supply capacity: 27,600,000kw

  http://www.facebook.com/kanden.jp

  The number of days when peak electricity demand exceeded supply (27,600,000kw) in 2011:1 day　[August 9, 2011 for 4 hours (demand: 27,850,000kw)]

  If this summer is as hot as last summer, blackout possibility in Kansai area would be one day (out of 365 days).

  Posted in: Oi assembly agrees to restart 2 reactors

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  Blair HerronMay. 15, 2012 - 07:35AM JST

  I cannot go to the website and open

  I’m sorry, I cut and pasted my old post. NHK has already removed the old news. The following is the latest one. (I couldn’t find an English site. The map of Japan could help, I hope)

  [power shortage this summer(><)]

  Hokkaido Epco 1.9%, Kyushu Epco 2.2%, KEPCO 14.9%

  [excess of supply over demand this summer(^_^)b]

  Tohoku Epco 3.8%, TEPCO 4.5%, Chubu Epco 5.2%, Hokuriku Epco 3.6%, Chugoku Epco 4.5%, Shikoku Epco 0.3%.

  http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20120512/k10015077891000.html

  Posted in: Gov't seeks 20% cut in electricity use in central, western Japan

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  Blair HerronMay. 15, 2012 - 12:18AM JST

  @globalwatcher

  Just in case you missed the news…

  According to government panel,

  [power shortage this summer(><)]

  Hokkaido Epco 3.1%, Kyushu Epco 3.7%, KEPCO 16.3%

  [excess of supply over demand this summer(^_^)b]

  Tohoku Epco 2.9%, TEPCO 4.5%, Chubu Epco 5.2%, Hokuriku Epco 3.6%, Chugoku Epco 4.5%, Shikoku Epco 0.3%.

  http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20120423/k10014649401000.html

  [KEPCO supply capacity]　according to KEPCO Facebook on February 14. (all NPPs are stopped)

  27,600,000kw

  http://www.facebook.com/kanden.jp

  The number of days when peak electricity demand exceeded supply (27,600,000kw) in 2011

  1 day　[August 9, 2011 for 4 hours (demand: 27,850,000kw)]

  If this summer is as hot as last summer, blackout possibility in Kansai area would be one day (out of 365 days). If it is hotter than 2010, Kansai ppl would have problems.

  Posted in: Gov't seeks 20% cut in electricity use in central, western Japan

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  Blair HerronMay. 15, 2012 - 12:03AM JST

  This is still May and it is already hitting a 83% usage point today according to the stats (Tepco)..

  TEPCO’s max supply capacity is 56,000,000~ 60,000,000kw (TEPCO says 56,000,000kw, some experts say 60,000,000kw) The last summer max demand was 49,220,000kw (8/18/2012)

  Today’s max supply was 39,000,000kw and 83% usage. They don’t have to generate max capacity every day. That’s waste of energy. It is still May and the temperature is around 20C. So they didn’t generate max.

  Posted in: Gov't seeks 20% cut in electricity use in central, western Japan

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  Blair HerronMay. 14, 2012 - 04:57PM JST

  I don't understand why there was no ac on trains since has far as I can tell, every major rail line generates their own power?

  According to JR EAST, Yamanote, Keihin-tohoku, Chuo, and Takasaki lines are generated by their own power. The other trains and other facilities (stations, railroad crossings…) get power from TEPCO.

  http://eco.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/news/20110323/106188/

  Posted in: Gov't seeks 20% cut in electricity use in central, western Japan

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  Blair HerronMay. 14, 2012 - 03:57PM JST

  You can check 電気予報 (TEPCO Electricity Forecast).

  Today: stable (^_^)

  http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/forecast/html/index-e.html

  KEPCO area is stable, too (83% right now)

  http://www.kepco.co.jp/setsuden/graph/index.html

  Posted in: Gov't seeks 20% cut in electricity use in central, western Japan

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  Blair HerronMay. 07, 2012 - 09:15PM JST

  many older folks will die of the heat, as they do every year, both outside in the fields and inside at home, but how many of those will be related to lack of nuclear power will be hard to judge.

  According to Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, death toll from heatstroke

  2011 (5/30~9/11): 72

  2010: 1,718

  2009: 213

  http://www.fdma.go.jp/neuter/topics/heatstroke/pdf/230913_sokuhouti.pdf

  Last year's death toll was the lowest in the past three years even if we were imposed to setsuden.

  Posted in: Nuclear-free Japan braces for summer power shortages

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  Blair HerronMay. 06, 2012 - 05:21PM JST

  I have never seen a tornado this big in Japan!!!

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q60ztaPtuo8&feature=related

  Posted in: 14-yr-old boy killed, dozens injured after tornado hits Tsukuba

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