JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Mizuame's past comments

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  MizuameMay. 16, 2011 - 02:35PM JST

  A cheaper alternative to giant sea walls would be building tsunami escape platforms, say made of steel and 35 meters high with a spiral staircase, every 200 meters or so.

  Posted in: How one Japanese village defied the tsunami

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  MizuameMar. 27, 2011 - 10:03AM JST

  I suspect these reactors could have been successfully cooled from straight after the quake and tsunami, but they bungled it and now it has gotten this bad that the American government has to tell them to stop using sea water

  It comes down to the difficulties the government faced in proritizing immediately after the quake. Seen in hindsight, prority could have been given to rigging power lines to Fukishima No.1. But grasping the scale of the overall tsunami disaster and quickly saving human lives in the coastline areas was naturally seen as more important. Kan's initial speech simply said the reactors had safely shut down, which was true.

  Posted in: Edano criticizes TEPCO for series of mistakes on nuclear plant

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  MizuameMar. 27, 2011 - 08:28AM JST

  Sending in young untrained lesser-paid workers from a subcontracter into the most highly radiated area, not providing them with adequate footwear, and not instructing them to respond to their dosometer alarms is criminal.

  Posted in: Edano criticizes TEPCO for series of mistakes on nuclear plant

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  MizuameMar. 23, 2011 - 11:08AM JST

  Agree with many of the comments on this thread. Japanese television and newspaper media coverage has been good and detailed, if somewhat circumscribed due to cautious official statements and the kisha club system. An initial tendency by some local reporters to use press conferences to try to embarrass spokespersons fortunately seems to have given way to a better, information gathering atmosphere. Overseas media has tended to be sensationalistic and circumscribed by an inability to quickly and fully grasp Japanese language announcements and reporting. New York Times eletronic edition has been better than most, although it oversensationalized remarks by the US nuclear regulatory commission chairman. LA Times has had some scoops on the nuclar issues. As usual, CNN has been overly sensational, too US-focused (even on its international site) and coverage is delayed (news is not much updated between 8pm and 8am, Atlanta time).

  Posted in: What would you say are the main differences between the way the Japanese and foreign media are covering the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the ongoing nuclear crisis?

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  MizuameMar. 18, 2011 - 01:23PM JST

  There seems to be an amazing lack of real time online radiation monitoring sites around Tokyo. There is coverage with multiple sensor positions at a J. gov't site of Yokosuka, Sasebo and White Beach in Okinawa, all south of Tokyo. The rationale seems to be that the main radiation danger is from USN ships. There is a NGO site with a single sensor at Hino, to the west of Tokyo. But as for Tokkyo itself and the area between Tokyo and Fukushima, there seems to be nothing...

  Posted in: Geiger counters sell out in Akihabara over radiation fears

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  MizuameFeb. 01, 2011 - 05:42PM JST

  Han Chinese have tended to be expansionist. Traditionally they did not control Manchuria, inner Mongolia, Tibet, Uighuristan or Taiwan, all of which now are claimed by the PRC in addition to certain sea areas extending up to Japan and in the south China Sea, a long way from Chinese shores. The Chinese population is inceasing in Japan, and Chinese purchases of rural property in Japan have been increasing recently. China has been able to greatly increase allocations to military spending and young Chinese, denied proper access to information from outside China, often seem aggressive in their comments about countries such as Japan and the US. The trends point to a vital need for a continued US military presence in East Asia, as well as efforts to inform and educate.

  Posted in: As China grows more assertive, U.S., Japan push back

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  MizuameJul. 23, 2009 - 05:25PM JST

  Some of these women are probably just going through the ritual in order to say to Mama that they've been trying.

  Posted in: Praying for a hubby

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  MizuameJul. 07, 2009 - 10:57AM JST

  Because of Japan's heavy reliance on Iranian oil, the suspicion is that Amano may "go easy" on the Iranians at certain key times. But maybe a softer approach is more likely to keep the Iranians talking... By contrast, the election of Amano is unlikely to be an encouraging factor for moving the North Koreans back to accepting IAEA safeguards. The North Koreans would tend to expect a Japanese DG to be confrontational rather than conciliatory.

  Posted in: Yukiya Amano and the coming nuclear duel between Iran and the West

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  MizuameMar. 25, 2008 - 07:24PM JST

  Queen of the Shiseido billboard!

  Posted in: Ebi-chan

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