zichi's past comments

  • 0

    zichi

    wanderlust you are right but by law the power companies are suppose to set aside a percentage from the power charges to pay for the decommissioning of their reactors, but come daylight, I think we'll discover they didn't and will hold out a begging hand to get public funds to pay for it.

    Posted in: Power companies hope for quick screening of nuclear plants

  • 0

    zichi

    The Joker in the pack remains the governors of the prefectures with NPP's and the gov't normally seeks their approval before starting a reactor but considering they haven't been receiving the billions of comfort money since the reactors have been shut down that most will be happy to have restarts again. But at least two, the governors of Niigata and Fukushima said they'll oppose any reactor restarts. Will the gov't just go over their heads?

    Prior to the 3/11 disaster, 35 reactors generated about 27% of total power but even with restarts I doubt the power companies will ever be able to reach that level again. For whatever reason, I think there are about 20 reactors which won't be able to be restarted, so its unlikely nuclear energy will be able to generate more than 15% of total power.

    Power companies like KEPCO have been increasing their monthly power charges so when it restarts 4 reactors will it be decreasing those monthly charges?

    Posted in: Power companies hope for quick screening of nuclear plants

  • 3

    zichi

    Ihope2eatwhales The Fin whale remained a listed endangered species. No make believe. Icelandic whalers leave their open waters and hunt the Fin whale in international waters. 60,000 is a not a large number for this species, that's why its listed. The Japanese didn't catch a single Fin whale this year. World opinion is all endangered species should not be hunted and killed.

    Posted in: Iceland kills first fin whales in controversial hunt

  • 0

    zichi

    There are thousands of Zappa tapes which were never released.

    Posted in: Van Halen opens first tour of Japan in 15 years

  • 4

    zichi

    All the major food companies in Britain which supply fish to the public and to all those fish and chip shops no longer buy from any company which also carries out whaling. These companies will make less money from whaling than from fishing.

    Posted in: Iceland kills first fin whales in controversial hunt

  • 5

    zichi

    A country like Japan which is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, thousands of active fault line, volcanos and so on should never have built nuclear power plants unless it was willing and able to withstand all those powerful forces, which Fukushima shows if nothing else that it couldn't do that.

    Once the summer elections are over we'll see the start of 8-10 reactors from Hokaido to Kyushu even before those atomic plants have increased the levels of their safety standards. At least three or four reactors will be fuelled with MOX fuels.

    Posted in: Power companies hope for quick screening of nuclear plants

  • 5

    zichi

    The whaling company has a quota to hunt and kill about 185 Fin whales, and have already killed one and dragged it back to port. The Fin whale remains a listed endangered species. There are only about 60,000 remaining in the all the oceans. The Japanese too try and hunt for Fin whale in the Southern Oceans but didn't catch one this year because there are so few down there. The Icelanic whalers have to leave Its own waters to hunt and catch the Fin whales whose meat is destined entirely to be exported to Japan. Iceland continues to defy world opinion on hunting the Fin whale.

    Posted in: Iceland kills first fin whales in controversial hunt

  • 18

    zichi

    Shigeru Ishiba, secretary-general of the LDP stated, "The LDP suffered a crushing defeat in the election for the House of Representatives in 2009, but the party is now sincere, humble and honest."

    Guess the LDP forgot to inform LDP policy chief Sanae Takaichi of their new badge of honor.

    LDP policy chief Sanae Takaichi called for the restart of off-line nuclear reactors, noting that no one had died from the March 2011 Fukushima disaster.

    Well, actually two young engineers were killed on 3/11 and another TEPCO worker was killed at the Fukushima No2 plant, which came within 60 minutes of having its own meltdowns. Several people died from being evacuated. Several have committed suicide. Several workers have died at the plant.

    160,000 nuclear refugee's are suffering from various levels of stress and hardships with little hope in the near future they'll be able to return to their former communities. Meanwhile, they are still required to pay mortgages on homes they can't live in, and car loans on cars they can no longer drive. It will cost the average family about ¥10 million just to replace the lost of their personal belongings.

    I would guess following the summer elections, win or lose, we'll see at least 8-10 reactor restarts before the end of the year even though when Abe came to office, he stated no reactors would be started until new safety standards were agreed and the reactors inspected to ensure they meet those new standards.

    Regardless of the new slogans, the LDP is the same old LDP which ran the country for the past 50 years, including building the nuclear energy industry and overseeing all the previous safety standards.

    Posted in: LDP policy chief apologizes for Fukushima disaster gaffe

  • 2

    zichi

    All water at the Fukushima site, whether its groundwater, cooling and even sea water inside the sea wall is contaminated with something or other. TEPCO covered the seabed inside the seawall and now needs to close off the seawall completely so none of the contaminated waters can reach the open sea, which is currently happening. TEPCO bought that enormous floating platform for some tens of millions and could be used again to pump out the seawater from inside the seawall.

    Posted in: TEPCO finds highly toxic strontium in Fukushima plant groundwater

  • 2

    zichi

    You can only belong to the American Club and the Kobe Club for Foreigners if (a)you are very rich or (b)the club fees are paid by your company, which would require a very high level in the company. Those fees don't include the expensive bar tabs, restaurant tabs and the loads of social events you are expected to attend.

    Posted in: Tokyo American Club

  • 3

    zichi

    @Star-Viking There have been several plans being considered including one demanded by the gov't to build a freezing wall to stop the ground water leaking into the reactor buildings. Another was to dig wells before the ground water reached the reactor buildings and pump it into the ocean. But then TEPCO discovered higher levels of cesium than they first thought. Another was somehow to divert the ground water actually reached the plant. I think that finally one is still a viable option but I think all the options of releasing any water from within the plant site should be now out of the question.

    TEPCO needs to come up with an answer why the level of strontium is 100 higher in the turbine basement than it was at the end of last year, only six months ago. This surly must be connected with the melted fuel, probably in the No3 reactor building since its the one which suffered the most extensive damage from the explosions. At least one professor suggested more then 18 months ago, that he believed the melted fuel from the No3 reactor had escaped from the reactor containment vessel.

    Posted in: TEPCO finds highly toxic strontium in Fukushima plant groundwater

  • 3

    zichi

    From rice grown and harvested during 2013, the gov't will buy 250,000 tons for the gov't's rice reserves. About 40,000 tons will be rice grown in Fukushima. The Fukushima gov't's is encouraging rice farmers to take part in the gov't's bidding because "baseless rumors" are driving down the price of their rice. Once purchased, the Fukushima rice just becomes "rice", and unless needed for an emergency, will be released into the general market in 2-3 years time.

    Posted in: TEPCO finds highly toxic strontium in Fukushima plant groundwater

  • 2

    zichi

    At Chernobyl strontium is still a major problem. Pine forests around the plant are highly contaminated with it to the extend that locals are banned from using it for firewood but people are still burning it and releasing the strontium into their atmosphere. Some of the locals sell the pinewood on the roadsides for firewood.

    Posted in: TEPCO finds highly toxic strontium in Fukushima plant groundwater

  • 10

    zichi

    I think this latest event puts an end to any option of TEPCO dumping low contaminated water into the ocean and will have to come up with a new idea for dealing with the ever increasing quantity of contaminated water. TEPCO needs more cleaning units, probably built off site but nearby so it at least increase the volume of water it cleaning.

    Posted in: TEPCO finds highly toxic strontium in Fukushima plant groundwater

  • 4

    zichi

    I think once the summer election is over, win or lose, the gov't will restart 8-10 reactors including 1&2 reactors at the KEPCO Oi plant also 3&4 at the Takahama plant. Also reactors in Shikoku, Kyushu and Hokkaido. There could also be reactor restarts at the TEPCO Niigata plant.

    Posted in: Nuclear watchdog outlines new safety requirements for nuclear plants

  • 5

    zichi

    Last I heard it was South Korea.

    I thought it was Greenland, then South Korea, with Japan about No10?

    Posted in: No. of suicides drops below 30,000 for first time in 15 years

  • 3

    zichi

    G8 meetings are more a bus man's holiday than anything else. Nice venue!

    Posted in: G-8 discuss Syria, hostage ransoms, tax evasion on last day of summit

  • 2

    zichi

    Japan does not have the highest suicide rate?

    Posted in: No. of suicides drops below 30,000 for first time in 15 years

  • 4

    zichi

    A new cow pat on the age old ponzi!

    Posted in: Cattle farm execs arrested for lying about number of cows

  • 3

    zichi

    The LDP is now "sincere, humble, honest" you don't really expect anyone to believe that, yes?

    Posted in: The LDP suffered a crushing defeat in the election for the House of Representatives in 2009, but the party is now sincere, humble and honest.

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