Category Archives: Japan

Steel beam falls into spent fuel pool during cleanup at Fukushima Unit 3

Posted on September 29, 2012 by

World Nuclear News reported yesterday: An incident occurred in the course of the work on 22 September when a truss about seven metres long and weighing about 470 kilograms slipped into the fuel pond during remote cutting and handling. Tepco … Continue reading →

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Japanese government panel tentatively approves restart of two reactors, says units “more or less met our safety standards”

Posted on April 9, 2012 by

The Washington Post reported today: Japan’s economy minister said Monday two nuclear reactors tentatively met government safety standards even though completing improvements will take several years, paving the way for final approval for their startup soon. The tentative approval for … Continue reading →

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Storm in Japan temporarily knocks out spent fuel cooling at Onagawa nuclear plant

Posted on April 4, 2012 by

Earlier today, a huge storm hit the main island in Japan, killing four people. Buried in the coverage of the storm was the impact on the Onagawa nuclear power plant. As the UK newspaper The Guardian reported: The storm temporarily … Continue reading →

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Fukushima hit by 5.9 earthquake

Posted on April 1, 2012 by

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 shook Fukushima Prefecture and its vicinity in eastern Japan on Sunday night, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, according to the Kyodo News Agency. Here’s a … Continue reading →

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And the winner of the No Duh Award: TEPCO scraps plans for new reactors at Fukushima

Posted on March 30, 2012 by

Reuters just reported this acknowledgement of the blindingly obvious: Tokyo Electric Power Co, or Tepco, said on Friday it had notified Japan’s trade ministry it was dropping plans for two more nuclear reactors at its Fukushima Daiichi plant, paralyzed last year … Continue reading →

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New TEPCO report says damage to Fukushima Unit 2 may be worse than previously thought

Posted on March 30, 2012 by

The New York Times reported this afternoon: The damage to the core of at least one of the meltdown-stricken reactors at Fukushima could be worse than previously thought, raising new concerns over the plant’s stability and complicating the post-disaster cleanup, … Continue reading →

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6.4 earthquake shakes northeast Japan

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

The Associated Press just reported: A strong earthquake shook northern Japan on Tuesday, but no damage was reported and there was no risk of a tsunami. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded a 6.4 preliminary magnitude. The agency said there may … Continue reading →

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Update: TEPCO tests find fatal levels of radiation, almost no water in Unit 2 reactor

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

Central Florida News carried an Associated Press story today on the latest from Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2: A new probe at Japan’s crippled nuclear power plant has found fatal radiation levels and hardly any cooling water inside one of the … Continue reading →

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Water level continues to fall at Fukushima reactor

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

The Japan Times reported today: The water cooling the core of the crippled Fukushima power plant’s No. 2 reactor is only 60 cm deep, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday, all but confirming experts’ fears that the unit is breached … Continue reading →

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New studies find highest levels of radiation in Japanese soil and cesium in plankton 375 miles offshore

Posted on March 23, 2012 by

Two new studies show ongoing concerns with radiation from Fukushima. As Earthweek reported today: …the Environment Ministry announced that levels of cesium have soared to 154,000 becquerels per kilogram in soil around the Fukushima prefecture village of Iitate. That’s about 25 … Continue reading →

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