information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
9 Avril 2013
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000114862
The Yomiuri Shimbun
[Tetsuro Yamada and Koichi Yasuda / The Yomiuri Shimbun]
The following is the sixth installment of a series of articles exploring ways the nation's vitality can be increased.
Green water was slowly being mixed in experimental tanks on Okinawa Prefecture's Ishigakijima island.
What made the water green were euglena--single-celled microorganisms commonly found in puddles and ponds. Euglena are less than 0.1 millimeter long, but they photosynthesize extremely well in the strong sun on the island, doubling in number overnight.
The microorganism, cultivated on the island by Tokyo-based venture firm euglena Co., is in the spotlight for its versatility, as it can be used to make food, such as cookies, after being processed into powder. But some people are pinning their hope on the microorganism for a totally different reason--as a savior of Japan's energy supply. The oil extracted from euglena is very suitable as a biofuel.
However, large pools are required for mass production and, although it is technically possible to produce biofuel from euglena, it is unclear whether it is worth the cost.
As most of the nation's nuclear power plants remain idle following the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, many people are talking about the future potential of various energy sources. There are growing public expectations for them, but it is unlikely they will suddenly become available.
Familiar examples are solar and wind power, which have proven unable to provide stable energy as they are dependent on weather conditions.
Before the Fukushima crisis, nuclear energy accounted for about 30 percent of the nation's electricity production. After the crisis, the country has become more dependent on thermal power to cover the loss of electricity produced by nuclear power. But importing more oil and natural gas for thermal energy production costs an additional 3 trillion yen annually. If this continues, it will be difficult to reduce the trade deficit, even if Japanese manufacturers and farmers become more competitive in the global market.
Japan faces a hard reality--to rejuvenate its economy, the nation has to use nuclear energy as well as fossil fuels, while seeking the best balance of energy sources.
"The longer nuclear power plants remain idle, the harder it becomes for us to maintain our technical know-how, and pass it on to future generations," said Takeharu Okano, general affairs chief at the Kitakyushu-based Okano Valve Mfg Co., a manufacturer of valves for nuclear power plants, which are able to withstand high temperatures and pressure.
Okano, 31, said orders for the inspection and maintenance of nuclear power plant valves have plummeted since the Fukushima disaster.
The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum hosts student job fairs every year. However, the number of companies taking part in February's fair dropped from 65 to 34 compared with before the Fukushima crisis. The number of students attending the fair also dropped sharply from 1,903 to 388.
If the nation's nuclear power plants remain shuttered, the nuclear industry will diminish rapidly along with people related to the industry, and eventually disappear. Can the nation confidently move in that direction?
"Experts are necessary to maintain nuclear power plants as well as decommission them. It's clear many countries, such as China, will continue building nuclear power plants," said Akihiro Sawa, executive senior fellow of the the 21st Century Public Policy Institute.
Sawa added, "It's unthinkable our country will abandon its nuclear power technologies and the personnel working in the field."
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