information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
16 Février 2012
The Environment Ministry will begin Friday checking the levels of radioactive substances in the water and bottom sediment near the mouths of the Sumidagawa and Arakawa rivers that run into Tokyo Bay, sources have said.
The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry also plans to study water, bottom mud and Tokyo Bay organisms from April, according to the sources.
The ministries are hoping to clarify the situation as inquiries from residents have been increasing.
For example, residents are asking, "Is it safe to eat fish from Tokyo Bay?" or "I'm worried about the safety of children playing near the water."
The Environment Ministry will check radiation levels near Ryogokubashi bridge on the Sumidagawa and the Arakawa's Kasaibashi bridge. It will release initial findings by the end of March.
The education ministry will take samples of surface water and bottom mud near the mouths of major rivers running into Tokyo Bay, points near the shore and at the bay's center. The ministry will also check radiation levels in marine animals in the bay in cooperation with surrounding municipalities.
According to the Environment Ministry and other sources, airborne radioactive material from the crippled Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant fall on the Kanto Plain with rain and enter rivers. Some experts have pointed out the possibility of radioactive materials accumulating on the sea bottom after entering the bay via rivers.
Many edible fish live in the rivers and the bay and there are concerns radioactive material may enter the food chain. Therefore, the Tokyo metropolitan government asked the Environment Ministry to measure radiation levels in the rivers on Feb. 1.
Similar investigations by the central government have been done in Fukushima, Ibaraki, Gunma, Chiba and other prefectures, but these will be the first surveys of the Arakawa and Sumidagawa rivers in Tokyo.
Many people have voiced their worries to the Environment Ministry and Tokyo metropolitan government about radiation levels since the beginning of the year.
An Environment Ministry official said that because water blocks a large portion of radiation, there is little danger to people spending time near the water even if radiation levels on the river bottom are high.
"However, we will continuously monitor [the situation] since we don't know about how much radioactive material is transferred [from water to fish]," the official added.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120216p2a00m0na006000c.html
FUKUSHIMA -- Massive levels of radioactive cesium have been detected from gravel at a quarry near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, after high radiation was detected at buildings using gravel from the same quarry, prefectural officials said.
The Fukushima Prefectural Government examined samples of the gravel from the quarry in the town of Namie after inspecting the site on Jan. 20.
Tests detected up to 214,200 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram of gravel, far above the levels at other quarries operating in the evacuation zones around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. About 60,000-210,000 becquerels of cesium was found in most of the gravel that had been kept outdoors at the quarry since the disaster.
High radiation levels have been detected at apartment blocks and other construction projects built with gravel from the Namie quarry, and the findings lend further backing to the theory that this gravel was seriously contaminated with large amounts of cesium.
Among 25 quarries in the evacuation zones, up to 122,400 becquerels of radioactive cesium was found at one that has been closed since the nuclear crisis broke out on March 11, 2011. A high of 5,170 becquerels was found at one of 14 operational quarries within the evacuation zones.
The national and prefectural governments have done spot inspections of about 150 of some 1,100 construction sites where gravel from the Namie quarry is believed to have been used.
Higher levels of radiation than surrounding areas were detected at 27 locations in five towns and cities, including Nihonmatsu and the city of Fukushima. Of these, 22 were residences. The central and prefectural authorities are expected to finish their inspections by the end of March.
In a related development, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry held an expert panel meeting to consider standards for shipping gravel from quarries in the prefecture.
Noting that extraordinarily high levels of radiation were detected from only the Namie quarry, the experts said they recommended that the ministry only set standards for areas in Fukushima Prefecture where radiation levels remain high.
The ministry will work out the standards in March.
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http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120216p2a00m0na002000c.html
NARAHA, Fukushima -- Naraha Mayor Takashi Kusano has suggested building two intermediate storage facilities for radiation-tainted soil and other waste instead of one as the government had requested, it has been learned.
The idea was put forward out of fear that municipalities' opposition to construction of a single facility could delay decontamination efforts and people's return to their homes, sources say.
According to Naraha municipal officials, Mayor Kusano on Feb. 12 spoke with reconstruction minister Tatsuo Hirano, who was visiting the area, and suggested that dividing contaminated soil storage into two facilities instead of one as previously suggested could lessen each municipality's burden of accepting a storage facility.
Kusano further suggested that one of the two facilities could be built near Okuma or Futaba, two towns located near the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, while the second could be set up near the towns of Naraha or Tomioka, near the Fukushima No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant.
Hirano refrained from responding to the proposal on the grounds that negotiations on setting up the facility are currently taking place between the central and prefectural and municipal governments, sources said.
The government last year proposed an intermediate storage facility for radiation-tainted soil and other waste from Fukushima Prefecture at a location falling within the eight Futaba county municipalities near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.
However, the plan has been fiercely opposed by Katsutaka Idogawa, the mayor of Futaba -- the home town of the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power plant -- and negotiations within the county have been delayed as a result.
The Ministry of the Environment has said that an intermediate storage facility would be used for 30 years or less.
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http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120216p2g00m0dm018000c.html
SHIZUOKA (Kyodo) -- Shimada city in Shizuoka Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, began Thursday a trial incineration of debris from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that it has accepted from a town in Iwate Prefecture to confirm the safety of the operation.
If it finds little danger from radiation and formalizes its plan to accept debris from Iwate's Yamada town next month, it will be only the second local government after Tokyo to dispose of rubble from disaster areas. While a number of other local governments have indicated similar plans, they face opposition from local residents.
The city government will burn 10 tons of debris transported from Yamada in five containers from Wednesday to Thursday morning. The debris will be mixed with 56 tons of local household garbage and burned at two furnaces at a waste incinerator plant through Friday.
Shimada Mayor Katsuro Sakurai, Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu and nuclear disaster minister Goshi Hosono witnessed the 8:46 a.m. start of incineration at the plant.
Hosono, concurrently environment minister, called for cooperation from local government heads in accepting debris from the disaster for incineration.
About 30 people including local residents gathered outside the plant in protest against the incineration of such debris.
To address concerns about radioactive fallout from the disaster-triggered nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture, the city plans to not only check the levels of radioactive cesium in gas emissions and ash at the plant but also radiation levels in the air at nearby elementary schools.
Provided that the cesium concentration in incinerated ash is up to 500 becquerels per kilogram and other standards are met, Sakurai will announce by the end of March whether to formally accept the debris from Yamada. The results of the trial are due out by March 24.
But it has yet to decide when to actually start accepting the debris if it gives the go-ahead in light of the tea picking season in April and May. Green tea is a signature product of the area.
To help alleviate public concerns, it will display the ash at seven locations including the plant and its office, some with dosimeters available so residents can measure radiation levels in the air.
The trial incineration is based on notes the city exchanged Feb. 1 with the Iwate and Shizuoka prefectural governments, after Sakurai expressed his city's readiness to accept such debris in December and explained the plan to residents.
Little progress has been made on local government plans to accept debris from areas hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake due to objections from local residents.
In many cases, tensions have run high during negotiations between local governments that initially expressed their intention to accept the debris, and their residents.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda plans to ask local governments outside the devastated areas for their cooperation, saying, "It's inevitable that local governments nationwide will have to share the burden of disposing of the debris."
To do so, many local governments need to tackle the difficult task of obtaining the consent of local residents, who fear the debris may be contaminated with radioactive substances.
Kanagawa Gov. Yuji Kuroiwa has held three explanatory town meetings for Yokosuka residents in January and February, in which he asked for their understanding as they live near the prefecture's final disposal site.
However, residents opposing the project were enraged during the meetings.
"Nuclear power plants have been considered safe. Nevertheless, a major accident [in Fukushima Prefecture] broke out. We can't believe the central government's safety standards," one resident said.
Kuroiwa has stressed the safety of the debris since December, when he announced his intention to accept it. However, there still remains a difference in views between the prefecture and its residents.
The Shimada municipal government in Shizuoka Prefecture said in December it would accept debris from the towns of Yamada and Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture.
However, residents have continued to voice concerns over health risks posed by the potentially contaminated debris and the possible impact that safety worries may have on demand for locally produced tea, the prefecture's principal export.
After hearing their concerns, the municipal government decided to postpone an official announcement on accepting the debris.
Shimada Mayor Katsuro Sakurai said the city plans to incinerate disaster debris on a trial basis on Thursday and Friday to test safety.
Yet, some prefectures have already begun accepting debris from affected areas.
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said in May that Tokyo would accept disaster debris.
The Tokyo metropolitan government announced in May that it would accept debris from quake-hit areas. About 2,400 tons of debris have already been sent to private dealers and others in Tokyo. The Tokyo government plans to dispose of a total of about 500,000 tons of debris from Iwate and Miyagi prefectures by fiscal 2013.
The Yamagata prefectural government has disposed of 48,520 tons of debris so far.
The Environment Ministry created a brochure that said residents will be exposed to radiation dosages of 0.01 millisievert or less per year. The figure is one one-hundredth of the annual dose limit for the general public, even for residents living near a disposal site where ashes from incinerated debris are buried.
"There's no other way but to obtain [residents'] understanding by showing objective data," a senior ministry official said.
Mayor Takashi Kusano of Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, has told Reconstruction Minister Tatsuo Hirano about conditions under which his town might accept planned intermediate storage facilities for soil and other waste contaminated with radioactive substances, according to the mayor.
The town is near Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and has been affected by the nuclear disaster there.
The mayor told the minister he would set some conditions, such as siting the storage facilities in two different locations, before agreeing to accommodate the facilities.
The mayor said he made the comments on Sunday, when Hirano visited the town government's temporary office in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.
The mayor also told Hirano that an intermediate storage facility the government is now considering may not have sufficient capacity.
The mayor proposed that two storage facilities be built in different locations somewhere in the following four towns: Futaba and Okuma, which share the site of the Fukushima No. 1 plant, and Tomioka and Naraha, which share the site of the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear plant.
Hirano declined to give any immediate reply, the mayor said.
The central government has asked the Fukushima prefectural government and other municipal governments to agree to the building of an intermediate storage facility in Futaba County, which comprises eight towns and villages and where the two nuclear plants are located.
Kusano is the first local government head in the county to mention detailed points about accepting the storage facility.
On Wednesday, Kusano told The Yomiuri Shimbun: "It doesn't mean the town of Naraha has decided to accept a storage facility. I meant by the remarks that we want intermediate storage facilities to be built as quickly as possible."
The mayor added, "If the central government officially requests it, we will have to discuss whether to accommodate such a facility."
Regarding the mayor's remark, an official of the central government's Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters in the prefecture said, "We'll proceed with the plan while hearing opinions through dialogue between the central government and the nearby local governments."
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