#FukuFighters International Weekly News Round Up 05.08.2020

Photo by Reuters

The questions surrounding clean up of TEPCO's #Fukushima nuclear disaster site continue to pile up this week with no end in site.  Find out where we stand this week, step-by-step: 

 

STEP 1 EDUCATE & SAFEGUARD

Bureaucratic inflexibility is what hampered the response in Japan to 3.11’s triple meltdown disaster and it’s what’s causing problems in Japan today with Covid-19.  When will Japan learn?

https://www.tokyoreview.net/2020/05/covid19-japan-learn-fukushima/

STEP 2 EVACUATE #FUKUSHIMA NOW

Last year the mayor of Osaka says TEPCO can dump its radioactive waste water in their bay if they want, I wonder if he asked local fishermen if that was a good idea?

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/09/17/national/osaka-mayor-offers-take-tainted-fukushima-water-dump-osaka-bay/

STEP 3 CONTROL & CONTAIN

Beyond Nuclear is supporting efforts to block the dumping of said radioactive waste water from TEPCO’s #FukushimaDaiichi plant into the ocean.  Click the link to see how YOU can help:

http://www.beyondnuclear.org/home/2020/5/8/act-now-stop-japan-from-dumping-radioactive-water.html

STEP 4 NUCLEAR POWER IS OVER

The nuclear power industry wants one thing (money) and the people want another (safety).  In this study, local Japanese illustrate that the illusion of nuclear safety isn’t worth the risk:

https://www.academia.edu/32526372/Articulating_Risk_s_Economic_and_Demographic_Challenges_in_A_Nuclear_Town?email_work_card=title

HEY #FUKUFIGHTERS!

Whenever Libbe HaLevy gets Karl Grossman on the Nuclear Hotseat Podcast, you know it’s going to be a spirited and informative conversation as this week’s interview will show.  The best weekly newsmagazine about all things nuclear is a must-bookmark:

http://nuclearhotseat.com/2020/05/06/463-nuclear-baloney-75-years-of-nuclear-lies-cover-ups-covid-karl-grossman/

#FukuFighters International Weekly News Round Up 05.01.2020

Photo by Kenji Notsu

As structures around #FukushimaDaiichi continue to crumble, when we'll see the end of decontamination at the site is anybody's guess.  Learn more about the decline of TEPCO and the nuclear energy industry right here, step-by-step:

 

STEP 1 EDUCATE & SAFEGUARD

As TEPCO’s top dog Takashi Kawamura readies for resignation, the company that’s overseeing the decommissioning of the #FukushimaNuclearDisaster looks ahead to a dim future:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Chairman-of-Tepco-owner-of-Fukushima-nuclear-plant-to-resign

STEP 2 EVACUATE #FUKUSHIMA NOW

A recently published Japanese study suggests that radioactive decontamination efforts in #Fukushima came too late to be effective:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63520-8

STEP 3 CONTROL & CONTAIN

Piece by piece they’re dismantling the crumbling, radioactive parts of #FukushimaDaiichi.  Where do they get disposed of safely, that’s the question:

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13339580

STEP 4 NUCLEAR POWER IS OVER

2 more nuclear reactors went offline this week after long fights with environmentalists.  The thing most people forget is shutting down a reactor is just step one in a much longer process that still involves risk:

https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2020/04/12/farewell-fessenheim-finally/

https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/indian-point/2020/05/01/indian-point-unit-2-reactor-shut-down-permanently/3063995001/

HEY #FUKUFIGHTERS!

One of our favorite non-profits is SORA in Japan.  This animal shelter has been taking care of wayward #Fukushima pets ever since 2011 and now with coronavirus taking it's toll, they need your help!  Give what you can to help the puppies and kitties in #Fukushima:

https://blog.goo.ne.jp/sora-fukushima/e/0e328cc52fccfbbef8851b92810f5188

#FukuFighters International Weekly News Round Up 04.24.2020

Photo by BirdhairJp

You can choose to believe the mainstream cover-up narrative about #Fukushima radiation OR you can learn more about it yourself.  #FukuFighters know the drill, step-by-step:

 

STEP 1 EDUCATE & SAFEGUARD

Legal loopholes have left the sailors from #OperationTomodachi from getting justice, let alone their day in court.  General Electric dodges another bullet thanks to another court decision against U.S. naval personnel who were there help at #Fukushima:

https://www.courthousenews.com/first-circuit-clears-ge-on-fukushima-nuclear-disaster/

STEP 2 EVACUATE #FUKUSHIMA NOW

The 2020 Olympic Torch relay was supposed to start in #Fukushima but with the Games postponed,  it’s up to YouTuber BirdhairJP to show how radioactive a run that actually would have been for participants:

https://youtu.be/tGa5WBv7FCg

STEP 3 CONTROL & CONTAIN

In 2012, a study showed that plant workers at TEPCO’s stricken #Fukuhsima reactors showed signs of PTSR and psychological distress.  I wonder what it’s like for those workers today, 9 years later:

https://www.ehstoday.com/health/article/21915595/fukushima-workers-experienced-psychological-distress-following-meltdown

STEP 4 NUCLEAR POWER IS OVER

What’s it like living around Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone?  A new documentary lifts the veil behind the 30 year old nuclear disaster and it’s aftermath in Ukraine:

https://youtu.be/x3wcUbm2gp4

HEY #FUKUFIGHTERS!

Sick of hearing about the radioactive water problem at #Fukushima Daiichi?  Storing the water properly vs. dumping it into the ocean is the way to go but TEPCO and the IAEA have different ideas.  Make your voices heard #FukuFighters by adding your name to the linked petition and let them know it is NOT cool to dump into the already-compromised Pacific Ocean:

http://chng.it/Sqg4xfczFT

#FukuFighters International Weekly News Round Up 04.17.2020

Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE

The threats facing our planet from nuclear fallout are myriad and constant.  Get caught up on all the latest news, step-by-step:

 

STEP 1 EDUCATE & SAFEGUARD

History shows that just because officials say radiation levels are ’normal’ in Kiev after a forest fire near #Chernobyl recently doesn’t make it true:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/04/18/Air-quality-levels-in-Ukraine-dip-to-moderate-as-fires-continue-to-burn/3201587236075/

STEP 2 EVACUATE #FUKUSHIMA NOW

#Fukushima moms take the problem of radiation protection very seriously.  Here's a snapshot of where sentiment is in a place where it’s a daily reality:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/04/10/national/social-issues/fukushima-mothers-record-radiation/

STEP 3 CONTROL & CONTAIN

The Japanese government is paying lip service to those concerned about the release of radioactive water from #FukushimaDaiichi into the ocean as the decision about what happens next is delayed again:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/fukushima/20200413/6050009776.html

STEP 4 NUCLEAR POWER IS OVER

For every study the pro-nuker’s put out to cloud the truth, I can produce dozens of others that state the obvious, the risk alone makes nuclear energy not worth it and until the industry cleans it’s act up, it will continue to be true:

https://www.academia.edu/4091075/Disowning_Fukushima_Managing_the_credibility_of_nuclear_reliability_assessment_in_the_wake_of_disaster?email_work_card=title

https://www.academia.edu/32526372/Articulating_Risk_s_Economic_and_Demographic_Challenges_in_A_Nuclear_Town?email_work_card=view-paper

HEY #FUKUFIGHTERS!

Despite censorship of the facts over the years, Facebook is still a place to find groups that are disseminating the truth about #Fukushima all the time.  Check out #Fukushima Response Campaign and add them to your follow list if you’re signed up for FB already:

https://www.facebook.com/FukushimaResponseCampaign

#FukuFighters International Weekly News Round Up 04.10.2020

Photo by Shinya Sawai

There's more going on in the world than just Covid-19 news.  Take the onging #FukushimaNuclearDisaster for instance - a continuing story 9 years later.  Read all of this week's top stories, step-by-step:

STEP 1 EDUCATE & SAFEGUARD

Proof positive that Japan’s cover up of the #FukushimaNuclearDisaster is a real thing to this day from Reporters Without Borders:

https://rsf.org/en/news/rsf-urges-japan-stop-pressuring-media-fukushima-related-topics

STEP 2 EVACUATE #FUKUSHIMA NOW

The Olympic flame’s stint in #Fukushima was short lived thanks to coronavirus fears. This dashes all hope of a ‘recovery Olympics’ like Japanese authorities had envisioned:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-04-08/Olympic-Flame-display-cancelled-over-virus-concerns-PvXo9jz76U/index.html

STEP 3 CONTROL & CONTAIN

A recent meeting in #Fukushima over how to handle the radioactive waste water situation made it clear there are no easy answers yet:

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13283645

A mayor in #Fukushima says the contaminated water stored at the Dai-ichi site should be released near Tokyo instead of #Fukushima Prefecture.  An interesting idea:

https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2020040900690/dump-n-plant-water-outside-fukushima-local-mayor.html

STEP 4 NUCLEAR POWER IS OVER

As the fleet of nuclear plants around the world gets more decrepit with time, the threat of Covid-19 on it’s work force is becoming more and more of a concern:

https://buzzflash.com/articles/terfied-atomic-workers-warn-that-the-covid-19-pandemic-may-threaten-nuclear-reactor-disaster

HEY #FUKUFIGHTERS!

Half of the information I receive every week about #Fukushima comes from newsletters from individuals and organizations doing the good work.  Beyond Nuclear always has an interesting spin on how to stop the nuclear industry’s dirty deeds and I highly recommend their regularly updated content:

https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/join/

#FukuFighters International Weekly News Round Up 04.03.2020

Photo by NBC Sports

Just because you're stuck indoors doesn't mean you have to miss out on everything that's STILL going on around the nuclear world we're living in.  Get caught up now, step-by-step:
 

STEP 1 EDUCATE & SAFEGUARD

Anytime a forest fire near a nuclear disaster site happens, radionuclides are reintroduced into the environment.  This just happened again near Chernobyl:

https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-says-fire-extinguished-near-contaminated-site-of-chernobyl-nuclear-disaster/30532240.html

STEP 2 EVACUATE #FUKUSHIMA NOW

It was only a matter of time before the sacks of radioactive waste that were collected in #Fukushima would prove to be a health hazard.  After years of neglect, these bags are now deadly to be around at all:

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13228942

STEP 3 CONTROL & CONTAIN

Protective gear is essential in the fight against Covid-19 AND at #FukusimaDaiichi and the supply shortage is worrying on both fronts:

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2020/04/02/Protective-gear-shortage-Fukushima-nuclear-plant-COVID-19-coronavirus/stories/202004020114

STEP 4 NUCLEAR POWER IS OVER

With ’stay at home’ orders across the world, the need for nuclear power safety is more important now than ever that’s why green activists are calling for the shuttering of nuke plants now before illness forces the issue:

https://www.welt.de/newsticker/dpa_nt/infoline_nt/brennpunkte_nt/article206986607/Gruene-fordern-voruebergehende-Abschaltung-von-Atomkraftwerken.html

HEY #FUKUFIGHTERS!

Covid-19’s effect on the nuclear issue gets a good examination in another go-to edition of the Nuclear Hotseat with Libbe HaLevy:

http://nuclearhotseat.com/2020/04/01/covid19-nuclear/

#FukuFighters International Weekly News Round Up 03.27.2020

Photo by Carl Court/Getty

Covid-19 concerns have postponed the Summer Olympics and cases in Japan are on the rise.  This is on top of what's STILL going on at #FukushimaDaiichi.  Find out more about it right now, step-by-step:

 

STEP 1 EDUCATE & SAFEGUARD

Now that the Summer Olympics have been pushed back by one year, what does that mean for #Fukushima?  Business as usual in the Japanese parliament:

https://www.nation.co.ke/sports/athletics/For-Olympic-opposers-in-Japan-a-delay-isnt-enough/1100-5503464-a7i2jsz/index.html

STEP 2 EVACUATE #FUKUSHIMA NOW

While everyone is keeping up with coronavirus numbers on the news, few realize that behind the scenes, #FukushimaRadiation becomes less and less of a concern:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/19/national/indonesia-eases-import-limits-processed-foods-japan-imposed-fukushima-nuclear-disaster/

STEP 3 CONTROL & CONTAIN

So when TEPCO said it would take 30-40 years to decommission the Dai-ichi plant in #Fukushima, what they really meant was it would take that long just to release the radioactive water, taking down the plant itself is going to take MUCH longer:

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200325/p2a/00m/0na/012000c

STEP 4 NUCLEAR POWER IS OVER

What does Covid-19 do to nuclear power engineers?  The same thing as everyone else!  What happens when reactors are short staffed because of the virus, we’ll find out!

https://allthingsnuclear.org/elyman/nuclear-power-safety-and-the-covid-19-pandemic

HEY #FUKUFIGHTERS!

In a follow up to last week’s “Fukushima 50” update, check out this interview with the special FX designer behind the movie and what it was like employing people in #Fukushima to help complete the work on the movie, interesting stuff:

https://gigazine.net/news/20200326-fukushima-50-toshio-miike-interview/