Yuji Suzuki, a 56-year old employee of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment in Fukushima Prefecture in charge of overseeing decontamination activities after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was arrested on charges of alleged bribery along with the former president of the construction firm that provided the bribe. It has been reported that Suzuki received […]
The USS Sturgis, better known as the first ship converted to carry a nuclear reactor, is set to be towed from its current berth at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in the James River of Virginia to Galveston, Texas in order to be scrapped. On Tuesday, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a public […]
Officials from the agriculture ministry told reporters on Monday that efforts to clean up debris at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have been the source of cesium that contaminated rice crops about twelve and a half miles away in the city of Minami Soma. The officials suggested that the radioactive materials were transported […]
On Friday, officials from the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) in Japan attending a seminar asked for input from engineers in Japan and across the world on removing melted nuclear fuel from the crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Tokyo Electric plans to fill the containment vessels with water in […]
According to labor officials in Fukushima Prefecture, nearly 70% of the companies hired to conduct decontamination work after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster have been found to be in violation of multiple labor laws. In July 2013, the Fukushima Labor Bureau found that between January and June 2013, 68% of companies and firms engaged in […]
Members of the Liberal Democratic Party, the ruling party in Japan, are discussing the establishment of new credentials for workers who clean up radioactive debris or decommission nuclear power plants. The discussions revolve around the establishment of three levels of national certifications which focus on three areas, decontamination, reactor maintenance, and radiation monitoring. Officials say […]
In the three years since the start of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster there has been a plethora of drastic changes made to the landscape of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant including; new processing facilities for radioactive water, a farm of storage tanks for contaminated water, new cooling systems, a new carpet of thick […]
Tokyo Electric submitted a new 10 year restructuring plan to the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund on Tuesday which eyes the creation of a special decommissioning unit to manage the work at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The plan, which was approved by TEPCO’s board, proposes the creation of a holding company which […]
Originally, Tokyo Electric was to be held liable for all costs stemming from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, but in September the Japanese government stepped in and began providing financial help. Now the clean-up and rebuilding of affected areas around the Fukushima Daiichi plant are the responsibility of the Japanese Government, while Tokyo Electric is […]
There is a widespread and deep-seated dissatisfaction in Japan today surrounding the nuclear industry and its’ cozy relationship with the central government. All but two nuclear reactors are currently shut down while the nation formalizes an energy plan that will dictate whether or not any nuclear reactors will be allowed to restart. The public dissatisfaction […]
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster may bring about a small revival to Japan’s robotics industry, which had long been losing ground with consumers as they worked on developing robots which could carry out duties which humans could already do, but now is working to develop new technologies for decontamination and recovery work in extremely hazardous […]
Decontamination efforts in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster are facing serious problems, most of which seem to be of their own creation. In reality, the decontamination efforts to date have been relatively ineffective, and as some argue, a complete waste of tax funds. This week, according to the Fukushima Labor Bureau, only […]
On Wednesday, an official from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Toshimitsu Motegi, addressed workers at the new reconstruction headquarters in Fukushima Prefecture and told them that the central government would work to help accelerate the decommissioning of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi reactors. “It’s a long pathway, but I want to advance step by […]
More outrage is building over prominent employees at Hanford blowing the whistle about how Bechtel has rushed the project in order to make a quick buck. Despite decades of cleanup efforts and billions of taxpayer dollars spent, only a tiny fraction of Hanford’s radioactivity has been safely contained, and the situation appears to be getting […]
IAEA Project Monitors Radioactive Release from Fukushima Accident on Asia-Pacific Marine Environment As a result of the nuclear accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan, an enormous inventory of radioactive substances were discharged into the Pacific Ocean. The IAEA, together with the Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA) Member States, immediately initiated an IAEA […]
Decontamination efforts often insufficient as contaminated materials continue to accumulate Source: Tokyo Web Source: 47 News Japan TEPCO announces leak of contaminated water from absorption apparatus Source: JiJi Press Japan to compare Fukushima prefecture thyroid tests with other prefectures Source: JiJi Press Renewable energy loans on the rise in Japan thanks to new feed-in tariff […]
The utility in charge at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station says the current framework to provide the company with compensation costs through the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund is not enough to allow it to continue making compensation payments and decommission the devastated nuclear reactors The total clean-up costs and claims were initially estimated […]
OriginOil has announced that its research partner in Japan has received government funding approval for a program to use the company’s algae harvester to clean the radioactive waste from contaminated sites in Fukushima where the March 2011 nuclear accident occurred. Certain plants and algae have the capability of absorbing metals such as cesium and strontium. Radioisotopes of […]
The Fukushima nuclear disaster released massive amounts of radioactive materials which were transported across the island-nation and around the world. More than 15 months after the onset of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami, radioactive materials are continuing to pile up in Japan with nowhere to go and no end in sight. Far from a […]
With support from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Fukushima University and MTSU International Affairs, a group of 10 students and two professors from Middle Tennessee State University will leave Nashville early Monday, June 4, to participate in the cleanup and rebuilding mission in Fukushima, Japan. Students were chosen from a group of applicants to participate […]