IAEA team notes progress in Fukushima decontamination work

Stress the costs and benefits? We are all aware of the costs cos we are paying for it, but what exactly are these benefits he is referring to? I guess we couldn't really expect a negative report coming from the international pro-nuclear power agency. So, other than releasing thousands of tons of radioactive water into the ocean and surrounding environment everything is ok? Fantastic!

This guy has to be careful not to get tarred with the same brush.

“The main conclusion of the mission is that Japan has achieved important progress,” team leader Juan Carlos Lentijo told a news conference in Tokyo.

I'd like some more specifics but it's good to hear in any case.

Considering this article has been up since early this morning, why are there so few comments?. Answer: Well, you know the answer, don't you? Because good things are ignored, and anything that can be bad-mouthed will be done with relish. Welcome to JT.

ReformedBasher, I don't think good things are being ignored by the posters. For me, I can't see the correlation of what the IAEA is stating about progress and the many repeated stupid mistakes that TEPCO has been doing. As farmlland may be progressing, the ocean around Fukushima is getting more contaminated. Progress here, no prgress there.

@TheDevilsAssistant

With all of the constant criticism, it's very difficult to get a clear picture of what is really happening and to the extent it affects things. It's irresponsible to downplay what is a obviously a major problem that won't go away quickly. But I'm sure not everybody involved, TEPCO or the government, is an idiot either. Can you imagine how bad things would really get if they were?

I guess I'm refraining from being even cautiously optimistic, but am wishing "them" the best of luck. Nobody is going to wave a magic wand and make everything better but being negative won't help either. Any news on positive progress is welcome. I'd certainly like to hear more of it. I can only imagine how the locals who are directly involved must feel.

BTW, I think you are one of the more intelligent posters (and a witty one). It's good to see some sincerity in your comments.

Thanks!

But yes, it is good to hear some good news! And from a different source other than TEPCO. It would be something if someone could just wave a magic wand and turn everything back to normal.

I wish them luck as well! Hope to see somemore good news on the matter too...kind of breaks that usual monotony of the bad coming out of that area on am almost daily basis.

So food contaminated below the permitted levels can be grown.

What's the cumulative effect of the respective isotopes and other new nutrients?

Is it simple addition, more like compound interest, or worse?

Answers on a postcard please to:

International Atomic Energy Agency Po Box 100 Vienna Austria

Our new motto: Atoms for Peas

The IAEA should get out of its jargon and state categorically how much progress has been made on a calibrated scale. Is 0.001% improvement progress?

And on the same day, "Gov't delaying cleanup of towns near Fukushima nuclear plant NATIONAL OCT. 22, 2013 - 02:10PM JST ( 9 ) TOKYO — Radiation cleanup in some of the most contaminated towns around Fukushima’s nuclear power plant is far behind schedule, so residents will have to wait a few more years before returning, officials said Monday."

That does not exactly correlate with the IAEA message.

But people must understand that the IAEA mission is promoting the safe use of nuclear power globally, and they do not want to compromise that at all.

There's nothing definitive in these:

The main conclusion of the mission is that Japan has achieved important progress

Thank you. What percentage of the immensity of important progress has been achieved?

good progress in the remediation of farmland in some areas

(See above)

monitoring that has shown the land can produce food with levels of radioactivity below the permissible level

How many percent below the permissible level, and what does it mean for us?

Getting more real (sorry):

stressed the need to strengthen communication with the public about the decontamination work and the costs and benefits

Read: Do your wife and kids know about your new career, Sisyphus?

How embarrassing that an international agency has to advice the Japanese government how to communicate to the public, in other words "Tell the Truth". The Japanese government should be ashamed!