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© Thomson Reuters 2022.Japan's heatwave continues; Kishida calls for ramp-up of nuclear power use
By Yuka Obayashi and Elaine Lies TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
70 Comments
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vaxatharian
Should've ramped the nukes backup ages ago. Guaranteed the people at the top asking others to make the sacrifice won't be doing it themselves.
daito_hak
Look at them with their ridiculous mask. So stupid people it’s amazing.
Mr Kipling
Bingo..... Kishida sees the light. Switch on the nuclear power stations.....
painkiller
Nice breeze tight now; low humidity. Not so bad.
Bring it on.
David Brent
Why are these muppets still wearing masks outside?
quercetum
You still can’t fry an egg on the sidewalk so it’s not that hot.
Meiyouwenti
Possible power shortages because they can’t generate enough electricity? Sounds like Japan is rapidly becoming a third-world country. Turn on the nukes and stop wearing masks.
Chabbawanga
In the shade it really aint that bad. Shame there is 0 shade in Japanese cities. Tbh i think nuclear is the only solution to the current power problems. Just gotta make sure regulations are followed properly.
Kumagaijin
It was 40+ inside the gymnasium at my school and almost just as hot outside in the morning. Told my students they should take their mask off. I said heat stroke was far more dangerous than Covid-19. Over half of the boys (grade 8) took their masks off, but only 10% of the girls. None of them said they were afraid of Covid. This is going to be a huge issue in the coming months, years. Its about their self-esteem.
Jonathan Prin
Where is the shade, green plants, surfaces that don't fry you (more colorful and white especially) and so on.
I forgot common sense is not as widespread as covid.
Cricky
Wouldn’t trust the Work place culture, management practices or actual knowledge of the workers to operate a nuclear plant. Nore the emergency response to a disaster. Safer to have no power than another disaster.
BigP
Turn on the nukes for gods sake!
Antiquesaving
Wasn't it you that said the same thing yesterday?
I let it slide once but enough.
The USA has black outs and brown outs every year, last winter if you remember Texas's full power grid collapsed, causing millions in damage and many deaths.
So using your logic the USA must beva third world country.
yokohamarides
Before restarting the nuke plants how about looking for some common sense simple solutions like planting more trees? - and for god's sake stop cutting down and back the few precious ones that already exist on city streets here.
Antiquesaving
We bought our house used a few years ago, it was in need of some repairs outside.
The first thing we did was choose heat reflecting paint and roof.
The paint cuts heat absorption by 70% the roof by 80% compared to normal paint and roof.
We felt the difference right away once it was done.
But still we see new houses going up with dark walls and black roofs which in a country as hot as Japan is nuts.
The Dude Above All
Temp rises, aircon use goes up, resulting in heat rising and forming heat islands. Plant more trees, put more roads underground require greenification of concrete and glass structures. Destroy sprawling aging real estate and provide affordable housing / spaces in its place. Add more parks with fountains, and put an end to energy sucking displays, require 100% LED. Sorted.
Japan wastes more energy than some counties use to support necessities. If you’re going to abuse and over use don’t whine, b!tches!
Alan Bogglesworth
Why is this government so frustratingly useless.
10 years has gone by, not a single newer, more safe nuclear plant, planned, designed or built. 10 years!!!
Antiquesaving
The one thing I really cannot understand are the stores with air-conditioning (also heat in the winter) on and their doors are wide open.
Or they may have some dangling plastic strips as a poor attempt to keep the cool in.
This should be a findable offense.
And I mean major fins and the money collected used to pay the power bills of the low income.
I have a business I do not keep the doors open, I actually have 2 doors and both are closed to keep the heat out and cool in.
Because it is so hot we offer people to come in and cool off have free water. (I have the air-conditioning on anyway in my workshop so it doesn't change anything)
Today we had 4 elderly neighbours sat much of the day in our place, none have air-conditioning ( they say they never needed it)
One is still here as we called his daughter to take him to her place and we are waiting for her.
The ward office social services are handling the other 3.
This is the worst I have seen it this early in the summer in over 30 years.
Take care and look out for your neighbours.
Antiquesaving
Why is this?
Free energy, unlike other countries the geothermal potential is right next to where people are living.
Come on drop the nukes get the power from the ground.
NCIS Reruns
You can't expect a nuclear generator to go back online with just the flip of a switch. Even if they were to start preparing restarting them now, summer might be mostly over before they are up and running.
Antiquesaving
Actually several are all ready to start up but local opposition and the courts have blocked them this as recent and this month.
I expect that Kishida will figure a way to legislate "emergency use" and bypass the local opposition but will that be before or after the election is the other question.
smithinjapan
Kishida has wanted the Nukes back on for a while, and is being pressed for it by operators like TEPCO, who brought about the world’s second or third-worst nuclear meltdown, ocean dumping, and various other scandals. There are plenty of other measures that could be taken, but nope. So, when the next nuclear disaster happens, are they ready for the “I told you so!”? Perhaps next time Tokyo will be irradiated and inhabitable… then maybe they’ll realize it’s not a good idea.
Temyong
Wise decision from PM Kishida. Nuclear power is the cleanest, cheapest, most productive, most efficient, the best energy source. Unleash Japan’s nuclear power to supply cheap unlimited energy.
Antiquesaving
Only if one ignores geothermal that is free and abundant in Japan
didou
Nuclear is the only way for Japan.
FizzBit
Boy oh boy, if a 1st world 3 largest economy in the world government can’t supply enough energy at a middle class cost, then they should all resign and start over.
kaimycahl
The reason why you have so much heat in Tokyo, you have all the neon lights on high rises with windows that reflect sun light that provides heat, you have a lot of concrete that draws heat its a crowded concrete jungle with many homes and business and people in one area. There is no way to get air flowing. Its a urban oven on full blast!
Mark
Lots of electricity can be saved if the government spends enough time educating people how to use an A/C . The problem is that most people don't know how to set the room temp, and the funniest part is when I pass by stores with it's doors wide open and the A/C's are at full blast.
Antiquesaving
Can you explain why?
Japan has the third most abundant geothermal energy available in the world, all close to where the people are.
Geothermal is basically free energy only need to tap into it.
At low impact on the environment, no radiation, no fuel import a potential of over 20,000 megawatts more than enough for Japan's needs.
Why mess with radiation?
Thunderbird2
Wasn't that a massive tsunami that flooded the plant?
Antiquesaving
Did you forget the USA has the same problem?
Every year California in the summer as well as other states, Texas last winter blew a big fuse, New York only survives because Quebec supplies it and in cold winter or very hot summer black outs are common.
Boy you people have short memories.
UK was in the same situation both in summer hear waves and winter cold.
You all need to get memory pills
Paul14
Take off your mask, you'll feel a lot cooler.
Jtsnose
In order to conserve energy, remember Passive Solar strategies, of creating shading structures - staying in the shade; limit window coverage; use thick mass walls for new building design; take advantage of naturally occurring winds, breezes . . . . For electricity, think of using solar voltaic cells, wind turbines, . . . recycling materials also helps to conserve energy . . . . see also U S. Green Building Council, https://www.usgbc.org/
kyushubill
"Parts of Japan on Wednesday experienced their hottest day yet..."
Meaning Tokyo and surrounding area. Because as everyone knows the sacred soil of Tokyo is all of Japan. What happens in the Sacred City is all of the Amaterasu Blessed Rising Sun Archaipellago.
Hi, welcome to reality now. In Nagoya the temperature today was 1 degree BELOW normal. In Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto it was NORMAL.
In Ehime, Miyazaki, Nobeoka, Nichinan, Kagoshima, and Naha it was 2 degrees BELOW normal.
That is your reality check from your pal Bill. And that is the rest of the story. Now back to your regular programming from your mind controlling media, academics, and politicians.
Harry_Gatto
Step outside your city for a while and you'll see trees, lots of them, most of the country is covered in trees, shame all you city boys never travel far enough to see it.
GBR48
Shade makes a huge difference to temperature. The sun shining in through windows really heats up properties. Trees take a while to grow and are not viable everywhere. In urban environments, construct standalone structures over public areas that act like blinds and can be closed on hot days, with solar panels on them. Use the solar panels to power built-in air conditioning. I'm surprised Japan isn't leading with this, as it frequently implements large projects in small spaces.
Indoors, damp towels on your pillow and bedding. Block out the sun with cardboard if you have no blackout curtains, at all windows. Stay hydrated. If you need to cook, use a steamer rather than a hob or oven. If you have inherited a rural property in a cooler part of Japan, do it up and spend the summer there.
WA4TKG
Sure glad I got my mask on, to SAVE me, lol
Peter Neil
Geothermal requires land around the site. Not too much excess land in Tokyo.
bokuda
Sure, lets go nuclear!
An island in the middle of the pacific between tectonic plates.
What can go wrong?!
colenalperu
If they switched off just 50% of the drinks machines (burning electricity 24/7), there’d be a significant saving and we’d still have a machine every 30 m or so in cities here. Regulate the use of advertising TVs in stores, the amount of lit signage in stores, reduce pachinko hours through regulation or put a premium on their use of electricity. Start there, then ask the plebs to turn lights out.
Frank Ellis
@daito_hak
@David Brent
@Paul14
It makes me laugh so hard it gives me a belly ache while at the same time wanting to hurl about how pathetic it is that instead of relying on their own instincts they adhere to the group mentality and force themselves to suffer.
Sanjinosebleed
Gee that's a surprise. Could Japanese politicians be anymore see through? Nuclear is old dangerous and basically unregulated in Japan but it won't stop them using this as an excuse to restart 50 year old facilities. I am sure there is more power to be found from other sources if they really try!
Kyo wa heiwa dayo ne
Is Kishida trying to convince us that rushing to restart the nuclear power plant is safe ?
Given Japan's seismic activity and track record of safety measures for nuclear power plants i think it's more than reasonable to assume that safety cannot possibly be assured.
kurisupisu
My solar panels just love this hot weather and as they provide cooling for my house,so do I!
Whats it like to be slowly boiled?
If you live in Tokyo then you know!
With its lack of green and lack of shade, those foolish enough to live in such a concrete jungle, are getting a harsh lesson.
dan
Geothermal power has such vast potential here same as Iceland.
But the Japanese government do nothing -as per usual.
The epitamy of uselessness!
Antiquesaving
Do you see any hydroelectric dam in Tokyo? How about a nuclear power plant? Ect...
The geothermal can be used to power electrical generators like hydro or nuclear and as with those can be located in another are not inside Tokyo.
Hakone the mountains in northern Saitama, Gumma even Nikko.
I wonder if people look up things before commenting
yokohamarides
Harry_Gatto said -
The carbon footprint of the average person living in a dense urban environment is much less than those living in suburbs or in rural areas and because cities like Tokyo and Yokohama are densely populated means I can more easily access nature and the countryside when I want to do so - and I often do - by bike or train, not by car.
Many people around the world recognize the value of trees in urban environments. As to why most Japanese don't seem to - that's the issue. My guess is it has a lot to do tech fetishism and the "image" of what a city is - but mostly with money as trees could stand in the way of potential development projects and inhibit roadway expansion.
Andy
In heat like this we need to keep cutting down and making bonsai of the shade trees in the streets and keep wearing restrictive masks. It makes sense to the Japanese people.
Antiquesaving
Now this is a point and argument we can never win as the anti city will never submit to facts.
The reality is the world would be better off (environmentally speaking) with the vast majority of humans living in densely populated cities.
Leaving a small portion to do the agriculture and resources collecting (mining lumber, etc...) Leaving the rest as untouched as possible.
If we all took the anti city peoples advice, we would be cutting down more forest and using more land per person imagine 14 million people in Tokyo deciding to move to the countryside.
That alone would require far more acreage as single family homes replace highrise apartments.
I know very few people in Tokyo that have a driver's license even fewer that own a car.
My children now mid 20s adults don't even have a driver's license they are Tokyo city kids.
My 6 nieces and nephews in Canada all live just outside Montreal all have been driving since 16 or 18 all have a car.
All my friends in China, Saitama and Kanagawa have driver's license and in most cases at least one car.
Yes for you and me life in the country would be nice but if we all do it then kiss the environment goodbye.
Tom San
Gee. I didn't know the solutions were so easy.
kurisupisu
@Antiquesaving
Tomorrow I will be using a car share rental company to drive into the mountains.
There are more options for those that do not wish to own a vehicle.
Sh1mon M4sada
What? Dirty Nuke? No, no. no, that won't save the planet. Not if you have to heat in winter and cool in summer.
The best solution is to call your nearest investment manager and buy lots of carbon certificates (currently on sale for a special price of $32/tonne of emission), then you can burn as much gas and coal as you like and not be contributing to climate change.
Carbon Certificates is the answer, not renewables, not hydro, not nukes.
Tom San
What I want is a nuclear powered pick-up truck to drive to the mountains on the weekends.
Star-viking
Some really crazy answers here.
Let the power go out instead of starting nukes? How many people will die if power goes out over large areas of Japan? What about people in care homes, hospitals, schools, etc?
Geothermal? Are you going to build a load of geothermal plants in a week? Do you know how hit-and-miss geothermal drilling is? You can plan a geothermal plant, drill, and get nothing - all the money goes down the drain. All that power is no good if you can’t access it reliably. And the geothermal plants also can bring up nice things like arsenic to the surface.
And planting trees - not going to make a difference for years.
Japan has dozens of nukes with post-Fukushima updates ready to go. Their electricity would solve the problem a few time over. Get them running
Sh1mon M4sada
There's dozens of investment banks with carbon offset certificates ready to go as well, AND you get to feel good immediately.
Tom San
Feelings are facts.
Star-viking
Tom SanToday 11:12 am JST
And they don’t produce a Watt of power, and are a poor driver of national policy.
Antiquesaving
Wow was a car the only part you got?
Try reading again.
I thought it was quite clear, if 14 million now one on top of eachother (somewhat literally as in high-rise apartment buildings) move to the countryside that would occupy millions of more square metres and cause far more environmental damage.
Just think, my previous residence In Tokyo was a small 5 floor "mansion " 14 apartments ranging from 50 m2 to 100 m2.
Now these 14 families decide to leave Tokyo move to the countryside.
The present surface area occupied by that "mansion" is around 400m2
So now in the countryside each family will need a house and land 50m2 isn't going to be enough.
So let's say 100m2 for each family to build a home X 14 families that is 1,400 m2 taking away an extra 1,000 m2 more than when living in the city.
Now imagine the population of Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Osaka Etc..all deciding to live outside the cities.
It is unrealistic and far worse for the environment.
sethwright
Ban gas hookups to new buildings!!! This is low hanging fruit for Japan especially being home to the biggest heat pump manufactures in the world.
This is the single biggest, fastest thing Japan can do to slash green-house gas emissions by 30% which in 15 years; reduce energy dependence on autocrats, and help the domestic economy.
Also, IH cooking is 50% more energy efficient, 90% faster at heating, 30% faster at cooling. Heat pumps for water and air heating/cooling and IH cooking emit less CO2 even when powered by dirty coal power. - Frontier Energy Study.
1glenn
While nuclear power has many dangers, it might be necessary to use it if we want to reverse global warming.
TARA TAN KITAOKA
This year is the worst.
TrafficCone
Start building molten salt reactors that don’t need water cooling and can be sited anywhere.
Go nuclear or go extinct!
Peter Neil
Localized geothermal systems are the most efficient, not large geothermal plants that are so expensive to build. Localized efficient systems use the differential between underground temperature, not flash steam systems.
Japan has steam geothermal plants, but local populations put up strong resistance and they were stopped almost 40 years ago, just like wind turbines are opposed by communities where installed.
Everyone wants power, but no one wants it generated in their back yard.