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Radiation monitors in Fukushima broken; malfunction 4,000 times

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Looks like the plan is to simply remove most of the monitors.

what you can’t see, can’t hurt you.

problem solved...Japanese style.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

Oh wait, this one shows 10 times above the acceptable level. We better list this one as malfunctioning."

12 ( +12 / -0 )

"But the move can also be seen as an attempt to cut costs as the government is expected to terminate by the same year a special budget account for rebuilding northeastern Japan areas affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered the nuclear crisis."

Hmmm... so, just after the Olympics are finished, in which Abe touted that things are under control and the Olympics would show the world Japan's progress in reconstruction and would lift the spirits of the people of Tohoku, they're going to stop helping them out and remove a bunch of radiation meters that haven't been reporting the amount of radiation correctly?

Sounds like Japan alright.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Pretty convenient, have you ever seen anything in Japan broken and not working for any length of time?

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Oh wait, this one shows 10 times above the acceptable level. We better list this one as malfunctioning."

exactly.

Looks like the plan is to simply remove most of the monitors.

what you can’t see, can’t hurt you.

problem solved...Japanese style.

You got it.

Honestly even developing economies with nukes would have handled the situation better than the gov here. This is pathetic.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

I would like regular updates of radiation levels in the air and ocean.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Proof JGov doesn't work for the Japanese people. Basically there have been no monitors working the entire time

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Malfunctioning Radiation monitors? That's like having an air bag that kills, Oh.....got it. Couldn't they just have falsified the data for the next 30 years and say sorry? Been used before. Thank goodness the government has the publics "understanding".

8 ( +9 / -1 )

I hope that TEPCO is the one shouldering the expenses. If that’s not the case, then this is a waste of tax money.

Hate to break it to you but the government owns a majority stake in TEPCO now as a result of Fukushima. As a result, tax payer money is already being used.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

The story that keeps on giving. Nuclear power in the hands of incompetents and a government in cohorts with a dangerous cabal of greedy sham artists. Don't think this is what Einstein quite had in mind. Not only a danger to themselves, but to the region and the world. Thanks fellas. Subarashii.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

"But the move can also be seen as an attempt to cut costs..." what costs? The costs of responsability? It is only a move to avoid potential tourists flooding in for the forthcoming Olympics and possibly heading around there - following the super-boasted ads - that there is no radiations anymore and everything is back to normal.

By the way, how convenient the... 4000 glitches... I suppose that displaying a lower dose may hve also be included in the garden variety...

7 ( +7 / -0 )

One would have thought that they would have had at least a five-year guarantee. Why weren't the manufacturers responsible for the repairs?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

How.... convenient. They will now dispute any reported reading saying that "We have a History of Malfunctioning devices which as you can imagine would lead to inaccurate readings being taken"...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Since the situation at the power plant is clearly 'not all under control' - after all, nuclear disasters are rare enough for each one to throw up an unpredecended set of problems - accurately functioning monitoring devices are needed to alert residents quickly of any future leaks. I certainly wouldn't be relying on the government to inform me of any potential need to evacuate having witnessed the farce in 2011.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

3000 devices operating over 7+ years.

3900 failures. That's not much more than one maintenance call per device in 7 years.

"The makers of the device and security system companies were called each time to fix the problems." 

Are they battery or solar power operated?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Very good. This radiation scare has been way overblown, here in Japan and elsewhere. Except for a safety radius round ground zero, there is no reason to be fearful of resulting radiation elsewhere.

I can sell you a decent carpet, if you need somewhere to sweep that debris under.

It is quite a concern that dodgy devices are malfunctioning and also that they may be removed anyway in time for the Games to paint a possibly unrealistic picture of serenity and safety.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Without citizen science, Japan would literally have no dependable data on the crisis

2 ( +2 / -0 )

3,000 devices for 5 years with 4,000 defects. 800 defects per year is an average of 2.7 defects per device per year. 

zichi, I don't follow your calculation. Is it not one defect per device every 3.75 years?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I hope that TEPCO is the one shouldering the expenses. If that’s not the case, then this is a waste of tax money.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Now doubt has been cast upon all radiation readings from the area. The results could be way over the scale, or way under the scale, but no-one will want to bother looking at available figures any more if they are not trustworthy. Someone has done a great job of destroying the credibility of any radiation figures. Smokescreens, anyone?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Scandalous is right but TIJ.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This column title: "Radiation monitors in Fukushima broken; malfunction 4,000 times". "And the description: The makers of the device and security system companies were called each time to fix the problems. Managing the monitoring posts has cost the central government about 500 million yen ($4.5 million) a year".

The question is: Who is getting the profit from there? I don't believe Japanese technology be the best in the world to find uncountable malfunctions like those. Very cheap devices the govt. decides to makers install or the makers installed "Made in Somewhere".

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Very good. This radiation scare has been way overblown, here in Japan and elsewhere. Except for a safety radius round ground zero, there is no reason to be fearful of resulting radiation elsewhere.

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

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