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Kan feared Tokyo would become uninhabitable due to nuclear crisis

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And yet,the crisis is not over - there is no way of knowing the situation at the nuclear power plants as 1)access to certain areas of the sites are too limited 2)the melted fuel has sunk underground to a depth that has not been measured. As a result ground and water table contamination is not known at this time. Contamination in distant prefectures has come about from natural precipitation and incineration of radioactive debris from the damaged plants. Emissions have not been extinguished 6 months after the initial meltdowns.

How much radiation is building up in the environment ? The image of Kan's nuclear wasteland has not entirely faded.

9 ( +12 / -2 )

“It really was a spine-chilling thought,” he said.

sure it was and it IS a spine-chilling thought so long nuclear power plants remain active in Japan.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

At least, he found that " nuclear is too dangerous"

But it is too late

2 ( +4 / -2 )

QED.

-2 ( +2 / -3 )

Well, I'm afraid he was very much alone in this battle... Unfortunately Japan's right wing orientation means that big corporations with big money will always push for nuclear, at the expense of the little citizen... Remember how Kan itself was criticized by even his own party when he stated Japan should lose all nuclear plants and refocus on green technologies...

Also remember the complains the average Japanese persons had in 2010, when informed that introducing solar panel subsidies will mean that every household's electricity expense will increase by the ginormous amount of 30 yen/month ? They don't care, don't want to know, and don't want to pay extra,,,Unfortunately Fukushima was a tough wake-up call and a slap in the face (kick in the groins?) at the same time for both the industries and for the citizens...

3 ( +5 / -1 )

ALso, Kan should really write his memoirs - it would be really interesting to know more about how he handled arguably the biggest (un)natural disaster any leader has ever faced...

2 ( +4 / -1 )

Not what he said at the time was it, which was always along the lines of 'everything is fine, nothing to worry about'. So he was lying then, or lying now.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

This rebuilding effort can't begin until the contamination is controlled. The reality is they don't know how bad the contamination is and are continuing with selling agriculture and foodstuffs from that area as though it were business as usual. As for Tokyo, it is a monstrosity of a city that has been devastated in the past by disasters and will be again in the future. When you pack that many people into one place, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

2 ( +2 / -1 )

Actually, a number of people really have concluded that Tokyo is, in fact, uninhabitable, and have left.

7 ( +9 / -3 )

"The towering wall of water battered cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, 220 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, triggering reactor meltdowns"

No, the cooling systems were already fatally damaged by the earthquake itself before the tsunami hit.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Any parent with young kids is not being sensible if they stay in Tokyo, or any of the prefectures surrounding The Fukushima One or strangely quiet Fukushima Two nuclear power stations. As @kurisupisu says, the disaster is happening right now in real time. They still haven't even put a roof around it or figured out a way to collect all the plutonium laced water. Because of TEPCO, Kan and Edino's lies, people still live in danger, consuming contaminated food and breathing radioactive particles. Maybe a lesson can be learned from the experience of Christchurch NZ. After an earthquake smashed the countries 2nd largest city, people breathed a sigh of relief that it was over and they could rebuild. 6 months later, a second earthquake hit, killing many and leaving the centre of the countries 2nd largest city uninhabitable. NZ doesn't have nuclear power stations, but when a second M9 earthquake hits, Tokyo could well be rendered uninhabitable. Now is the time to buy land in Osaka while it is still cheap...

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

No, the cooling systems were already fatally damaged by the earthquake itself before the tsunami hit.

Proof?

-2 ( +3 / -4 )

So in a worse case scenario involving 30 million people, would they have been left to perish in ignorance towards their plight? Not to be informed in case of invoking panic and riots. Every man woman and child to be left to their fate? Get a grip man and close down the reactors because what you feared .could yet happen

2 ( +4 / -1 )

I agree with the previous posts, the crisis is not over.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I am no expert, but I am still concerned Tokyo is not out of the water on this one. If its said Tokyo is impossible to evacuate, then why try? Only time will show us how big this disaster truly is.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

no news of course about how the LDP set the foundation of this disaster with decades of corruption. I fail to see how Kan can possible be held responsible under such a feckless and irrational media and public.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I wonder when people will stop comparing it to what happened in Chernobyl. What happened there was pure human error. This was caused by a natural disaster.

-4 ( +9 / -12 )

True, but it is the irresponsible, reckless and life-threatening way he dealt with the other parties mess.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

What about the people in the mid Tohoko areas? Aren't those areas already "uninhabitable"? The comment comes across as a bit Tokyo-centric in his worldview. In other words, the people in the boonies are expendable. City dwellers are not.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

So now, the residents of Tokyo know that they will not be warned by the government in case of imminent disaster. We must protect ourselves...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I still don't get how Kan has so little support... Is this just a politically motivated mass-media engineered move to push him out? Seems he was doing the right things, and given all the idiotic opposition he face, I don't think he did such a bad job.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

In retrospect, Kan probably prevented a mass exodus from Tokyo by avoiding use of the word "meltdown" to the public. As we all remember, Press Secretary Edano kept on using the phrase, "That is the worst-case scenario and it's very unlikely to happen..." Well, as we all know, a meltdown did occur. More than one. And they ALL knew it was likely to happen. It's like telling a heavy smoker that he might not get lung cancer. The real fools were the public for trusting the government. The "If we can't trust them, who can we trust?" mentality. Sheep.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

...seems like a lot of people are suggesting a panic evacuation of Tokyo would have been a better choice. I completely disagree. Yes there is potential for a huge disaster, but the level of panic that would ensue is most likely a bigger risk to the overall wellbeing of the country and the citizens/residents. There is always, and will always be some level of risk wherever you live on this earth. We are probably still safer than people living in South Korea with their crazy neighbor buiding missles and nukes and blowing up their subs whever he wakes up with a bad hair day.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I wonder when people will stop comparing it to what happened in Chernobyl. What happened there was pure human error. This was caused by a natural disaster.

It is human error, putting a nuclear reactor on the coast without enough protection from tsunami waves that have known to reach the previous height that happened in March 2011, also to put the pumps in the basement were they would be flooded if water came in and have not enough backup systems.

8 ( +8 / -1 )

Of course a panic exodus from Edo would not have been a better choice. But let's be honest. They intentionally hid the truth to prevent a panic. Which goes to prove that honesty is not always the best policy.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Tokyo isn't uninhabitable but there is a high risk of developing cancer from the radiation released in Fukushima. Sadly, the cancers will likely take long to develop and then the government will deny. But the people are the ones who must be responsible in the end for their own lives.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

did anyone watch the interview. i caught part of it and kan was very open and forthcoming. i though that if he done that real time, he would have had more support. i am not so worried about the radiation coming to tokyo from fukushima. i am worried that they sell produce from fukushima and affected areas in tokyo without complete testing. i am more worried about a big kanto quake and the tokaimura nuclear power plant which is just under 100km from tokyo.

3 ( +3 / -1 )

What about the people in the mid Tohoko areas? Aren't those areas already "uninhabitable"? The comment comes across as a bit Tokyo-centric in his worldview. In other words, the people in the boonies are expendable. City dwellers are not.

He is talking about the logistical difficulties of evacuating a major metropolis like Tokyo, should it be necessary. That doesn't mean he's ignoring the people in areas with less population density.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Tiffany Chua

I wonder when people will stop comparing it to what happened in Chernobyl. What happened there was pure human error. This was caused by a natural disaster.

This was caused by human error or more specifically human ignorance and refusal to act on critical information provided.

Noripinhead

And they ALL knew it was likely to happen. It's like telling a heavy smoker that he might not get lung cancer.

I smoked 4 packs a day for 40 years and dont have lung cancer so it is possible.

but the fact remains tepco was wrned and ignored all warnings and failed to to appropriate measures.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Hey Kan, guess what . The Fukushima nuclear disaster is not over...and a long-overdue major Kanto quake is on the way, so keep your spine in perpetual tingle.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The natural disaster was just the trigger. The human error lies in the foolish safety concept. If a reasonable safety concept had been set up correctly, even though there would have been meltdowns, the hydrogen explosions could have been avoided. With modern, state of the art NPPs operated with safety in mind, the severity of accidents would not reach the same level. However, it would be very hard to obtain profits from safe NPPs.

Just a numerical example. An NPP which is supposed to start in Finland in 2013 has a construction cost of 4.5 billion euro. Typical daily profits are 0.5 million euro. Thus, yearly profits are around 180 million euro. Thus, the NPP must run at least 26 years without any major repairs or suspensions to be profitable. A modern NPP would require about 30 years of normal operations to become profitable. That's crazy!

Wind power plants have an NEG (net energy gain) which differs from NPPs without suspension, accidents and the cost for the fuel by only around five percent. They produce the energy that has been used for their construction in two to six months. Show me any other plant capable of such feat! The world average price for wind plants is slightly below 1 million euro per Megawatt. In Germany, the price of wind power fell by 18% between 2008 and 2010.

A typical price for nuclear power (a new plant in Turkey) is 15.35 (euro)cts/kWh (Old plants that are already running for a few decades have been heavily subsidised and already redeemed their construction cost. Thus, they can declare cheaper prices around 2.7 cts/kWh.). In Germany, wind power costs only 9.2 (euro)cts/kWh (Construction cost is included. About 1/3 of this price is just due to a law which is supposed to make it more profitable for companies and encourage investment. So the real price is around six cts/kWh). In the end, You must conclude that NPPs are profitable if and only if they operate far longer than 30 years and if they are heavily subsidised. Thus, a long-term exit strategy is the only reasonable choice.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Fact:The radiation that strikes the Earth’s surface each year is more than 10,000 times the world's energy use. And we worry about a leak... This is only a fragment of our real problem!

0 ( +4 / -5 )

@palanteboricua

Fact:The radiation that strikes the Earth's surface each year is more than 10,000 times the world's energy use. And we worry about a leak... This is only a fragment of our real problem!

If you were drowning in a swimming pool, would you be comforted by being told that "...over two-thirds of the planet is covered in water....This pool is only a fragment of the problem!" ?

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Back on topic please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

To Tiffany Chua, Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on national TV last night that what happened at Fukushima was because of human error.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Fukushima was an accident waiting to happen.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

He added it would have been “impossible” to evacuate all of the 30 million people in the event of a mass exclusion zone encompassing Tokyo and the Kanto region, and said that this risk made nuclear power a too dangerous option.

So maybe they couldnt but should have....?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@lucabrasi

If you were drowning in a swimming pool, would you be comforted by being told that "...over two-thirds of the planet is covered in water....This pool is only a fragment of the problem!" ?

... drowning relates to inescapable death; whereas radiation leaks, relates to probable adaptation.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Tokyo wasn't constantly hit by a rather large plume. If it was then EVERY geiger counter would have shown seriously high levels of radiation. And they didn't. There are some hotspots but to suggest that Tokyo was ever badly contamianted. EVERY emabssy in Tokyo was checking for radiation and none of them ever found anything of concern (remember the comment from the Italians?).

judging by the continued discovery of rather large amounts of Cesium in products.

Define rather large. You recently commented on high levels of radiation in Iwate that were about 0.15. Which is tiny. Some crops have been contaminated to an unsafe level, but the vast majority haven't.

Oh, and am I the only one who thinks it's ironic that tobacco plants have 'high level' of cancer forming substances...

3 ( +4 / -1 )

In a separate interview, Kan told the Asahi Shimbun daily that the government had run a simulation of a widened evacuation zone up to 300 kilometers around the Fukushima plant, which would affect Japan’s capital and the entire Kanto region

.

This made me think that the 20 km radius no-go zone was just to satisfy the need for evacuation (to say to the world, we did it) but beyond that is really necessary. Are they trying to hide the real score to avoid panic? Was that their only reason behind that?

I dare him now to tell the truth beyond the news fed to us.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

WOW!! These guys are the masters of manipulation. They're talking like it's over. Deep Pockets are putting this country back to sleep....a crisis into oblivion. It's amazing. People are walking around like it didn't happen.

Yesterday I was in the supermarket and I saw the beef and fruits from Fukushima on sale. I dare not touch it. People were buying it up. What radiation? If they can't see it, then they won't fear it. Amazing.

TEPCO lawyers are just loving it. If they can get everyone into the mindset that it's over who will ever check? Friend of mine lost his Uncle this summer. His uncle lived near Fukushima. Of course, he was evacuated, relocated to some make shift housing. It all got to him, he couldn't take it. His heart gave out. He died. No word of it in the media. There are more cases like this.

Deep pocket lawyers are just loving it. The death certificate list nothing of radiation. The families case severly weakened. TEPCO (Deep Pocket) lawyers will surely claim the cause of death was something else. It's going to happen to alot of people.

With that said, we can see Kan in this article attempting to close the casket on this. If he wanted to honorable he'd come publicly and ride against TEPCO and expose them.

Instead, he got a nice comfortable job as one of Noda's chief advisors. Still gettting paid. In so many words, this article sounds like "Better them than us" an underlying tone.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Kan You did your best! I don't judge.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The wind was mostly blowing towards the sea during the accident, so this wasn't really the worst case scenario and therefore 20km evacuation zone was probably enough. Of course the winds changed course, so there are some hot spots outside the evacuation zone, which aren't safe. I don't know, how accurately these hot spots have been studied. On the other hand there are still lots of habitable places inside the evacuation zone as well.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Oh, and am I the only one who thinks it's ironic that tobacco plants have 'high level' of cancer forming substances...

No.

Peoples perception of risk is totally out of whack.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If you genuinely believe that anything above zero is dangerous then it's pointless having a discussion with you. We do believe very different safe levels but mine is based on science and I doubt that you can make the same claim if you maintain that anything above zero is rather large.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Technology just have to be found to neutralize radiation. I believe the advance nuclear nations are already on to this, but no feasible method have yet been found. It can't be that the US, Russia, Britain or even non-nuclear nations in Europe are just sitting & watching as the tragedy unfolds. It may be Japan now, it was the USSR before and tomorrow, who knows.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

the amount of isotopes being collected at waste water treatment facilities in Tokyo every week,

Can you provide links for this data as well? I'd be interested in looking at it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Darren BrannanSEP. 07, 2011 - 05:33PM JST I do have one apology to make to you Heda, and that is about my Iwate post. My friend was driving around Iwate and Fukushima with a veteran from World Vision and they were getting readings of 1.5 to 3.0 not the 0.15 I previously stated. Using two geiger counters.I make no apology for having the temerity to believe that any cesium in my food is unwelcome. I already have cornonary artery disease and Cesium is not a positive item on my menu nor my 2 year old daughter's. Trying to keep cesium out of my kitchen is both an imperative and an obligation.

May I know what is the unit?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@m6bob:

There are various things which work against radiation, like lead shielding and - heyhey, that's a cheap one - distance against gamma radiation. Cadmium and boric acid shield neutrons to some extent. Alpha radiation is harmless unless You incorporate the emitters (as hot particles in the air or in food). Beta radiation can be shielded by paper or glass or a few hundreds of meters of air. With resins You can filter contaminated water and reduce certain kinds of radioisotopes. However, the question is in this case whether You can again drink the water or whether the process involves other toxic substances. And it doesn't eliminate the radiation - it concentrates it in one phase and reduces it in another phase.

There is no magical pill to remove radiation. I can say this as a nuclear physicist, based on my knowledge extending into nuclear chemistry (my minor). There has never been one. There will never be one. It is impossible to get what You want. If radiation killing pills were possible, then the advanced nuclear nations in Europe, Russia or the US would already have it. By the way, the country which is technically most advanced in nuclear power is neither the US nor Britain. It is probably France and its AREVA company. They are constructing the high end reactors, which are probably safe against human errors and natural disasters like in Fukushima.

The European nations are not sitting and watching Japan. They have been waiting for more than half a year now that Japan asks for help. Some problems could have been handled far better if Japan had asked for European technology.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What?, like this: http://www.blind-film.net

0 ( +0 / -0 )

120,000 tons of 'radioactive' waste in storage

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110729006250.htm

Excerpt: At least 120,000 tons of sludge and ash either confirmed or suspected to have been contaminated by radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has been put into storage at water treatment and sewage plants in Tokyo and 13 eastern prefectures, it has been learned.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It is probably France and its AREVA company. They are constructing the high end reactors, which are probably safe against human errors and natural disasters like in Fukushima.

Ehm, NO. If people continue to believe that a safe nuclear plant is possible, well they learned nothing by Chernobyl or Fukushima. Do you really believe that French nuclear plants are sure? In this article (it's in Italian) they say the contrary. http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2011/02/14/nucleare-difettosi-34-reattori-francesi-gli-ambientalisti-rischio-di-catastrofi/91987/ Japan is ruined for ever, and probably the things will get always worse. It's a huge disaster, but human kind doesn't want learn by its own mistakes.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think this is like a bad, long night mere! I hope one day, we here in Japan and the rest of the world can wake up from this horrible situation and be able make this horrible situation back into a more positive, beautiful Japan that we can all be proud of. NO TO NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ANY WHERE IN JAPAN!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

This is also why Japan refused to expand the exclusion zone to the 80km that the U.S. and others were recommending. If they had done so the cities of Fukushima and Iwaki would have fallen inside the exclusion zone, raising the number of refugees to over 1.5 million. Considering how much difficulty Japan is having with the EXISTING refugees, can you imagine trying to find places to sleep for 1.5 million refugees?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Radiation (contamination) was the straight consequence of human carelessness and ignorance of knowingly building the NPP in the middle of a fault line. Even if the present disaster is fought off, as I see human ignorance and decision maker's notorious stupidity is still here around and the next disaster is just burgeoning.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Darren: Bought the geiger cam app., as I found it interesting. It's a bit dodgy, and you need to have your phone plugged in when you use it (or you'll waste all your battery power), but it works. Thanks.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Fadamor: "Considering how much difficulty Japan is having with the EXISTING refugees, can you imagine trying to find places to sleep for 1.5 million refugees?"

Agreed. But what you get in return is politics in favour of practicality. Moving those people, as massive as the number is, could save their lives. But the politicians here think... sheesh... that might lose us a few votes so let's just tell 'em it's okay.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Agreed. But what you get in return is politics in favour of practicality. Moving those people, as massive as the number is, could save their lives.

Actually, this was an example of politics driven by practicality. It was impractical to dislocate that many people. Japan never could have absorbed that many refugees. Kan's fear about Tokyo having to evacuate had already been examined at the smaller scale of the 80km exclusion zone and found to be impractical. Had Tokyo required evacuation, the country would have collapsed due to insufficient infrastructure in other parts of the country.

As far as "saving their lives" goes, how many have died due to radiation exposure so far? How many have reported radiation-related illnesses since March 11? How many have received unsafe dosages of radiation?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Johannes Weber Sep. 07, 2011 - 11:29AM JST

Just a numerical example. An NPP which is supposed to start in Finland in 2013 has a construction cost of 4.5 billion euro. Typical daily profits are 0.5 million euro. Thus, yearly profits are around 180 million euro. Thus, the NPP must run at least 26 years without any major repairs or suspensions to be profitable. A modern NPP would require about 30 years of normal operations to become profitable. That's crazy!

And NPPs have a usual design life of 40 years, in other words 33% profit. Better than nothing, and providing cheap electricity too.

The world average price for wind plants is slightly below 1 million euro per Megawatt. In Germany, the price of wind power fell by 18% between 2008 and 2010.

And wind plants cannot provide baseload electricity without expensive storage solutions.

A typical price for nuclear power (a new plant in Turkey) is 15.35 (euro)cts/kWh (Old plants that are already running for a few decades have been heavily subsidised and already redeemed their construction cost. Thus, they can declare cheaper prices around 2.7 cts/kWh.). In Germany, wind power costs only 9.2 (euro)cts/kWh.

And in Japan nuclear costs around 6.3 to 7.7 yen per kWh, wind 9 to 14, and solar 49 - according to the Japan Times. And how much does nuclear cost in Germany - or wind in Turkey for that matter?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

And in Japan nuclear costs around 6.3 to 7.7 yen per kWh

Rubbish. You have forgotten the costs of decommissioning, which are high but unknown because it's never actually been done, and the astronomical costs of the inevitable nuclear accidents.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

melguy Sep. 09, 2011 - 06:27PM

Rubbish. You have forgotten the costs of decommissioning, which are high but unknown because it's never actually been done, and the astronomical costs of the inevitable nuclear accidents.

Decommissioning has been going on around the world, so far apparently without bank-breaking costs. As for astronomical costs, this recent study doesn't seem to think so:

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/EE-Nuclear_still_cost_competitive_in_Japan_study_says-0209114.html

And what of the costs of dumping more CO2 and toxins from burning fossil fuels?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think it's obvious to say the this crisis is far from over. I'm wondering though whether those responsible for substandard prevention and emergency measures over at TEPCO will ever be brought in and punished for criminal negligence, or will business just continue as usual? Kan did what he could to keep the peace in a time where mass panic would have amplified an already chaotic situation. The shift to alternative energy is a step in the right direction. I wouldn't mind shelling out 30 yen a month for peace of mind that my power source isn't going to eventually or immediately kill me.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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