Latest news with #FukushimaPrefecture
Japan Times
03-08-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Tepco wraps up latest round of treated water release in Fukushima
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said Sunday that it has completed the second round of its fiscal 2025 release of treated water into the ocean from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The discharge of the water, containing radioactive tritium, was suspended due to a tsunami caused by a major earthquake near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula last week, but there were no problems with the facilities involved in the operation. In the second round, which began on July 14, Tepco diluted 7,800 tons of treated water with large amounts of seawater before releasing it about 1 kilometer off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture through an undersea tunnel. In the current fiscal year through next March, a total of 54,600 tons will be released into the sea in seven rounds, at the same pace as the previous year. The nuclear plant in northeastern Japan had a triple meltdown following the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disaster.
BBC News
30-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Japan's Fukushima plant workers evacuate after tsunami warning
Workers at Japan's embattled Fukushima nuclear plant were evacuated earlier on Wednesday after tsunami warnings were issued across the country. The plant's operator said all 4,000 of its workers had been evacuated, adding that there were no "abnormalities" comes after a massive 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's far eastern coast, triggering warnings across the many in Fukushima prefecture, the warning is likely to bring back memories of one of the worst nuclear disasters the world has March 2011, Japan was hit by a devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that went on to kill more than 18,000 tsunami flooded the plant, disabling its emergency generators and causing them to overheat - leading to a nuclear meltdown. Hundreds of tons of extremely hazardous material still remain at Fukushima - and the challenges and controversies surrounding it are still very much present even now, more than 14 years later. What happened at the Fukushima nuclear site? On 11 March 2011 at 14:46 local time (05:46 GMT) an earthquake - known as the Great East Japan Earthquake - struck east of the city of Sendai, just 97km (60miles) north of the power buildings at Fukushima were damaged by hydrogen explosions caused by the earthquake and tsunami. The tsunami knocked out cooling systems to the reactors, three of which melted plant also suffered a number of chemical explosions which badly damaged the buildings, and to make matters worse, radioactive material began leaking into the atmosphere and the Pacific government soon declared a 30km exclusion area around the plant, evacuating more than 150,000 people who were warned not to return due to radiation concerns. Even now, significant portions of the area are still restricted - with abandoned homes, empty neighbourhoods and faded storefronts to show for it. Why is it so hard to clean up the nuclear waste? A total of 880 metric tons of hazardous material - a mixture of melted nuclear fuel and reactor structures - still remain inside the Fukushima this debris from the reactors is seen as the biggest challenge towards safely decommissioning the plant. Tens of thousands of workers will be needed over the next 30 to 40 years to safely remove nuclear waste, fuel rods and more than one million tons of radioactive water still being kept at the site. The clean-up is also estimated to cost around 21.5tr yen ($145bn; 3109bn). Earlier this week, Tepco said the start of full-scale removal of melted fuel debris would be pushed back until 2037 or later - saying that preparations for this would require at least 12-15 years. The plan has already been delayed numerous times, and the latest delay is a major setback to a government plan to complete decommissioning by still maintains that it can achieve this but some experts have called this into question."Who really believes all 880 tons of debris can be removed in 14 years between 2037 and 2051? Maintaining an unrealistic goal is not good when considering Fukushima's recovery," Shunji Matsuoka, a professor of environmental economics and policy studies at Waseda University, had told local news outlet then there's the issue of water. Since the disaster, power plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) has been pumping in water to cool down the reactors' fuel rods. This means every day the plant produces contaminated water, which is stored in more than 1,000 tanks, enough to fill more than 500 Olympic swimming pools. But Japan needs the land occupied by the tanks to build new facilities to safely decommission the plant - and in 2023, it began releasing some of this treated wastewater into the ocean. The plan was met by a huge amount of criticism and controversy, despite the UN's atomic regulators saying it will have a "negligible" impact on people and the environment. Is Japan shifting back to nuclear power? In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Japan initially started moving away from nuclear energy - but the government has slowly started to reverse this this year, Japan said it needed to rely on nuclear to meet growing demand from power-hungry sectors like AI and semiconductors, with an energy plan released calling for "maximising" nuclear this week, utility company Kansai Electric Power said it would look into whether it could build a new reactor - a project that had been suspended in the wake of Fukushima. But there has been local opposition to such plans - and Wednesday's tsunami alert is likely to heighten concerns. Japan's Meteorological Agency says tsunami waves have reached parts of the country's coast, including could reach as high as 3m (9ft) in such areas and thousands have been told to evacuate for their safety. Why do so many earthquakes happen in Japan? Japan's precarious location on the Ring of Fire means it experiences about 1,500 earthquakes a year. The looming threat of earthquakes is ever present. It is also widely considered to be among the most earthquake-prepared nations in the world. Its citizens begin taking part in earthquake drills from as early on as primary school and its buildings are designed to be earthquake resistant. Despite this, many in Japan remain fearful of the "big one" - a once-in-a-century quake that worst case scenarios predict could kill as many as 300,000 people, triggering tsunamis of up to 30m (100ft) along the country's Pacific coast. Experts say there is a 70% to 80% chance of a magnitude 8 or 9 quake striking somewhere along Japan's Nankai trough in the next 30 years.
Japan Times
20-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
¥1.9 trillion over five years eyed for 2011 tsunami reconstruction
Japan adopted a new basic policy on Friday for reconstruction after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, expecting projects worth ¥1.9 trillion for the next five years from fiscal 2026. The amount tops ¥1.6 trillion for the five years through fiscal 2025, which ends in March. Under the basic policy, the government will tackle such issues as the final disposal of soil removed during radiation decontamination after the nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 power plant. The government will also promote the return of evacuees to their homes in areas affected by the radiation from the nuclear accident. "With a strong determination to resolve problems for reconstruction within the next five years, all the cabinet members will accelerate reconstruction efforts further, staying considerate to those in affected areas," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a meeting of the government's council for reconstruction from the disaster. The basic policy calls for studying the idea of allowing forest management and some other activities in areas where entry is heavily restricted due to the radiation from the nuclear accident. The government will also promote the use of soil collected during decontamination work in public works projects and continue to financially support disaster-affected municipalities with special grants. Of the ¥1.9 trillion projected for the next five years, ¥1.6 trillion will go to reconstruction efforts in Fukushima Prefecture, devastated by the Tepco accident on top of the quake and tsunami. The tsunami-hit prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi will each secure some ¥100 billion.
Japan Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Profitable Fukushima companies closing due to lack of successors
Many companies are shutting down in Fukushima Prefecture even though they are making a profit, due to the aging of managers who run the businesses and their failure to find successors. Data from Teikoku Databank's Fukushima branch shows that out of the 871 firms in the prefecture which discontinued, suspended or dissolved their business last year, 34.9% were in the black. They had to close down because they could not find a way to proceed with business succession smoothly. Experts warn that such business closures are likely to increase in the future amid labor shortage caused by the aging of society and a declining birth rate. They call for more effective measures to tackle the situation, as it could lead to a decline of the regional economy. Reflecting companies' struggles to find successors, the number of inquiries made to a business succession support center, set up in the prefecture by the central government, has been rising every year, reaching 1,156 in fiscal 2023, the latest available data. However, it has not always been easy for people looking for successors and those wishing to take over their businesses to reach agreement, because of mismatches in conditions or career interests. Meanwhile, there have been cases across the country in which companies in metropolitan areas purchase firms in regional areas, then abandon the management at the regional firm and become unreachable, indicating uncertainties in business successions involving wider areas. 'It is important for proprietors themselves to look for potential successors from their immediate surroundings, including their clients,' said an official from Teikoku Databank. The aging of business owners in Fukushima Prefecture is also becoming a bigger problem. According to a 2023 Teikoku Databank survey, the average age of company presidents in the prefecture was 61.3 years old, hitting a record high and topping the nationwide average of 60.7 years old. More than 80% of business owners in Fukushima Prefecture were 50 years old or older, and 4.8% were 80 or older. A nationwide survey conducted last year found that 316 firms in Japan went bankrupt because their owners fell ill or died. A Teikoku Databank official pointed to the need to take prompt action to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. Kimihiro Matsuzaki, 79, the owner of Yanagi, a Japanese restaurant located in front of Iwaki Station in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, is one such person looking for someone to take over their business. The restaurant has been in the black, attracting a lot of customers, but Matsuzaki decided to retire this summer due to his advanced age. He is looking for a person who will take over the business, which he has run for half a century since 1974. 'I desperately want someone to continue what I have achieved,' he said. His specialty dishes using fish caught off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, including bonito sashimi and anglerfish hot pot, are listed on the restaurant's menu. 'My happiest moment is when I see my customers leave with smiles,' Matsuzaki said. He looks serious when he cooks food, but seeing people cheerfully enjoying his dishes makes him smile at times. Matsuzaki opened his restaurant in Iwaki at the age of 29 after five years of training as a chef. His eatery and his friendliness have been appreciated by many people. 'There were tough days, especially at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant accident, but I didn't want to quit as customers continued to come," he said. As he is nearly 80, however, he feels that his physical strength is nearing its limit. If he can find a successor, he is willing to sell his restaurant at an affordable price. He hopes the successor will also inherit the name of the restaurant, meaning "willow" in Japanese, as he took the name after willow branches that can weather storms, being able to bend instead of break. "People visit Iwaki and enjoy the food. I don't want such places to disappear." This section features topics and issues covered by the Fukushima Minpo, the prefecture's largest newspaper. The original article was published May 9.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Slightly radioactive soil from Fukushima will be used in the prime minister's flower beds
Kazuhiro Onuki, right, and his wife, Michiko, wearing white protective gears and filtered masks, walk along the coast damaged by the 2011 tsunami against a backdrop of Fukushima Dai-ni Nuclear Power Plant, in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, Thursday, April 17, 2014. (AP / Shizuo Kambayashi) TOKYO — Japan said Tuesday it plans to use some slightly radioactive soil stored near the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant on flower beds outside Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's office to show it is safe to reuse. The soil was removed from across the Fukushima prefecture as part of decontamination work following the 2011 nuclear disaster and has since been in interim storage. Some of it has since reached levels safe enough for reuse, officials say. Using the soil at Ishiba's office in Tokyo is aimed at reassuring the public it is safe. The government said that it plans to reuse the soil for flower beds and other purposes within the grounds of government agencies. The plan is based on guidelines set by the Environment Ministry in March and endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Fukushima disaster resulted in large amounts of radioactive materials spewing out from the plant, polluting surrounding areas. Japan is stuck with large volumes of the dirt, chopped trees and other debris collected during intensive decontamination work. It has 14 million cubic meters of dirt and other materials -- enough to fill 11 baseball stadiums -- stored at a sprawling outdoor facility straddling the towns of Futaba and Okuma, near the Fukushima plant. The government is aiming to find disposal sites for the soil by 2045, with officials suggesting low risk material could be used to build roads and in other public works projects across the country. The Environment Ministry said that the soil will be used as foundation material and safely covered with top soil thick enough to keep radiation at negligible levels. But there is much public unease. The government has already been forced to discontinue a plan to experiment using some of the soil in flower beds at several public parks in and around Tokyo following protests. The IAEA is providing assistance with the Fukushima decommissioning process, which requires removing more than 880 tons of melted fuel debris. In 2023 Japan began discharging treated radioactive wastewater from the plant into the sea to reduce the risk of accidental leaks and to make space to build facilities needed for melted fuel removal. Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press
