Latest news with #FukushimaPrefecture
Japan Times
4 days ago
- 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
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Japan to use slightly radioactive soil from Fukushima on flowerbeds at prime minister's office
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.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Japan to use soil from contaminated Fukushima on flowerbeds at prime minister's office
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)
The Sun
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Radioactive soil to be used for flowerbeds outside PM's office in Japan in divisive PR stunt after Fukushima disaster
RADIOACTIVE soil from Fukushima will be used outside Japan's government buildings in a bid to persuade the country that the soil is safe. Japan's government revealed the bold move on Tuesday, explaining it aims to ease fears about reusing soil from the disaster zone in public projects. 7 7 7 Low-level radioactive soil will be placed in flower beds and other areas on the grounds of government buildings, including the prime minister's office. This marks the first time the soil has been reused outside Fukushima Prefecture - the region devastated by the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said it's "important to secure a wider public understanding' of the safety and utility of the soil. But the move is controversial - previous attempts to use the soil in Tokyo and other parts of Japan were halted due to opposition. Three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plant suffered fuel meltdowns and hydrogen explosions in 2011 after an earthquake and tsunami. As a result, a large amount of radioactive materials was released into the air, prompting more than 150,000 people to evacuate from the surrounding area. Around 494 million cubic feet of removed soil and other radioactive waste is being temporarily stored near the nuclear plant. The Japanese government is required by law to permanently dispose of the contaminated soil outside the prefecture by March 2045. Soil with over 8,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive caesium cannot be used in any works, as per government guidelines. But soil with low-level radioactivity is suitable for public works, the government claims. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted three expert missions to assess Japan's safety request for using the soil -and after their review, approved the plans. What happened at Fukushima? On March 11, 2011, a major nuclear accident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in northern Japan. It is considered the worst nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The accident was triggered by a massive magnitude-9.0 earthquake off the coast of the Tōhoku region, followed by a powerful tsunami. The tsunami disabled the plant's cooling systems and the emergency backup generators. All three active reactors automatically shut down during the earthquake, as designed. But without power, cooling functions failed in the hours and days after. As a result, the reactor cores overheated, leading to partial meltdowns and hydrogen explosions. Significant amounts of radioactive material were released into the nearby environment, and radiation levels increased in food, water and the ocean. The government was forced to declare a 18-mile evacuation zone and over 150,000 residents had to flee. The long-term health effects of radiation exposure remain a topic of scientific debate. In 2013, the World Health Organization reported that the disaster was unlikely to cause any measurable increase in overall cancer rates. However, some studies suggest that young children exposed to radioactive iodine may face a slightly increased risk of thyroid cancer. Fear remains: despite the lifting of evacuation orders in many areas, most residents have chosen not to return. This comes as a rare glimpse inside Fukushima's exclusion zone was revealed by an urban explorer last year. Nuclear control rooms, hospitals and apartments are just some of the areas that remain abandoned and forgotten following the horrific event on March 11, 2011. After watching a documentary on the Fukushima nuclear disaster Lukka Ventures, 27, from Manchester, decided to explore the 'red zones' - sites that have been closed off - around the plant. Ventures visited abandoned hospitals, malls and apartments which he described as untouched by time. Earlier that year, drone footage revealed the first glimpse inside ground zero of the hardest-hit Fukushima reactor. The eerie video shows the melted wreckage alongside displaced control equipment, misshapen materials and blackened ladders. Photos released by the plant's operator are the first from inside the hardest-hit No. 1 reactor's primary containment vessel - an area directly under the reactor's core. Officials had spent years trying to reach the area to examine the core and melted nuclear fuel. Earlier attempts using robots were unsuccessful in reaching the area. 7 7 7
