Thu Feb 9, 2012
TOKYO Feb 9 (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co. said on Thursday it was making three emergency units at its Kashima power plant permanent, and upgrading their capacity to make up for power shortages caused by the shutdown of nuclear reactors over safety fears.
The Kashima plant, east of Tokyo, currently has a total capacity of 4,400 MW.
The units being upgraded were originally emergency gas-fired turbines that the Kashima plant relied on to generate more power after a March 2011 tsunami and earthquake damaged some Japanese nuclear reactors and led to the closure of several others.
The three units, which are due to start operating on a full-time basis in July, are capable of generating a combined 804 MW of power, but the upgrade, which will end by July 2014, will increase their capacity to 1,248 MW, Tepco said.
Tepco has also said it would upgrade three other emergency turbines at its Chiba power plant.
All but three of the Japan's 54 nuclear reactors are off-line, mostly for safety checks and the government is keen to boost power output to avoid a serious crunch in the summer, when demand for electricity peaks.
(sourced Reuters)
Showing posts with label Tokyo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tokyo. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Daiichi Chuo Targets U.S. Coal Export Boom as It Adds Bulk Ships
Monday, 06 February 2012
Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha (9132), a Tokyo- based shipping line, said it’s targeting a boom in coal exports from the U.S. as shale gas production frees up the fuel for sales overseas. The shares were poised for their biggest gain since at least 1974.
“Exports of coal from the U.S. could easily double in the next three or four years,” Saburo Koide, president of the company, said in an interview in Tokyo yesterday. “We’ve already had several inquiries on shipping coal from there,” he said, declining to name potential customers.
The shipping line plans to add an office in Brazil as early as next month to handle imports to South America, expanding its overseas branch network that includes China and India, Koide said. The U.S. can boost coal exports as much as 110 million tons by this year as low natural gas prices erode the fuel’s domestic demand, the International Energy Agency said last month.
“We’re going to see more bulk ships traveling to the U.S.,” Koide said. “China and India are already strong markets for coal. Brazil is also expanding.”
Daiichi shares climbed 25 percent, headed for the biggest gain since at least September 1974, to 141 yen as of 1:37 p.m. in Tokyo. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 1.1 percent.
Shale Rock
The development of shale gas reserves in the U.S. is reducing the country’s reliance on coal for power stations, opening the way for the fuel to be exported. The U.S Energy Department forecast coal’s market share for power generation will decline to 43.5 percent this year from 44.9 percent in 2011, according to Simmons & Co. International.
Marcellus shale rock formation, stretching across the U.S. Northeast, has enough reserves to meet the nation’s gas demand for about six years, according to estimates from the Energy Department. Global coal demand may expand 2.8 percent a year to 2016 amid demand from emerging economies, the Paris-based International Energy Agency said last month.
“Demand for coal from developing countries is increasing as their populations and economies expand,” Koide said. Daiichi already has won some contracts to transport coal from the U.S., he said.
Daiichi plans to expand its fleet to 280 ships by the end of March 2016, from 195 vessels in March, according to the company’s mid-term forecast. The shipping line plans to add 111 vessels including capesizes and panamaxes in this period.
In comparison, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (9104), operator of the world’s largest merchant fleet, had 917 ships at the end of March, according to its annual report. The shipping line is the largest shareholder of Daiichi with a 26 percent stake, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Daiichi will make a loss of 3.8 billion yen ($49 million) on sales of 148 billion yen in the year ending March 31, the company said in October. It’s scheduled to announce earnings for the third quarter on Jan. 31. Koide declined to comment on the company’s earnings forecast.
Source: Bloomberg
Friday, August 26, 2011
Rio, Mitsubishi Raise Coal & Allied Bid to A$1.53 Billion
August26, 2011
Aug. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Rio Tinto Group, the world's second- biggest mining company, and Mitsubishi Corp. raised their offer for the rest of the shares of Coal & Allied Industries Ltd. by 2.5 percent to take the company private.
Coal & Allied accepted the offer of A$1.53 billion ($1.6 billion), or A$125 a share, 6.1 percent more than its close yesterday, the Brisbane-based-company said today in a statement. Rio and Mitsubishi, which own stakes of 75.7 percent and 10.2 percent respectively in Coal & Allied, made an initial offer of A$122 a share on Aug. 8.
"This indicates that they weren't going to get the level of acceptances that they were looking for," Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney, said by phone. "Once they get to 90 percent within one entity they can compulsorily acquire the remaining 10 percent and effectively they can take it private."
Buying Coal & Allied gives London-based Rio and Tokyo-based Mitsubishi full control of three coal mines in the Hunter Valley in Australia's New South Wales state as prices surge. The move comes as global mining companies take advantage of a four-week market equity rout that wiped about $8 trillion off the value of global equities.
Coal & Allied shares gained 3.6 percent to A$122.02 at the 4:10 p.m. close of the Australian stock exchange in Sydney. The revised offer, made after Coal & Allied dropped 30 percent from its peak this year, values the company at A$10.8 billion.
Power Houses
"The offer is obviously well within the investment matrix for these two powerhouses," said McCarthy. "They both have far greater financial resources."
Rio generated $18 billion in cash from its operations in the year to Dec. 31, compared with a cash flow of $9.6 billion a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Rio has worked to repair its balance sheet, with the help of surging commodity prices as well as more than $11 billion in asset sales, after debt ballooned 19-fold with the purchase of aluminum producer Alcan Inc. in 2007.
Rio, which paid A$3.4 billion to acquire Riversdale Mining Ltd. this year, raised its bid two days after Glencore International Plc offered A$270 million for the shares in Australian nickel producer Minara Resources Ltd. it doesn't already own.
"The revised proposal has been unanimously recommended by the proposal response committee members subject to the independent expert concluding that the scheme is in the best interests of Coal & Allied's minority shareholders and there being no superior proposal," Coal & Allied said in the statement.
Perpetual Ltd., Coal & Allied's third-largest shareholder, has supported the bid in the absence of a higher offer.
sourced sfgate
Aug. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Rio Tinto Group, the world's second- biggest mining company, and Mitsubishi Corp. raised their offer for the rest of the shares of Coal & Allied Industries Ltd. by 2.5 percent to take the company private.
Coal & Allied accepted the offer of A$1.53 billion ($1.6 billion), or A$125 a share, 6.1 percent more than its close yesterday, the Brisbane-based-company said today in a statement. Rio and Mitsubishi, which own stakes of 75.7 percent and 10.2 percent respectively in Coal & Allied, made an initial offer of A$122 a share on Aug. 8.
"This indicates that they weren't going to get the level of acceptances that they were looking for," Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney, said by phone. "Once they get to 90 percent within one entity they can compulsorily acquire the remaining 10 percent and effectively they can take it private."
Buying Coal & Allied gives London-based Rio and Tokyo-based Mitsubishi full control of three coal mines in the Hunter Valley in Australia's New South Wales state as prices surge. The move comes as global mining companies take advantage of a four-week market equity rout that wiped about $8 trillion off the value of global equities.
Coal & Allied shares gained 3.6 percent to A$122.02 at the 4:10 p.m. close of the Australian stock exchange in Sydney. The revised offer, made after Coal & Allied dropped 30 percent from its peak this year, values the company at A$10.8 billion.
Power Houses
"The offer is obviously well within the investment matrix for these two powerhouses," said McCarthy. "They both have far greater financial resources."
Rio generated $18 billion in cash from its operations in the year to Dec. 31, compared with a cash flow of $9.6 billion a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Rio has worked to repair its balance sheet, with the help of surging commodity prices as well as more than $11 billion in asset sales, after debt ballooned 19-fold with the purchase of aluminum producer Alcan Inc. in 2007.
Rio, which paid A$3.4 billion to acquire Riversdale Mining Ltd. this year, raised its bid two days after Glencore International Plc offered A$270 million for the shares in Australian nickel producer Minara Resources Ltd. it doesn't already own.
"The revised proposal has been unanimously recommended by the proposal response committee members subject to the independent expert concluding that the scheme is in the best interests of Coal & Allied's minority shareholders and there being no superior proposal," Coal & Allied said in the statement.
Perpetual Ltd., Coal & Allied's third-largest shareholder, has supported the bid in the absence of a higher offer.
sourced sfgate
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Outflow of highly radioactive water into Pacific stopped: nuke operator
Wednesday, April06, 2011 09:03:51 |English.news.cn
The combo photo from Tokyo Electric Powershows adioactive contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant No. 2 reactor leaks through a crack in a concrete pit and drains into the ocean in Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan April 2, 2011 (Top) and the water leak halts on April 6, 2011 (Bottom). Operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex said on Wednesday it had stopped leaks of contaminated water with high levels of radiation into the ocean. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
TOKYO, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The outflow of highly radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has stopped after the injection of a chemical agent, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said Wednesday.
TEPCO, the nuclear plant operator, injected sodium silicate, also known as "water glass," and another agent near a seaside pit where the highly radioactive water had been seeping through to stem the leakage.
The nuclear plant has been severely damaged by the March 11 mega earthquake and ensuing tsunami.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Japan's radioactive water worries S Korea
Tue, April05, 2011
By North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy, wires
South Korea has expressed concern to Japan about the pumping of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
Japan says it is dumping more than 11,000 tonnes of low-level radioactive water into the ocean to make space for even more contaminated run-off from water used to douse overheating fuel rods.
The government says the release is needed to stabilise the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
South Korea's embassy in Tokyo has expressed concern that the release may be in breach of international laws.
"It's the proximity between the two countries that makes Japan's release of radioactive water a pressing issue for us," an unnamed official told South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
Tokyo Electric Power Co, the operator of the stricken plant, said the release of the water - the equivalent of more than four Olympic-sized swimming pools - would not harm marine life or seafood safety.
Traces of airborne radioactive material had already been detected in South Korea, but were said to be too minuscule to pose health risks.
Meanwhile, Singapore has suspended fruit and vegetable imports from another Japanese prefecture after raised radiation levels were detected in cabbages from the region.
The sample was from Hyogo, based around Kobe, 1,000 kilometres west of the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Elevated levels of radioactive iodine have also been found in young lance fish found off Ibaraki, about 140 kilometres south of the Fukushima plant.
Responding to public concern, the Japanese government says it will increase inspections of marine products.
Authorities have advised the public not to eat the species.
Singapore had earlier banned imports from 10 Japanese prefectures including Fukushima and Tokyo. sourced: ABC/AFP
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Anti-nuclear march in Tokyo, Japan
A protester shouts slogans during an anti-nuclear march in Tokyo, Japan, March 31, 2011.(Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)
France urges world nuclear review after Japan crisis
Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:24am GMT
By Chizu Nomiyama and Chisa Fujioka
TOKYO (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Thursday for a reform of global nuclear standards by the end of the year during a first visit by a foreign leader to Japan since the earthquake and tsunami that triggered its atomic disaster.
Group of 20 chairman Sarkozy said France wants to host a meeting of the bloc's nuclear officials in May to fix new norms in the wake of the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan supported the idea.
"In order to avoid recurrence of such an accident, it is our duty to accurately share with the world our experience," he said at a joint news conference.
The world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl in 1986 is proving hard to contain and has forced an international re-think of the benefits and safety of nuclear power.
It has also compounded an agonizing moment for the Asian nation after the quake and tsunami left more than 27,500 people dead or missing and caused damage that may top $300 billion (186 billion pounds).
First data on the economic impact of the March 11 disasters showed manufacturing slumped the most on record this month as factories shut and supply chains were disrupted, especially in the car and technology sectors for which Japan is renowned.
France, the world's most nuclear-dependent country, is taking a lead in assisting Japan. As well as Sarkozy's show of solidarity by his personal presence, Paris has flown in experts from state-owned nuclear reactor maker Areva.
"Consider me your employee," Areva Chief Executive Anne Lauvergeon told Japanese officials.
The United States and Germany have weighed in too, offering robots to help repair the damaged nuclear plant.
In a worrying development in Switzerland, two female employees were injured when a parcel bomb exploded in the offices of the local nuclear lobby, police said. It was not known who sent it.
Switzerland has frozen the approvals process for three new nuclear stations pending a safety review after Japan's disaster.
Pressure has been growing on Japan to expand the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant where radiation hit 4,000 times legal limits in nearby sea and hindered the battle to contain the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl.
Both the U.N. nuclear watchdog and Japan's own nuclear safety agency have advised Kan to consider widening the 20-km (12-mile) zone round the plant on the northeast Pacific coast.
High radiation was detected at twice that distance away.
Government officials are pleading for Japanese, and the world, to avoid overreaction to what they say are still low-risk levels of radiation away from the plant.
HIGH RADIATION
More than 70,000 people have been evacuated from the 20-km ring. Another 136,000 who live in a 10-km (6-mile) band beyond that have been encouraged to leave or to stay indoors.
U.N. body, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said radiation at Iitate village, 40 km (25 miles) from the plant, exceeded a criterion for evacuation.
Japan's chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the government was reviewing the issue daily but "at this moment, no decision to expand the evacuation area has been made".
Consistently high levels of radiation found in the sea near the complex could mean radiation is leaking out continuously, Japan's nuclear watchdog said. The source is still unknown, adding to the headaches for engineers on the site.
Radioactive iodine in seawater near drains running from the plant was 4,385 times more than the legal limit, the highest recorded so far during the crisis.
In a sign of the extraordinary times Japan is living, one newborn baby's first medical appointment was not with a paediatrician but a Geiger counter.
"I am so scared about radiation," Misato Nagashima said as she took her baby Rio, born four days after the earthquake and disaster, for a screening at a city in Fukushima prefecture.
Concern over radiation beyond Japan grew further after Singapore detected radiation nine times the limit in cabbages from Japan, while the United States reported "minuscule" levels of radiation in milk samples on its west coast.
Contaminated milk was one of the biggest causes of thyroid cancers after the 1986 nuclear accident in Chernobyl because people near the plant kept drinking milk from local cows.
Several nations have banned milk and produce from areas near the damaged nuclear plant, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo. Japan has itself stopped exports of vegetables and milk there.
While food makes up only 1 percent of Japan's exports, the nuclear emergency poses a risk to an economy burdened with public debt twice the size of its $5 trillion dollar economy and a fast ageing population.
Japan has called on World Trade Organisation nations not to impose "unjustifiable" import curbs on its goods.
LENGTHY BATTLE
Experts say the battle to control Fukushima's six reactors could take weeks, if not months, followed by a clean-up operation that may drag on for years.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co could face compensation claims of up to 11 trillion yen (82 billion pounds) -- nearly four times its equity -- if the nuclear crisis drags on for two years, an analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said.
As operators struggle to regain control of the damaged reactors, nuclear experts said the continued lack of a permanent cooling system was hindering efforts to cool down fuel rods.
Workers have been forced to pump in seawater to cool the rods, but this creates contaminated seawater around the stricken plant and is making it difficult to reconnect the plant's internal cooling system which contains radiation.
Radiation readings around the evacuation zone vary widely.
Daily readings published by the government show that 30 km (19 miles) northwest of the reactors levels are climbing up to 42 microsieverts per hour, about 6 times the cosmic radiation experienced during a Tokyo-New York flight.
Elsewhere at that distance around the reactor it is just 1.0-1.2 microsieverts per hour.
A Reuters reading in downtown Tokyo on Thursday showed a radiation level of 0.18 microsieverts per hour. This is still quite low by global standards as Japan has lower levels of natural background radiation than other places.
(Additional reporting by Chisa Fujioka, Kiyoshi Takenaka and Chizu Nomiyama in Tokyo, Dave Dolan in Fukushima City, Ben Gruber in Koriyama and Sylvia Westall and Fredrik Dahl in Vienna, and Andrew Callus in Geneva; Writing by Michael Perry and Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by John Chalmers, sourced : Reuters)
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Monday, March 28, 2011
JFE bullish on shipment outlook on strong Asia demand
Mon Mar 28, 2011 1:08pm GMT
* No plans to change H1 shipments forecast - JFE
* Expects H1 sales to top H2 sales of current fiscal year
* Carmakers' output halts could spur Japan steel exports
* METI skips April-June steel demand outlook after quake
(Recasts with JFE comment) TOKYO, March 28 - JFE Steel Corp (5411.T: Quote), the world's No.5 steelmaker, has no plan to change its strong sales outlook after April as robust demand in Asia will likely offset production loss at its domestic customers after the March 11 earthquake.
Japan's biggest ever earthquake, which has left more than 27,000 dead or missing, has caused production halts at a wide range of steel-user companies, including their biggest client Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote), raising concerns that steelmakers' shipments and earnings will take a hit.
"We still expect our April-September sales will likely exceed sales in the October-March period as Asia's demand remains strong, enough to offset the impact of the disaster," Hiroshi Maki, manager at JFE's sales, planning and coordination division, said on Monday.
JFE has yet to reveal its first-half output plans.
Its October-March production plans call for a 6.4 percent growth in steel shipments at 13.36 million tonnes over a year earlier, counting on higher exports to markets like South Korea, China and Taiwan.
Nippon Steel (5401.T: Quote), JFE and Sumitomo Metal Industries have resumed operations of all seven blast furnaces idled after the quake to cope with rising construction demand and also to increase power supply to the region's struggling electric power companies.
But confusion in distribution channels and shutdowns at carmakers could lead to higher inventories at steelmakers, prompting Nippon Steel and JFE to turn to export markets to make up for sluggish domestic demand.
Lost car production in Japan in the two weeks since the quake has topped a third of a million vehicles, and it could be months, rather than weeks, before the country's automakers get back on track.
Prolonged production delays at domestic steel-users would also make it hard for steelmakers to pass on higher input costs.
"What worries me most is user-companies' output plans," said Takashi Murata, an analyst at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets.
"It will be really tough for steelmakers to pass on higher input costs if their production lines are suspended."
Nippon Steel last month said it was seeking a roughly 25 percent price hike from domestic contract manufacturers after April to cover surging input costs.
Japan's trade ministry said on Monday it would not make its regular estimate on crude steel output for the April-June quarter due to production halts at firms such as carmakers.
An official from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said it had yet to finish surveying the impact of the quake, but added it may release a quarterly steel production forecast on May 9 as planned.
* No plans to change H1 shipments forecast - JFE
* Expects H1 sales to top H2 sales of current fiscal year
* Carmakers' output halts could spur Japan steel exports
* METI skips April-June steel demand outlook after quake
(Recasts with JFE comment) TOKYO, March 28 - JFE Steel Corp (5411.T: Quote), the world's No.5 steelmaker, has no plan to change its strong sales outlook after April as robust demand in Asia will likely offset production loss at its domestic customers after the March 11 earthquake.
Japan's biggest ever earthquake, which has left more than 27,000 dead or missing, has caused production halts at a wide range of steel-user companies, including their biggest client Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote), raising concerns that steelmakers' shipments and earnings will take a hit.
"We still expect our April-September sales will likely exceed sales in the October-March period as Asia's demand remains strong, enough to offset the impact of the disaster," Hiroshi Maki, manager at JFE's sales, planning and coordination division, said on Monday.
JFE has yet to reveal its first-half output plans.
Its October-March production plans call for a 6.4 percent growth in steel shipments at 13.36 million tonnes over a year earlier, counting on higher exports to markets like South Korea, China and Taiwan.
Nippon Steel (5401.T: Quote), JFE and Sumitomo Metal Industries have resumed operations of all seven blast furnaces idled after the quake to cope with rising construction demand and also to increase power supply to the region's struggling electric power companies.
But confusion in distribution channels and shutdowns at carmakers could lead to higher inventories at steelmakers, prompting Nippon Steel and JFE to turn to export markets to make up for sluggish domestic demand.
Lost car production in Japan in the two weeks since the quake has topped a third of a million vehicles, and it could be months, rather than weeks, before the country's automakers get back on track.
Prolonged production delays at domestic steel-users would also make it hard for steelmakers to pass on higher input costs.
"What worries me most is user-companies' output plans," said Takashi Murata, an analyst at Daiwa Securities Capital Markets.
"It will be really tough for steelmakers to pass on higher input costs if their production lines are suspended."
Nippon Steel last month said it was seeking a roughly 25 percent price hike from domestic contract manufacturers after April to cover surging input costs.
Japan's trade ministry said on Monday it would not make its regular estimate on crude steel output for the April-June quarter due to production halts at firms such as carmakers.
An official from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said it had yet to finish surveying the impact of the quake, but added it may release a quarterly steel production forecast on May 9 as planned.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Japan's radioactive water crisis spreads, panic-buying depletes bottled water supplies
Thu Mar 24, 2011 16:33:13
TOKYO, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Japanese authorities on Thursday detected rising levels of radioactive iodine at water purification facilities near Tokyo and officials have advised that tap water should not be given to infants to drink in the affected areas, sparking panic-buying of already scarce bottled water.
Local officials in Tokyo's neighboring Chiba Prefecture said they detected around 220 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per liter in the city of Matsudo's water supply on Wednesday.
The recommended maximum limit is 100 becquerels per liter for children under 1 year of age, and 300 becquerels for adults.
Radioactive iodine levels found at another purification plants in the region were also nearly double the recommended safe limit for infants at 180 becquerels per liter, the officials said.
Also bordering the Tokyo metropolitan area, local officials at the city of Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture said radioactive iodine rose to 120 becquerels per liter of water at its purification plant on Tuesday.
Following levels of iodine spiking to 210 becquerels on Tuesday at a purification plant serving the greater Tokyo area located in the Kanamachi district of the city, the Tokyo metropolitan government urged that tap water not be given to infants in the city's 23 wards and five surrounding cities.
But on Thursday levels of radioactivity dropped to 79 becquerels at the purification facility and the advisory against drinking tap water was dropped.
As authorities have also detected radioactive iodine in water supplies at levels between 103 and 245 becquerels, spanning from Ichikawa and Funabashi, to Ibaraki and Fukushima prefectures, panic-buying of bottled water has become rampant and threatened to deplete supplies.
The Tokyo metropolitan government on Thursday began dishing out some 240,000, half-liter bottles of water to families with infants, with a three-bottle limit per-infant being applied by the government.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference that the government will ask makers to increase their output of bottled water, whilst hinting that the government may call for emergency imports of bottled water to deal with the rise in demand and people hoarding large supplies.
Edano, Japan's top government spokesperson, on Thursday said that the levels of radioactive iodine found in Tokyo's water supply on Thursday were not harmful to the health of humans if ingested and called for the public, particularly those without infants, to stop panic-buying and draining the nation's dwindling supplies.
As fear of radioactive contamination has spread following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami crippling a nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, 240 km northeast of Tokyo, the government has also started monitoring soil, seawater and air around the plant to evaluate the pollution and its impact on agricultural and fishery products.
A number of countries including South Korea, Singapore and the U.S. have imposed tough restrictions on food imports from Japan, with some countries opting for wholesale bans on vegetables, fruit, milk and milk products having found levels of radiation in the produce that far exceed legal limits.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned imports of dairy products and vegetables from the vicinity of the troubled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and Japan's National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations halted shipments of potentially contaminated produce in the region earlier in the week.
Tags : imports of bottled water, demand and supply, U.S.halts Japan's food imports,
Local officials in Tokyo's neighboring Chiba Prefecture said they detected around 220 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per liter in the city of Matsudo's water supply on Wednesday.
The recommended maximum limit is 100 becquerels per liter for children under 1 year of age, and 300 becquerels for adults.
Radioactive iodine levels found at another purification plants in the region were also nearly double the recommended safe limit for infants at 180 becquerels per liter, the officials said.
Also bordering the Tokyo metropolitan area, local officials at the city of Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture said radioactive iodine rose to 120 becquerels per liter of water at its purification plant on Tuesday.
Following levels of iodine spiking to 210 becquerels on Tuesday at a purification plant serving the greater Tokyo area located in the Kanamachi district of the city, the Tokyo metropolitan government urged that tap water not be given to infants in the city's 23 wards and five surrounding cities.
But on Thursday levels of radioactivity dropped to 79 becquerels at the purification facility and the advisory against drinking tap water was dropped.
As authorities have also detected radioactive iodine in water supplies at levels between 103 and 245 becquerels, spanning from Ichikawa and Funabashi, to Ibaraki and Fukushima prefectures, panic-buying of bottled water has become rampant and threatened to deplete supplies.
The Tokyo metropolitan government on Thursday began dishing out some 240,000, half-liter bottles of water to families with infants, with a three-bottle limit per-infant being applied by the government.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference that the government will ask makers to increase their output of bottled water, whilst hinting that the government may call for emergency imports of bottled water to deal with the rise in demand and people hoarding large supplies.
Edano, Japan's top government spokesperson, on Thursday said that the levels of radioactive iodine found in Tokyo's water supply on Thursday were not harmful to the health of humans if ingested and called for the public, particularly those without infants, to stop panic-buying and draining the nation's dwindling supplies.
As fear of radioactive contamination has spread following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami crippling a nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, 240 km northeast of Tokyo, the government has also started monitoring soil, seawater and air around the plant to evaluate the pollution and its impact on agricultural and fishery products.
A number of countries including South Korea, Singapore and the U.S. have imposed tough restrictions on food imports from Japan, with some countries opting for wholesale bans on vegetables, fruit, milk and milk products having found levels of radiation in the produce that far exceed legal limits.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned imports of dairy products and vegetables from the vicinity of the troubled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and Japan's National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations halted shipments of potentially contaminated produce in the region earlier in the week.
Tags : imports of bottled water, demand and supply, U.S.halts Japan's food imports,
Radiation scare sparks run on bottled water in Tokyo
Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:09am GMT
* Contamination fears spread in Japan and beyond
* Disaster damage estimated at $300 billion
* U.S., Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore restrict food imports
* Engineers battle to stabilise Fukushima reactors
By Chizu Nomiyama and Kazunori Takada
TOKYO, March 24 (Reuters) - Stores in Tokyo were running out of bottled water on Thursday after radiation from a damaged nuclear complex briefly made tap water unsafe for babies, while
more nations curbed imports of Japanese food.
Engineers are trying to stabilise a six-reactor nuclear plant in Fukushima, 250 km (150 miles) north of the capital, nearly two weeks after an earthquake and tsunami battered the plant and devastated northeast Japan, leaving nearly 26,000 people dead or missing.
Tokyo's 13 million residents were told not to give tap water to babies under 1 year old after contamination hit twice the safety level this week. But it dropped back to allowable amounts
on Thursday.
Despite government appeals against panic, supermarkets and stores sold out of bottled water.
"Customers ask us for water. But there's nothing we can do," said Masayoshi Kasahara, a store clerk at a supermarket in a residential area of eastern Tokyo. "We are asking for more
deliveries but we don't know when the next shipment will come." Radiation above safety levels has also been found in milk and vegetables from Fukushima, where the stricken nuclear plant is located on the Pacific coast.
Singapore and Australia joined the United States and Hong Kong in restricting food and milk imports from the zone, while Canada became the latest of many nations to tighten screening
after the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl.
Radiation particles have been found as far away as Iceland, although Japan insists levels are not dangerous to adults.
The contamination scare after the catastrophe of March 11 is adding to Japan's most testing time since World War Two.
The estimated $300 billion damage from the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami makes it the world's costliest natural disaster, dwarfing Japan's 1995 Kobe quake and Hurricane
Katrina, which swept through New Orleans in 2005.
In Japan's devastated north more than a quarter of a million people are in shelters. Some elderly refugees, among an ageing population, have died from cold and lack of medicines.
Exhausted and traumatised rescuers are still sifting through the mud and wreckage where towns and villages once stood.
The official death toll from the disaster has risen to 9,523, but is bound to rise as 16,094 people are still missing.
Amid the suffering, though, there was a sense that Japan was turning the corner in its humanitarian crisis. Aid flowed to refugees, and phone, electricity, postal and bank services began returning to the north, sometimes by makeshift means.
"Things are getting much better," said 57-year-old Tsutomu Hirayama, staying with his family at an evacuation centre in Ofunato. "For the first two or three days, we had only one rice ball and water for each meal. I thought, how long is this going to go on? Now we get lots of food, it's almost like luxury."
In other cheering news, a baby dolphin was rescued in a rice field after the tsunami dumped it there. Locals wrapped it in wet towels before taking it back to the sea.
Aftershocks are still coming, though, sending shudders through many Japanese. Several shook Tokyo on Thursday.
Admiration for Nuclear Workers
At the Fukushima plant, where the worst nuclear drama is playing out since Chernobyl in 1986, technicians have successfully attached power cables to all six reactors and started a pump at one to cool overheating fuel rods.
Nearly 300 engineers, fast becoming national heroes for braving danger inside an evacuation zone, are fighting to cool fuel rods at the plant's reactors.
They resumed work on Thursday at the No.3 reactor, considered the most critical, after a one-day suspension when black smoke was seen rising, Kyodo news agency said. Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) is trying to re-start systems to keep the fuel cool and prevent further radiation leaks or a complete meltdown, the nightmare scenario.
Japan urged the world not to overreact to the radiation precautions, and plenty of experts appeared to back that up.
Jim Smith, of Britain's University of Portsmouth, said the finding of 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine, twice the safety limit, at a Tokyo water purification plant on Wednesday
should not be cause for panic. The safety level for adults is 300 becquerels.
"The recommendation that infants are not given tap water is a sensible precaution. But it should be emphasised that the limit is set at a low level to ensure that consumption at that level is safe over a fairly long period of time," he said.
"This means that consumption of small amounts of tap water -- a few litres, say -- at twice the recommended limit would not present a significant health risk."
Tokyo metropolitan government said it would access extra bottled water from stockpiles but could not say for how long.
Philippine Airlines said it was airlifting a donation of 27 tonnes, or 70,000 bottles, of water. The cargo is the first batch of a total 700,000 bottles of 350 ml each donated by sister company Asia Brewery Inc.
The crisis in the world's third-biggest economy -- and its key position in global supply chains, especially for the automobile and technology sectors -- has added to jitters in global financial markets, also worried by conflict in Libya and Middle East protests.
more nations curbed imports of Japanese food.
Engineers are trying to stabilise a six-reactor nuclear plant in Fukushima, 250 km (150 miles) north of the capital, nearly two weeks after an earthquake and tsunami battered the plant and devastated northeast Japan, leaving nearly 26,000 people dead or missing.
Tokyo's 13 million residents were told not to give tap water to babies under 1 year old after contamination hit twice the safety level this week. But it dropped back to allowable amounts
on Thursday.
Despite government appeals against panic, supermarkets and stores sold out of bottled water.
"Customers ask us for water. But there's nothing we can do," said Masayoshi Kasahara, a store clerk at a supermarket in a residential area of eastern Tokyo. "We are asking for more
deliveries but we don't know when the next shipment will come." Radiation above safety levels has also been found in milk and vegetables from Fukushima, where the stricken nuclear plant is located on the Pacific coast.
Singapore and Australia joined the United States and Hong Kong in restricting food and milk imports from the zone, while Canada became the latest of many nations to tighten screening
after the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl.
Radiation particles have been found as far away as Iceland, although Japan insists levels are not dangerous to adults.
The contamination scare after the catastrophe of March 11 is adding to Japan's most testing time since World War Two.
The estimated $300 billion damage from the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami makes it the world's costliest natural disaster, dwarfing Japan's 1995 Kobe quake and Hurricane
Katrina, which swept through New Orleans in 2005.
In Japan's devastated north more than a quarter of a million people are in shelters. Some elderly refugees, among an ageing population, have died from cold and lack of medicines.
Exhausted and traumatised rescuers are still sifting through the mud and wreckage where towns and villages once stood.
The official death toll from the disaster has risen to 9,523, but is bound to rise as 16,094 people are still missing.
Amid the suffering, though, there was a sense that Japan was turning the corner in its humanitarian crisis. Aid flowed to refugees, and phone, electricity, postal and bank services began returning to the north, sometimes by makeshift means.
"Things are getting much better," said 57-year-old Tsutomu Hirayama, staying with his family at an evacuation centre in Ofunato. "For the first two or three days, we had only one rice ball and water for each meal. I thought, how long is this going to go on? Now we get lots of food, it's almost like luxury."
In other cheering news, a baby dolphin was rescued in a rice field after the tsunami dumped it there. Locals wrapped it in wet towels before taking it back to the sea.
Aftershocks are still coming, though, sending shudders through many Japanese. Several shook Tokyo on Thursday.
Admiration for Nuclear Workers
At the Fukushima plant, where the worst nuclear drama is playing out since Chernobyl in 1986, technicians have successfully attached power cables to all six reactors and started a pump at one to cool overheating fuel rods.
Nearly 300 engineers, fast becoming national heroes for braving danger inside an evacuation zone, are fighting to cool fuel rods at the plant's reactors.
They resumed work on Thursday at the No.3 reactor, considered the most critical, after a one-day suspension when black smoke was seen rising, Kyodo news agency said. Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) is trying to re-start systems to keep the fuel cool and prevent further radiation leaks or a complete meltdown, the nightmare scenario.
Japan urged the world not to overreact to the radiation precautions, and plenty of experts appeared to back that up.
Jim Smith, of Britain's University of Portsmouth, said the finding of 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine, twice the safety limit, at a Tokyo water purification plant on Wednesday
should not be cause for panic. The safety level for adults is 300 becquerels.
"The recommendation that infants are not given tap water is a sensible precaution. But it should be emphasised that the limit is set at a low level to ensure that consumption at that level is safe over a fairly long period of time," he said.
"This means that consumption of small amounts of tap water -- a few litres, say -- at twice the recommended limit would not present a significant health risk."
Tokyo metropolitan government said it would access extra bottled water from stockpiles but could not say for how long.
Philippine Airlines said it was airlifting a donation of 27 tonnes, or 70,000 bottles, of water. The cargo is the first batch of a total 700,000 bottles of 350 ml each donated by sister company Asia Brewery Inc.
The crisis in the world's third-biggest economy -- and its key position in global supply chains, especially for the automobile and technology sectors -- has added to jitters in global financial markets, also worried by conflict in Libya and Middle East protests.
Toyota Motor Corp , which has suspended production at all of its 12 assembly plants in Japan, said it would slow some North American production because of supply problems although it would try to minimize disruptions.
Tags : TEPCO, bottled water stockpiles, damage, crisis, nuclear
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
U.S. halts Japan food imports, Tokyo water contaminated
Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:41am GMT
* U.S. to block milk, fruit, vegetable imports
* Radiation dangerous for infants in Tokyo water
* Engineers battling to stabilise Fukushima reactors
* Earthquake, tsunami left nearly 23,000 dead or missing
By Mayumi Negishi and Kazunori Takada
TOKYO, March 23 (Reuters) - Radiation danger from Japan's tsunami-smashed nuclear plant loomed on Wednesday with water in Tokyo showing hazardous levels for infants and the United States becoming the first nation to block food imports.
Tokyo authorities said water at a purification plant for the capital of 13 million people had 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine -- more than twice the safety level for infants.
"This is without doubt, an effect of the Fukushima Daiichi plant," a Tokyo metropolitan government official said, in reference to the damaged nuclear plant 250 km (150 miles) north of the city.
Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, however, said the radiation level posed no immediate health risk and water could still be used.
"But for infants under age one, I would like them to refrain from using tap water to dilute baby formula," he said.
Crystallising international concern, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was stopping imports of milk, vegetable and fruit from four prefectures in Japan's crisis-hit northeast.
South Korea may be next to ban Japanese food after the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl in 1986. France this week asked the European Commission to look into harmonising controls on radioactivity in imports from Japan.
At the six-reactor Fukushima plant, crippled by a March 11 earthquake and tsunami, engineers are battling to cool reactors to contain further contamination and avert a meltdown.
In a rapidly widening problem, Japan said on Wednesday above-safety radiation levels had been discovered in 11 types of vegetables from the area, in addition to milk and water.
Officials still insisted, however, that there was no major danger to humans and urged the world not to over react.
"We will explain to countries the facts and we hope they will take logical measures based on them," Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano, who has been the government's public face during the disaster, told a news conference.
The Asian nation's worst crisis since World War Two may have caused $300 billion damage, sent shock waves through global financial markets, and left nearly 23,000 people dead or missing, mostly from flattened coastal towns.
More than a quarter of a million people are living in shelters, while rescuers and sniffer dogs comb debris and mud looking for corpses and personal mementoes.
Worsened by widespread ignorance of the technicalities of radiation, public concern is rising around the world and radioactive particles have been found as far away as Iceland.
Japan has already halted shipment of some food from the area and told people there to stop eating leafy vegetables.
Asian neighbours are inspecting imports for contamination, and Taiwan advised boats to stop fishing in Japanese waters.
Although there has been progress in restoring power to the Fukushima site 13 days after the accident, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said it needed more time before it could say the reactors were stabilised.
DRAMA AT FUKUSHIMA
Technicians working inside an evacuation zone around the plant have successfully attached power cables to all six reactors and started a pump at one to cool overheating nuclear fuel rods.
Concern is high over reactor No. 1 after its temperature rose to near 400 degrees Celsius, above a design limit of 302.
As well as having its workers on the front line in highly dangerous circumstances, TEPCO is also facing accusations of a slow disaster response and questions over why it originally stored more uranium at the plant than it was designed to hold.
Vienna-based U.N. watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressed concern about a lack of information from Japanese authorities. It cited missing data on temperatures of spent fuel pools at the facility's reactors 1, 3 and 4.
"We continue to see radiation coming from the site ... and the question is where exactly is that coming from?" said a senior IAEA official, James Lyons.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he was concerned about radioactive fallout affecting the U.S. 55,000 troops in and around Japan, many involved in a massive relief operation for Washington's close ally. "We're also deeply concerned about the wellbeing of our Japanese allies," he said.
Experts said tiny traces of radioactive particles, measured by a network of monitoring stations as they spread eastwards from Japan across the Pacific, North America, the Atlantic and to Europe, were far too low to cause any harm to humans.
"It's only a matter of days before it disperses in the entire northern hemisphere," said Andreas Stohl, a senior scientist at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research
GLOBAL IMPACT
The Japan crisis has dealt a blow to the nuclear power industry around the world. Italy became the latest nation to re-assess its programme, announcing a one-year moratorium on site selection and building of plants.
Crisis in the world's third-biggest economy -- and its key position in global supply chains, especially for the auto and technology sectors -- has added to global market jitters, also affected by conflict in Libya and unrest in the Middle East.
Asian shares fell on Wednesday, with Tokyo's Nikkei shedding more than 1 percent as investors took profits from a two-session bounce. Japanese stocks are about 8 percent below their close on the day the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck.
Toyota said it would delay the launch in Japan of two additions to the Prius line-up, a wagon and a minivan, from the originally planned end-April due to production disruptions.
The tsunami and earthquake are the world's costliest ever natural disaster, with the government estimating damage at 15-25 trillion yen ($185 billion-$308 billion.
The upper end of that range would equate to about 6 percent of Japan's gross domestic product.
The official death toll has risen to 9,199, but with 13,786 people still reported missing, it is certain to rise.
There are reports dozens of survivors, mostly elderly, have died in hospitals and evacuation centres due to a lack of proper treatment, or simply because of the cold. It is winter in Japan.
At one sports arena in Minamisanriku where 1,500 evacuees are staying, old people crowded at a counter stacked with pills and bandages, while about 30 people slept on beds or on the floor in a makeshift clinic with doctors on standby.
"It's less a problem of medical supplies now, but a problem of finding out what medicine is lacking where and centralising that information," said Nobuyuki Maki, a doctor.
"Many places in this area haven't restored mobile phone connections yet so there are still problems with communication."
* Radiation dangerous for infants in Tokyo water
* Engineers battling to stabilise Fukushima reactors
* Earthquake, tsunami left nearly 23,000 dead or missing
By Mayumi Negishi and Kazunori Takada
TOKYO, March 23 (Reuters) - Radiation danger from Japan's tsunami-smashed nuclear plant loomed on Wednesday with water in Tokyo showing hazardous levels for infants and the United States becoming the first nation to block food imports.
Tokyo authorities said water at a purification plant for the capital of 13 million people had 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine -- more than twice the safety level for infants.
"This is without doubt, an effect of the Fukushima Daiichi plant," a Tokyo metropolitan government official said, in reference to the damaged nuclear plant 250 km (150 miles) north of the city.
Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, however, said the radiation level posed no immediate health risk and water could still be used.
"But for infants under age one, I would like them to refrain from using tap water to dilute baby formula," he said.
Crystallising international concern, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was stopping imports of milk, vegetable and fruit from four prefectures in Japan's crisis-hit northeast.
South Korea may be next to ban Japanese food after the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl in 1986. France this week asked the European Commission to look into harmonising controls on radioactivity in imports from Japan.
At the six-reactor Fukushima plant, crippled by a March 11 earthquake and tsunami, engineers are battling to cool reactors to contain further contamination and avert a meltdown.
In a rapidly widening problem, Japan said on Wednesday above-safety radiation levels had been discovered in 11 types of vegetables from the area, in addition to milk and water.
Officials still insisted, however, that there was no major danger to humans and urged the world not to over react.
"We will explain to countries the facts and we hope they will take logical measures based on them," Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano, who has been the government's public face during the disaster, told a news conference.
The Asian nation's worst crisis since World War Two may have caused $300 billion damage, sent shock waves through global financial markets, and left nearly 23,000 people dead or missing, mostly from flattened coastal towns.
More than a quarter of a million people are living in shelters, while rescuers and sniffer dogs comb debris and mud looking for corpses and personal mementoes.
Worsened by widespread ignorance of the technicalities of radiation, public concern is rising around the world and radioactive particles have been found as far away as Iceland.
Japan has already halted shipment of some food from the area and told people there to stop eating leafy vegetables.
Asian neighbours are inspecting imports for contamination, and Taiwan advised boats to stop fishing in Japanese waters.
Although there has been progress in restoring power to the Fukushima site 13 days after the accident, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said it needed more time before it could say the reactors were stabilised.
DRAMA AT FUKUSHIMA
Technicians working inside an evacuation zone around the plant have successfully attached power cables to all six reactors and started a pump at one to cool overheating nuclear fuel rods.
Concern is high over reactor No. 1 after its temperature rose to near 400 degrees Celsius, above a design limit of 302.
As well as having its workers on the front line in highly dangerous circumstances, TEPCO is also facing accusations of a slow disaster response and questions over why it originally stored more uranium at the plant than it was designed to hold.
Vienna-based U.N. watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressed concern about a lack of information from Japanese authorities. It cited missing data on temperatures of spent fuel pools at the facility's reactors 1, 3 and 4.
"We continue to see radiation coming from the site ... and the question is where exactly is that coming from?" said a senior IAEA official, James Lyons.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he was concerned about radioactive fallout affecting the U.S. 55,000 troops in and around Japan, many involved in a massive relief operation for Washington's close ally. "We're also deeply concerned about the wellbeing of our Japanese allies," he said.
Experts said tiny traces of radioactive particles, measured by a network of monitoring stations as they spread eastwards from Japan across the Pacific, North America, the Atlantic and to Europe, were far too low to cause any harm to humans.
"It's only a matter of days before it disperses in the entire northern hemisphere," said Andreas Stohl, a senior scientist at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research
GLOBAL IMPACT
The Japan crisis has dealt a blow to the nuclear power industry around the world. Italy became the latest nation to re-assess its programme, announcing a one-year moratorium on site selection and building of plants.
Crisis in the world's third-biggest economy -- and its key position in global supply chains, especially for the auto and technology sectors -- has added to global market jitters, also affected by conflict in Libya and unrest in the Middle East.
Asian shares fell on Wednesday, with Tokyo's Nikkei shedding more than 1 percent as investors took profits from a two-session bounce. Japanese stocks are about 8 percent below their close on the day the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck.
Toyota said it would delay the launch in Japan of two additions to the Prius line-up, a wagon and a minivan, from the originally planned end-April due to production disruptions.
The tsunami and earthquake are the world's costliest ever natural disaster, with the government estimating damage at 15-25 trillion yen ($185 billion-$308 billion.
The upper end of that range would equate to about 6 percent of Japan's gross domestic product.
The official death toll has risen to 9,199, but with 13,786 people still reported missing, it is certain to rise.
There are reports dozens of survivors, mostly elderly, have died in hospitals and evacuation centres due to a lack of proper treatment, or simply because of the cold. It is winter in Japan.
At one sports arena in Minamisanriku where 1,500 evacuees are staying, old people crowded at a counter stacked with pills and bandages, while about 30 people slept on beds or on the floor in a makeshift clinic with doctors on standby.
"It's less a problem of medical supplies now, but a problem of finding out what medicine is lacking where and centralising that information," said Nobuyuki Maki, a doctor.
"Many places in this area haven't restored mobile phone connections yet so there are still problems with communication."
Saturday, March 19, 2011
6.1 quake hits south of stricken Japan nuclear plant
Mar 19, 2011, 03.54pm IST AFP |
OSAKA: A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake rattled Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture south of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, the country's meteorological agency said, but no tsunami warning was issued.
The quake shook buildings in Tokyo, but no damage was immediately reported, public broadcaster NHK said, adding that flights at the capital's Narita Airport were temporarily suspended for safety checks.
OSAKA: A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake rattled Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture south of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, the country's meteorological agency said, but no tsunami warning was issued.
The quake shook buildings in Tokyo, but no damage was immediately reported, public broadcaster NHK said, adding that flights at the capital's Narita Airport were temporarily suspended for safety checks.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Israel warns nationals to leave Tokyo over radiation fears
Thu Mar17, 2011 23:24:12
Jerusalem, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Citing possible high radiation levels in clouds emanating from several shattered nuclear power plants in northern Japan, the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday recommended that Israeli visitors leave Japan's capital city of Tokyo immediately due to leaks.
Jerusalem, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Citing possible high radiation levels in clouds emanating from several shattered nuclear power plants in northern Japan, the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday recommended that Israeli visitors leave Japan's capital city of Tokyo immediately due to leaks.
"Israelis are advised to leave Tokyo towards the south and even to consider departing from the country entirely," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement also advised Israeli nationals planning trips to the earthquake and tsunami-stricken country to put off their trip "until the situation becomes clear."
After the third explosion in the reactor of the Fukushima nuclear power, Japanese officials are warning locals to stay indoors, after measurements showed harmful elevated radiation levels around the plant.
As well, the United States and more than a dozen other countries have either called on their nationals to leave the area and Japan as well, or move as far southward as possible, citing the immensity of the combined disasters. Editor: Mu Xuequan
France says Japan loses control of situation at nuclear power plant
2011-03-17 16:14:19
France's Energy and Industry Minister Eric Besson arrives to attend a hearing about Nuclear power at the National Assembly in Paris March 16, 2011.
France's government said on Wednesday that Japan was losing control of the situation at a tsunami-crippled nuclear power plant and urged its nationals in Tokyo to leave the country or
head to southern Japan.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Japan's nuclear crisis
Wed Mar 16, 2011 1:23pm GMTTOKYO, March 16 (Reuters) - Following are main developments after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeast Japan and crippled a nuclear power station, raising the risk of uncontrolled radiation.
* Japan's nuclear agency says military will help pump water at the No.3 reactor at the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in northeastern Japan, and for the spent fuel pool in No.4 reactor.
* Agency also says radiation levels outside the plant spiked around noon but fell back.
- A helicopter was unable to drop water to cool the No.3 reactor, probably because of the high radiation, Kyodo news agency said, quoting the defence minister.
- Police will attempt to cool No.4 reactor's spent nuclear fuel pool using a water cannon, NHK TV says.
- Japan's top government spokesman says radiation levels around the complex are not at levels to cause an immediate health risk.
- Tokyo is safe for international travellers, the Japanese Red Cross says.
- There is no evidence of a significant spread of radiation from Japan's crippled nuclear plants, the World Health Organisation says.
- Operator says it is unable to resume work cooling the reactors due to radiation risk. Workers ordered to leave the plant were allowed back in after radiation levels fall. Operator says there were 180 workers on site as of 0230 GMT.
- Fire breaks out at reactor No.4 a day after a blast blew a hole in the building housing spent fuel rods. White smoke seen from No.3 reactor most likely to be steam from the water that is being poured to cool the rods.
- No plan yet to extend evacuation zone near the facility, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.
- Australia urges its citizens with non-essential roles to consider leaving Tokyo and the most damaged prefectures, and Turkey warns citizens against travelling to Japan. France urges nationals living in Tokyo to leave country or move south.
- Radiation levels in Tokyo were 10 times normal at one point, but not a threat to humsan health, officials said.
- Japan's benchmark Nikkei average closes 4.5 percent up on Wednesday after suffering its worst two-day rout since 1987. The index surged over 6 percent at one point.
- Tens of thousands of people are still missing since Friday's quake and tsunami. About 850,000 households in the north without electricity in near-freezing weather. Death toll is expected to exceed 10,000. (Tokyo bureau; Compiled by World Desk Asia, Reuters)
* Japan's nuclear agency says military will help pump water at the No.3 reactor at the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in northeastern Japan, and for the spent fuel pool in No.4 reactor.
* Agency also says radiation levels outside the plant spiked around noon but fell back.
- A helicopter was unable to drop water to cool the No.3 reactor, probably because of the high radiation, Kyodo news agency said, quoting the defence minister.
- Police will attempt to cool No.4 reactor's spent nuclear fuel pool using a water cannon, NHK TV says.
- Japan's top government spokesman says radiation levels around the complex are not at levels to cause an immediate health risk.
- Tokyo is safe for international travellers, the Japanese Red Cross says.
- There is no evidence of a significant spread of radiation from Japan's crippled nuclear plants, the World Health Organisation says.
- Operator says it is unable to resume work cooling the reactors due to radiation risk. Workers ordered to leave the plant were allowed back in after radiation levels fall. Operator says there were 180 workers on site as of 0230 GMT.
- Fire breaks out at reactor No.4 a day after a blast blew a hole in the building housing spent fuel rods. White smoke seen from No.3 reactor most likely to be steam from the water that is being poured to cool the rods.
- No plan yet to extend evacuation zone near the facility, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.
- Australia urges its citizens with non-essential roles to consider leaving Tokyo and the most damaged prefectures, and Turkey warns citizens against travelling to Japan. France urges nationals living in Tokyo to leave country or move south.
- Radiation levels in Tokyo were 10 times normal at one point, but not a threat to humsan health, officials said.
- Japan's benchmark Nikkei average closes 4.5 percent up on Wednesday after suffering its worst two-day rout since 1987. The index surged over 6 percent at one point.
- Tens of thousands of people are still missing since Friday's quake and tsunami. About 850,000 households in the north without electricity in near-freezing weather. Death toll is expected to exceed 10,000. (Tokyo bureau; Compiled by World Desk Asia, Reuters)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
7 German nuclear plants temporarily shut down
Tue,Mar15, 2011 19:08:46
Germany to temporarily take old nuclear plants offline
BERLIN, March 15 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that seven nuclear power stations built before 1980 would be disconnected with the grid during the announced three-month moratorium on nuclear extension plan. ( Merkel made the decision after meeting with the governors of states that built nuclear power plants. Germany currently has 17 nuclear power stations. The last new nuclear power plant was commissioned in 1989.
Besides the seven plants, the 1983-built Krummel nuclear power station in Schleswig-Holstein, which has been taken offline for a while, would remain closed during the moratorium.
It means that during the next three months, only nine nuclear power plants would be kept operating in Germany. Figures showed that about 23 percent of Germany' s electricity supply comes from nuclear power.
On Monday, Merkel said Germany would suspend the life-extension plan of its nuclear power plants for three months. During that time, experts would run thorough security tests on the country' s nuclear power stations.
The chancellor's new moves came as Japan's nuclear crisis escalated dramatically in last two days. Four explosions have rocked the quake-crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant since Saturday.
Radiation near the plant area has climbed to dangerous levels. Even in capital Tokyo, higher-than-normal level of radiation was also detected, but not harmful to human health at the moment.
Merkel's center-right coalition decided last October to extend the lifespan of its nuclear power station -- those built before 1980 in Germany can be run eight extra years, and those commissioned after 1980 can extend their running time to 14 years. Polls showed that majority of Germans are opposed to the plan.
The opposition parties, including the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, have been urging Merkel to give up extending nuclear plants' running time in wake of Japan's nuclear crisis.
The disputes over nuclear energy put Merkel's coalition under heavy pressure as six crucial regional elections will take place in coming months, including a key vote in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on March 27.
BERLIN, March 15 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that seven nuclear power stations built before 1980 would be disconnected with the grid during the announced three-month moratorium on nuclear extension plan. ( Merkel made the decision after meeting with the governors of states that built nuclear power plants. Germany currently has 17 nuclear power stations. The last new nuclear power plant was commissioned in 1989.
Besides the seven plants, the 1983-built Krummel nuclear power station in Schleswig-Holstein, which has been taken offline for a while, would remain closed during the moratorium.
It means that during the next three months, only nine nuclear power plants would be kept operating in Germany. Figures showed that about 23 percent of Germany' s electricity supply comes from nuclear power.
On Monday, Merkel said Germany would suspend the life-extension plan of its nuclear power plants for three months. During that time, experts would run thorough security tests on the country' s nuclear power stations.
The chancellor's new moves came as Japan's nuclear crisis escalated dramatically in last two days. Four explosions have rocked the quake-crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant since Saturday.
Radiation near the plant area has climbed to dangerous levels. Even in capital Tokyo, higher-than-normal level of radiation was also detected, but not harmful to human health at the moment.
Merkel's center-right coalition decided last October to extend the lifespan of its nuclear power station -- those built before 1980 in Germany can be run eight extra years, and those commissioned after 1980 can extend their running time to 14 years. Polls showed that majority of Germans are opposed to the plan.
The opposition parties, including the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, have been urging Merkel to give up extending nuclear plants' running time in wake of Japan's nuclear crisis.
The disputes over nuclear energy put Merkel's coalition under heavy pressure as six crucial regional elections will take place in coming months, including a key vote in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on March 27.
Nikkei tumbles 10.55% as nuke crisis spurs panic selling
Mar15, 2011 18:13:33
TOKYO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks booked their largest one-day fall Tuesday since the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., with the key Nikkei stock index plunging 10.55 percent as Japan's growing nuclear crisis spurred panic selling.
A heightened state of fear rattled the markets Tuesday after Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that following a hydrogen explosion at an earthquake-stricken nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, there was a high risk of radiation leaking into the atmosphere.
Four of the complex's six reactors have been damaged by explosions and Kan urged citizens living within a 30-kilometer radius of the plant to stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut.
Following news that radiation levels had been detected in the Tokyo region following the reactor's containment unit being damaged, brokers said that was all the news needed for panicked investors to hit the sell button and take flight from risky assets.
"It's panic selling. It's not only foreign investors -- everybody just wants to dump shares," said one local analyst.
"Panic selling started with concerns about the safety of the nuclear power plant and now stock markets around the world are being affected by Japan's nuclear crisis," added a Tokyo-based portfolio manager.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 1,015.34 points to close at 8,605.15, marking the first time the index has ended more than 1,000 points lower since Oct. 16, 2008, when the Lehman shock pummeled global markets.
Tuesday's close marked the third worst one-day plunge in the Nikkei's history and the market's massive losses follow a 6.18 percent drop logged Monday. The index has fallen nearly 17 percent in just two days.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 80.23 points, or 9.47 percent, to close at 766.73.
"Even if the nuclear power plant woes calm down, if the power outage by Tokyo Electric Power lasts for a half year or longer, its impact on the Japanese economy is unimaginable," said Fumiyuki Nakanishi, general manager at SMBC Friend Securities Co.
The power outages have severely disrupted transportation systems in the Kanto region and many businesses in the greater Tokyo region have suspended work and sent employees home and some, based on the nuclear crisis, are sending their workers out of Tokyo and even to foreign offices.
Stocks related to nuclear power were dumped Tuesday, with Tokyo Electric Power Co. operator of the stricken plants in Fukushima prefecture falling by the daily allowable limit of 24.7 percent to 1,221 yen, a level not seen since November 1984.
Toshiba Corp., which delivered nuclear plant facilities at the troubled plant, plunged 19.5 percent to 331 yen, also falling by the daily limit and Hitachi Ltd., which provides nuclear power generation systems, dropped 13 percent.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., a developer of nuclear power plants, meanwhile tumbled 11 percent.
A broad range of issues fell with Sony losing 8.9 percent to 2, 324 yen due to the firm halting some of its operations and Mitsubishi Estate fell 12 percent to 1,335 yen on fears a lengthy power outage will hamper industrial activity.
Mizuho Financial Group was another notable 10-digit decliner, falling 10 percent to close at 130 yen.
Japan's central bank on Tuesday pumped 8 trillion yen (98 billion U.S. dollars) into currency markets today, in addition to yesterday's massive cash injection, in a bid to secure the nation' s financial liquidity.
Trading volume on Tuesday jumped to 5.77 billion shares on the Tokyo Exchange's First Section, up from Monday's volume of 4.88 billion shares, with declining stocks outnumbering advancing ones by 1,637 to 34.
A heightened state of fear rattled the markets Tuesday after Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that following a hydrogen explosion at an earthquake-stricken nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, there was a high risk of radiation leaking into the atmosphere.
Four of the complex's six reactors have been damaged by explosions and Kan urged citizens living within a 30-kilometer radius of the plant to stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut.
Following news that radiation levels had been detected in the Tokyo region following the reactor's containment unit being damaged, brokers said that was all the news needed for panicked investors to hit the sell button and take flight from risky assets.
"It's panic selling. It's not only foreign investors -- everybody just wants to dump shares," said one local analyst.
"Panic selling started with concerns about the safety of the nuclear power plant and now stock markets around the world are being affected by Japan's nuclear crisis," added a Tokyo-based portfolio manager.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 1,015.34 points to close at 8,605.15, marking the first time the index has ended more than 1,000 points lower since Oct. 16, 2008, when the Lehman shock pummeled global markets.
Tuesday's close marked the third worst one-day plunge in the Nikkei's history and the market's massive losses follow a 6.18 percent drop logged Monday. The index has fallen nearly 17 percent in just two days.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 80.23 points, or 9.47 percent, to close at 766.73.
"Even if the nuclear power plant woes calm down, if the power outage by Tokyo Electric Power lasts for a half year or longer, its impact on the Japanese economy is unimaginable," said Fumiyuki Nakanishi, general manager at SMBC Friend Securities Co.
The power outages have severely disrupted transportation systems in the Kanto region and many businesses in the greater Tokyo region have suspended work and sent employees home and some, based on the nuclear crisis, are sending their workers out of Tokyo and even to foreign offices.
Stocks related to nuclear power were dumped Tuesday, with Tokyo Electric Power Co. operator of the stricken plants in Fukushima prefecture falling by the daily allowable limit of 24.7 percent to 1,221 yen, a level not seen since November 1984.
Toshiba Corp., which delivered nuclear plant facilities at the troubled plant, plunged 19.5 percent to 331 yen, also falling by the daily limit and Hitachi Ltd., which provides nuclear power generation systems, dropped 13 percent.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., a developer of nuclear power plants, meanwhile tumbled 11 percent.
A broad range of issues fell with Sony losing 8.9 percent to 2, 324 yen due to the firm halting some of its operations and Mitsubishi Estate fell 12 percent to 1,335 yen on fears a lengthy power outage will hamper industrial activity.
Mizuho Financial Group was another notable 10-digit decliner, falling 10 percent to close at 130 yen.
Japan's central bank on Tuesday pumped 8 trillion yen (98 billion U.S. dollars) into currency markets today, in addition to yesterday's massive cash injection, in a bid to secure the nation' s financial liquidity.
Trading volume on Tuesday jumped to 5.77 billion shares on the Tokyo Exchange's First Section, up from Monday's volume of 4.88 billion shares, with declining stocks outnumbering advancing ones by 1,637 to 34.
Japan warns radioactive levels high around plant after blast
Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:52am GMT
* Fresh explosions hit two reactors
* French embassy in Tokyo warns low level radioactive cloud could reach Tokyo in 10 hours
* Reactor operator asks U.S. military for help
* More than 10,000 feared killed by quake, tsunami
* Japan stocks down 7 percent
By Taiga Uranaka and Ki Joon Kwon
FUKUSHIMA, Japan, March 15 (Reuters) - Japan's prime minister warned on Tuesday that radioactive levels had become high around an earthquake-stricken nuclear power plant after explosions at two reactors, adding that the risk of more radiactive leakage was rising.
Naoto Kan urged people within 30 km (18 miles) of the facility north of Tokyo to remain indoors.
The French embassy in the capital warned in an advisory that a low level of radioactive wind could reach Tokyo -- 240 km (150 miles) south of the plant -- in about 10 hours.
The reactor operator asked the U.S. military for help, while Kyodo news agency said radiation levels nine times normal levels had been briefly detected in Kanagawa near Tokyo.
"We are making every effort to prevent the leak from spreading. I know that people are very worried but I would like to ask you to act calmly," Kan said in an address to the nation.
As concern about the crippling economic impact of the double disaster mounted, Japanese stocks plunged 7.0 percent to their lowest level in nearly two years, compounding a drop of 7.6 percent the day before. The two-day fall has wiped around $500 billion off the market.
There have been a total of four explosions at the plant since it was damaged in last Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami.
Authorities had previously been trying to prevent meltdowns in three of the Fukishima Daiichi complex's nuclear reactors by flooding the chambers with sea water to cool them down.
The full extent of the destruction wreaked by last Friday's massive quake and tsunami that followed it was still becoming clear, as rescuers combed through the region north of Tokyo where officials say at least 10,000 people were killed.
"It's a scene from hell, absolutely nightmarish," said Patrick Fuller of the International Red Cross Federation from the northeastern coastal town of Otsuchi.
Kan has said Japan is facing its worst crisis since World War Two and, with the financial costs estimated at up to $180 billion, analysts said it could tip the world's third-biggest economy back into recession.
The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the quake to magnitude 9.0, from 8.9, making it the world's fourth most powerful since 1900.
Car makers, shipbuilders and technology companies worldwide scrambled for supplies after the disaster shut factories in Japan and disrupted the global manufacturing chain.
BLAST DAMAGES ROOF, WORKERS TOLD TO LEAVE
The fear at the Fukushima plant is of a major radiation leak after the quake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems.
Jiji news agency said the first explosion on Tuesday damaged the roof and steam was rising from the complex. It also reported some workers had been told to leave the plant, a development one expert had warned beforehand could signal a worsening stage for the crisis.
The worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986 has drawn criticism that authorities were ill-prepared and revived debate in many countries about the safety of atomic power.
Switzerland put on hold some approvals for nuclear power plants and Germany said it was scrapping a plan to extend the life of its nuclear power stations. The White House said U.S. President Barack Obama remained committed to nuclear energy.
Whilst the Fukuskima plant's No.1 and No.3 reactors both suffered partial fuel rod meltdowns, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) had earlier said the No.2 reactor was now the biggest concern.
A sudden drop in cooling water levels when a pump ran out of fuel had fully exposed the fuel rods for a time, an official said. This could lead to the rods melting down and a possible radioactive leak.
TEPCO had resumed pumping sea water into the reactor early on Tuesday.
U.S. warships and planes helping with relief efforts moved away from the coast temporarily because of low-level radiation. The U.S. Seventh Fleet described the move as precautionary.
South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines said they would test Japanese food imports for radiation.
France's ASN nuclear safety authority said the accident could be classified as a level 5 or 6 on the international scale of 1 to 7, putting it on a par with the 1979 U.S. Three Mile Island meltdown, higher than the Japanese authorities' rating.
Japan's nuclear safety agency has rated the incidents in the No.1 and No.3 reactors as a 4, but has not yet rated the No. 2 reactor.
TOWNS FLATTENED
About 850,000 households in the north were still without electricity in near-freezing weather, Tohuku Electric Power Co. said, and the government said at least 1.5 million households lack running water. Tens of thousands of people were missing.
"The situation here is just beyond belief, almost everything has been flattened," said the Red Cross's Fuller in Otsuchi, a town all-but obliterated. "The government is saying that 9,500 people, more than half of the population, could have died and I do fear the worst."
Kyodo news agency reported that 2,000 bodies had been found on Monday in two coastal towns alone.
Whole villages and towns have been wiped off the map by Friday's wall of water, triggering an international humanitarian effort of epic proportions.
"When the tsunami struck, I was trying to evacuate people. I looked back, and then it was like the computer graphics scene I've seen from the movie Armageddon. I thought it was a dream . it was really like the end of the world," said Tsutomu Sato, 46, in Rikuzantakata, a town on the northeast coast.
In Tokyo, commuter trains shut down and trucks were unable to make deliveries as supermarket shelves ran empty.
Estimates of the economic impact are only now starting to emerge.
Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief economist for Japan at Credit Suisse, said in a note to clients that the economic loss will likely be around 14-15 trillion yen ($171-183 billion) just to the region hit by the quake and tsunami.
Even that would put it above the commonly accepted cost of the 1995 Kobe quake which killed 6,000 people.
The earthquake has forced many firms to suspend production and global companies -- from semiconductor makers to shipbuilders -- face disruptions to operations after the quake and tsunami destroyed vital infrastructure, damaged ports and knocked out factories.
"The earthquake could have great implications on the global economic front," said Andre Bakhos, director of market analytics at Lec Securities in New York. "If you shut down Japan, there could be a global recession." (Additional reporting by Nathan Layne, Risa Maeda and Leika Kihara in Tokyo, Chris Meyers and Kim Kyung-hoon in Sendai, Fredrik Dahl and Michael Shields in Vienna, Noel Randewich in San Francisco and Miyoung Kim in Seoul; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Dean Yates, By Thomson Reuters)
Tags: damage, power water supply, economic survey, Credit Suisse,
* Fresh explosions hit two reactors
* French embassy in Tokyo warns low level radioactive cloud could reach Tokyo in 10 hours
* Reactor operator asks U.S. military for help
* More than 10,000 feared killed by quake, tsunami
* Japan stocks down 7 percent
By Taiga Uranaka and Ki Joon Kwon
FUKUSHIMA, Japan, March 15 (Reuters) - Japan's prime minister warned on Tuesday that radioactive levels had become high around an earthquake-stricken nuclear power plant after explosions at two reactors, adding that the risk of more radiactive leakage was rising.
Naoto Kan urged people within 30 km (18 miles) of the facility north of Tokyo to remain indoors.
The French embassy in the capital warned in an advisory that a low level of radioactive wind could reach Tokyo -- 240 km (150 miles) south of the plant -- in about 10 hours.
The reactor operator asked the U.S. military for help, while Kyodo news agency said radiation levels nine times normal levels had been briefly detected in Kanagawa near Tokyo.
"We are making every effort to prevent the leak from spreading. I know that people are very worried but I would like to ask you to act calmly," Kan said in an address to the nation.
As concern about the crippling economic impact of the double disaster mounted, Japanese stocks plunged 7.0 percent to their lowest level in nearly two years, compounding a drop of 7.6 percent the day before. The two-day fall has wiped around $500 billion off the market.
There have been a total of four explosions at the plant since it was damaged in last Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami.
Authorities had previously been trying to prevent meltdowns in three of the Fukishima Daiichi complex's nuclear reactors by flooding the chambers with sea water to cool them down.
The full extent of the destruction wreaked by last Friday's massive quake and tsunami that followed it was still becoming clear, as rescuers combed through the region north of Tokyo where officials say at least 10,000 people were killed.
"It's a scene from hell, absolutely nightmarish," said Patrick Fuller of the International Red Cross Federation from the northeastern coastal town of Otsuchi.
Kan has said Japan is facing its worst crisis since World War Two and, with the financial costs estimated at up to $180 billion, analysts said it could tip the world's third-biggest economy back into recession.
The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the quake to magnitude 9.0, from 8.9, making it the world's fourth most powerful since 1900.
Car makers, shipbuilders and technology companies worldwide scrambled for supplies after the disaster shut factories in Japan and disrupted the global manufacturing chain.
BLAST DAMAGES ROOF, WORKERS TOLD TO LEAVE
The fear at the Fukushima plant is of a major radiation leak after the quake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems.
Jiji news agency said the first explosion on Tuesday damaged the roof and steam was rising from the complex. It also reported some workers had been told to leave the plant, a development one expert had warned beforehand could signal a worsening stage for the crisis.
The worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986 has drawn criticism that authorities were ill-prepared and revived debate in many countries about the safety of atomic power.
Switzerland put on hold some approvals for nuclear power plants and Germany said it was scrapping a plan to extend the life of its nuclear power stations. The White House said U.S. President Barack Obama remained committed to nuclear energy.
Whilst the Fukuskima plant's No.1 and No.3 reactors both suffered partial fuel rod meltdowns, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) had earlier said the No.2 reactor was now the biggest concern.
A sudden drop in cooling water levels when a pump ran out of fuel had fully exposed the fuel rods for a time, an official said. This could lead to the rods melting down and a possible radioactive leak.
TEPCO had resumed pumping sea water into the reactor early on Tuesday.
U.S. warships and planes helping with relief efforts moved away from the coast temporarily because of low-level radiation. The U.S. Seventh Fleet described the move as precautionary.
South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines said they would test Japanese food imports for radiation.
France's ASN nuclear safety authority said the accident could be classified as a level 5 or 6 on the international scale of 1 to 7, putting it on a par with the 1979 U.S. Three Mile Island meltdown, higher than the Japanese authorities' rating.
Japan's nuclear safety agency has rated the incidents in the No.1 and No.3 reactors as a 4, but has not yet rated the No. 2 reactor.
TOWNS FLATTENED
About 850,000 households in the north were still without electricity in near-freezing weather, Tohuku Electric Power Co. said, and the government said at least 1.5 million households lack running water. Tens of thousands of people were missing.
"The situation here is just beyond belief, almost everything has been flattened," said the Red Cross's Fuller in Otsuchi, a town all-but obliterated. "The government is saying that 9,500 people, more than half of the population, could have died and I do fear the worst."
Kyodo news agency reported that 2,000 bodies had been found on Monday in two coastal towns alone.
Whole villages and towns have been wiped off the map by Friday's wall of water, triggering an international humanitarian effort of epic proportions.
"When the tsunami struck, I was trying to evacuate people. I looked back, and then it was like the computer graphics scene I've seen from the movie Armageddon. I thought it was a dream . it was really like the end of the world," said Tsutomu Sato, 46, in Rikuzantakata, a town on the northeast coast.
In Tokyo, commuter trains shut down and trucks were unable to make deliveries as supermarket shelves ran empty.
Estimates of the economic impact are only now starting to emerge.
Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief economist for Japan at Credit Suisse, said in a note to clients that the economic loss will likely be around 14-15 trillion yen ($171-183 billion) just to the region hit by the quake and tsunami.
Even that would put it above the commonly accepted cost of the 1995 Kobe quake which killed 6,000 people.
The earthquake has forced many firms to suspend production and global companies -- from semiconductor makers to shipbuilders -- face disruptions to operations after the quake and tsunami destroyed vital infrastructure, damaged ports and knocked out factories.
"The earthquake could have great implications on the global economic front," said Andre Bakhos, director of market analytics at Lec Securities in New York. "If you shut down Japan, there could be a global recession." (Additional reporting by Nathan Layne, Risa Maeda and Leika Kihara in Tokyo, Chris Meyers and Kim Kyung-hoon in Sendai, Fredrik Dahl and Michael Shields in Vienna, Noel Randewich in San Francisco and Miyoung Kim in Seoul; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Dean Yates, By Thomson Reuters)
Tags: damage, power water supply, economic survey, Credit Suisse,
Monday, March 14, 2011
Japan manufacturers tumble on quake uncertainty
Mon, Mar14, 2011 10:30:00
Shares in Japanese manufacturing companies tumbled following Friday's devastating earthquake, as companies struggled to gather information and investors worried the after-effects of the disaster would hobble production.
The tremor and tsunami killed thousands and knocked out transport and communication links in parts of northern Japan, where many are still without water and electricity.
Auto and electronics makers were among the worst hit when trading resumed on Monday. Concerns about rolling power blackouts that will affect Tokyo and surrounding areas over the next few weeks added to the existing challenge of inspecting and repairing north Japan plants amid further aftershocks.
"It will take quite some time until investors' confidence in Japanese manufacturers returns. When we look back at the Kobe earthquake, it took about a week to get an overall picture of the magnitude of the damage," said Toshihiko Matsuno, senior strategist at SMBC Friend Securities, referring to the 1995 earthquake that killed more than 6,400 people.
"At this point, it's absolutely unclear how the power cut will affect manufacturers' production and businesses."
Analysts said investors were likely to be risk-averse, especially given fears over a possible uncontrolled radiation leak at a nuclear plant north of Tokyo, which was rocked by a second explosion on Monday.
Shares in Sony Corp ended 7.7 percent down in the morning session after the company suspended production at eight plants in the affected region.
Nissan's shares dropped 8.5 percent, with the automaker shuttering all four of its auto assembly plants in Japan. Toshiba Corp, a conglomerate whose products include semiconductors and nuclear reactors, dived 16.3 percent. Hitachi also fell more than 15 percent.
Shares in Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) were untraded amid a glut of sell orders.
"The potential impact from the situation at TEPCO's nuclear power plant is the biggest difference between this earthquake and the Great Hanshin earthquake," said equities strategist Kiichi Murashima at Citigroup, referring to the Kobe disaster.
"There is a chance that a meltdown will occur at the plant in Fukushima. A reduction in power supply would of course severely impact Japan's economic activity," he added.
The nuclear industry would also likely see an effect on long-term sales, he said.
Many firms are still trying to compile information about the condition of their plants and how the power cuts might affect them.
Amid the destruction, there were some winners among Japanese stocks. Construction shares surged on expectations of booming orders to rebuild northeastern Japan, pushing the construction sector index up 8.5 percent to an 18-month high.
Shares in general contractor Kajima Corp jumped 31 percent, while rival Hazama Corp rose 41 percent and home builder Misawa Homes was inundated by a glut of buy orders.
(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura, Mayumi Negishi and Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Joseph Radford, sourced:Reuters)
The tremor and tsunami killed thousands and knocked out transport and communication links in parts of northern Japan, where many are still without water and electricity.
Auto and electronics makers were among the worst hit when trading resumed on Monday. Concerns about rolling power blackouts that will affect Tokyo and surrounding areas over the next few weeks added to the existing challenge of inspecting and repairing north Japan plants amid further aftershocks.
"It will take quite some time until investors' confidence in Japanese manufacturers returns. When we look back at the Kobe earthquake, it took about a week to get an overall picture of the magnitude of the damage," said Toshihiko Matsuno, senior strategist at SMBC Friend Securities, referring to the 1995 earthquake that killed more than 6,400 people.
"At this point, it's absolutely unclear how the power cut will affect manufacturers' production and businesses."
Analysts said investors were likely to be risk-averse, especially given fears over a possible uncontrolled radiation leak at a nuclear plant north of Tokyo, which was rocked by a second explosion on Monday.
Shares in Sony Corp ended 7.7 percent down in the morning session after the company suspended production at eight plants in the affected region.
Nissan's shares dropped 8.5 percent, with the automaker shuttering all four of its auto assembly plants in Japan. Toshiba Corp, a conglomerate whose products include semiconductors and nuclear reactors, dived 16.3 percent. Hitachi also fell more than 15 percent.
Shares in Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) were untraded amid a glut of sell orders.
"The potential impact from the situation at TEPCO's nuclear power plant is the biggest difference between this earthquake and the Great Hanshin earthquake," said equities strategist Kiichi Murashima at Citigroup, referring to the Kobe disaster.
"There is a chance that a meltdown will occur at the plant in Fukushima. A reduction in power supply would of course severely impact Japan's economic activity," he added.
The nuclear industry would also likely see an effect on long-term sales, he said.
Many firms are still trying to compile information about the condition of their plants and how the power cuts might affect them.
Amid the destruction, there were some winners among Japanese stocks. Construction shares surged on expectations of booming orders to rebuild northeastern Japan, pushing the construction sector index up 8.5 percent to an 18-month high.
Shares in general contractor Kajima Corp jumped 31 percent, while rival Hazama Corp rose 41 percent and home builder Misawa Homes was inundated by a glut of buy orders.
(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura, Mayumi Negishi and Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Joseph Radford, sourced:Reuters)
Japan: new reactor blast unlikely to cause big leak
Mar 14, 2011 12:02am EDT
TOKYO (Reuters) - A fresh explosion at Japan's quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex on Monday is unlikely to have led to a large escape of radioactivity, the government said.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano was speaking after a hydrogen explosion at the No.3 reactor in the plant, which sent a plume of smoke into the air.
Japan's nuclear safety agency later said, quoting a report from the facility's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (9501.T), that radiation near the No.3 reactor about 40 minutes after the explosion was about one-50th of that considered critical to human health.
The data suggests the explosion would not have damaged the reactor's containment vessel, a spokesman at the agency said at a news conference.
There were casualties, but the number or other details were not available, the spokesman said.
There is no wind near the plant near the ground and wind above the plant is blowing from the west or from the southwest, the spokesman added, meaning the wind is blowing toward the sea.
The direction of the wind is a key factor in judging possible damage on the environment from the radiation leaking from the plant, which was hit by Japan's biggest earthquake on record and a tsunami.
(Reporting by Elaine Lies and Risa Maeda; Editing by Joseph Radford,sourced: Thomson Reuters)
TOKYO (Reuters) - A fresh explosion at Japan's quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex on Monday is unlikely to have led to a large escape of radioactivity, the government said.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano was speaking after a hydrogen explosion at the No.3 reactor in the plant, which sent a plume of smoke into the air.
Japan's nuclear safety agency later said, quoting a report from the facility's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (9501.T), that radiation near the No.3 reactor about 40 minutes after the explosion was about one-50th of that considered critical to human health.
The data suggests the explosion would not have damaged the reactor's containment vessel, a spokesman at the agency said at a news conference.
There were casualties, but the number or other details were not available, the spokesman said.
There is no wind near the plant near the ground and wind above the plant is blowing from the west or from the southwest, the spokesman added, meaning the wind is blowing toward the sea.
The direction of the wind is a key factor in judging possible damage on the environment from the radiation leaking from the plant, which was hit by Japan's biggest earthquake on record and a tsunami.
(Reporting by Elaine Lies and Risa Maeda; Editing by Joseph Radford,sourced: Thomson Reuters)
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