Kyodo: “Fear of radiation creeping south” — Tokyo area may be in danger says Japan professor

Published: March 22nd, 2012 at 9:40 pm ET
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Title: Fear of radiation creeping south
Source: Kyodo
Author: MEGUMI IIZUKA
Date: Friday, March 23, 2012

Lingering concerns about radiation a year into the Fukushima nuclear crisis have prompted people even as far away as the Tokyo area, some 100 to 250 km from the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, to move away. [...]

Katsuma Yagasaki, a professor emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, pointed out possible dangers even in the Kanto region.

“The government’s standard disregards the effects of internal radiation exposure, which can be more dangerous than external exposure. Some kind of risk may emerge later. The government is not placing the first priority on the safety of people’s lives,” he said.

Hiroshi Takahashi, secretary general of a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization supporting people moving to rural areas

  • “Inquiries from people considering moving out of Tokyo and its vicinity have surged”
  • “Popular destinations have shifted from elsewhere in eastern Japan to western regions due to the nuclear crisis”

Read the report here

Published: March 22nd, 2012 at 9:40 pm ET
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23 comments

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23 comments to Kyodo: “Fear of radiation creeping south” — Tokyo area may be in danger says Japan professor

  • I thought this had been realized before they started burning radioactive debris in Tokyo !

    : |


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    • Good point.

      The cynical side of me thinks:

      If they do want to do in all the people in Tokyo – burn more radioactive debris.

      If they're too stupid to know what aerosolized radiation does to people – burn more radioactive debris.

      So, controlled kill versus rank stupidity. I guess you could add in total callousness, money-blindedness, or some other reason.


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      • Sickputer

        Yeah, but they have such groovy incinerators with fitness centers and community amentities! >;->

        Consider this to realize how insane the Japanese authorities are:

        Japan has 2% of the world's population, but has well over 50% of the world's industrial incinerators.

        Before Fukushima they merely created massive amounts of deadly dioxins…now they spread radiation like it is cotton candy. Killing everyone in the world slowly, yet surely.


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  • What are the latest reading of the water reservoir for Tokyo ?


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    • aigeezer aigeezer

      That's an interesting link, Jon_NY.

      I love this quote, apparently from over a year ago:

      "Representative Michael Burgess, Republican of Texas, asked for detail about the radiation levels at the Japanese nuclear plant. “Are we talking about radiation equivalent to a chest X-ray? A CAT scan?” he asked. Gregory B. Jaczko, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission replied, “Levels that would be lethal with a fairly short period of time.”"

      That seems to suggest the American government was talking openly then about details that we all were only speculating about at the time.


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    • Jon_NY,
      Good find ! .. Glad you are here !


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  • c

    Please share on your wall and with friends!
    "I would like to fund raise to finish this movie for release so I can start a fund to help people in fukushima affected by radiation and buy materials for people to rebuild who cannot afford it. It got really great reviews at SFU Vancouver! It has also been featured in CBC canada news channel.

    You can support this project by placing pre-order for DVD, also we have the option for people or businesses or organizations to pledge their support and we will place their name in the credits of the movie!

    The reason to make the movie is so people have better understanding of what happened and sale of movie is a big business which can generate a lot of funds to help with our projects, but we need your help so we can get the movie to film company to make it available to the world.

    Can you please share this with your friends? If we all share it with our friends, it will reach many!

    Thank you
    Chris Noland
    director
    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/324769158/surviving-japan-a-documentary

    http://www.Survivingjapanmovie.com


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  • TheBigPicture TheBigPicture

    Seems radiation is permeating through the whole country ..air, land, and ground water. Would be nice if some nuclear expert could figure a way to stop the reactor from doing this, but so far, they can't.


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    • And it is not near over yet, … !


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    • gottagetoffthegrid

      TheBigPictture said:

      "…if some nuclear expert could figure a way to stop the reactor from doing this."

      this goes right to the root, the primal seed, of the issue: once a Mark 1 BWR station blacks out there is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING that can be done to stop a full fuel melt and breach of all containment. full stop. end of the line. they, the nuclear experts, all know this.

      all they can do is dump water onto it until the fuel cools and solidifies. since this takes months to years they could probably get in a few thousand "Hail Mary's" if they're catholic.


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      • Anthony Anthony

        If absolutely nothing else is done, every one of these specific reactors should be replaced, methodically and aggressively with a safer design.

        Of course, they can always just leave them offline but in lieu of closure they have a duty as an industry to restore safety to the citizens.


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  • Grampybone Grampybone

    Only the ones who can afford to move west will be able to save their health. Although I believe the radiation spans a 500km radius getting as far away as possible would be a rational decision. Measurements of radiation 300km+ is not very well documented but the readings of gamma and beta contamination has shown up in Korea. Prevailing winds will drop the black soot everywhere. Just because it has not landed on the west of Japan does not mean it won't be there shortly. If their burning facilities are in full operation this soot could easily bring Fukushima to the heart of Tokyo. God doesn't even know what happens when known alpha emitters are burned in close proximity to urban districts. The isotopes created could be of the nature that science does not fully understand. A nuclear environment is often very controlled and fuel is not engaging anything but water. I wish I knew how the soot will carry because it could give the community a way to track additional releases from the plant. Too bad the rad-net warning systems were all shut down and told to shut up. The intimidation is unreal here. The worst past is having people tell me it's over and Japan is none of their concerns. Let them eat North Japan Sea Oysters for all I care.


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    • The contaminated areas will only keep expanding, people will have to keep moving further and further away as areas become HOT/contaminated and this will be as long as the coriums are emitting their deadly payloads !


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  • CaptD CaptD

    Does anyone know any Tokyo real estate agents that can give us a sense of how much property values are dropping in Tokyo, perhaps since 3/11/11?

    That will be a great "yardstick" that we can use to track the effect of radiation moving south!

    Expect to see ever more Japanese Gov't. moved farther Southward, away from Tokyo…


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    • Bobby1

      Close to the minimum of the past (since 1993) of the aggregate price index used condominium metropolitan area, Tokyo Stock Exchange (crash), Chiba update the lowest ever…

      Since 1993, has dropped to near record low levels, in Chiba is updating a record low…

      Looking at the above, the downward trend of the price of contracts concluded per household apartment, you can see that the decline in the Tokyo and Chiba.

      http://portirland.blogspot.jp/2012/03/1993.html (Japanese)


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  • many moons

    I wonder how much radiation is creeping and how much of what is being discovered has been there since the explosions back in 2011.
    If authorities weren't doing testing they wouldn't have found the radiation until they did test for it.

    My point being, perhaps population exposure to radiation in Tokyo and the south has been taking place for some time…an important consideration to public health.


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