On March 11, 2011, at 2.46 pm Japan Time, a 9.0 magitude earthquake struck the Tohoku region of Honshsho Japan. It was the strongest tremor to hit the country and one of the strongest in the history of the world. The tremors lasted six minutes. Some 20 minutes after the earthquake hit, a assive massie tsunami swept across coastal towns from the northern island of Hokkaido to the southern island of Okinawa, destroying more than 400,000 buildings and homes, and killing 15,891people.
A nuclear disaster compounded the horror when tsunami waves reached the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, with power out,the emergency cooling generators weren’t functional, and explosions began in the reactor containment buildings; this in turn caused nuclear material to leak out of the plant. causing the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. In addition too those already lost more than 3,700 people mostly from Fukushima, died from illness or suicide in the aftermath of the tragedy.
In addition, more than
3,700 people—most of them from Fukushima—died from illness or suicide
linked to the aftermath of the tragedy, according to government data
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2019-03-japan-tsunami-nuclear-tragedy-years.html#jCp
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2019-03-japan-tsunami-nuclear-tragedy-years.html#jCp
Unsurprisingly, critics of nuclear power seized upon the accident
to argue that because nature is unpredictable, nuclear power is simply
too risky. Following the nuclear meltdown, Japan's entire stable of nuclear reactors
were gradually switched off. But almost half a decade on, Japan is
considering whether it should recommence its pursuit of nuclear energy
- especially given its continued struggle to decommission the Fukushima
reactors that are still inundated by contaminated water.
Nuclear reactor facilities, which need a reliable source of water for
cooling purposes, are usually located near the ocean or alongside a
large lake or river.That's a somewhat fraught positioning from the lens of climate
science, particularly since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change report from 2007 found that ocean levels are rising roughly 1.2
inches each decade, with some scientists predicting that water levels
could rise by as much as a meter by the end of the century.
That
may not sound like much, with most nuclear power plants a full 20 to 30
feet above sea level, but each additional inch of water increases the
risk of flooding and heightens storm surges, two of the more significant
threats of a warmer planet.
The
potential risks of tsunamis to nuclear power plants are well understood
and a set of international standards has been developed to mitigate
those risks. Yet,
despite Japan’s history of tsunamis, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety
Agency, Japan’s nuclear regulator, did not apply those standards. It
failed to review studies of tsunami risks performed by the plant’s
owner, Tokyo Electric Power, known as Tepco. It also failed to ensure
the development of tsunami-modeling tools compliant with international
standards.
Tepco
was also negligent. It knew of geological evidence that the region
surrounding the plant had been periodically flooded about once every
thousand years. In 2008, it performed computer simulations suggesting
that a repeat of the devastating earthquake of 869 would lead to a
tsunami that would inundate the plant. Yet it did not adequately follow
up on either of these leads.
Many people still do not trust Tokyo Electric because of its bungled response to the disaster..Around 12,000 people who fled their homes for fear of radiation have since
filed dozens of lawsuits against the government and the Tokyo Electric
Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the stricken nuclear plant. And eight years later, radioactive water is continuing to flow into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled No ,1 plant, while thee radiation levels at the crippled plant are now at unimaginable levels.
As memorial services for the thousands killed in the Great East Japan
Earthquake are held across Japan despite the billions poured into reconstruction efforts by the Japanese
government, scars on the landscape remain visible and the tragedy
continues to wreak misery for many, more than 50,000 people still remain
displaced, living in shelters, and the country is spending more on power eight years after
the disaster.
Roughly one in two Japanese voters think the reconstruction of the disaster-hit area "is not making progress" despite the rebuilding of infrastructure such as railways and houses for people who lost their homes in the disaster.According to the poll, 72.9 percent of voters think the Japanese government should halt its policy of exporting nuclear technology, compared to 14.7 percent who support the policy.
Today outside the Japanese Embassy, 101 Piccadilly, London W11 17:30 – 19:30 there will be silence and prayer, poetry, speeches, songs https://www.facebook.com/events/1212004702282409/
And on Saturday there will be a march on Parliament outside Japanese Embassy, 101 Piccadilly, London W1 12:00 for start at 12:30 Fancy dress/bright colours welcome – especially yellow! follpwed by a rally at Old Palace Yard opposite Parliament 14:00 – approx 16:00
Where there will be a one-minutes silence in remembrance of the victims of the continuing Fukushima disaster plus all victims of nuclear power generation https://www.facebook.com/events/355574691936367/
