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Monday, May 16, 2011

SENTAKU MAGAZINE
The new enervated Tepco
Sentaku
With the onset of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant crisis following the March 11 Tohoku-Pacific earthquake, radioactive substances continue to seep into the sea, air and soil. Residents within a designated proximity of the plant will likely have to live away from their homes a long time. The prospect of the situation returning to normal is nowhere in sight.

Although the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco), the operator of the ill-fated plant, have worked out plans to pay compensation to victims of the crisis, it appears they are interested less in protecting people from radiation than in preserving the existing semi-monopolistic system of the power industry and in enabling the government of Prime Minister Naoto Kan to survive.

Japan has 10 electric power companies, each of which is given a monopoly of generating and distributing power within a designated region.

Some observers say the government and Tepco have sought to "trivialize" the effect of the Fukushima accidents by working out a scenario in which the power company, which should bear the total responsibility, survives with "public funding." The public at large ultimately picks up the whole bill.

Under that scenario, a new organization would be established to help Tepco oversee compensation payments to nuclear accident victims. The new body would guarantee the survival of Tepco. Not only would the government fund the new body but also the other regional power companies with nuclear plants — by chipping in their share as insurance premiums for future accidents.

Even by selling its assets and cutting executive and employee remuneration, Tepco would not be able to pay all compensation claims resulting from the Fukushima plant accidents. The eventual financial burden would be borne by people in the form of taxes and higher electricity rates.

One factor that has given rise to this haphazard scenario is the need to prevent feared chaos in the financial market if Tepco were to go under. Tepco's share plummeted from the pre-accident price of around ¥2,100 to a mere ¥292 at one point after March 11. Although it recovered to nearly ¥500 after the government's support program and Tepco's road map for bringing the Fukushima nuclear crisis under control were announced, further damage to the reactors or serious radioactive leaks could very well make Tepco shares worthless.

Tepco's interest-bearing liabilities, including corporate bonds, total more than ¥7.3 trillion, most of which is owed to insurance companies and financial institutions, both private and government-owned. The biggest lender is the Development Bank of Japan, which is 100 percent state-owned. It has lent more than ¥300 billion to Tepco.

Shortly after the Fukushima plant accidents, major banks committed another ¥2 trillion in credit lines to Tepco, including ¥600 billion from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.

Should Tepco go bankrupt, not only would the Japanese financial market be thrown into an utter chaos, but international markets would lose their trust in Japanese banking institutions to the extent that the institutions would have to pay higher interest rates to secure funds.

If worse comes to worst, Tepco share certificates would become worthless sheets of paper for 600,000 shareholders as well as for many corporate pension funds that have included Tepco stock in their portfolios. The steep drop in Tepco's stock price has already dealt a blow to investment funds in the United States. Nearly 20 percent of its stock is held by non-Japanese investors. This has reportedly led the Obama administration to urge the Kan government to take steps to prevent a further decline in Tepco stock.

Tepco is now attempting to divert public opinion away from its responsibility for the nuclear crisis to the need to secure a stable supply of electricity. Shortly after its Fukushima power station was damaged, the company announced that it would have to impose "planned rolling power outages" to make up for reduced power generation.

By emphasizing that abandoning nuclear power generation would lead to prolonged outages, Tepco sought to convince the public that it is better to rely on nuclear power generation than endure power outages and that it is time to help Tepco with public funds. This is an ultimate form of defiance by Tepco.

Industrial circles, especially manufacturing, were thrown into a panic by the government's plan to make it mandatory for major electric power users to reduce consumption by 25 percent this summer. This could be a matter of life and death for manufacturers whose activities are already hindered by the disruption of production at component suppliers located in areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami. This fear has served to change the attitude of the business community from one of criticizing Tepco to seeking stable power supply.

It is clear that Tepco President Masataka Shimizu, who for health reasons failed to make a public appearance for some time after the Fukushima No. 1 crisis developed, is not fulfilling his job. Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata parried questions at a recent news conference to explain Tepco's road map for action to end the Fukushima crisis. Tepco's top management appears dysfunctional and in need of leadership. There is the strong view that this dysfunction led to errors early on that exacerbated the crisis. Katsumata said at the news conference that he was not hesitant about pouring seawater onto the nuclear reactors to cool them after the quake-tsunami. But other sources point out that if he is telling the truth, the seawater would have been used a half day or more earlier.

Tepco's corporate structural problem, which led to the Fukushima accidents, surfaced in the spring of 2002 when a whistle-blower revealed that Tepco managers had covered up troubles found at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and falsified reports to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Subsequently, similar irregularities were reported at the Fukushima No. 2 plant and the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture. These incidents created so much anger among municipalities and citizens that Tepco was forced to suspend the operation of all its nuclear plants. Katsumata and Shimizu are able executives in normal times but are not of the caliber to exercise crisis leadership.

Questions have been raised in many quarters, notably business leaders abroad, as to why Shimizu or Katsumata does not take command at the Fukushima No. 1 plant site, where hundreds of people — firefighters, Self-Defense Force personnel as well as employees of Tepco and Tepco subcontractors — are braving radiation risks to do repair work. Without the presence of Katsumata or Shimizu, how are workers suppose to lift their morale?

As Tepco's top executives appear unable to judge which is more important — the frontline (Fukushima No. 1), the Tepco headquarters or the prime minister's headquarters, they are snuggling up to the government. The people in Tepco's top management today have forgotten to pay attention to electricity users and local residents living near power stations.

Tepco, which has survived until now through collusion with the government, has lost the honorable face as the leader of the power industry. It is wandering about.

This is an abridged translation of an article from the May issue of Sentaku, a monthly magazine covering Japanese political, social and economic issues.


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The Japan Times
(C) All rights reserved

Meltdown in reactor 1 at Fukushima confirmed

Rapid meltdown occurs in No.1 reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Company says most of the fuel rods in the No.1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant had dropped to the bottom of the pressure vessel within 16 hours of the earthquake on March 11th.

The plant operator revealed its findings on Sunday.

TEPCO said it analyzed the data and calculated a timeline for developments in the No. 1 reactor on the assumption that it lost its cooling system as soon as the tsunami hit.

The firm said that about four and half hours after the quake the level of water in the pressure vessel fell below the top of fuel rods and that parts of them began melting.

The temperature of the rods is believed to have reached 2,800 degrees Celsius at this stage, and the meltdown advanced rapidly.

Almost all the rods melted and dropped to the bottom of the pressure vessel by 6:50 am on March 12th.

TEPCO said the temperature dropped after water was poured into the reactor starting at 5:50 AM the same day.

The firm says the melted rods created small holes in the bottom of the vessel. It believes the amount of radioactive substances that could spread from the reactor will be limited.

NHK's correspondent says TEPCO should analyze the situations at the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors as soon as possible.

Monday, May 16, 2011 05:31 +0900 (JST)

From our friends in Japan

Dear Friends,

We'd like to send herewith the Doro-Chiba Quake Report ## 18 and 19 and our the petition for immediate shutdown of nuke plants initiated by Hiroshima and Fukushima anti-nuke movements.

Kan administration asked Chubu Electric Power Company (CHUBU) to halt operation of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant, and CHUBU has reluctantly accepted Prime Minister KAN Naoto’s request.

Kan is driven into a very corner by the flashing anger of the affected people and anti-nuke demonstrations, and this is his last hope that a fraud of ”suspending” operation of Hamaoka might put escalating anti-nuke movement to rest.
We won't take it! We will trigger a domino effect of shutdown of all nuclear power plants and force Kan and 9 electric power companies to demolish all of them.
The united power of working class and people alone can create future!
Stop mass dismissal of one million under the pretext of the huge quake!
Abolish nuclear plants by the power of international solidarity!

In Solidarity,
International Labor Solidarity Committee of Doro-Chiba
http://www.doro-chiba.org/english/english2.htm

An urgent appeal to the world from Hiroshima and Fukushima

We demand the immediate shutdown of all nuclear power plants

To the Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Kan

So that the genocide and misery of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never be repeated we demand as follows: 1. Stop all nuclear development and abolish all nuclear power plants

immediately 2. Compensate all damages and losses caused by the Fukushima Daiichi

power plant 3. Stop the control of information and put the safety of workers and residents

first

4. Abolish all nuclear weapons and related facilities

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident has brought about unprecedented radioactive contamination and environmental destruction. “Nuclear plants are absolutely safe...clean and free from catastrophe.” It is now obvious to everyone that these words were lies! Countless workers and residents are being exposed to high levels of radiation. The farming and fishing industries are in peril. The health of all people: children, neighboring residents, as well as the workers fighting to prevent the meltdown, are in danger. Even their lives are at stake. Nobody can say to what extent the radioactive contamination will damage the environment. The fallout caused by only one nuclear power plant is 1000 times greater than the Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. This enormous amount of radiation is more than enough to destroy the ecosystem. We must stop by any means a recurrence of the power station accident and any further exposure to radiation. We demand the immediate shutdown of all operating nuclear power plants and their abolishment. We call on all people worldwide for joining us in this movement with the sufferers of Fukushima as well as Hibakusha (A bomb victims) who have struggled for over six decades, insisting “No More Hiroshimas! No More Nagasakis!”

This appeal was drafted by the following ad hoc committee:

Reiko Shimoda(Anti war association of a-bomb survivors) ; Mireko Yoshihara (Hibakusha,Christian);Sil Gun Lee (President of Korean a-bomb survivors council of Hiroshima);Makoto Kitanishi(Emeritus of Hiroshima University); Takeshi Nakashima (second generation of A bomb sufferer); Atsuko Oe (Representative of Save the Iraqi Children of Hiroshima); Norio Suzuki(President of Hiroshima Solidarity Labor Union); Matashichi Ooishi (Bikini Hydrogen bomb test survivor / crew member of the affected The fifth Lucky Dragon fishing boat); Koichirou Suzuki (dairy farmer/ Fukushima resident); Junko Ichikawa(President of Fukushima United Workers' Union)

Office of the appeal committee Address : 14-3-303 Noborimachi Naka-ku Hiroshima-city Postal zip: 730-0016c/

Doro-Chiba Quake Report

May 5, 2011/ issue 18

International Labor Solidarity Committee of Doro-Chiba (National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba)

2011 May Day Appeal of Education Workers Caucus of National Coordinating Center of Labor Unions

Education Ministry Forces Radiation Exposure on Children

Fight back the murderous policy! Education workers must lead the fight for immediate shutdown of nuke plants

The government at last admitted that the seriousness of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has reached level 7. The situation is worsening day by day.

The myth of “atoms for peace” and “safe and clean energy” has been town down by the actual development.

Neoliberalism was started in Japan in full swing in 1980s by the then Prime Minister Nakasone through privatization of the National Railways. The same Nakasone has taken the lead of the Japanese nuclear policy since 1950s, which was carried on by every administration thereafter, TEPCO, nuclear plant makers, hired mouthpiece scientists, established opposition parties and labor aristocracy; their cozy relationship resulted in the Fukushima disaster.

And we must emphasize that even before the accident, operation of nuclear plants constituted the diabolic

crime, since they cannot generate electricity without

daily and hourly exposure of workers there.

May Day protest in Sendai City—Capital of Afflicted Area

Stop easing of radiation standard to 20mSv/y ! Repeal MEXT’s notification!

April 19, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) notified the Fukushima Prefecture Education Board that the radiation exposure limit in school buildings and playgrounds of elementary and middle schools and kindergartens shall be elevated from 1mSv/year to 20mSv/year. “20mSv/y” has been the standard dose of radiation, which has been applied to an approval of workers’ compensation for leukemia of nuclear plant workers.

The MEXT has also raised the radiation exposure limit for nuclear plant workers from 100mSv/5years (50mSv/y) to 250 mSv/y.

It is a duty in a critical moment for the MEXT to mobilize all necessary measures to protect children who are far more vulnerable to radiation than adults, including evacuation, temporary school closure and so on. However, after unsuccessful attempt to hide the actual level of radiation in schools, they eased the

exposure limit.

The top priority for them is to maintain nuclear power policy at all costs. They use children as guinea pigs. It is a mass murder of children by the government!

April 21, parents from Fukushima questioned official of the MEXT on this point and condemned them: “You are leaving our children in the lurch!” The parents also urged action on the Prefecture and Municipal Board of Educations and school administrations, which had only obeyed the instructions of the MEXT.

The Fukushima Prefecture Teachers Union finally issued the statement against the MEXT’s notification on April 20 and postulated demands to the Prefecture Board.

We should organize our own workplaces and urgently pass resolutions in every union chapter against the MEXT’s notification.

MEXT has been the principal promoter of nuclear plants & nuclear armaments

Japanese nuclear policy has been historically promoted by two lines: one is the group of the Ministry of

Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the electric power companies; and another is that of the Science and

1Technology Agency and the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute. In 2001, during the process of reorganization of the central government ministries and agencies, the Ministry of Education and the Science and Technology Agency were consolidated into the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and thus the MEXT got the jurisdiction over research and development of nuclear technology and promotion of nuclear armaments. Since then, MEXT has been promoting investigation of environmental radiation, control of amount of radiation exposure and compensation for damage. Fast breeder “Monju” under the controle of MEXT is not destined for “nuclear recycling” but for production of super weapons-grade plutonium.

The MEXT’s nuclear budget in FY 2011 is 257.1 billion

Also JTU has accepted the nuclear policy

The Japan Teachers’ Union (JTU) issued a statement on the earthquake without any word opposing nuclear power plants whatsoever. The leaders of the JTU has never mentioned huge nuclear budget even when they timidly demanded increase of education budget to reform overcrowded classes. Under their fundamental

Yen—56% of the total nuclear budget, 455.6 billion Yen. The MEXT is the central agency for nuclear policy together with the METI.

Rengo, Japanese Trade Union Confederation, shamelessly playing with blazing lie in President Koga’s overseas propaganda letter: “any density of radioactivity that directly affects the health of the people is not detected, except in the neighboring areas close to the plant. ... as far as Hokkaido in the north and the regions to the west of Tokyo are concerned, there is no affect of the nuclear plant accident. Rather, the damages caused by rumors inside and outside Japan are aggravating and impeding the life of the people and the industries.” Rengo labor lieutenants are profiteering from nuclear plant business together with TEPCO and other electric power companies.

policy of “partnership with MEXT”, the JTU leaders have been collaborating with the government’s nuclear policy.

Speak out and overthrow the misleaders of JTU! Dismantle the MEXT!

Refuse education for promoting nuclear energy!

In 2002, the MEXT established the fund to subsidize the Nuclear Power and Energy Education Support Program and since then they have forcibly mobilized education workers to promote nuclear education and to brainwash kids with the myth of “safe and clean nuke.” The MEXT together with the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy under METI published supplementary textbooks: Exciting Nuclear Land and Nuclear World—Our Bright Future.

The Strategic Energy Plan established last year by the DPJ administration states: “Building 9 new or additional

nuclear plants (with the overall plant capacity utilization rate at about 85%) by 2020 and more than 14 by 2030” and underlines “enhancement of education on energy policy.” The elementary science textbooks for the new school year beginning from this April dramatically escalate the promotion of nuclear power plants under guise of “CO2 reduction.”

Both the nuclear policy and the coercion of national flag and anthem are the strategic national policies. In this epoch of global crisis, both are now collapsing.

Shut down ALL nuclear plants NOW! Make our union militant by promoting 10 million-signature campaign!

People are raging. All the workers are beginning to think out how to live in this critical time. What we need to do now is to create a huge labor movement that can stop nuclear plants. We must overthrow capitalism, which is not capable of surviving without nuclear plants.

Protest actions are spreading all over the world. “Fukushima warns. Shut down all nukes now!”—this is the common battle cry of global working class. Workers of the world, unite and overthrow imperialism that promotes nuclear plants!

Revive militant labor unions! Stop tax increase under the pretext of “reconstruction.” Smash the labor

misleaders who promote so-called “reconstruction movement” that really is a relief for big business! We should create a massive movement against job cuts and nuclear plants!

Promote 10 million-signature campaign initiated by our friends in Hiroshima and Fukushima for immediate shut down of all nukes in our own workplaces, unions, communities!

Organize the nation-wide movement for reinstatement of 1047 fired national railway workers! The Education Workers Caucus of NCCLU will fight in forefront of the struggle.

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Appeal of Fukushima Teachers’ Union April 20, 2011

Protect Children from Radiation Health Damage

Since the terrible disaster of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the radiation levels remain incredibly high. For the protection of children from health damage by radiation, we have been continuously urging the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Fukushima Prefecture Education Board to set guidelines for security measures. On April 19, a month after the catastrophe, the MEXT finally notified “Tentative Guideline on Use of School Buildings and Playgrounds in Fukushima Prefecture”. On this “guidelines”, however, many anxious voices are raised from the parents and teachers in Fukushima whether their children could really be protected from the radiation effect by the new radiation standard.

The MEXT has set 20mSv/y as the upper limit of radiation levels for school children on April 19. It states that this maximum level of 20mSv/y is based on the recommendation Pub.109 by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) that recommended a tentative safety standard within a band of 1 to 20 mSv/y as reference levels in “Post Emergency Situation”. But this standard is set for the general public. It is not for school children. Moreover, it should be noted that the current guideline of regulation is set on 1 mSv/y. The threshold quantity of 20mSv/y is for the planned exclusion zones and also matches the annual radiation exposure dose limit for workers at nuclear plants (the 1990 Recommendation of ICRP). It is apparently very dangerous to adopt this standard to children who are the most vulnerable to radiation. Moreover, when children are exposed to radiation over many years, cumulative radiation will be considerable amount and therefore their risk to cause health damages will be substantial. If we follow the MEXT’s guideline, the lives and health of our children would never be protected.

The MEXT just set the exposure limit at 3.8 μSv/h for children using a school playground. The radiation dose on school playgrounds, however, varies greatly from place to place. The radiation level is comparably high at side ditches and puddles where rainwaters or dusts gather. Children touch soil or sand and run around school playgrounds. They cannot avoid breathing dusts flying in the air. They sometimes fall on the ground and skin their knees. Then radioactive materials would attach to their wounds. Even the air dose rate is less than 3.8 μSv/h, children would receive higher radiation through direct touch with the ground than in the air. There is also a danger of internal exposure.

For the protection of children from health damage by radiation, we strongly demand the rapid control of the nuclear plant accident and the prompt implementation of safety measures to prevent risk to children’s health, instead of repeating, “There is no immediate threat to health”.

TAKENAKA Ryuichi, President of Fukushima Prefecture Teachers’ Union

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110503a1.html

U.S. doctors hit Tokyo radiation limit for kids

Kyodo The Japan Times: Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Physicians for Social Responsibility, a U.S. nonprofit organization of medical experts, has condemned as “unconscionable” the Japanese government's safety standards on radiation levels at elementary and junior high schools in nuclear disaster-stricken Fukushima Prefecture.

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The PSR statement directly challenges Tokyo's stance that it is safe for schoolchildren to use school playgrounds in the prefecture as long as the dose they are exposed to does not exceed 20 millisieverts over a year.

The PSR view is also in line with that voiced by Toshiso Kosako, who said Friday he would step down as an adviser to Prime Minister Naoto Kan on the Fukushima nuclear crisis in protest. The University of Tokyo professor urged the government to toughen guidelines on upper limits on radiation levels the education ministry recently announced for elementary school playgrounds in Fukushima.

No-play zone: Students watch as workers remove possibly radioactive soil from the Kaoru Elementary School playground in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on Wednesday. KYODO PHOTO

The U.S. group said in a statement released Friday, “Any exposure, including exposure to naturally occurring background radiation, creates an increased risk of cancer.

“Children are much more vulnerable than adults to the effects of radiation, and fetuses are even more vulnerable,” it said.

The medical experts group is part of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which won the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize.

“(Twenty millisieverts) for children exposes them to a 1 in 200 risk of getting cancer. And if they are exposed to this dose for two years, the risk is 1 in 100. There is no way that this level of exposure can be considered 'safe' for children,” the statement said.

Video: Radioactive Contamination in Schools

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xik6qw_radioactive-contamination-situation_news

25μSv/h

On April 16, 2011 At the gate of Fukushima‐City Daiyon elementary School 25μSv/h

Koriyama‐city in Fukushima started removing topsoil from school playgrounds in its 15 elementary and middle schools as well as 13 nursery schools

Koriyama‐City set its own standards to remove radiation‐contaminated soil.

elementary and middle schools / radiation levels of over 3.8μSv/h nursery schools / radiation levels of over 3.0μSv/h

According to the validation of Koriyama‐City, if 1cm (centimeter) of upper layer is removed from soil, radiation dose will decrease by half.

Koriyama‐City is going to remove 3cm of topsoil from school playground earth. The work will be completed in early May.

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The Education Minister Takagi: “I think that Koriyama‐City is digging its school playground earth based on its independent judgment, but we will investigate the facts”.

Tachibana Elementary School in Koriyama‐City independently measured its radiation dose and put them on its internet website.

Today’s measured values are as follows: All of the places are measured at 1cm high.

Apr. 4 1st floor classroom 0.25 south companionway 0.29

Apr. 21 0.17 0.28

0.25 0.10 0.08

0.11 0.12

0.29

0.11 0.10 0.11

0.12

at the gate in front of the gym central courtyard playground (the measurement unit is micro Sv/per hour)

The Ministry, however, stopped data publication of Tachibana Elementary School.

In addition to that, the Ministry also banned to conduct soil investigation. Without the government’s permission, any organization is allowed to investigate radiation data.

We are now under authority’s strict control and unable to release any information. We feel like we are in war time. The government release of radiation dose data is totally different from our private research results.

Since the day of her birth, my baby has been exposed to radiation.I am terribly anxious about her future. Radioactive contamination situation is intensifying its severity.

Radioactive materials from grass detected more than 3 times the safety standard in Chiba (April 28, 2011 Jiji Press)

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has set allowable radioactive contamination levels for grass.

On April 28, Chiba prefecture announced that the readings for both radioactive iodine and radioactive cesium had been more than three times the safety standard.

Chiba Prefecture demanded cattle farmers to refrain from putting cows out to graze. According to the investigation of Chiba, radioactive iodine at 230 Bq/kg and cesium at 1110 Bq/kg were detected from grass in Ichihara‐City.

In Yachimata‐City, radioactive iodine at 90 Bq/kg and cesium at 350 Bq/kg were detected from grass.

Abolish Nuke Plants May 7 Action Rally and Demonstration

May 7, Saturday from 1 pm at Chiba Central Park

east companionway 2nd floor classroom 2nd floor corridor 3rd floor classroom 3rd floor corridor

1.04 1.27 2.06 3.37

0.80 0.90 1.82 2.52

We have reported the measured radiation data of our school in our website, but the Ministry restricted the publication of measured radiation dose data on internet to only official bodies. Therefore we have to stop releasing our measured data on the website. (the website of Koriyama‐City Tachibana Elementary School)

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You can find the archive of Doro-Chiba Quake Report: http://dorochibanewsletter.wordpress.com

Let’s relieve earthquake victims through people’s power!

(1) PayPal Account for Donation:

Account Holder: YAMAMOTO Hiroyuki Secretary Treasurer, International Labor Solidarity Committee of Doro-Chiba

(2) Donation through the International Humanities Center (IHC):

Alternatively, donation could be made through the international Humanities Center (IHC) in each following way. 1. Checks can be made out to “People's Earthquake Relief Center / IHC” or “PERC / IHC”, and mailed to the Coalition for Alternatives to Militarism in our Schools (CAMS) box: PO Box 3012, South Pasadena, CA

91031. 2. Donations can also be made on line at: http://ihcenter.org/groups/perc

(3) Bank Account for Donation:

Some or all of the following data 1 to 9 are required to send a remittance to Japan. And if the purpose of remittance is questioned, please reply that remittance is made for relief to the earthquake in Japan through the National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba (Doro-Chiba).

1. Bank name: The Chiba Bank, Ltd 2. Bank code# in Japan: 0134 3. Branch name: Chuo Branch 4. Branch code# in Japan: 001

5. Branch address: 2-5-1 Chuo, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-0013, Japan 6. Type of address: Ordinary deposit 7. Account number: 4177605

Address of Account: 2-8 Kaname-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-0017, Japan

Phone No. of Account: +81-43-222-7207 8. Account name: Kokutetsu Chiba Doryokusha Rodokumiai 9. SWIFT address: CHBAJPJT 001 4177605

Note: One space is needed between Branch Code# (001) and Account number (4177605).

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Voice of a Japanese medical worker

Fight against mass unemployment! Stop all nuke plants! For the creation of a new society to live together in unity!

Two months have passed since the March 11 huge quake and nuclear disaster, and bankruptcy of neo-liberal agenda has been fully exposed day by day.

Nearly ten thousand people are still missing and over hundred thousand evacuees are living in the unsafe shelters. For the tsunami-stricken elder people, it is too hard to survive the terrible shock and a large number of them are losing their lives. This is the result of the outsourcing and privatizing of municipalities and public hospitals, which was followed by a forcible drastic reduction of necessary personnel.

Under the pretext of the huge quake, a tremendous number of workers are getting fired not only in the affected areas but everywhere in Japan. While the government propagates “reconstruction”, all workers are put under threat of mass firing.

The governmental plan for “reconstruction” demands as financial source merciless transfer of all burdens upon the shoulders of working class: tax hike, wage cut, reduction of health insurance. “Cheer up Japan!”--an official slogan means nothing but mobilization of working people in a drive to accept all sacrifices as “necessary measures in national emergency of the huge quake”.

Where has the gigantic amount of 120 trillion Yen that the Bank of Japan pumped into money markets immediately after the earthquake? Neo-liberal agenda has been so far developed into a policy of demanding overall sacrifice of the whole society for the survival of the big capital.

May 9, 2011

A long queue of people in front of the Public Employment Agency in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, from early morning

It is not the whole story. We are faced with terrible nuclear disaster! What happened in Fukushima can be described as the “Third Atomic Bombing” without heat wave and blast as in the case in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The true nature of the “Atom for Peace” is disclosed. Nuclear energy has developed as a powerful weapon of massacre. It is nothing to do with peace. Artificial attempt of nuclear fission should not be allowed for any reason. Nuclear radiation as the result of nuclear fission is beyond human control. Human beings and nukes are incompatible.

Nobody knows when and how radioactive contamination will be brought under control. The government has raised the “permissible doses” of radiation for nuclear plant workers as well as for ordinary inhabitants in quite an arbitrary way. After causing a terrible accident, the agency concerned eased the “permissible doses”! It is nothing but a murder.

What the administration is doing is to arrest workers and students who demonstrated to

1oppose nuclear plants, and to impose censorship of Internet to suppress the voices against nuclear plants. We denounce the idea of putting nuke above human life!

Nuclear plants are run by workers who are constantly exposed to radiation. Labor union leadership of the electric companies has knowingly waged a huge fraudulent propaganda campaign to justify construction of nuclear plants in close co-operation with the companies: “safe and clean nuclear power”.

When labor unions carry out struggle not to allow exposure of workers and to secure the safety in workplaces, nuclear plants will not be able to operate a single day. Through our experience of Hiroshima and Nagasaki we once resolved no to allow fresh victims of nuke. All nuclear plants that are reproducing victims of exposure day by day should be stopped immediately. Now labor unions need to fulfill

their task.

Genuine reconstruction means essentially to make everybody on earth live in peace and relief as should be. The true way to reconstruction is to refuse enforcement of “national mobilization for reconstruction” and to confront and overcome neo-liberal agenda. Labor unions have come into focus. We fight for a true reconstruction standing up in our own workplaces.

We call on sisters and brothers, workers of the whole world to join our struggle! Stop all nuclear plants immediately! Abolish all nuclear weapons and nuclear plants on the globe!

Crush neo-liberal offensives! Strengthen solidarity of working class to overcome corrupt labor union! Let’s create a new society for all to live their own life, free from capitalist profit!

Two newspaper articles reveal lie of “Atoms for Peace” propaganda

May 10 International Labor Solidarity Committee of Doro-Chiba

Doro-Chiba International Labor Solidarity CommitteeTwo newspaper articles on May 9 (both on the Mainichi) publicly exposed once again that nuclear plants are inseparable from nuclear weapon and nuclear war, or rather, they have been constructed for the purpose of producing nuclear weapons and preparing for nuclear war.

The first article, titled, “Japan and US, negotiating construction of nuclear waste facility in Mongolia”, disclosed the intention of the two governments to build huge disposal facilities for spent nuclear fuel in the Mongolian Republic, which is assumed to have more than 1.5 million tons of uranium ore deposits. Their aim is: monopolizing possession of uranium resource, establishment of monopoly of plutonium through construction of gigantic reprocessing facilities (for the production of nuclear weapon) and finally to burden people of the Mongolian Republic with disposal of nuclear waste, that is an immortal negative heritage of

Abandoned quarters built by the former Soviet Army stand in the Mongolian village of Bayantal, the most likely site for the construction of a nuclear power plant. (Mainichi)

imperialism.

The second article is a report on a “debate” on “Operation Tomodachi” of Japan and US military forces, or rather a dialogue between Kent Calder (Director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asia Studies, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies) and Yamaguchi Noboru (Professor, National Defense Academy of Japan /

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Lieutenant General, JGSDF (Ret.) / Participative Cabinet Secretary). Both of them spoke quite bluntly over the significance of the Japan-US joint operation, which took place in March, taking opportunity of the huge quake.

Calder: “US and Japan have shared no experience of cooperation in a war till today, different from the case with US-UK and US-South Korea alliances. ... It was, therefore, quite significant that the two nations have enhanced solidarity in emergency”.

Yamaguchi: “We successfully concentrated 100,600 strong Self-Defense Forces on the spot of disaster due to many bases and camps located in Tohoku and its surrounding regions. It has proved the necessity of these installations for the defense of Japan. Beside, the US Marine Corps dispatched abroad for the first time the secret treasure troops, namely the

special combat teams against radioactive contamination and against biochemical attack. It conveyed us the seriousness of US administration”.

We must once again confirm the fact that nuclear plants constitute a first process of nuclear weapon production and therefore are means of war. The demagogical declaration of Barak Obama of “a world without nuclear weapons” must be disclosed and denounced in front of public.

It is urgent to overthrow the recent history, in which nuclear plants have been admitted under the name of “Atom for Peace” and the sacrifice offered by a huge number of nuke workers who are exposed to radioactivity has been concealed. Let’s open up a brilliant future for workers and people to live their own life.

You can find the archive of Doro-Chiba Quake Report: http://dorochibanewsletter.wordpress.com

Let’s relieve earthquake victims through people’s power!

(1) PayPal Account for Donation:

Account Holder: YAMAMOTO Hiroyuki Secretary Treasurer, International Labor Solidarity Committee of Doro-Chiba

(2) Donation through the International Humanities Center (IHC):

Alternatively, donation could be made through the international Humanities Center (IHC) in each following way. 1. Checks can be made out to “People's Earthquake Relief Center / IHC” or “PERC / IHC”, and mailed to the Coalition for Alternatives to Militarism in our Schools (CAMS) box: PO Box 3012, South Pasadena, CA

91031. 2. Donations can also be made on line at: http://ihcenter.org/groups/perc

(3) Bank Account for Donation:

Some or all of the following data 1 to 9 are required to send a remittance to Japan. And if the purpose of remittance is questioned, please reply that remittance is made for relief to the earthquake in Japan through the National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba (Doro-Chiba).

1. Bank name: The Chiba Bank, Ltd 2. Bank code# in Japan: 0134 3. Branch name: Chuo Branch 4. Branch code# in Japan: 001

5. Branch address: 2-5-1 Chuo, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-0013, Japan 6. Type of address: Ordinary deposit 7. Account number: 4177605

Address of Account: 2-8 Kaname-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba 260-0017, Japan

Phone No. of Account: +81-43-222-7207 8. Account name: Kokutetsu Chiba Doryokusha Rodokumiai 9. SWIFT address: CHBAJPJT 001 4177605

Note: One space is needed between Branch Code# (001) and Account number (4177605).

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-- 

Answers from Magnox?

We will be pursuing the answer to Kastchiev with various people to check out the best way of getting to the bottom of why Oldbury isn't closed already.

It is so dangerous and the government and its lackies at the NDA are just ripping as much out of the decrepid site before its ultimate closure.

This is a symtom of British political life....no proper infrastrusture, no planning, just do it! attitude

Hi Reg,




In relation to your questions below, hopefully the following will be useful:





Can you please confirm how many people will work on site and for how long when decommissioning commences?

The Environmental Impact Assessment for Decommissioning (EIAD) produced for Oldbury states that during Care and Maintenance Preparations (scheduled for 2014-2027) the number of permenant employees at Oldbury will reduce to 360. During Care and Maintenance (scheduled for 2027 - 95) staffing levels will be significantly lower but will cover necessary security and maintenance requirements. During Final Site Clearance (2096 - 2101) permenant employees are likely to reach 450.



I would like to know the views of Magnox on the letter from Dr. Georgui Kastchiev which recommends that both Oldbury and Wylfa should be closed down to avoid any further risks to the people of Europe.

Magnox do not own the Oldbury site - we are the contractors tasked with running the site on behalf of the NDA and so it would be inappropriate for us to comment on this letter. You may wish to refer this question to the NDA instead, however our independent regulator, the ONR (Office for Nuclear Regulation) would not allow the site to operate if they did not feel it was safe to do so.



If you can confirm what time the next SSG will take place I will endeavour to make it and also will keep the members of SANE informed.

The next SSG is scheduled to take place on Wednesday July 20, 2011, commencing at 1pm and will be held at the Oldbury site Conference Centre (the building we met you in on Monday). These meetings are open to the public and we always advertise them through the local media and place a sign at the junction for Oldbury village (the 'triangular' junction between Oldbury Lane and Pickedmoor Lane) stating where and when the next meeting will be held.





I hope this information is useful.



Kind regards,



Zoe



Zoe Young

Communication Officer MCIPR

Rory Walker goes to the High Court today

Rory goes to the High Court in Leeds today to find out whether the judicial review into justification will progress.

We wish Rory and our community best wishes for today.

If you would like to see a recent interview with Rory please go to our TV channel on youtube, search SANEFILMVIDEOS and Rory Walker.

You could also view any of the suite of 10 plus films that David Price has made over the last two years.

Thanks as always !

Power to the people of Shepperdine ANE..............................

LUSH

Lush is lovely.......

Horizon Newsletter

A UK company of E.ON and RWE

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Our plans for new nuclear power at Oldbury

In this issue

Page 2

Links with local businesses

Page 2

Environmental surveys

Page 3

Working with South Gloucestershire Council

Page 4

Meet the team

New drop-in surgeries

This year we are introducing a series of regular drop-in surgeries to give local people the chance to raise questions about our proposals for a new nuclear power station near Oldbury-on- Severn directly with members of the Horizon team.

These events follow on from the successful public drop-in sessions we held last autumn in which we explained circular hybrid cooling towers are our preferred choice for Oldbury (see page 3). The first of our informal drop-ins will take place in June in Oldbury and Thornbury with future events planned for October. These

WELCOME

TO OUR FIFTH UPDATE NEWSLETTER.

Nuclear issues have been high profile recently following the terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the knock-on effects for the power plant at Fukushima. Our sympathies go out to everyone affected.

As we develop our project, both Horizon and our reactor designers are required to look at all conceivable risks, including earthquakes and flooding. A flood risk assessment is one of the first things on our agenda. Although the seismic risks are much smaller in the UK, and the reactors used here are technologically very different, we’re paying close attention to the events in Japan to see what lessons can be learned.

There is an important independent report now being prepared by Dr Mike Weightman, the UK’s Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations. This will help shape our proposals for new power generation at Oldbury.

We believe there is a fundamental need for nuclear power if we’re going to tackle climate change and maintain electricity supplies in the face of growing demand and the closure of older stations. The need for safety is even more fundamental and you have our commitment that this will always be our number one priority.

Horizon’s Safety Case Manager, Ming Ang, explains how safety is an essential part of every stage in the development process for Oldbury in our Meet the Team article on page 4.

James Eaton, Oldbury Project Developer

l This newsletter is being delivered by hand to around 15,000 homes on both sides of the Severn and copies are also distributed to One Stop Shops and libraries throughout South Gloucestershire, the Forest of Dean and Stroud District Council. It can also be downloaded by visiting www.horizonnuclearpower.com/ oldbury.php

Horizon now has a dedicated page on the My Thornbury website, an independent news and information site for people living in and around Thornbury. Go to www.mythornbury.co.uk/horizon

surgeries will be in addition to future public exhibitions we will hold as our project develops.

Dates for the first surgeries are:

June

Oldbury/Memorial Hall:

Tuesday June 14th, from 3.30pm to 8.30pm Thornbury/The Cossham Hall: Thursday June 16th, from 3.30pm to 8.30pm

October

Oldbury/Memorial Hall:

October 17th, from 3.30pm to 8.30pm

Thornbury/The Cossham Hall:

Tuesday 18th October, from 3.30pm to 8.30pm

HORIZON NUCLEAR POWER

Horizon was pleased to be involved in the launch of the recently formed Gloucestershire Nuclear Group. It aims to build a partnership of businesses, educational establishments, politicians, local authorities

and unions to promote continued nuclear investment in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

The initiative is also backed by a number of local MPs and county councillors, major businesses and trade union, Prospect, as well as Magnox, the operators of the existing power station at Oldbury.

The Group seeks to build on the successes of similar programmes elsewhere in the country, such as West Cumbria’s Energy Coast and Anglesey’s Energy Island.

It believes there is an unprecedented opportunity to develop the area as a national centre of excellence for the nuclear sector. This would provide a major boost for local businesses and help to drive the development of the skills needed to build and operate the nuclear plants of the future.

At the Group’s launch earlier this spring, Alan Raymant, Horizon’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We intend to play a positive long-term role in the communities where we operate and very much welcome this initiative.”

Nuclear expertise built up in the region is of great value to the UK. More than 2,500 skilled nuclear workers are already

Partnership to build on

region’s nuclear expertise

From left: Alan Raymant (Horizon Nuclear Power Chief Operating Officer); Mike Graham (Prospect National Secretary); Neil Baldwin (Managing Director, Magnox Ltd); Neil Carmichael (MP for Stroud); Penny Wride (Chair of Berkeley Site Stakeholder Group); Mike Clancy (Prospect Deputy General Secretary); Mark Lesinski (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Delivery Director) at the Gloucestershire Nuclear Group launch.

employed in the area, including at EDF operations at Barnwood and at contractors such as at Babcock International, WS Atkins and Serco. In addition Horizon’s head office at Gloucester Business Park is now home to more than 100 employees in the development of proposals for new nuclear plants at Wylfa and Oldbury.

Mike Graham, National Secretary of union Prospect, said: “Nuclear is key to helping deliver long-term sustainable employment, a strong viable economy and major business benefits for the area.”

It is estimated that a new nuclear plant at Oldbury alone would pump at least £100m a year into the local economy during construction and tens of millions per year during its 60 years of operation.

Horizon wants local businesses to be able to gain maximum benefit from this opportunity. To help develop relationships with local businesses we have launched a dedicated Suppliers’ Portal on our website. Potential suppliers can make contact with our supply team by emailing suppliers@horizonnucleapower.com

Environmental studies focus on estuary

To help us understand the ecology of our site, we are continuing to carry out a series of environmental studies.

Working with bodies such as Natural England, these studies will provide baseline information to help us incorporate mitigation measures, if necessary, into our project design from an early stage.

Over the winter months this work included our continued survey into over- wintering birds along the edge of the Severn Estuary.

The extensive analysis, carried out by environmental specialists, will

provide supporting information for our Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report which will accompany a future planning application.

This work follows some early archaeological surveys carried out last year to further our understanding of the site’s archaeology. In addition, we will shortly be starting our preliminary noise studies. This involves establishing baseline noise levels at various points around the site, so you may see people in the area with monitoring equipment.

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A turnstone, one of many residents of the Severn Estuary.

BUILDING LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS

COMMUNITY UPDATE ISSUE 5

Cooling tower preference

Initial visualisations of what hybrid cooling towers could look like from viewpoints around Oldbury can be downloaded from the document library section on our web site at www.horizonnuclearpower.com/oldbury

Visualisations of hybrid cooling towers were first shown at our drop-in sessions last autumn and followed our announcement that circular hybrid towers are our preferred choice for Oldbury.

At up to 70m (230 ft) tall, hybrid cooling

towers are more in keeping with the height of the existing Magnox power station.

Deciding on the type of cooling tower is a key milestone for our Oldbury project and helps to shape the future development of our proposals. Horizon believes that hybrid

Hybrid cooling towers at a distance of 4.4 kilometres.

towers represent a preferable option when a balance of technical, commercial and environmental factors is considered.

The full range of visualisations will also be available to view at our forthcoming informal drop-in surgeries (see page 1).

Talks to local groups

Members of the Horizon Oldbury Development team have given a number of presentations on our proposals to local groups and organisations recently, with further talks scheduled throughout 2011.

The meetings are a great way for us to bring local people up to date and provide an opportunity for members of each group to raise any questions they may have.

As part of our continued programme of local engagement we are keen to schedule more of these individual events and would

like to hear from more local groups or organisations who would be interested in meeting with us.

Please contact us via our free phone number 0800 130 3125 or email us at oldburyenquiries@horizonnuclearpower.com, to tell us about your group and when you would like to meet us.

Framework talks underway

Horizon is working with South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) to develop a Planning Performance Agreement.

Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs) allow developers and Councils to agree how advice on proposed major developments is provided. They are not new and the Government recommends them for large projects, such as the proposed new power station near Oldbury.

A PPA ensures that the Council can maintain its independence and impartiality while fulfilling its duties under the new planning regime. It also allows SGC to recover costs for the additional work that is required in providing advice to Horizon. Project Developer Rebecca Hardy

explains: “Ultimately, we must submit our main planning application to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) or its successor, the body set up to receive and examine applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects.

“As part of this process SGC will provide advice during the development and will be invited by the IPC to submit a Local Impact Report on our proposals. Because of the scale of the project, it is recognised that they will need to start this work ahead of

our application being made. Having a PPA in place from an early stage ensures a transparent arrangement and allows SCG to carry out the additional work without affecting its normal duties. It also means that we’ll fully understand any key concerns that the council may have while preparing our application.”

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TALKING WITH THE COMMUNITY

HORIZON NUCLEAR POWER

Safety work is integral to

securing permissions

In order to build and operate a new nuclear power station at Oldbury, Horizon has to secure a large number of permissions, including a nuclear site license from the Office of Nuclear Regulation and environmental permits from the Environment Agency. This is in addition to a Development Consent Order, which is effectively the planning permission for the scheme.

Safety Case Manager Ming Ang, pictured right, explains what this means for the 10–strong Horizon licensing team, and supporting contractors, based at Horizon’s head office in Gloucester.

Q What is the role of the site licensing team?

Essentially we are responsible for ensuring we have all the necessary licenses, nuclear consents and permits in place to allow the project to go ahead.

This involves satisfying the regulators that we have the people, systems and procedures to safely and effectively design, construct, commission, operate and eventually decommission a nuclear power plant at each of our two sites.

Q What are you currently working on?

One of our key areas of focus at present is the preparation of a Management Prospectus which will describe how we will safely manage a very large construction project and then take the new power station into operation.

We are also working on a site specific safety case that builds on the Generic Design Assessments (GDA) being carried out by the Office of Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency.

Contact us

Q How does your work differ from the Government’s

reactor design assessment?

The GDA studies are focused on evaluating the two possible reactor designs that could be approved for new build in the UK. Our safety case also takes on board the site-specific characteristics, such as geography and geology, which will impact on the way that each plant is designed, constructed and operated.

Q What does this mean at Oldbury?

Because of Oldbury’s location on the Severn Estuary, in developing the safety case we will need to allow for the possible

impact of climate change on rising sea levels over the planned lifetime of the proposed new plant.

We also need to define measures to make sure the plant is safe in the event of tidal and surface water flooding, including an extreme 1 in 10,000 year event which would include the type that occurred along the Severn in the early 1600s.

Flood mitigation measures will also bring potential opportunities to improve surface water management across the surrounding area.

Similarly, we’ll have to demonstrate to the regulator that the design of the foundations for the specific ground conditions at Oldbury are acceptable and that the risk from earthquakes, tsunami, extreme weather events and man-made hazards such as aircraft are accounted for.

Q What effect will recent events in Japan have for

your work?

We will obviously need to await the outcome of the Weightman report, to see what lessons need to be learnt and what, if any, changes would need to be made to the design of nuclear reactors for use in the UK.

Any such changes would be instigated through the nuclear site licensing process. Safety is and remains our number one priority.

If you have any queries or issues you would like to raise with us, please call our usual freephone number 0800 130 3125

or email us at: oldburyenquiries@horizonnuclearpower.com For more information go to www.horizonnuclearpower.com

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Printed on recycled paper

MEET THE

TEAM