News From The Meltdowns: January 15-31, 2014
Channel: rumorecurioso
Date: 2014-02-15

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/  

LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST FUKUSHIMA PLANT MAKERS
 
A group of about 1,400 people has filed a lawsuit against the 3 manufacturers of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station to seek compensation for the accident at the plant.

 The group is demanding that Toshiba, Hitachi and General Electric of the United States pay 100 yen, or about one dollar, to each plaintiff in damages.

 The plaintiffs include residents of Fukushima Prefecture and foreign countries.

 Japan's Act on Compensation for Nuclear Damages holds only plant operators liable for compensation.

 The plaintiffs say the exemption of plant manufacturers violates the Constitution.

 They also say the plant makers did not take necessary measures although experts had pointed out the possibility of a major accident.

 Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the exemption of manufacturers protects the nuclear plant industry.

 They also said they want to expand the group to some 10,000 people.

 All 3 firms declined to comment.

Jan. 30, 2014 - Updated 10:20 UTC

RECONSTRUCTION FUNDS TO BE RETURNED TO STATE
  
Over 1 billion dollars in funds that had been earmarked for reconstruction from the March 11 disaster is being returned to government coffers.

 Criticism had mounted that some of the reconstruction money was being funneled through local governments and public corporations to unrelated projects outside disaster-affected areas.

 This prompted the central government to ask related municipalities to repay the funds leftover from the fiscal 2011 and 2012 budgets.

 The money is expected to be returned by the end of fiscal 2013 in March.

 The government says it will monitor its allocation of funds more carefully to ensure money is spent appropriately for affected people and areas.

Jan. 28, 2014 - Updated 02:01 UTC

IWATE PREFECTURE FILES PETITION AGAINST TEPCO
  
Prefectural and municipal governments in Iwate, northeastern Japan, have filed a petition with a state arbitrator to demand that the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant pay nearly 14 million dollars in damages.

 The claim is the first by a prefectural government against Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, since the nuclear accident at the facility in 2011.

 Iwate Prefecture's government and municipalities, along with other organizations, had demanded that TEPCO pay 73.8 million dollars in decontamination and labor costs. The firm refused to pay about one fifth of the amount.

 On Thursday, officials representing 25 claimants, including the prefecture, many of its municipalities, and a garbage disposal service provider, filed the petition with the Center for Settlement of Fukushima Nuclear Damage Claims in Tokyo.

 Senior official Tomoya Odashima from Iwate's prefectural office said they decided to seek government arbitration as it's unlikely that they would get anywhere by continuing negotiations with TEPCO. The official called for a settlement that can end anxiety among local people.

 Ichinoseki City Mayor Osamu Katsube said radiation hot spots in southern parts of Iwate have affected local agriculture and livestock industries.

 Katsube said TEPCO should fully acknowledge its responsibility and compensate as soon as possible.

Jan. 23, 2014 - Updated 09:32 UTC

RADIATION MONITORING DRONE TESTED IN FUKUSHIMA

An unmanned aircraft equipped with a radiation monitoring device has been tested over a town close to the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

 The remotely-controlled aircraft took off on Friday from the evacuated town of Namie. The small plane circled the area for about 30 minutes and measured ground-level radiation. The results were immediately sent to land-based personal computers.

 The drone aircraft was jointly developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, or JAEA, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.

 Unlike manned aircraft that must keep a minimum altitude of 300 meters, the drone can fly lower to follow the outlines of an area's topography.

 Developers of the aircraft say this greatly increases the accuracy of radiation measurements.

 Chief JAEA researcher Tatsuo Torii says he and his team plan to measure radiation in the forests that cover large parts of Fukushima.

 More test flights are planned before the drone becomes fully operational in 2015.

Jan. 24, 2014 - Updated 09:19 UTC