Thousands march as Japan shuts off nuclear power

No need to worry about this any more. The Japanese will have everything under control in a few 100 thousand years. The fallout is still moving across the Pacific to the US. I wonder how it affected Hawaii?
I would guess if anyone really knew the governments of the world would put a gag order or cease and desist so as to not frighten the children. I didn't research this, but where is Japan's electricity coming from now they have shuttered all the Nuclear Reactors? QB

(05-05) 00:14 PDT TOKYO, Japan (AP) --

Thousands of Japanese marched to celebrate the last of this nation's 50 nuclear reactors switching off Saturday, shaking banners shaped as giant fish that have become a potent anti-nuclear symbol.

Japan will be without electricity from nuclear power for the first time in four decades when one of three reactors at Tomari nuclear plant in the northern island of Hokkaido goes offline for routine maintenance checks.

After last year's March 11 quake and tsunami set off meltdowns at Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, no reactor stopped for checkups has restarted amid growing public worries about the safety of nuclear technology.

"Today is a historical day," shouted Masashi Ishikawa to a crowd gathered at a Tokyo park, some holding traditional "Koinobori" carp-shaped banners for Children's Day that have grown into a symbol of the anti-nuclear movement.

"There are so many nuclear plants, but not a single one will be up and running today, and that's because of our efforts," Ishikawa said.

The activists said that it was fitting that the day Japan will stop using nuclear power coincided with the nation's annual Children's Day, because of their concerns about protecting children from radiation, which Fukushima Dai-ichi is still spewing into the air and water.

The government has been eager to restart nuclear reactors, warning about blackouts and rising emissions as Japan is forced to turn to oil and gas for energy.

Japan now requires reactors to pass new tests to withstand quakes and tsunami and needs local residents' approval to restart them.

The response from people living near the nuclear plants has been mixed, with some wanting them back in operation because of jobs, subsidies and other benefits to the local economy.

Major protests, like the one Saturday, have been generally limited to urban areas like Tokyo, which had gotten electricity from faraway nuclear plants, including Fukushima Dai-ichi.

Before the nuclear crisis, Japan relied on nuclear power for a third of its electricity needs.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/05/05/international/i001404D27.DTL#ixzz1u0IKCx6u

Fukushima Reactor Damage May Be Worse Than Previously Thought

March 30, 2012, 5:29 pm ET by Bill Rockwood

The damage to reactor two at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant may be more more serious than the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) originally disclosed, according toresults of an internal investigation that were released this week.

TEPCO now says that the reactor contains only two feet of water in its dry well containment vessel. In January, TEPCO sent an endoscopic camera down into the reactor; at that time, they said they couldn’t determine the water level, though they had expected to find 13 feet.

Diagram showing basic design of a Mark 1 reactor like those of Fukushima Daiichi. When functioning properly, the reactor at center is filled with circulating water that bathes the contained fuel. Essentially a reinforced concrete container, the drywell is the first line containment vessel should the reactor become compromised. Below that is the wet well, which is a hollow steel donut filled with water. (Source: Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

Without water to cover it, nuclear fuel is likely to heat to levels that could further compromise the reactor structure. Reactor two’s core is known to be cracked and two feet is likely adequate to cover the fuel that has leaked from the reactor core to the dry well. However, the missing water indicates that levels may also be low in the reactor core, which is thought to still retain the bulk of the reactor’s fissionable material. Because the dry well catches the leakage from the cracked reactor core, both the core and containment vessel must be filled with water to maintain a safe level in the core.

Further, low water levels raise the question of where the water is going if it’s not remaining in the dry well. In April 2011, The New York Timesreported that water contaminated with radioactive iodine isotopes was observed flowing directly from the reactor into the Pacific Ocean. The obvious leaks have been stayed, but TEPCO and observers have expressed concern that the integrity of the reactor floor has been compromised below ground and coolant may be leaking into the groundwater and the nearby ocean.

Today TEPCO announced that it had abandoned its plans to build two new reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi site. Another company, Tohoku Electric Power Co, is still planning to build a new 825 megawatt nuclear reactor in the vicinity, but did not provide a date for the project’s completion.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/health-science-technology/japans-nuclear-meltdown/fukushima-reactor-damage-may-be-worse-than-previously-thought/