 Fukushima expedition to climb 4 unscaled Karakorum peaks FUKUSHIMA--The Fukushima Prefecture chapter of the Japanese Alpine Club will send an expedition to climb four unscaled peaks in Pakistan's Karakorum mountain range, in a bid to encourage the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, it has been learned. The expedition is also meant to show the world the determination of the people affected by the disaster. Scheduled to depart in July, the expedition will take on the 6,000-meter-class peaks in a joint team with Pakistani climbers. If they conquer the unnamed peaks for the first time, the climbers will be given the right to name them by the Pakistani government. The alpine club hopes to name the peaks with words related to "restoration" and "hope" if local people agree with the idea. "We'd like to encourage Fukushima residents," said Tsuneo Miyamori, 80, captain of the expedition, who conceived the idea of the mission. The expedition comprises about 20 people, including about 15 Japanese members mainly in their 60s. Miyamori, the oldest member of the expedition, successfully climbed three unscaled 6,000-meter-class peaks in Pakistan's Hindukush mountain range in 1967. In 1977, he joined an expedition to climb K2, the world's second-highest mountain, as a technical member in charge of surveying. That expedition was also sponsored by the alpine club. While he was mapping glaciers during more than 40 visits to Pakistan, he noticed that the four peaks, whose heights range from 6,006 meters to 6,057 meters, were unscaled. The Fukushima chapter planned the July expedition as its first overseas expedition to mark its 65th anniversary and started preparation with the Pakistani side in the autumn of 2010. However, after the earthquake and tsunami and the outbreak of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March last year, organizers began considering canceling the expedition. Miyamori, who runs an antique store in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, was one of the many who suffered damage from the earthquake. Some of the ceramics displayed in his store were broken, and he was forced to close a part of the store. Kazuo Sato, 64, who heads the climbing team and hails from the city of Fukushima, was also affected by the disaster. Concerned about the effects of radiation from the crippled nuclear power plant, his daughter, 38, who had lived in his neighborhood, evacuated to Akita with her two daughters. Shortly after the earthquake, Sato received an e-mail from a Pakistani member of the expedition, who was concerned about the effect of radiation on Sato's health. The e-mail said, "Emigrate to Pakistan as soon as possible." However, all members of the expedition agreed they wanted to show the world that Fukushima will never give in to the disaster. In April last year, the decision to carry out the expedition project was officially made. The Pakistani ambassador to Japan, who knew about the project, invited Miyamori to the embassy in Tokyo in April this year and encouraged him. The expedition is scheduled to leave Japan on July 9 and return on Aug. 3. The climbers plan to plant a flag with an image of Kibitan, Fukushima Prefecture's mascot character, on it together with the national flags of both countries on each peak. Miyamori and Sato said they wanted to tell the world from the mountaintops that "Fukushima is doing OK." (Jun. 9, 2012) |
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Fukushima expedition to climb and name 4 unscaled Karakorum mountain peaks
Fukushima expedition to climb and name 4 unscaled Karakorum mountain peaks
Fukushima expedition to climb 4 unscaled Karakorum peaksFUKUSHIMA--The Fukushima Prefecture chapter of the Japanese Alpine Club will send an expedition to climb four unscaled peaks in Pakistan's Karakorum mountain range, in a bid to encourage the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, it has been learned. The expedition is also meant to show the world the determination of the people affected by the disaster. Scheduled to depart in July, the expedition will take on the 6,000-meter-class peaks in a joint team with Pakistani climbers. If they conquer the unnamed peaks for the first time, the climbers will be given the right to name them by the Pakistani government. The alpine club hopes to name the peaks with words related to "restoration" and "hope" if local people agree with the idea. "We'd like to encourage Fukushima residents," said Tsuneo Miyamori, 80, captain of the expedition, who conceived the idea of the mission. The expedition comprises about 20 people, including about 15 Japanese members mainly in their 60s. Miyamori, the oldest member of the expedition, successfully climbed three unscaled 6,000-meter-class peaks in Pakistan's Hindukush mountain range in 1967. In 1977, he joined an expedition to climb K2, the world's second-highest mountain, as a technical member in charge of surveying. That expedition was also sponsored by the alpine club. While he was mapping glaciers during more than 40 visits to Pakistan, he noticed that the four peaks, whose heights range from 6,006 meters to 6,057 meters, were unscaled. The Fukushima chapter planned the July expedition as its first overseas expedition to mark its 65th anniversary and started preparation with the Pakistani side in the autumn of 2010. However, after the earthquake and tsunami and the outbreak of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March last year, organizers began considering canceling the expedition. Miyamori, who runs an antique store in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, was one of the many who suffered damage from the earthquake. Some of the ceramics displayed in his store were broken, and he was forced to close a part of the store. Kazuo Sato, 64, who heads the climbing team and hails from the city of Fukushima, was also affected by the disaster. Concerned about the effects of radiation from the crippled nuclear power plant, his daughter, 38, who had lived in his neighborhood, evacuated to Akita with her two daughters. Shortly after the earthquake, Sato received an e-mail from a Pakistani member of the expedition, who was concerned about the effect of radiation on Sato's health. The e-mail said, "Emigrate to Pakistan as soon as possible." However, all members of the expedition agreed they wanted to show the world that Fukushima will never give in to the disaster. In April last year, the decision to carry out the expedition project was officially made. The Pakistani ambassador to Japan, who knew about the project, invited Miyamori to the embassy in Tokyo in April this year and encouraged him. The expedition is scheduled to leave Japan on July 9 and return on Aug. 3. The climbers plan to plant a flag with an image of Kibitan, Fukushima Prefecture's mascot character, on it together with the national flags of both countries on each peak. Miyamori and Sato said they wanted to tell the world from the mountaintops that "Fukushima is doing OK." (Jun. 9, 2012) |
Monday, June 4, 2012
City in Fukushima seeks 243 million yen compensation from TEPCO
City in Fukushima to seek redress from TEPCO over damage to hospital, water supply operations
IWAKI, Fukushima -- The city of Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture said June 4 that it will seek about 243 million yen in compensation from Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), saying its hospital and water supply operations have suffered damage from the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.
Iwaki officials said the city government is seeking redress for sagging revenue because of a drop in the number of patients at city-run hospitals and installation costs it has shouldered for radiation dosimetry gear at water supply facilities.
They said the city will seek additional compensation if it confirms fresh damage from the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
The town of Futaba and other municipalities in the prefecture have demanded similar compensation for damages against the operator of the crippled nuclear power plant.
June 04, 2012(Mainichi Japan)
Click here for the original Japanese story
Japan Crisis Hotline faces overload -20.000 calls received each day by post Earthquake call center
Crisis hotline faces overload / 20,000 calls received each day by call center set up after earthquake
"Tomoko Endo, secretariat chief of the support center, said: "I'm sure there are many other people who have serious problems. I want the government to expand this kind of support system."
A government-subsidized free telephone consultation service that started in March in response to growing social problems after the Great East Japan Earthquake is being overwhelmed, it has been learned.
Calls from people with various worries have surpassed the hotline's capacity. This reflects the severity of the current social climate, as the hotline takes many calls about serious concerns such as "I want to die" and "I haven't eaten anything for five days."
The around-the-clock service, named "Yorisoi (staying together) Hotline," is operated by the Shakaiteki Hosetsu (social inclusion) Support Center, a general incorporated association based in Tokyo.
As a support service that accepts calls about issues such as poverty, unemployment and bullying, the hotline has become a well-known resource. About 20,000 calls are received each day but only about 1,200 of them are connected.
At each of the hotline's 38 call centers located throughout the nation, 30 lines are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. At other times 10 lines are available. Two consultants are in charge of one line and a total of about 1,200 counseling staff take turns accepting calls.
Local lawyers who have cooperated with the project provide advice when needed. If problems are life-threatening, support staff from welfare organizations rush to callers' locations.
As awareness of the hotline spread through word of mouth on the Internet and other means, it became difficult to get through to a consultant. Currently, a call is only connected after 20 attempts on average.
About 70 percent of problems concern everyday issues, with many of the callers in their 30s to 50s. Their problems are mainly about poverty and solitude. Their troubles include "I lost my house after I became unemployed," "There is no point in living" and "I just wanted to talk with someone."
A man in his 30s who lost his job and has applied for welfare called for help, saying, "I have no money and haven't eaten anything for days." The consultant who took his call judged the man was in a life-threatening condition from his worn-out voice. The consultant contacted a support center, which delivered some food to him. The man was grateful, saying, "No one had helped me before even though I consulted some offices."
Twenty percent of consultations are about suicide. A man in his 30s called the hotline at the end of March, saying, "I have prepared a kitchen knife as I intend to kill myself." The man was quoted by a consultant as saying he was a bachelor whose parents had passed away. He had to quit his job due to illness. The consultant listened to his woes for two hours before contacting a support center. A staff member then raced to help the man. The man is now starting to regain his will to live, according to the support center.
Consultations about violence against women and sexual issues each account for 6 percent of calls.
Tomoko Endo, secretariat chief of the support center, said: "I'm sure there are many other people who have serious problems. I want the government to expand this kind of support system."
The center started the hotline service in Sendai in October last year. The hotline was chosen as an assistance project by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which aims to help people solve their problems when facing difficulties. After receiving subsidies of around 2.1 billion yen from the government, the hotline service has expanded nationwide.
Japan Crisis Hotline faces overload -20.000 calls received each day by post Earthquake call center
Crisis hotline faces overload / 20,000 calls received each day by call center set up after earthquake
"Tomoko Endo, secretariat chief of the support center, said: "I'm sure there are many other people who have serious problems. I want the government to expand this kind of support system."A government-subsidized free telephone consultation service that started in March in response to growing social problems after the Great East Japan Earthquake is being overwhelmed, it has been learned.
Calls from people with various worries have surpassed the hotline's capacity. This reflects the severity of the current social climate, as the hotline takes many calls about serious concerns such as "I want to die" and "I haven't eaten anything for five days."
The around-the-clock service, named "Yorisoi (staying together) Hotline," is operated by the Shakaiteki Hosetsu (social inclusion) Support Center, a general incorporated association based in Tokyo.
As a support service that accepts calls about issues such as poverty, unemployment and bullying, the hotline has become a well-known resource. About 20,000 calls are received each day but only about 1,200 of them are connected.
At each of the hotline's 38 call centers located throughout the nation, 30 lines are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. At other times 10 lines are available. Two consultants are in charge of one line and a total of about 1,200 counseling staff take turns accepting calls.
Local lawyers who have cooperated with the project provide advice when needed. If problems are life-threatening, support staff from welfare organizations rush to callers' locations.
As awareness of the hotline spread through word of mouth on the Internet and other means, it became difficult to get through to a consultant. Currently, a call is only connected after 20 attempts on average.
About 70 percent of problems concern everyday issues, with many of the callers in their 30s to 50s. Their problems are mainly about poverty and solitude. Their troubles include "I lost my house after I became unemployed," "There is no point in living" and "I just wanted to talk with someone."
A man in his 30s who lost his job and has applied for welfare called for help, saying, "I have no money and haven't eaten anything for days." The consultant who took his call judged the man was in a life-threatening condition from his worn-out voice. The consultant contacted a support center, which delivered some food to him. The man was grateful, saying, "No one had helped me before even though I consulted some offices."
Twenty percent of consultations are about suicide. A man in his 30s called the hotline at the end of March, saying, "I have prepared a kitchen knife as I intend to kill myself." The man was quoted by a consultant as saying he was a bachelor whose parents had passed away. He had to quit his job due to illness. The consultant listened to his woes for two hours before contacting a support center. A staff member then raced to help the man. The man is now starting to regain his will to live, according to the support center.
Consultations about violence against women and sexual issues each account for 6 percent of calls.
Tomoko Endo, secretariat chief of the support center, said: "I'm sure there are many other people who have serious problems. I want the government to expand this kind of support system."
The center started the hotline service in Sendai in October last year. The hotline was chosen as an assistance project by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which aims to help people solve their problems when facing difficulties. After receiving subsidies of around 2.1 billion yen from the government, the hotline service has expanded nationwide.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Dounreay staff Scotland offer advice on Japan's Fukushima Number One Nuclear plant
Dounreay staff offer advice on Japan's Fukushima
Japan is trying to deal with the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster
Efforts to clean up a seabed off Scotland's coast could provide Japan with solutions to dealing with its earthquake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant.
Radioactive particles were flushed from Dounreay in Caithness into the sea through the plant's liquid discharge pipe in the 1960s and 1970s.
The fragments contaminated local beaches and seabed. Work to recover the seabed particles started in 2008.
Staff from Dounreay have been to Japan to offer advice.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was crippled after being hit by a tsunami in the aftermath of a huge earthquake in March 2011.
Radiation leaks were recorded following subsequent explosions and fires.
Late last month, power company Tepco said reactors at the plant were stable.
But there was concern about the spent fuel pool on the top floor of the badly damaged reactor number four building.
Work to clean up the seabed near Dounreay started in 2008If it collapses, it could cause another catastrophe, officials have warned. But Tepco said it has reinforced the structure against another earthquake.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of residents remain evacuated from an exclusion zone around the plant.
Phil Cartwright, senior manager in charge of contaminated land clean up at Dounreay, said lessons learned in Scotland could help Japan deal with radioactive contamination.
He said: "At Dounreay, we had a release of radioactive material beyond the site, increasing public anxiety in the late 1990s about the potential health effects and controls put in place to protect public health."
A strategy was produced to deal with contamination, including efforts to detect and recover particles from the seabed near the site, he said.
Mr Cartwright added: "Japan is at the start of a much bigger clean-up project with significant challenges both on and off site but the issues they face are similar to those we had to work through, even though ours were on a much smaller and more localised scale.
"They were very interested in our experience."
Dounreay has already donated equipment to Japan for use in dealing with the damaged Fukushima Daiichi complex.
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) gathered a van-load of respirators, hand-held radiation survey kit, masks and suits.
The equipment was driven to Sellafield, in Cumbria, for distribution.
Friday, June 1, 2012
International Therapy Dog Association
Soon-to-open center to turn disaster-hit dogs into therapy dogs
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Tokyo-based International Therapy Dog Association plans to open a center in the Japanese capital this summer aimed at turning dogs without owners after the March 2011 disaster into therapy dogs, officials of the group said.
The group plans to take custody of about 100 such dogs in Fukushima Prefecture and train them over a two-year period to help in provision of mental health care for disaster victims, they said.
The group has so far trained about 100 abandoned dogs facing euthanasia to become therapy dogs, sending them to nursing homes and hospitals.
Toru Oki, a blues singer who represents the association, has visited disaster-hit areas as a volunteer and took custody of 10 dogs left behind or born in areas where residents evacuated following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Convinced that dogs are also victims of the disaster, Oki took steps to establish the center in order to save them.
With support from the government, the center is expected to open in Tokyo by around September, and about 10 full-time staff members will train the dogs for a "homecoming" assignment to Fukushima. Once the dogs fulfill their duties, they will be looked after at the center for the rest of their lives.
"The mental health care of disaster victims will enter a crucial period from now on," Oki said. "By spending time with therapy dogs, which are capable of sensing people's pain, we hope to relax the minds of victims as much as we can," he said.
The association is currently asking for donations to support its activities. For inquiries, call 03-5537-2815.
June 01, 2012(Mainichi Japan
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120601p2g00m0dm040000c.html
International Therapy Dog Association
Soon-to-open center to turn disaster-hit dogs into therapy dogs
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Tokyo-based International Therapy Dog Association plans to open a center in the Japanese capital this summer aimed at turning dogs without owners after the March 2011 disaster into therapy dogs, officials of the group said.
The group plans to take custody of about 100 such dogs in Fukushima Prefecture and train them over a two-year period to help in provision of mental health care for disaster victims, they said.
The group has so far trained about 100 abandoned dogs facing euthanasia to become therapy dogs, sending them to nursing homes and hospitals.
Toru Oki, a blues singer who represents the association, has visited disaster-hit areas as a volunteer and took custody of 10 dogs left behind or born in areas where residents evacuated following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Convinced that dogs are also victims of the disaster, Oki took steps to establish the center in order to save them.
With support from the government, the center is expected to open in Tokyo by around September, and about 10 full-time staff members will train the dogs for a "homecoming" assignment to Fukushima. Once the dogs fulfill their duties, they will be looked after at the center for the rest of their lives.
"The mental health care of disaster victims will enter a crucial period from now on," Oki said. "By spending time with therapy dogs, which are capable of sensing people's pain, we hope to relax the minds of victims as much as we can," he said.
The association is currently asking for donations to support its activities. For inquiries, call 03-5537-2815.
June 01, 2012(Mainichi Japan
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120601p2g00m0dm040000c.html
International Therapy Dog Association
Soon-to-open center to turn disaster-hit dogs into therapy dogs
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Tokyo-based International Therapy Dog Association plans to open a center in the Japanese capital this summer aimed at turning dogs without owners after the March 2011 disaster into therapy dogs, officials of the group said.
The group plans to take custody of about 100 such dogs in Fukushima Prefecture and train them over a two-year period to help in provision of mental health care for disaster victims, they said.
The group has so far trained about 100 abandoned dogs facing euthanasia to become therapy dogs, sending them to nursing homes and hospitals.
Toru Oki, a blues singer who represents the association, has visited disaster-hit areas as a volunteer and took custody of 10 dogs left behind or born in areas where residents evacuated following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Convinced that dogs are also victims of the disaster, Oki took steps to establish the center in order to save them.
With support from the government, the center is expected to open in Tokyo by around September, and about 10 full-time staff members will train the dogs for a "homecoming" assignment to Fukushima. Once the dogs fulfill their duties, they will be looked after at the center for the rest of their lives.
"The mental health care of disaster victims will enter a crucial period from now on," Oki said. "By spending time with therapy dogs, which are capable of sensing people's pain, we hope to relax the minds of victims as much as we can," he said.
The association is currently asking for donations to support its activities. For inquiries, call 03-5537-2815.
June 01, 2012(Mainichi Japan
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120601p2g00m0dm040000c.html
International Therapy Dog Association
Soon-to-open center to turn disaster-hit dogs into therapy dogs
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Tokyo-based International Therapy Dog Association plans to open a center in the Japanese capital this summer aimed at turning dogs without owners after the March 2011 disaster into therapy dogs, officials of the group said.
The group plans to take custody of about 100 such dogs in Fukushima Prefecture and train them over a two-year period to help in provision of mental health care for disaster victims, they said.
The group has so far trained about 100 abandoned dogs facing euthanasia to become therapy dogs, sending them to nursing homes and hospitals.
Toru Oki, a blues singer who represents the association, has visited disaster-hit areas as a volunteer and took custody of 10 dogs left behind or born in areas where residents evacuated following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Convinced that dogs are also victims of the disaster, Oki took steps to establish the center in order to save them.
With support from the government, the center is expected to open in Tokyo by around September, and about 10 full-time staff members will train the dogs for a "homecoming" assignment to Fukushima. Once the dogs fulfill their duties, they will be looked after at the center for the rest of their lives.
"The mental health care of disaster victims will enter a crucial period from now on," Oki said. "By spending time with therapy dogs, which are capable of sensing people's pain, we hope to relax the minds of victims as much as we can," he said.
The association is currently asking for donations to support its activities. For inquiries, call 03-5537-2815.
June 01, 2012(Mainichi Japan
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120601p2g00m0dm040000c.html
International Therapy Dog Association
Soon-to-open center to turn disaster-hit dogs into therapy dogs
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Tokyo-based International Therapy Dog Association plans to open a center in the Japanese capital this summer aimed at turning dogs without owners after the March 2011 disaster into therapy dogs, officials of the group said.
The group plans to take custody of about 100 such dogs in Fukushima Prefecture and train them over a two-year period to help in provision of mental health care for disaster victims, they said.
The group has so far trained about 100 abandoned dogs facing euthanasia to become therapy dogs, sending them to nursing homes and hospitals.
Toru Oki, a blues singer who represents the association, has visited disaster-hit areas as a volunteer and took custody of 10 dogs left behind or born in areas where residents evacuated following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Convinced that dogs are also victims of the disaster, Oki took steps to establish the center in order to save them.
With support from the government, the center is expected to open in Tokyo by around September, and about 10 full-time staff members will train the dogs for a "homecoming" assignment to Fukushima. Once the dogs fulfill their duties, they will be looked after at the center for the rest of their lives.
"The mental health care of disaster victims will enter a crucial period from now on," Oki said. "By spending time with therapy dogs, which are capable of sensing people's pain, we hope to relax the minds of victims as much as we can," he said.
The association is currently asking for donations to support its activities. For inquiries, call 03-5537-2815.
June 01, 2012(Mainichi Japan
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120601p2g00m0dm040000c.html
Saturday, May 26, 2012
40 Years on Death Row Mr Masaru Okunishi 7th Appeal Rejected by Nagoya Japan Court
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| All for naught: Supporters of an 86-year-old man who has been on death row 40 years are stunned after the Nagoya High Court rejected his retrial appeal Friday over his conviction of fatally poisoning five women in 1961 in Nabari, Mie Prefecture. KYODO |
At first cleared, 40-year death-row inmate loses anew
Confession retracted but stands for killer, 86
NAGOYA — The Nagoya High Court rejected a retrial appeal Friday of an 86-year-old man who has been on death row for four decades for the fatal poisoning of five women in 1961 in Nabari, Mie Prefecture, ruling his retracted confession made under initial grillings remains "basically trustworthy."
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| Masaru Okunishi |
Even though Masaru Okunishi was initially acquitted and the high court in 2005 opted to reopen the case, presiding Judge Yasuo Shimoyama said Friday, "It is unquestionable that only Okunishi could have mixed pesticide into the wine" that poisoned the victims.
Okunishi's confession, made when he was under interrogation, "is basically trustworthy," Shimoyama added.
The defense counsel will file a special interlocutory appeal with the Supreme Court.
The high-profile case involves the poisoning of 17 women on March 28, 1961, at a community meeting in Nabari. Five of the women, including Okunishi's wife, died, and 12 fell sick.
Okunishi confessed to investigators that he had laced the wine with an agricultural chemical to resolve a love triangle involving himself, his wife and his girlfriend, but retracted his confession before being indicted.
Protesting his innocence, Okunishi was initially acquitted by the Tsu District Court in 1964 on grounds of insufficient evidence, but the Nagoya High Court overturned that ruling and sentenced him to hang in 1969. The Supreme Court finalized the verdict in 1972.
Okunishi subsequently filed seven petitions for a retrial, finally leading the high court to reopen the case in 2005. But another presiding judge at that court nullified the decision in response to an objection filed by prosecutors.
After the appeal by Okunishi's counsel, the Supreme Court turned the case back to the high court in 2010, arguing it should examine the toxic substance used in the crime more scientifically.
In the latest deliberation, the defense submitted new evidence to the high court, claiming the type of pesticide used in the crime was different from the one Okunishi had confessed to using. It argued that a characteristic component of the substance was not detected in the wine.
Shimoyama rejected the argument, however, saying that the defense failed to prove the pesticide Okunishi had claimed to have used was different from the one actually used.
Okunishi told one of his lawyers at the Nagoya Detention House on Friday that he regretted the high court decision but said he is confident of winning at the final stage and called for continued support.
Osamu Watanabe, a law school professor at Konan University, said Friday the high court should have reopened the case as it has not been scientifically disproven that a different type of pesticide was mixed in the wine.
As long as there remains a possibility that Okunishi was the victim of a miscarriage of justice, the case should be reopened in line with the principle of innocent until proven guilty, he said.
But Takeshi Tsuchimoto, a former prosecutor at the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office and now a professor emeritus at Tsukuba University, called Friday's decision is reasonable.
"The high court determined in a firm voice after examining all the evidence — old and new — that Okunishi is (definitely) the real culprit," he said.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
4.1% Police Officers PTSD: East Japan Earthquake
"The 408 officers account for 4.1 percent of the 9,847 officers involved in post-disaster police operations."
Police facing post-quake blues / Over 400 officers believed to have disaster-related stress conditions
More than 400 police officers in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures appear to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to their duties in areas hit hard by last year's Great East Japan Earthquake, according to a National Police Agency survey.
The 408 officers account for 4.1 percent of the 9,847 officers involved in post-disaster police operations.
People who work in difficult situations such as major disasters or accidents are prone to developing an array of physical and mental disorders.
The NPA conducted the survey, released Thursday, on all police officers and staff in the three prefectural police forces in January and February.
The survey was the second of its kind, following one conducted in April and May last year, in which 7.6 percent were believed to have PTSD.
A number of medical workers and volunteers reported suffering from PTSD in the aftermath of last year's disaster. In many cases, the victims said they felt unable to fulfill their responsibilities because of their conditions.
Some police officers described experiencing strong feelings of anxiety, insomnia and flashbacks of horrible situations from the disaster.
In response to the survey, the three prefectures' police forces said they will provide professional counseling to officers who need it.
An expert organization analyzed the responses to the survey's 32 questions. Many officers reported "dreaming about disaster-stricken areas," "feeling irritated by trivial matters," and "being uninterested in things."
Although it was believed after the first survey that many of the officers' conditions were temporary, the latest survey indicated symptoms in some had persisted.
The experts who analyzed the data said the latest survey's results may include cases of delayed-onset PTSD, the symptoms of which develop six months or more after its cause.
Many of the survey's respondents said they had trouble sleeping and often woke up; felt grief over whether they could perform their duties; and experienced anxiety constantly.
The results also showed that the rate of PTSD was higher among people who suffered directly from the disaster, those whose family members were affected, and those who felt their work burdens became heavier after the disaster.
By prefecture, 199 officers, or 5 percent of Miyagi prefecture's police, reported symptoms consistent with PTSD. Another 145, or 4 percent of Fukushima prefecture's police, are suspected of having the condition; and 64, or 2.9 percent of Iwate prefecture's police.
For Fukushima prefectural police personnel, data was compiled by region. Results showed 7.1 percent of officers in the Hamadori region, home of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, were believed to have PTSD. Another 3.7 percent and 3.3 percent in the Aizu and Nakadori regions, respectively, are believed to have the condition.
===
Hopelessness and nausea
About 3,800 police officers of the Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectural police forces are still conducting search operations for missing people in the disaster-hit areas.
In Miyagi Prefecture, 1,581 people are still reported as missing. The prefectural police had 850 police officers conduct the search, but nobody has been found since April 2.
Haruhiko Aso, 51, chief of the prefectural police's post-disaster measures office, said: "Police officers working at these sites tend to feel a sense of hopelessness. I'm worried about the effects of the accumulated stress that may go unnoticed."
Just after the disaster, only a few officers complained about stress or anxiety. But recently, more officers report feeling nauseous when they see images of the disaster on television.
Many members of the Fukushima prefectural police had their families evacuated to other prefectures after the outbreak of the crisis at the Fukushima plant.
"I tend to get depressed because I am living separately from my family," one police officer said.
Katsunori Tsuda, 54, vice chief of Ofunato Police Station in Iwate Prefecture, said, "I'm worried that officers in my police station with a strong sense of responsibility may have taken on a great deal of stress."
Hirotada Hirose, an expert in disaster-related psychology and professor emeritus at Japan Women's University, said: "Police officers, who follow a strict ethical code, tend to fulfill their duties even in extremely tough situations because of their sense of a mission.
"Measures need to be taken for them, such as having them regularly talk to one another about their worries."
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Nuclear Crisis Caused by Tsunami Prone Japan
Nuke crisis caused by Japan, not quake: Kan
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan has admitted that Japan was woefully unprepared for last year's nuclear disaster and suggested that the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant should not have been built so close to a tsunami-prone coastline.
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| Straight shooter: Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan is interviewed at his office in Tokyo on Friday. AP |
In an exclusive interview, Kan acknowledged flaws in the authorities' handling of the crisis, including poor communication and coordination among nuclear regulators, Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s management and the government Kan was heading at the time.
But he said the disaster — the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986 — laid bare a host of even bigger vulnerabilities in the nuclear power industry and its regulations, ranging from inadequate safety guidelines to crisis management, all of which he said need to be overhauled.
"Before 3/11, we were totally unprepared," he said. "Not only in terms of the hardware, but our system and the organization were not prepared. That was the biggest problem."
Kan said the disaster made him realize that Japan needs to dramatically reduce its dependence on nuclear power, which accounted for 30 percent of the country's electricity supply before the crisis, and has turned him into a believer in renewable energy.
He also acknowledged that information was sometimes slowly disclosed and at other times erroneous, particularly in the days immediately after the crisis started. He blamed a lack of reliable data at the time and denied the government ever hid any information from the public.
Kan said the very location of the Fukushima plant was problematic.
"If they had thought about it, they wouldn't have intentionally built it at such a low location," Kan said. "The plant was built on the assumption that there was no need to anticipate a major tsunami, and that was the actual start of the problem.
"We should have taken more adequate safety steps, and we failed to do so," he added. "It was a big mistake and I must admit that (the accident) was due to human error."
Early on in the crisis, Kan said he had considered the possibility of a worst-case scenario in which all six of the plant's reactors and rods in their spent-fuel pools would have melted down completely out of control. That probably would have resulted in radioactive fallout spreading over a wider area, requiring the evacuation of millions of people, including possibly the population of Tokyo.
But Kan said he never instructed officials to produce a blueprint for evacuating the 30 million people living in the greater Tokyo area, although an internal report submitted March 25 by the head of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission warned of such a possibility if the disaster deteriorated. Fearing panic, the report was buried and kept a secret.
"My mission was to stop (such an evacuation) from happening and to think how to do it," Kan said. "We were lucky to manage to get the crisis under control before things worsened."
He said the crisis was at its most dire stage around the time a third hydrogen explosion was detected at the Fukushima plant in mid-March. "Up until around March 15, we were losing ground to the invisible enemy," he said.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Ex-METI Minister Kaieda... distrusted Tepco at start of nuclear crisis
Ex-METI Minister Kaieda admits he distrusted Tepco at start of nuclear crisis
Former industry minister Banri Kaieda admitted Thursday there were moments during the early days in March 2011 of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant disaster when he suspected Tokyo Electric Power Co. was trying to downplay the triple-meltdown crisis.
Testifying before a Diet-appointed panel investigating the nuclear disaster, Kaieda said he thought Tepco may be trying to make the crisis appear "less serious" than it actually was when an emergency venting operation to prevent damage to one of the reactor containment vessels was delayed.
"I felt Tokyo Electric was somewhat hesitant, although actually that was not true," said the former economy, trade and industry minister, who was the first politician to attend the panel's hearings, which are open to the public.
Kaieda also expressed regret that information-sharing between officials at the prime minister's office, the utility's head office in Tokyo and the crippled plant was "thoroughly lacking."
"It was like we were playing a game of whispers," he recalled, suggesting his frustration at the time.
Kaieda, a Lower House member of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, served as industry minister until last September. The nuclear regulatory body falls under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Another panel, which has been tasked by the government to investigate the disaster, has already questioned Kaieda, but the hearing was closed to the public.
The Diet-appointed panel plans to conduct a hearing on May 27 with current METI Minister Yukio Edano, who was chief Cabinet secretary when the nuclear crisis was triggered by the March 11, 2011, megaquake and tsunami.
Three of the six reactors at the plant suffered meltdowns, making it the world's worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Mental Health in Japan
What You Should Know About Mental Health in Japan and How to Find Help [Podcast Interview]
As expats, sometimes life can get stressful. Really stressful. Perhaps to the point of needing help in the form of counseling. But how do you get that kind of help in a foreign country, especially if the country's native language isn't English, or your native language?
I wondered about this myself when I was dealing with a bout of labrynthitis a couple years ago and the doctors kept telling me the reason I felt so bad was due to a mental issue. They were wrong, although I suppose it was technically, "all in my head." However, it got me thinking, what if I ever needed counseling here in Japan? Would I be able to find help? Someone that would understand me and not form opinions based on one culture?So I sought out answers from an expert: psychotherapist and clinical psychologist Andrew Grimes ofTokyo Counseling Services. We discussed a few different things, including:
- The most common psychological issues expats in Japan experience
- How the work culture in Japan affects emotional well-being
- How counseling and psychotherapy are addressed in Japan versus western countries
- How to find an English-speaking counselor if you don't live in Tokyo or another major city
- What you should be aware of when preparing a move to Japan and ways you should prepare, especially if you have a family
- Culture shock, when it happens, what it might look like and how to deal with it
- Why getting out of the "expat bubble" sometimes can be good for your mental/emotional health
- What mental health professionals in Japan have been doing to help the recovery process in Tohoku
Today we're doing something a little different with this interview - you'll find it below in audio form rather than text (although hopefully I can get it transcribed eventually). It's my first audio interview, so you'll have to excuse the fact I'm not quite as talented as the Japan podcasters out there, but I think the content in this interview if insightful and worth a listen.
Surviving in Japan: What You Should Know About Mental Health in Japan and How to Find Help (Podcast Interview with Andrew Grimes, Director of Tokyo Counseling Services).
http://www.survivingnjapan.com/2012/05/what-you-should-know-about-mental.html
*******Please check out Tokyo Counseling Services:Tokyo Counseling ServicesAddress: KS Residence, Daizawa 2-30-21, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, Japan. 155-0032
Phone: 03-5431-3096
Fax: 03-5431-3097
Email: tokyocounselingservices@gmail.com
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Fukushima sake maker relaunches business after quake disaster
Fukushima sake maker relaunches business after quake disaster
FUKUSHIMA -- A sake manufacturer from the Fukushima Prefecture village of Iitate, who had given up production last year due to the nuclear disaster, has begun making sake again, albeit this time in the prefecture's capital city of Fukushima where she is still in evacuation.
Back in production and on sale again is 66-year-old Chieko Sasaki's doburoku sake, also known as nigorizake, a type of rice wine that is not filtered after fermentation and therefore remains cloudy. Sasaki had given up on production last year when the entire village was forced to evacuate, but in April received authorization -- required under the Liquor Tax Law -- to produce doburoku in the prefecture's capital where she is currently staying, and began selling her products "Dobuche" and "Hakuro" in May.
Iitate was designated a "special doburoku zone" in 2005, the first municipality in Fukushima to receive such designation. The following year, Sasaki, who farmed and ran a local eatery, obtained a license to produce and sell doburoku. In hopes of making the beverage a local specialty, at the age of 60, she went into debt and the world of doburoku making. Her products went on to become popular as gifts on celebratory occasions, and it was when she was nearly finished paying off her loans that the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami hit, triggering a nuclear disaster at a power plant less than 40 kilometers away.
Sasaki left Iitate, which was given government designation as an evacuation preparatory zone, and moved into a rental apartment for disaster victims in Fukushima city. Her former life that had been filled with farm chores, cooking at her eatery, and making sake was now gone, and Sasaki had nothing to do. News that she would be compensated for the sake-making equipment and the brewery that was left idle in Iitate failed to uplift her. When she finally decided last December that she wanted to make sake again, she felt a heaviness leave her body.
The Liquor Tax Law, however, prohibits the home production of doburoku outside of special doburoku zones. Sasaki consulted with officials from the Iitate and Fukushima municipal governments and the national government about her situation, successfully obtaining a special doburoku zone license in Fukushima city on the condition that she would rent a brewing facility close to her apartment.
Rice harvested in 2010 and stocked by Sasaki for making doburoku had been spared radioactive contamination because she had stored it in a refrigerator made of thick concrete. She took samples of her doburoku to two different testing centers, where their safety was confirmed. Starting next year, however, Sasaki will have to use rice made elsewhere for her sake because high levels of radiation in Iitate have prevented rice farmers from planting rice.
Sasaki is now back to her daily routine of checking up on the brewery morning, day, and night, and taking note of changes in temperature.
"Doburoku is a living creature," Sasaki says. "Its flavor changes when the brewery changes. What I've liked about it from the very beginning is the fact that not even its alcohol percentage is consistent from batch to batch." Ironically, she herself can't hold her liquor, and her face turns red just from spending time inside the brewery.
Sasaki adds that she has a dream, saying, "I want to go back to my hometown after it's been decontaminated, and make doburoku there again."
May 12, 2012(Mainichi Japan)
Click here for the original Japanese story
Fukushima sake maker relaunches business after quake disaster
Fukushima sake maker relaunches business after quake disaster
FUKUSHIMA -- A sake manufacturer from the Fukushima Prefecture village of Iitate, who had given up production last year due to the nuclear disaster, has begun making sake again, albeit this time in the prefecture's capital city of Fukushima where she is still in evacuation.
Back in production and on sale again is 66-year-old Chieko Sasaki's doburoku sake, also known as nigorizake, a type of rice wine that is not filtered after fermentation and therefore remains cloudy. Sasaki had given up on production last year when the entire village was forced to evacuate, but in April received authorization -- required under the Liquor Tax Law -- to produce doburoku in the prefecture's capital where she is currently staying, and began selling her products "Dobuche" and "Hakuro" in May.
Iitate was designated a "special doburoku zone" in 2005, the first municipality in Fukushima to receive such designation. The following year, Sasaki, who farmed and ran a local eatery, obtained a license to produce and sell doburoku. In hopes of making the beverage a local specialty, at the age of 60, she went into debt and the world of doburoku making. Her products went on to become popular as gifts on celebratory occasions, and it was when she was nearly finished paying off her loans that the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami hit, triggering a nuclear disaster at a power plant less than 40 kilometers away.
Sasaki left Iitate, which was given government designation as an evacuation preparatory zone, and moved into a rental apartment for disaster victims in Fukushima city. Her former life that had been filled with farm chores, cooking at her eatery, and making sake was now gone, and Sasaki had nothing to do. News that she would be compensated for the sake-making equipment and the brewery that was left idle in Iitate failed to uplift her. When she finally decided last December that she wanted to make sake again, she felt a heaviness leave her body.
The Liquor Tax Law, however, prohibits the home production of doburoku outside of special doburoku zones. Sasaki consulted with officials from the Iitate and Fukushima municipal governments and the national government about her situation, successfully obtaining a special doburoku zone license in Fukushima city on the condition that she would rent a brewing facility close to her apartment.
Rice harvested in 2010 and stocked by Sasaki for making doburoku had been spared radioactive contamination because she had stored it in a refrigerator made of thick concrete. She took samples of her doburoku to two different testing centers, where their safety was confirmed. Starting next year, however, Sasaki will have to use rice made elsewhere for her sake because high levels of radiation in Iitate have prevented rice farmers from planting rice.
Sasaki is now back to her daily routine of checking up on the brewery morning, day, and night, and taking note of changes in temperature.
"Doburoku is a living creature," Sasaki says. "Its flavor changes when the brewery changes. What I've liked about it from the very beginning is the fact that not even its alcohol percentage is consistent from batch to batch." Ironically, she herself can't hold her liquor, and her face turns red just from spending time inside the brewery.
Sasaki adds that she has a dream, saying, "I want to go back to my hometown after it's been decontaminated, and make doburoku there again."
May 12, 2012(Mainichi Japan)