This Week’s Update (March 4, 2013)
This Week’s Update
1) “Shale Gas Revolution and its Impact” (in Japanese).
The shale gas is attracting worldwide attention today. This article is a contribution from Prof. Koichi Iwama, Wako University, who is known as one of the first energy analyst to analyze this. It shows its influence and problem intelligibly.
2) “WHO Predicts No Health Risks from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident – warns increased risks” by GEPR staff (in Japanese).
WHO released a report “Health risk assessment from the nuclear accident after the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami, based on a preliminary dose estimation”. GEPR translated its news release into Japanese and introduced it with some notes and comments. It concluded that “for the general population inside and outside of Japan, the predicted risks are low and no observable increases in cancer rates above baseline rates are anticipated.”
3) “Tragedy of ‘running after two hares’ – Electricity liberalization and promotion of renewable energy in Germany” (in Japanese), by Policy study group for electric power industry reform, an article from IEEI. Germany pursued both electricity liberalization and promotion of renewable energy at the same time, which lead to chaos due to unstable electricity system and unresolved problems of burden. Japan is similarly starting to ‘run after two hares’.
This Week’s Links
2) “East Japan’s Air Radiation Dose Decreases by 40% compared with a year ago” (Japanese) by MEXT (Ministry of Education, culture, Sports, Science and Technology) . This is from a MEXT document “Result of a measurement of the 6th plane monitoring” released March 1st. In Appendix 9, in last November’s plane monitoring, air radiation dose decreased by about 40% in comparison with one year ago.
3) “Reputational risks from nuclear accident– Reconsider from radiation standards” (Japanese), an editorial by the Yomiuri Shimbun, February 25, 2013.
It expresses the opinion that the various radioactivity standards decided by the Democratic Party Administration are becoming to be a heavy burden on Fukushima and Japanese economy.
4) “Basic Energy Plan to resume discussion and made up by the end of the year says Minister Motegi, METI”, (Japanese) an article by the Sankei Shimbun, March 1, 2013. The Basic Energy Plan, supposed to have been made last year by the Democratic administration, is to be redrawn. With change of members, such as Tetsunari Iida, radical anti-nuclear activist, Hideyuki Ban, Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center, etc. appointed by the Democratic administration have left.
5) “Nuclear Regulation Authority Puts the Nuclear Power Plants at Risk” (Japanese), a column by Nobuo Ikeda, Agora Institute. He expresses concerns for Nuclear Regulation authority, that their series of actions do not help safety of the nuclear power plants.
