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green_is_now
green_is_now
Japan: Land of the rising silence
Junko Yoshida
5/31/2011 7:56 AM EDT
TOKYO – I landed in Tokyo last week – for the first time since the great earthquake and tsunami hit Japan 75 days ago.
While the reason for my visit was to see my aging mother, I arrived with much trepidation— largely driven by what I didn’t know. I had no real feel for the magnitude of impact the recent disaster must have had on the country and its people. Everything I learned about what happened on March 11th — and what I deduced about it — seemed almost theoretical.
Walking through the customs at Narita airport initially calmed me. People, places and things were as efficient, clean and as orderly as always. Nothing at Narita was broken; the whole scene screamed out the Japanese national motto: “Business as usual.”
The rude awakening, however, hit when I attempted to buy a train ticket at the airport. Narita Express trains are running on an irregular schedule, “due to the Great Tohoku Kanto earthquake,” according to a woman at the Japan Railway ticket counter. The next available Narita Express train I could take wasn’t due for three hours. While surprised, I told myself, “Oh, well. So, I’ll take the bus to Yokohama.”
Arriving at Yokohama station after 90 minutes on the bus, I discovered that Japan Railway had stopped running every escalator to every platform at every station. I could either hike up a stairway that looked like it went to the stars, or I could line up at one lonesome elevator — which I did, not because I’m not fit, but because I was schlepping a suitcase. I looked wistfully at a nearby escalator, chained and motionless, bearing a notice that read: “Please cooperate with us in conserving energy.”
In the public rest room at the station, the toilets — thank God — were flushing. Everything seemed normal until I went to dry my hands. Every dryer had a notice, saying: “Please cooperate with us in conserving energy.”
I walked out waving my hands, and resigned to the message of post-tsunami Japan. Forget the little conveniences we’ve all come to take for granted. It’s post-war all over again — and saving energy was everybody’s job, just like it had been in 1946.
Finally installed on a local train, I opened a newspaper. While the Asahi Shimbun had a number of stories related to the quake’s aftermath, the most eye-catching was a large map of Tohoku and Kanto.
It mapped out each village and town affected by the disaster, complete with death tolls, the missing and those evacuated to temporary facilities in each municipality. The newspaper also devotes a sizable space for a list of full names of “Those who passed away.” This has become a regular feature of each newspaper, day in and day out. Clearly, Japanese authorities are still discovering bodies. When those bodies are identified and publicly acknowledged, the newspaper adds a measure of finality.
But the thing that really freaked me out was the daily nuclear report (it looks a lot like a weather forecast map) – listing radiation levels in the air in various cities in Tohoku and Kanto. Again, this is now a regular feature -- both on NHK (Japan’s public broadcast) news, and in the paper.
I learned that Chigasaki, where my mother lives, registered 0.052 microsieverts per hour the day before my plane landed. Although this was a marked difference from the 6.6 microsieverts found in Namie-cho, a town 31 kilometers northwest of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi power plant, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of either number.
I was supposed to feel reassured about the low-level of radiation in the city I was heading for. But then, I also know that there’s no scientific data, at this point, on the impact on human bodies of a low-level dosage of radiation over a long period of time. It’s the unknown that fuels everyone’s fear.
The Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) six-reactor complex on Japan’s northeastern coast continues emitting radiation into the air and water. Tepco itself has said it will not be able to bring the three heavily damaged reactors under control until late this year or early next year. That’s the hard reality.
While the reason for my visit was to see my aging mother, I arrived with much trepidation— largely driven by what I didn’t know. I had no real feel for the magnitude of impact the recent disaster must have had on the country and its people. Everything I learned about what happened on March 11th — and what I deduced about it — seemed almost theoretical.
Walking through the customs at Narita airport initially calmed me. People, places and things were as efficient, clean and as orderly as always. Nothing at Narita was broken; the whole scene screamed out the Japanese national motto: “Business as usual.”
The rude awakening, however, hit when I attempted to buy a train ticket at the airport. Narita Express trains are running on an irregular schedule, “due to the Great Tohoku Kanto earthquake,” according to a woman at the Japan Railway ticket counter. The next available Narita Express train I could take wasn’t due for three hours. While surprised, I told myself, “Oh, well. So, I’ll take the bus to Yokohama.”
Arriving at Yokohama station after 90 minutes on the bus, I discovered that Japan Railway had stopped running every escalator to every platform at every station. I could either hike up a stairway that looked like it went to the stars, or I could line up at one lonesome elevator — which I did, not because I’m not fit, but because I was schlepping a suitcase. I looked wistfully at a nearby escalator, chained and motionless, bearing a notice that read: “Please cooperate with us in conserving energy.”
In the public rest room at the station, the toilets — thank God — were flushing. Everything seemed normal until I went to dry my hands. Every dryer had a notice, saying: “Please cooperate with us in conserving energy.”
I walked out waving my hands, and resigned to the message of post-tsunami Japan. Forget the little conveniences we’ve all come to take for granted. It’s post-war all over again — and saving energy was everybody’s job, just like it had been in 1946.
Finally installed on a local train, I opened a newspaper. While the Asahi Shimbun had a number of stories related to the quake’s aftermath, the most eye-catching was a large map of Tohoku and Kanto.
It mapped out each village and town affected by the disaster, complete with death tolls, the missing and those evacuated to temporary facilities in each municipality. The newspaper also devotes a sizable space for a list of full names of “Those who passed away.” This has become a regular feature of each newspaper, day in and day out. Clearly, Japanese authorities are still discovering bodies. When those bodies are identified and publicly acknowledged, the newspaper adds a measure of finality.
But the thing that really freaked me out was the daily nuclear report (it looks a lot like a weather forecast map) – listing radiation levels in the air in various cities in Tohoku and Kanto. Again, this is now a regular feature -- both on NHK (Japan’s public broadcast) news, and in the paper.
I learned that Chigasaki, where my mother lives, registered 0.052 microsieverts per hour the day before my plane landed. Although this was a marked difference from the 6.6 microsieverts found in Namie-cho, a town 31 kilometers northwest of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi power plant, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of either number.
I was supposed to feel reassured about the low-level of radiation in the city I was heading for. But then, I also know that there’s no scientific data, at this point, on the impact on human bodies of a low-level dosage of radiation over a long period of time. It’s the unknown that fuels everyone’s fear.
The Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) six-reactor complex on Japan’s northeastern coast continues emitting radiation into the air and water. Tepco itself has said it will not be able to bring the three heavily damaged reactors under control until late this year or early next year. That’s the hard reality.
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chanj
5/31/2011 11:51 AM EDT
Only if Japaneses work together shall the situation get better. The willingness of auto industry to shift their schedule is indeed a good start. The sign at the hand dryer is another example. No one knows how many people will follow the sign and reduce the duration of using the hand dryer.
The act of “Fuhyo higai" may be questionable. It is even more on American Eyes. Freedom of speech is important in general. Yet, spreading rumors can actually do more harm to the country.
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rick.merritt
5/31/2011 12:20 PM EDT
Thanks for shining some light in a place most of the rest of the media has turned its back on in their rush to the next big thing.
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green_is_now
6/30/2011 3:29 PM EDT
No it is on purpose that we do not get this info in our news.
who owns the news?
Who builds this type of infrastructure?
who wants to build more dangerous old nuc plants in the US?
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wilber_xbox
5/31/2011 1:26 PM EDT
good blog about the situation in Japan. I must admit that i had completely forget, like the rest of the world, about the disaster in Japan and was not aware of such extreme actions taken by Japanese government to save energy.
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Charles.Desassure
5/31/2011 1:49 PM EDT
Thanks for sharing your personal thoughts on this subject matter. Interesting.
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k1mgy
5/31/2011 3:29 PM EDT
The author has clearly been away from her home nation too long and has become accustomed to the US - a land of convenience and "I, me, mine". Her story is uninformed, lacks context, and is filled with inaccuracies.
She writes: "It’s clear that no credible solutions are in sight..."
Wrong. The plan to stabilize the reactors was established early in May once the situation had been stabilized. The Japanese government remains confident in a 6 month completion. A larger goal is converting the site into a nuclear fuel waste treatment and storage facility. Japanese do not move forward without careful study and a plan that everyone agrees to, unlike how things are done in the US: on a whim and with short-sightedness.
The radiation limit for children was set by the Education Ministry based on poor information. Immediate protest by parents and academics caused a quick adjustment. A Japanese person should know how their home government operates and provide context. It is easy to draw distinctive parallels to the way in which protest and common sense are summarily ignored by the US government. If the US government responded to its citizens as did the Japanese government, we'd be war-making no more.
Fuhyo Higai means "rumor damage". Spreading false information causes harm. Citizens, and especially media, have an obligation to report facts. There is no diabolical plan to curb thought or free speech. Unlike in the US, Japanese work together for the good of the whole.
Limiting information that would cause unnecessary panic is a reasonable move. Now, more information is available. Contrast the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission whose head, just days after the crisis, announced that there would be no review of US nuclear plant safety. Until, that is, President Obama suggested something a bit more reasonable. Still, there has been little focus or action in the US to seriously address the concern.
In summary, a most unfortunate and inaccurate portrayal.
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DarkMatter
5/31/2011 5:06 PM EDT
Sheesh! From what k1mgy writes, you would think we were enemies, not friends or allies. Criticize the author if you will, but why attack the US in general? The US has provided extensive help to Japan in dealing with Fukushima and with earth quake recovery. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.
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junko.yoshida
5/31/2011 5:10 PM EDT
Thanks for responding to my blog.
I would like to point out a few things, though.
True, Tepco may have laid out their "plans" for containment -- but it's a fact that Fukushima reactors continue to spew radiation into the air and into the water.
A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency last week visited Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s crippled nuclear plant. Whatever their discovery may be, it is also a fact that Tepco and Japan’s nuclear regulators had not updated the total radiation leakage from the plant since April 12.
It's also true that
Tepco has failed to disclose the scale of radiation leaks and faces a “massive problem” with contaminated water.
I would also like to point out that just a month before a powerful earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant at the center of Japan’s nuclear crisis, government regulators approved a 10-year extension for the oldest of the six reactors at the power station despite warnings about its safety.
Is that a proof of what you described as "Japanese do not move forward without careful study and a plan that everyone agrees to"?
Well, I beg to differ.
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green_is_now
6/30/2011 3:36 PM EDT
here is the problem if industry MUST HAVE ELECTRICITY to cooperate (think your job)Then you can't turn off a single reactor when a safety matter is uncovered.
So everyone needs their job to survive so we role the dice and wait for the next disaster.
Speek up and loose your livelyhood...or...
turn in to sheople and pray.
Baaaaaaaaad decision
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ReneCardenas
5/31/2011 7:00 PM EDT
k1mgy, please chill and don’t be so combative, personally I like this story as an American citizen, and it provided me with context and first-hand account of the present state due to this tragedy, from a point of view of an individual that is aware of Japan culture and its sensitivities. As for any government been able to respond to a natural disaster, I will never suggest anyone to hold their breath and expect an immediate and efficient response; even in a country that may have best of intentions for its citizens there will always never be enough resources to accommodate everyone.
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danlutes
5/31/2011 7:24 PM EDT
Interestin that k1mgy criticizes the author for the story being "uninformed, lacks context, and is filled with inaccuracies."
Yet, k1mgy feels free to not apply that criteria to his or her own comments.
"If the US government responded to its citizens as did the Japanese government, we'd be war-making no more."
What does that have to do with an earthquake?
(context?)
There have been numerous protests in Japan over basing US Armed Forces there. In fact one of the major contributions to the downfall of a recent prime minister was his inability to carry through with a promise to remove or re-locate a base on Okinawa. (accuracy, uninformed)
"Unlike in the US, Japanese work together for the good of the whole."
In facts Junko's story does point out that the Japanese are working together to conserve energy. The allegation that citizens of the US don't work together does not stand up to scrutiny if you examine the response to recent natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina.
Finally, the criticism of the NRC is unfounded. It is not "just another agency of bureaucrats". Promotion and assignment are highly competitive. If you already run a rigorous inspection regiment with considerations for earthquakes and other natural disasters, it is reasonable to suggest that additional review is not required.
In summary, k1mgy's response is "a most unfortunate and inaccurate portrayal."
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green_is_now
6/30/2011 3:32 PM EDT
Hey good thing they have solved the problem by turning the site into a nuclear waste dump!
Wow now I can sleep at night again (minus the milk)
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pcsalex
5/31/2011 5:33 PM EDT
I am neither Japanese nor American by heritage, but I still remember of the chaos after Katrina, which was a much smaller size of natural size of disaster...
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Adam.Fletcher_#1
5/31/2011 6:40 PM EDT
Thanks Junko, a very useful insight into "what’s really happening on the ground" in Japan, especially given the minimal information from the Japanese Government, international nuclear regulators and indifference of Western media. Please keep us updated, the vast majority of EE Times readers are concerned and keen to learn more...
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danlutes
5/31/2011 6:59 PM EDT
Thank you Junko for a very insightful article.
I echo the sentiment of Adam.Fletcher_#1 and find your unique vantage point of experience in both US and Japanese culture to be very helpful.
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junko.yoshida
5/31/2011 8:18 PM EDT
One thing that I should have mentioned in my blog, but failed to do so, is a simple fact that most Japanese consumers don't trust Tepco; they don't trust Japanese bureacrats; they don't trust Japan's law makers.
The basic trust is broken.
And that's fueling everyone's fear here.
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phoenixdave
5/31/2011 10:57 PM EDT
As more information comes out, the lack of trust the citizens have in Tepco and the Japanese govt seems to be justified. News of a 100% meltdown is just now reaching the world. What else will be revealed in the days to come...??
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green_is_now
6/30/2011 3:40 PM EDT
I am sure it is exacly 100% not 101% or 1000%
or 10^x
so don't worry
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green_is_now
6/30/2011 3:39 PM EDT
to read between the lines
replace Japan with US
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kauaisoapbox
6/1/2011 4:49 AM EDT
k1mgy is working for the other side. careful.
Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.
Sun Tzu
k1 guy...You give yourself away, but we are watching your every move and logging.
Junko.... thank you.
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mclarke15
6/1/2011 6:00 AM EDT
Thank you for sharing this, Junko.
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B.V.Rao
6/1/2011 6:05 AM EDT
@pcsalex is right. Compare the situation with what happened after Katrina. I believe that the Japanese believe in their govt's capability to take care of them and they are not panicking. Their cool approach to tackling the problem is appreciable. Solving a problem doesn't mean jumping at it. Extension of life of a old reactor must have been done with a lot of foresight. You don't build-in safety for a once in a lifetime (or many life times) event.
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kpb
6/1/2011 2:39 PM EDT
Thanks for this article. With relatives on an expat assignment in Japan, your insight is even more appreciated, especially since much of the media here in the US has moved on to other stories.
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DrQuine
6/1/2011 3:09 PM EDT
The tragic events in Japan have created a situation in which energy conservation is a necessity. I hope that some good can be achieved from this circumstance by identifying which conservation measures are beneficial. Efficient mass transportation would seem to be highly desirable. Escalators that counterbalance each other (one descending, the other ascending) could be highly energy efficient and speed the movement of people in an otherwise congested transit system. Perhaps waste heat could be recovered for hand dryers. Japan could serve as a testbed for innovative energy saving devices that need not reduce the quality of life - and then export them to the rest of the world which lacks such an immediate clear focus on energy conservation.
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docdivakar
6/1/2011 3:14 PM EDT
@junko.yoshida: thank you, again & again, for writing this. This article brings the post-earthquake ground reality in Japan to the outsiders like no other I have read to date.
@k1mgy has reacted the way much of my fellow countrymen & women react (I am originally from India, living in the US for last 25 years). Just because I don't live there all the time, my views are not considered authentic. It is both a cultural and domiciliary reaction to a view when expressed generates push back irrespective of how close it is to the truth.
As an Asian, I resonate with the view that very few trust their government. Japan used to be an exception to that, till now, apparently!
I hope you will get to spend some quality time with your mother.
Dr. MP Divakar
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jaybus
6/2/2011 7:20 AM EDT
The Japanese government has, perhaps, not been as forthcoming as desired, but the citizens share partial blame for that. Indeed, people everywhere do. The government has had unrealistic expectations placed upon them, because we have a hard time accepting that we are powerless in the face of natural disasters of this scale. With 20/20 hindsight, we question why the service life of aging reactors was extended 10 more years, why the backup generators were at ground level, etc.
Perhaps shame prevents government officials from telling the people what they do not want to hear. The service life was extended because it was the only way to supply enough power. There simply is no technology that is capable of replacing nuclear at the moment. However, there are safer, more modern reactor designs. But will the government be willing to approve the construction of a new nuclear facility? Will the people be willing to accept it? That remains to be seen. Nevertheless, both the government and the people of Japan, in my humble opinion, have behaved admirably, given the scale of the disaster they are going through.
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Duane Benson
6/2/2011 1:38 PM EDT
This very well written and informative article illustrates why it is so important to have an informed citizenry and why as a part of that informed citizenry, we should do our best to be unbiased in our reporting.
When tragedy strikes, clear, unbiased information will give the victims confidence that there will be a recovery and it will give the observers the ability to truly help.
My heart goes out to those that have and are suffering as a result of the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear plant. It does everyone a great disservice when the officials entrusted with our safety are not clear on what is really happening.
This type of story puts everything into more human terms. Rather than just turning everything in to a statistic, as is so common with the news media these days, this story makes it real.
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agk
6/3/2011 8:39 AM EDT
Science and Technology is majorly used for the comfort living . Many times during natural disasters science and technology helped the human and the earth. At few instances of this kind science and technolgy joins with the natural calamities and gives us unsafe situation.
Human need to perfect these science and tech areas soon.
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green_is_now
6/30/2011 3:42 PM EDT
:)
balanced
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kwerner
6/3/2011 3:36 PM EDT
Junko, Fine writing; excellent reporting.
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bob.dumas
6/3/2011 4:35 PM EDT
Junko:Excellent story
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jwc
6/3/2011 11:48 PM EDT
The poor press received by Japan in my view does not reflect Japan ineptness, it reflects rather their refusal to cater to a bitching, self-centered press.
Thinking Americans aren't worried about the Japanese, they're angered by the slip-shod boorish press.
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hm
6/4/2011 1:22 AM EDT
Japanese academicians, business person and common people are very resilient and innnovative. This is natural disastar and it is very difficult time. However, Japanese with their indomitable spirit will rise to the occasion and find suitable solution to lessen the misery of common people. Also, they have to be more innovative for future tsunamis. Our heartfelt feeling for them and wish we can help them more.
Very good narration by Junko.
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nicolas.mokhoff
6/4/2011 1:06 PM EDT
Your personal touch has brought out the human side of the grave situation which is getting worse by the hour. The Japan Times' latest report: "Radiation of up to 4,000 millisieverts per hour has been detected in the building housing the No. 1 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. says." We should not lose sight of this tragedy and are grateful for your reporting from the "trenches."
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KB3001
6/12/2011 8:54 AM EDT
@Junko, excellent report! While I am no expert in Japanese affairs, I think I understand what's happening there. Applying Western thought processes to understand what is happening there and find the best way forward does not help much in my opinion. The Japanese people will find their own way out of this tragedy. Yes, some individuals will be deemed hard done by but Japanese society as a whole will emerge from this crisis stronger. The balance between individual interests and societal interests varies from one country to another, and I do not think the West always gets it right by the way.
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embedsri
6/23/2011 10:43 AM EDT
Excellent report Junko!! One can understand the skepticism with which the Japanese public is viewing Tepco and the Japanese government now. But IMHO, in most other countries, things would have been far worse. This is a tribute to both the resilience and organized discipline of the Japanese people and to be fair, the professionalism, albeit inadequate to handle a disaster of this magnitude, of the institutions there.
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green_is_now
6/30/2011 3:43 PM EDT
thanks for the personal touch and the information.
lack of information (including dis-information) breads fear not the otherway around.
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