Scientists warn Japan tsunami debris endangering Hawaii. Half of radioactive materials from Fukushima fell into sea: study. Fukushima disaster: Japan fishermen brace for the worst. 30 March 2011Last updated at 18:13 By Chris Hogg BBC News, Shin Futsu Shin Futsu fishermen fear that some of the radioactive elements will eventually wash up at the port The small port of Shin Futsu sits on the edge of Tokyo Bay, about a two hour drive from the capital. It is about 200km (124 miles) down the coast from the Fukushima nuclear plant where extraordinarily high levels of radiation have been detected in the sea near the reactors.
In a small boat, Kazuhiro Ogawa passes the end of the sea wall that stretches protectively around the harbour, and heads out towards his seaweed farm. It is cold and bright - the sun has not been up for an hour yet. Mr Ogawa is trying to salvage the nets and lines he grows his seaweed on. An oil spill, blamed on the disaster, compounded the problem. Fear of radiation But it is the difficulties they are having at the nuclear plant that really worries him. Kazuhiro Ogawa is worried that his customers may abandon him 'No fear' Continue reading the main story. Japan earthquake. Tokyo's Turning Point. The devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, humbled the world with its demonstration of human fragility in the face of nature's fury, especially given Japan’s status as one of the most developed and disaster-prepared nations on earth.
Yet the catastrophe highlighted the challenges Japan was already facing as it struggled to maintain its leading international position: its large elderly population, many of whom were victims; its recent political instability, accentuated by the public’s frustration with the shortcomings of its sixth prime minister in five years; its shortage of natural resources, which drove a reliance on nuclear energy despite Japan's susceptibility to earthquakes and tsunamis; and its economic woes, with the rating agencies’ warnings that Japan might have difficulty issuing bonds for reconstruction on the back of its 200 percent debt-to-GDP ratio. To continue reading, please log in. Don't have an account? Register. Japan's Rebound. The compound disasters that began with the magnitude 9.0 earthquake on March 11 have left Japan deeply traumatized. Rescuers, hindered by shattered roads, snapped rail lines, and downed telephone networks still struggle to reach survivors.
Half a million people have lost their homes. The Bank of Japan has injected hundreds of billions of dollars of liquidity into the financial system, but sharp falls in the stock market and a steady rise in the value of the yen continue. The damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, now offline, supplied Japan with some six percent of its electricity needs before the quake; now even Tokyo, far away from the hardest-hit areas, is suffering periodic power cuts. Thankfully, there is reason to hope that his plea might bear fruit. To continue reading, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Register now to get three articles each month. As a subscriber, you get unrestricted access to ForeignAffairs.com. Register for free to continue reading. Japan's Disaster and the Manufacturing Meltdown.
The effects of Japan’s March earthquake and tsunami are being felt far beyond the shattered region around Sendai and Fukushima. As U.S. auto assembly lines grind to a halt for want of components that usually come from now-disabled factories in northeastern Japan, business strategists may be forced to rethink the way globalized companies do business. The result could well be a retreat from current manufacturing methods -- sourcing key components from a single supplier and running “lean” factories without stocks of supplies on hand -- whose main goal is to minimize costs. Now, management may also pay close attention to risks. Such a change would represent a reversal of course for major international companies, potentially transforming the way that many of the world’s industrial giants have functioned for the past two decades. To continue reading, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Register now to get three articles each month.
Register for free to continue reading. Preventing the Next Nuclear Meltdown. By now everyone has seen the videos of explosions at Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and the aerial photos of what looks like the result of a World War II bombing. The Fukushima accident has revived the long-dormant issue of nuclear safety, and these indelible images will no doubt accompany all future debates over nuclear energy. Lately, policy discussions have focused on expanding the role of nuclear power; they must now shift to making sure the existing nuclear plants, and especially the older ones, meet strict contemporary standards. Of the 13 nuclear reactors along Japan’s coast that were directly impacted by the earthquake and tsunami, it was the four oldest ones that failed completely.
The more modern units sustained damage but rode out nature’s onslaught, even if just barely, despite facing forces far greater than what they were designed to withstand. To continue reading, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Register now to get three articles each month.