Tuesday, April 5, 2011

人文学の総力を挙げて探究

東アジアを貫く「仏教」文明を
人文学の総力を挙げて探究

重点領域機構 東アジア「仏教」文明研究所

 早稲田大学が強い教育研究分野とは――そう聞かれて、学内・学外の人を問わず必ず挙げられるキーワードの1つが「アジア」であろう。伝統的に中国や韓国をはじめ、アジアから多数の留学生を受け入れてきたこと、アジア研究を専門とする教員が多いことなどがその根底にある。しかし意外なことに、前近代に関してアジアにターゲットを絞った研究を組織的に推進するようになったのは、ほんのここ10年ほどのことだという。

東アジア「仏教」文明研究所所長を務める大橋一章教授

 その最初の契機となったのが、文部科学省の21世紀COEプログラムの採択拠点として2002年から5年間にわたり設置された「アジア地域文化エンハンシングセンター」である。当時の文学部教員を中心に、アジア関連の研究を専門とする教員たちが集結し、アジア地域文化学と呼びうる新しい学問の創成と、若手研究者の育成を目指して組織されたプロジェクトである。四川モデルという中心的テーマをベースに、東アジアの前近代社会における中国文明と近隣地域文化の重層的な関係を探究する、学際的なプロジェクトが推進された。

 このプログラムを発展的に継承したのが、文部科学省/日本学術振興会による大学院教育改革推進プログラム(通称GP)に採択された「アジア研究と地域文化学」(2007年9月~2010年3月)である。社会の様々な分野で幅広く活躍する高度な人材を育成するために、組織的・体系的かつ実質的な大学院教育への取り組みを支援する同プログラムのもとで、21世紀COEプログラムの教育分野の成果は、大学院文学研究科人文科学専攻の「アジア地域文化学コース」(博士後期課程)の設置へと結実した。同コースでは、アジア地域文化学という学際的な枠組みのなかで、多彩な研究テーマに取り組む学生を、専門分野の異なる5人の専任教員がチームを組んで指導にあたる指導体制を導入するなど、従来にはないかたちの大学院教育が実現された。

 そして2010年、一連の流れを継承しつつ新たにスタートしたのが、早稲田大学の新たな戦略研究のための組織制度である重点領域研究機構に設置された〈東アジア「仏教」文明研究所〉である。同研究所の所長であり、21世紀COEプログラム以降、この10年のアジア研究への取り組みを牽引してきた大橋一章 文学学術院教授に話を聞いた。

アジア研究者の横の連携を形成

 早稲田大学のなかでも、文学部は人文学の一大拠点である。そのなかで他に類のない独自性の強い分野として、演劇研究、そして文学学術院の教員のじつに6割近くをも占めるアジア研究がある。高度教育研究拠点の形成を支援する21世紀COEプログラムではこの2分野が、それぞれ拠点として採択された。

 「正直、選ばれるとは思っていませんでした(笑)。数えてみたら確かにアジア研究者は多いのだけれども、横のつながりがほとんど取れていなくて、応募時には寄せ集めて名前を挙げたのに近い状況でした。大学はひと昔前の大部屋時代とは違って、教員一人ひとりが研究室を持って、個人単位で活動するようになっている――本学に限らない問題だと思いますが、同じ専攻に所属していても、教員同士が教育や研究で何かを一緒にやるという機会がほとんど持てなくなっていました」(大橋教授)

 こうした状況のなかで、何人かの若い教員が21世紀COEへの応募に声を上げた。いち早く横断的な共同研究に自発的に取り組み、アジア研究のプロジェクト研究所を組織するなどしていた有志たちである。21世紀COEに採択されれば、若手研究員を多数雇用したり、海外から研究員を長期に招聘して共同研究を進めたり、海外の研究機関や政府機関と公式に連携を取って調査研究やシンポジウムを開催するなど、研究を組織的に推進していくことが可能となる。個人単位ではできない国際的な研究が、組織体制を整備することで格段にやりやすくなる。

 「若い人たちの熱意に押されました。私は当時、第一文学部の学部長でしたが、これからは自分の研究はさておいても、若い人たちの後押しをしていくことが務めだと考え、21世紀COEの旗ふり役を務めることにしたのです。運良く採択されたことを契機に、本学のアジア人文研究を、アジア学というべき1つの学際分野にまとめ上げていくことを目指してきました」(大橋教授)

 冒頭で述べたように、この10年間、まさにねらい通りの展開をみせてきた。大学院博士後期課程のアジア地域文化学コースで学んだ大学院生のなかからは、すでに教員や研究員として独り立ちするものが輩出している。

 2010年からは、東アジア「仏教」文明研究所を新たな拠点として、〈文明移動としての「仏教」からみた東アジア世界の歴史的差異と共生の研究〉という5年間(予定)の重点領域研究プロジェクトがスタートした。連携の基礎がためはできてきた。次の段階として考えられたのが、異なる専門分野の研究を横断的に貫く共通テーマの設定であり、それが「前近代の東アジアにおける仏教文明の伝播」だった。

東アジア世界の共通項を求めて

世間秩序プロジェクト主催による講演会「最近発掘された百済の寺院伽藍について」(講師:李炳鎬:韓国国立中央博物館 学芸研究官/2010年11月26日)

 10年間で改めて認識されたのが、アジアという概念の茫漠さである。地域の境界はあいまいで、広くは中東イスラム圏とも重複する。逆に日本では、アジアというと、きわめて狭い東アジアを指すことが少なくない。アジア史やアジア研究というものは明確には存在せず、日本においては東洋史という名のもとで、中国を中心とする東アジアの研究がこれまでのアジア学の中心的な位置を占めてきた。となれば、既存の東アジア研究をベースとしながら、周辺地域との比較や関係までを含み込んだ東アジア研究へと拡張していく方策を考えるのが現実的である。

 「1年以上をかけてメンバーで議論し、浮上してきたのが、仏教の伝搬という共通項でした。インドで誕生した仏教は、中国へ伝わり漢民族の漢文化で包み込まれた中国仏教となって、日本や韓国をはじめとする中国周辺の東アジア諸地域へと伝播していきました。前近代の中国仏教の伝播が、それぞれの地域社会、地域文化にどのように影響を及ぼしたかを研究しようというのが、今回のテーマです」(大橋教授)

上記講演会で取り上げられた百済・定林寺址の空撮写真。定林寺の伽藍配置は百済寺院のプロトタイプであることが明らかになっており、日本への影響関係が注目されている

 プロジェクトは、(1) 世間(世俗)秩序との交差、(2) 造形と諸表現、(3) 宗教としての複合化、の3つのグループに分かれて研究に取り組んでいる。(1) 世間秩序プロジェクトでは、仏教文明に遭遇することで東アジア世界にどのような世間(世俗)秩序が誘発され自覚させられたのか、(2) 表現プロジェクトでは、仏教文明の移動によってどのような表現形態と技術・技巧が育成されたのか、(3) 複合宗教プロジェクトでは、仏教文明との遭遇によって、どのような宗教が創生されていったのか(道教、呪術、陰陽道、神祇、民間習俗などとの融合や諸儀礼の実践など)を、それぞれ探究している。

 「前近代の東アジア世界を理解することで、現代の東アジア世界が別の角度からもっとよく見えてくるだろうと思います。例えばわが国では、仏教と漢字の伝来が一緒にやってきて、漢字が日本語の表記文字として使われた。漢字以前には文字というものがなかったので、漢字を日本語表記に使うためにまず万葉がなが考案され、漢字を省画してカタカナを、また漢字をくずしてヒラカナをつくった」(大橋教授)

 こうした新たな背景解釈にもとづき、既存の研究の解釈の根本的な見直しを図るような研究も行われている。例えば、法隆寺金堂の釈迦三尊像の背面に、西暦623年に彫られた銘文がある。聖徳太子が亡くなった翌年に、菩提を弔うために書かれたといわれているが、それがどういう経緯で、どのような意味をもって書かれたのかの再解釈の研究などにも取り組んでいる。

求心的なテーマでの成果発信

国際シンポジウム〈君主権の構築と「仏教」文明:日本列島を中心にして〉
(2010年12月11日/早稲田大学大隈小講堂)

 さらに、毎年度ごとにプロジェクト全体を包括するより求心的なテーマを設定して、シンポジウムや出版などへの取り組みも行われている。2010年度は「王権と仏教のかかわりあい」というテーマのもとで、12月には海外や他大学からの講演者も招いて、国際シンポジウム〈君主権の構築と「仏教」文明:日本列島を中心にして〉を開催した。2011年中には発表内容をベースに書き下ろし原稿をまとめ、本として刊行する準備を進めている。

 「10年前には、ここまで組織的な連携が進むとは思ってもみませんでした。現代アジアの研究グループとも折々に連携してきました。東アジアのなかで、やはり本学が国際的な教育研究拠点としてアジア研究を引っ張っていかなければという使命感を強く持っています。今回の重点領域研究には、これまでの取り組みの総仕上げという感があります」(大橋教授)

 人文学のアジア研究は、政治学、経済学、社会学の分野でのダイナミックな現代アジア研究とはまた違った側面から、東アジア地域共同体の実現にも貢献していくことができるだろう。

05/04 指示されて…気象庁、放射性物質拡散予測を公開

福島原発

 東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故で、気象庁が放射性物質の拡散予測を連日行っていたにもかかわらず公開していなかった問題で、同庁は5日、拡散予測を初めてホームページで公開した。


 枝野官房長官が4日、公開を指示していた。

 この拡散予測は、放射性物質の〈1〉地上への降下量〈2〉大気中の濃度分布〈3〉大気の流れに沿ってどう流されたかを示す「流跡線」の3種類。同原発からの放射性物質の放出量などが不明なことから、同原発から1ベクレルの放射性ヨウ素131が放出されたと仮定して計算した。同庁は、これらの分析結果を東日本大震災当日の3月11日から23回計算し、要請を受けていた国際原子力機関(IAEA)に1日1~2回、報告していた。

(2011年4月5日20時51分 読売新聞)

05/04 TEPCO detects radioactive seawater 7.5 mln times the legal limit

TEPCO detects radioactive seawater 7.5 mln times the legal limit

English.news.cn 2011-04-05 18:15:45FeedbackPrintRSS

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) Executive Vice-President Takashi Fujimoto (C) attends a press conference at the company's headquarters in Tokyo April 5, 2011. TEPCO is considering conpensations for the residents near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Fujimoto said here Tuesday. (Xinhua/Kenichiro Seki) (nxl)

TOKYO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said Tuesday that it had detected radioactive seawater in the Pacific Ocean with a concentration of radioactive iodine many million times the legal limit.

The operator of the striken Fukushima Daiichi (No.1) nuclear power plant said that samples taken from seawater near one of the reactors contained 7.5 million times the legal limit for radioactive iodine on April 2.

This marks the highest concentration of iodine-131 detected in seawater since the March 11 quake and tsunami damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to the extent it has been freely spewing radioactive material into the sea, land and air.

TEPCO did note however that two days later, the figure dropped from 7.5 to 5 million times above the legal limit for radiation and once again issued their well-rehearsed statement claiming the contamination still does not pose an "immediate danger" and would have "no immediate impact" on the environment.

But while Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Tuesday that radiation dissipates quickly in the Pacific Ocean, they have also conceded they have no idea what the long-term affects of nuclear contamination will be on marine life.

The delay in the latest figures reaching the public comes as the beleaguered utility firm had to recheck its samples as the firm was lambasted by the government on Sunday for providing inaccurate information regarding the concentration of radiation in seawater near the plant.

Editor: Xiong Tong

05/04 UN, French troops attack Cote d'Ivoire's Gbagbo military camp

UN, French troops attack Cote d'Ivoire's Gbagbo military camp

English.news.cn 2011-04-05 03:21:18FeedbackPrintRSS

A missile is seen flying over the sky in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, April 4, 2011. The United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and the French force undertook a military operation against forces loyal to the incumbent Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoming)

ABIDJAN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- French army helicopters fired on a military camp held by the army loyal to Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent Laurent Gbagbo on Monday in the economic capital Abidjan to add forces seeking an end to his rule.

Meanwhile witnesses reported that UN helicopters also fired on the pro-Gbagbo military camp in Abidjan.

The French Licorne troops deployed in Cote d'Ivoire has increased to 1,650 after the recent reinforcement to protect civilians. The UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire (ONUCI) has at least 9, 800 personnel in the warring West African country.

Paris, which has taken control of Abidjan's airport, said on Monday that several people were kidnapped in the past days including French nationals, indicating that the pro-Gbagbo forces were responsible for the abduction

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he has authorized the French troops to participate in all the ONUCI operations to "neutralize" heavy arms being used by forces loyal to Gbagbo against the civilian population and UN personnel.

UN officials have admitted exchanges of fire with Gbagbo's security forces, accusing the latter of attacking first.

Gbagbo still has elite troops including the Republican Guard in his last bastions of the state television station, the presidential palace and the presidential residence.

The strong resistance by Gbagbo's military camp is biting the offensive by the rival Republican Forces headed by the country's internationally recognized President Alassane Ouattara.

The resumption of control of the state television RTI last week by Gbagbo's forces indicated a possibility of longer days of the decisive Abidjan battle than previously expected, especially by Ouattara's supporters.

On Monday, Ouattara's spokesman Alain Lobognon declared the final offensive to take over control of the world's top cocoa producing country in West Africa.

Lobognon said the Republican Forces took action Monday afternoon to end the war over the city.

His declaration came amid reports that 4,000 fighters entered the city to join the 5,000 pro-Ouattara forces fighting day in and day out since Thursday.

Heavy weaponry was witnessed in the city on Monday when the Republican Forces maneuvered troops for military operations.

The Republican Forces launched the military march in December while the political standoff triggered waves of post-election violence.

The pro-Ouattara forces gained ground quickly last week, taking a series of important towns before reaching Abidjan on Thursday.

The ongoing war is the second in the country since the 2002- 2003 civil war, dividing Cote d'Ivoire into Gbagbo's south and the north controlled by ex-rebel New Forces, the backbone now of the newly formed Republican Forces.

The country's Nov. 28 presidential run-off was expected to end the long-standing division, but the political standoff over the top post unleashed another all-out war.

Related:

France sends additional 150 soldiers to Cote d'Ivoire

PARIS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- France has sent 150 more soldiers to Cote d'Ivoire to protect civilians while bloody battle over presidency in the West African country is continuing, French military spokesman said on Monday.

The French soldiers were sent from Gabon to reinforce troops already deployed in Cote d'Ivoire, local media cited spokesman of the army general staff, Thierry Burkhard, as saying.Full story

UN peacekeeping chief defends military operations in Cote d'Ivoire

UNITED NATIONS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Alain Le Roy, UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations stressed that the operations, staged in accordance with the relevant UN resolution, are aimed at preventing the use of heavy weapons against civilians in the West African country.Full story

Pro-Ouattara camp declares final battle to take over Cote d'Ivoire

ABIDJAN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The camp headed by Cote d'Ivoire's internationally recognized president Alassane Ouattara on Monday declared the final battle to take over control of the world's top cocoa producing country in West Africa.

The camp's spokesman Alain Lobognon said the Republican Forces backing Ouattara launched the final offensive on Monday afternoon on the main targets of the state television, the presidential palace and the presidential residence, the last bastions of Ouattara's presidential rival Laurent Gbagbo in the biggest city Abidjan.Full story

Editor: yan

05/04 Radiation fallout from Fukushima plant will take "months" to stop

2011/04/05

Contaminated water gushes out of a crack in a wall at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on Saturday. (Provided by Tokyo Electric Power Co.)


Editor's note: We will update our earthquake news as frequently as possible on AJW's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AJW.Asahi. Please check the latest developments in this disaster. From Toshio Jo, managing editor, International Division, The Asahi Shimbun.

* * *

The government on Sunday acknowledged for the first time that it would take several months before radioactive materials stopped leaking from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Goshi Hosono, special adviser to Prime Minister Naoto Kan for the Fukushima crisis, told reporters: "We cannot allow radiation to go on being emitted. Yet while we have to resolve that problem as quickly as possible, it will likely take several months to achieve that goal."

Hosono is coordinating cooperation efforts with the United States to deal with the plant.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano also said Sunday, "It will take months to cool (the reactors) and to implement measures to prevent (radiation) from spreading."

At a Friday news conference, Kan also said the government would have to be prepared for a protracted fight to resolve the issue.

The setting of a general time frame likely means that the government wants to show it has a long-term commitment to the situation, rather than merely haphazardly fixing problems when they arise.

Firefighting pipes are now being used to pump in large volumes of water into the reactors to cool the fuel in the cores. However, highly radioactive water is believed to be leaking out of the reactor buildings and flowing into the ocean.

Officials of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant operator, want to restore the normal cooling system that would cool both the reactor core and the storage tanks holding the spent fuel rods. Doing so would allow sufficient water to cool the core down to under 100 degrees, at which point it would reach a cold shutdown. The core and storage pool would then become stable and there would be no danger of radioactive materials leaking to the atmosphere through hydrogen explosions, and also no need for water to be pumped into the core.

The time frame of several months given by Hosono is believed to be the time needed to achieve a cold shutdown, but reaching that stage will not be easy. The first task is to remove the contaminated water that has accumulated in the basements of the turbine buildings, which are next to the reactor buildings.

The process, which involves moving water to various pools within the plant ground, is already under way, but it is expected to take at least a week. TEPCO workers want to move the contaminated water in the basements to condensers in the No. 1 to No. 3 reactors. However, the three condensers were already filled with water, so they had to first take that water out and transfer it to the suppression pool storage tanks. This stage has now been completed.

The next step is to move the water from the condensers to their respective condensation storage tanks. This is under way for the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, and preparations are being made to start on the No. 3 reactor, with the whole process expected to be finished in a few days. After that, the transfer of the contaminated water can finally begin.

Once the water is removed, radiation levels within the buildings will have to be measured to determine if workers can enter to begin the next step.

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami likely caused devastating damage to pipes, valves and pumps within the buildings. Restoring the equipment to normal operations is expected to be a time-consuming procedure.

While those tasks are being performed, water will continue to be pumped into the core to cool both it and the storage pool. That means that highly contaminated water will continue to leak into the outer environment.

Although some causes of the leakage have been determined, some have evaded identification, so stopping the leaks entirely will be another difficult task.

TEPCO workers on Sunday attempted to plug a leak found in a working pit near the seawater intake to the No. 2 reactor, but had not managed to stop the leakage of water into the ocean as of 6 p.m. Sunday.

TEPCO officials are now considering dropping a fence into the ocean to prevent the spread of contaminated water.

The idea being contemplated is to lower a silt fence into the water. Silt fences are used in civil engineering projects to prevent the spread of polluted water. The fence is suspended from a float and extends to the seabed like a curtain and is designed to limit the movement of seawater.

The water off the coast of the Fukushima No. 1 plant has a depth of between five to six meters. One idea being considered is to install the fence near the seawater intake from where contaminated water is flowing as well as near embankments that surround the waters off the plant site.

TEPCO also said Monday it had started pouring low-level radioactive water into the sea. The amount of the relatively uncontaminated water is 11,500 tons at the facilities to process wastewater and in the buildings which house the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, it added.

The release of the water may affect fish and seaweed near the plant, but TEPCO officials explain that eating these on a daily basis will total only as much as one-fourth the amount of radiation that people receive from natural sources.

05/04 Ingenuity used to rebuild shattered hometowns

2011/04/05

A firefighter takes the first bath in a waste drum 10 days after the Great East Japan Earthquake at a temple ground in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. (Soichiro Yamamoto)



Fishing and farming families who chose to remain behind in their tsunami-devastated communities are slowly moving forward.

Using scraps picked from the endless amount of debris, fishing out equipment from the rubble and holding onto a sense of sharing, they are steadily rebuilding their shattered communities.

At an evacuation center in Toni district in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, 120 residents from the Kerobe community take turns dining under lights formerly used for squid fishing. More than 90 percent of them are from fishing families.

Twenty-two volunteer fire brigade members of the Hirota branch in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, continue to search for missing people while staying alert for possible emergencies.


Evacuees collect wood from collapsed houses for fuel in Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture. (Shogo Koshida)

After their fire station was submerged, the volunteer firefighters set up a tent at Jionji temple, now an evacuation center, and will soon offer something long taken for granted before the March 11 earthquake and tsunami: a bath.

They have found a waste drum for that purpose.

"I would like evacuees to take a bath after we improve this drum bath," one member said.

Evacuees in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, recently found a few stores open in a shopping district that had once been submerged in about 1.5 meters of muddy water.

Shop operators said their decision to reopen was in response to the evacuees' huge desire to change their clothes. The owners recovered items from the mud and washed them thoroughly.

Despite the enormous demand, price-gouging is nonexistent here.

Each article of clothing is priced at about 10 percent of the normal price.

"I want to offer as cheap prices as possible," a store operator said.

In Minami-Sanriku's Togura district in Miyagi Prefecture, evacuees collected wood and other material from the collapsed houses.

"Gas is running short. I do not know who this wood belonged to, but we will burn it for heat because it is useful for all of us," an evacuee said.

Also in Minami-Sanriku, the operator of a gas station that reopened the day after the earthquake continues using a manual pump to provide fuel.

He lost his parents and house in the tsunami.

"My father is still missing," he said. "But he would say, 'You don't have to search for me. Help your neighbors first.'"

05/04 Worker safety takes back seat in dealing with nuclear crisis

2011/04/05

Workers set up a temporary power distribution board at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture. (Provided by Tokyo Electric Power Co.)


The problems continue to pile up at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, creating an unprecedented hazardous environment for the under-equipped front-line workers trying to bring the situation under control.

But given the potential widespread damage from the crisis, officials acknowledge that labor safety is not the top priority anymore.

"Under circumstances where there is no end to new problems faced, we cannot deny that the company is depending on the spirit of the workers," an executive of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant operator, said. "Unless we are able to both secure workers' safety while settling the nuclear accident, TEPCO will in the end face very serious criticism."

The workers continue to risk exposure to high levels of radiation in their efforts to restore cooling mechanisms for the reactor cores. But the public is growing impatient for a quick end --or even significant progress -- in the battle at the Fukushima plant, putting pressure on not only TEPCO but also the government.

"It is never good to have any kind of work that requires putting one's life on the line," a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. "However, the importance of settling the situation at the nuclear plant goes beyond the range of labor policy. I cannot be confident about whether that or the safety of the workers should have priority."

TEPCO has already faced harsh criticism concerning the safety of the workers.

Labor ministry officials began investigating the company after the utility admitted that workers were not all given portable dosimeters to check for radiation. But the investigation has its limits because officials cannot enter the plant grounds.

"The public is hoping the crisis at the nuclear plant is settled quickly, and that expectation could affect measures to be taken to ensure the safety of workers," a labor ministry source said.

TEPCO officials said about 5,000 dosimeters were available before the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that crippled the plant. But the twin disasters left only 320 usable dosimeters.

TEPCO has since obtained dosimeters from other nuclear power plants for a sufficient supply. But before that, a regulation was revised to allow workers to share one dosimeter as long as they were exposed to less than 10 millisieverts of radiation and the group members were engaged in similar work.

"Because there are some locations where radiation levels are constantly changing, the new regulation does hold danger for the workers," a TEPCO source said.

Satoshi Kamata, who has written extensively about labor issues, questioned TEPCO's commitment to the safety of its workers.

"There is the possibility that those working at the Fukushima plant have already been exposed to high levels of radiation, so doubts arise about whether TEPCO was serious about labor safety conditions," Kamata said. "Because TEPCO is the only entity that can actually look after those conditions, it should obtain a good grasp of the situation and publicize what it knows."

According to an official of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, the only place within the plant grounds where workers do not have to wear protective clothing against radiation is a two-story building built with high quake-resistant standards and high air-tightness.

Workers who have finished laying cables or removing contaminated water within the plant grounds shed their protective clothing and masks for radiation measurements before entering the special building. Because many workers stay overnight in the plant grounds, there are shortages of protective gear as well as fresh clothing.

TEPCO's labor union has asked management for information about radiation levels at the plant as well as the health conditions of the workers.

"There will be a need for mass mobilization of workers so that no individual worker is exposed to radiation that exceeds legal standards. There will be a need for labor unions to understand the details about the working environment and to provide support so workers can work in safety," a labor union source said.

Despite the dangers, the workers at the Fukushima plant appear determined to push on.

"Workers keep saying, 'We will have to do something about the problem,'" a TEPCO source said.

Companies cooperating with TEPCO have conducted surveys of workers who might be asked to go to Fukushima. Although the surveys clearly stated that workers could decline with their identities concealed and no effects on their job evaluations, all those surveyed said they were willing to fight the crisis in Fukushima, the companies said.

One immediate measure being discussed to help the workers is raising the compensation amount given for hazardous work. The government has been much quicker on this issue.

The Defense Ministry decided on March 24 to increase by 1.5 times the amount given to members of the Self-Defense Forces who die or are left with disabilities as a result of working at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Families of SDF members who die can receive as much as 90 million yen ($1.07 million) while those disabled can receive a maximum of 75.6 million yen.

Those amounts are similar to those for SDF members dispatched to Iraq as well as those patrolling against pirates off the coast of Somalia.

"Considering the dangers and difficulties of the work (at Fukushima), we decided that it was similar to Iraq and Somalia," a Defense Ministry official said.

TEPCO executives, however, have been slower to commit to higher amounts paid for hazardous work.

Although TEPCO already has a three-level system for hazardous pay depending on radiation dangers, executives admitted they never expected a situation in which workers would have to toil amid continuous high radiation levels.

Some companies cooperating with TEPCO do not have hazardous pay arrangements that take into consideration situations such as the current one. The executives of those companies said they would review the system in line with what other companies sending workers to Fukushima do.

Experts said the central government would have to become involved to look after the safety of those working to end the crisis at the Fukushima plant.

"Japan's compensation system for nuclear accidents has not emphasized protection of victims because it was preconditioned on the notion that a serious accident would never occur," said Terumitsu Honma, head of the Aoyama Gakuin University Research Institute, who is knowledgeable about compensation for nuclear energy accidents.

"However, a serious accident is now unfolding, and workers have been exposed to radiation. There will be a need to create a totally new compensation system based on the actual dangers faced by the workers at the plant and nearby residents who have been affected," he said.

05/04 Dressy Kan administration shifting to rebuilding mode

2011/04/05
The prime minister in his usual attire at a news conference on Friday. (Satoru Iizuka)


With the passing of more than three weeks since the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, Prime Minister Naoto Kan's government is shifting from the emergency mode of the first few weeks and trying to give the impression that it is focusing on rebuilding after the twin disasters.

The most obvious change has been the shedding of the blue emergency jackets that all Cabinet ministers donned in public since right after the March 11 twin disasters.

From the Cabinet meeting on Friday, Cabinet ministers were back in their conservative dark suits, with a few exceptions, such as Ryu Matsumoto, the state minister in charge of disaster management.

Asked about the change in clothing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said, "We are moving toward the restoration and rebuilding process."

The decision to replace the emergency jackets was also apparently made due to a suggestion from outside of the government.

In late March, Goshi Hosono, Kan's special adviser in charge of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, was wearing the blue jacket when he ran into Taro Kono, a Lower House member from the opposition Liberal Democratic Party.

Having a wide network of acquaintances abroad, Kono told Hosono, "You should stop holding news conferences while wearing that jacket. People overseas are saying, 'Is Tokyo also facing danger?' so the clothing will give the wrong impression."

Kono pointed out that interest overseas had shifted from the twin disasters to the situation at the Fukushima nuclear plant and the leaking of radiation.

If the wrong impression should spread, it might affect not only the number of foreign visitors to Japan, but also could have a negative effect on wider economic activity.

Edano has also cut down on the number of news conferences he is holding.

In the first few days after the twin disasters, Edano appeared before reporters every few hours.

From March 16, the news conferences were reduced to twice a day, with one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Edano also agreed to hold news conferences once a day on weekends.

However, Edano ended those daily news conferences on Saturday, saying to reporters he might respond should something urgent occur.

That move is seen as another step toward gradually returning to a more normal routine, especially with indications that dealing with the Fukushima plant situation could take months.

Edano's daily news performances led the Daily Telegraph of Britain to refer to him as Japan's Jack Bauer, the lead character in the popular U.S. TV action series "24." The Internet version of the newspaper praised Edano for his tireless effort to deal with the twin disasters.

Kan, however, has so far not received similar praise.

Since the March 11 earthquake, Kan has delivered four messages to the public and held news conferences on Fridays to mark each week since the earthquake.

He also held a joint news conference after a meeting with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

However, while the Friday news conference lasted for 40 minutes, Kan has usually ended the other news conferences after only a few questions from reporters.

Kan has visited regions hit by the disaster on two occasions, but government officials are not convinced that has improved the image of the government because of the view that the visits only served to create confusion among the local communities that had to prepare for a visit by the prime minister.

Kan has also not resumed the daily standup exchange with reporters he had held before the disasters.

His aides have been forced to tell reporters on a daily basis that the informal news conference would not be held that day because Kan was focusing on dealing with the natural disasters.

Analysts have long pointed out that while Kan is effective when he is on the attack during debates, he is less effective when he is placed on the defensive and must respond to direct questions from reporters.

An aide to Kan said, "He is racking his brains daily to try to come up with the words of a leader of a nation facing a major tragedy."

05/04 DPJ tries to draw opposition into post-earthquake effort

2011/04/05
The ruling Democratic Party of Japan is offering opposition politicians an increased role in post-earthquake reconstruction despite the rebuttal of early attempts to form a grand coalition government.

On March 19, with the reactors at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant running out of control, Prime Minister Naoto Kan called Liberal Democratic Party head Sadakazu Tanigaki to ask him to join the Cabinet.

Kan offered Tanigaki the post of deputy prime minister and state minister in charge of reconstruction. Tanigaki rejected the idea, saying it was "too sudden."

After government estimates emerged putting total damage from the earthquake and tsunami at between 16 trillion yen ($190 billion) and 25 trillion yen, some LDP lawmakers started pressing the party leadership to join a coalition with the DPJ.

Meanwhile, the ruling camp has been trying to engage the LDP and other parties in cooperation short of a coalition.

Jun Azumi, the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee chairman, met on Friday with Ichiro Aisawa, his LDP counterpart, and proposed setting up a cooperative forum.

"We want to compile a supplementary budget involving not only the ruling coalition, but also including the LDP and New Komeito," Azumi said.

The government is planning to put together a supplementary budget of between 2 trillion yen and 3 trillion yen by mid-April. That budget would focus on immediate measures, such as clearing away rubble and constructing temporary housing, and would likely not be opposed by the opposition parties.

By getting the LDP and New Komeito involved in putting together the supplementary budget, DPJ officials hope to draw the opposition party closer to accepting the idea of a coalition.

The government is also trying to get the opposition involved in a council tasked with drawing up the reconstruction plan, which Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said he wants established by April 11.

Kan said, "We will go beyond the differences between the ruling and opposition parties in pushing forward with this council."

In line with that sentiment, government officials have been looking to recruit executives from the opposition parties, as well as experts and representatives from the affected regions, to the council. It will decide, among other things, how to rebuild devastated communities and resuscitate the farming and fishing industries in the affected areas.

The government has also been looking to overcome party divisions in the Diet. On Friday, DPJ Secretary-General Katsuya Okada met his LDP counterpart, Nobuteru Ishihara, and asked for the opposition party's cooperation in revising the Cabinet Law to allow an increase in the number of Cabinet posts.

Okada told Ishihara that the three posts would be a state minister in charge of rebuilding after the natural disasters; a minister to take over disaster management responsibilities currently held by the environment minister; and a minister to take responsibilities for Okinawa and the Northern Territories from the chief Cabinet secretary.

Okada's approach to Ishihara was seen as an implicit offer to give the LDP Cabinet positions.

A DPJ executive said: "We can move toward a grand coalition as long as there is no mistake in how the discussions are pushed forward."

In a speech Saturday in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, LDP Vice President Tadamori Oshima told his constituents: "We have an overwhelming sense of what is needed in local communities. We will hold serious discussions."

New Komeito executives have raised concern about being left behind if discussions between the DPJ and LDP proceed.

However, with unified local election campaigns now in full swing, full-fledged discussions on forming a coalition are not expected until late April at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the People's New Party, which has been a DPJ coalition partner since the inception of the government in September 2009, is raising concerns about a three-party coalition involving the DPJ, LDP and New Komeito.

PNP leader Shizuka Kamei met with Kan on Saturday night and said he should set up a national unity Cabinet to deal with the situation.

05/04 Fukushima crisis casts shadow on China's nuclear expansion

BY KEIKO YOSHIOKA CORRESPONDENT

2011/04/05
BEIJING--The crisis at Japan's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has forced China to review plans to aggressively expand its own nuclear power generation program.

Five days after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called a standing committee of the State Council that halted the screening of new nuclear power plant projects until strengthened safety procedures could be put in place.

A Chinese government source said the screening would likely be frozen for at least six months.

Wu Zongxin, a professor at Tsinghua University's Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, said the pace of construction of nuclear power plants would probably be affected and that safety standards were likely to be strengthened.

"China must learn lessons from Japan and improve safety precisely because it needs to promote nuclear power generation," Wu said.

Immediately after the quake, China's vice minister for environmental protection, Zhang Lijun, said the government's nuclear power strategy would be unchanged.

A top executive at an electric power company emphasized that China's nuclear power plants were more modern than the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

But the tone of China's official response has changed markedly as the crisis at Fukushima has developed. In recent days, senior government officials and electric industry executives have taken a much less bullish, wait-and-see line.

China has been pushing an aggressive nuclear power expansion program since 2005 in an effort to meet spiraling energy requirements while reining in greenhouse gas emissions.

Electricity demand in China in 2035 is projected to triple from 2008 levels, according to the International Energy Agency.

The country currently relies heavily on coal power stations. Nuclear power accounts for only about 1 percent of China's electricity generating capacity.

The expansion strategy looked set to alter that balance. A five-year plan from 2010 projected an eight-fold increase in nuclear power generation capacity by 2020.

Some rural areas, including inland regions, were eagerly trying to attract the new nuclear plants, believing they would bring jobs and subsidies.

Feasibility studies had been completed for candidate sites that would collectively generate about 200 million kilowatts of electricity, or about four times Japan's nuclear power generation capacity.

But Yang Fuqiang, director of global climate solutions at WWF China, said the development plan through 2020 would probably now be scaled back by at least 30 percent due to the freeze on the screening process and a re-examination of plans to build plants in inland areas.

"Given China's energy demand, it is not realistic to halt nuclear power generation and switch to renewable energy such as wind, hydro and solar power," Yang said. "The shortfall must be made up for by saving energy. China has room for more efficient energy consumption."

Video images of the situation at Fukushima and reports of radioactive pollution to water and agricultural produce have increased concern about nuclear power among the Chinese public, although the government's nuclear energy policy has not so far been heavily criticized.

Shortly after news of the leaks from Fukushima, shops sold out of salt because of rumors that it was effective in dealing with radioactivity. Authorities were forced to launch a publicity campaign denying the rumors.

In one Internet posting, a resident of the inland Henan province, where a nuclear power plant is planned, said: "An accident occurred in Japan, which has one of the world's highest safety standards. How can people say China will not experience (such an accident)?" Many of the responses agreed with the poster's view.

Wen Bo, China program co-director of the nongovernmental organization Pacific Environment, said be believes that government censors had deleted many other postings raising similar concerns.

"Chinese people have been awakened. Farming villages where nuclear power plants are planned now have TV sets that they may not have had at the time of the Chernobyl accident," Wen said. "China will not be able to continue to build nuclear power plants at the same pace."

The Beijing News newspaper said in a recent editorial: "The safety of nuclear (power) must be disclosed to the public in more detail and in a transparent manner."

On March 16, Beijing-based reporters interested in environmental issues organized an emergency study meeting, inviting Zhao Yamin, a researcher at the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center.

"At the time of the Three Mile Island accident, some people in the former Soviet Union blamed the capitalist system. At the time of the Chernobyl accident, some people in the United States blamed the socialist system," Zhao said. "(But) those arguments are irrelevant."

Speaking before more than 50 journalists, Zhao said, "We must sincerely learn from the accident in Japan."

Authorities have been trying to allay public concern, and an electric power company that operates a nuclear power plant in Guangdong province organized a meeting on its site to emphasize its safety.

Officials said the plant was not thought to be at risk from earthquakes or tsunami and that the reactors were equipped with automatic cooling systems that would kick in when electric power was lost.

05/04 Fukushima crisis could change Japan's CO2 reduction target

BY DAISUKE FURUTA CORRESPONDENT
2011/04/05

BANGKOK--Japan may have to revise its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target in light of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant crisis, a senior official of the Environment Ministry acknowledged Sunday.

The Japanese government has pledged to cut the nation's CO2 emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.

However, vice environment minister Hideki Minamikawa told reporters in Bangkok that the figure "will be subject to discussion," following the nuclear accident triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Minamikawa made the comment on the opening day of a meeting aimed at implementing resolutions for Conference of the Parties 17 (COP 17) to be tabled at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, this winter.

Tokyo has been pushing nuclear power as a form of renewable energy in its greenhouse gas reduction measures. Prime Minister Naoto Kan last week said the government would review its Basic Energy Plan as a result of radiation leaks at the Fukushima plant. The plan, endorsed in June last year, includes the construction of at least 14 reactors by 2030.

While representatives from the other member countries gave specific numbers for their reduction targets, Minamikawa did not mention what Japan's revised goal might be.

"We are concentrating on relief for the disaster victims and putting the plant under control," he said. "It is too early to determine the accident's impact on the government's climate change policy."

04/04 Softbank head pledges 10 billion yen to earthquake relief

2011/04/05
Masayoshi Son (Asahi Shimbun file photo)


Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son, 53, said Sunday that he will donate 10 billion yen ($118.8 million) of his own money to earthquake relief efforts.

The president of Japan's major cellphone service provider also said he will donate his entire salary from fiscal 2011 until he retires. His salary in fiscal 2009 was about 108 million yen.

Softbank group, as a company, will also donate 1 billion yen.

Son announced his decision on a program on the Ustream live video-streaming site.

"I would like my donations to be used especially to support children who lost their parents in the earthquake and tsunami," Son said.

05/04 菅首相:「最終的には国の責任」双葉地方町村会に支援約束

菅首相:「最終的には国の責任」双葉地方町村会に支援約束

福島県双葉地方町村関係者との会談で町村会長の遠藤雄幸川内村長(左)から要望書を受け取る菅直人首相=首相官邸で2011年4月5日午後4時17分、藤井太郎撮影
福島県双葉地方町村関係者との会談で町村会長の遠藤雄幸川内村長(左)から要望書を受け取る菅直人首相=首相官邸で2011年4月5日午後4時17分、藤井太郎撮影

 菅直人首相は5日、東京電力福島第1、第2原発がある福島県の周辺8町村で構成する「双葉地方町村会」(会長・遠藤雄幸川内村長)と首相官邸で会談した。首相は原発事故を巡る補償について「東電にやれるところはやってもらうが、最終的には国の責任で最後の最後までしっかり対応する」と述べ、国の支援を約束した。

 遠藤会長は「行方不明者捜索、遺体収容ができない。一刻も早く原発を収めてほしい」と要請。「避難生活の将来が見通せない」と、避難指示が出ている20キロ圏内の住民の一時帰宅実現を求めた。首相は「何とか(原発を)安定化させ、皆さんに一つの山を越えたと言える状況を作りたい」と述べた。【吉永康朗、神保圭作、蓬田正志】

29/03 Disaster hits business profits / Companies lower forecasts, put off earnings announcements

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Corporate earnings have been significantly harmed ahead of companies' quarterly or annual settlement of accounts at the end of March, following damage to factories caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and suspended operations as a result of planned power outages.

An increasing number of firms are revising their business results downward or having difficulties closing their books, while others have decided to postpone their earnings announcements.

After the quake, NEC Corp. announced it would likely show a deficit for the current fiscal year ending in March 31. In February, the company forecast it would break even in terms of after-tax profit.

The loss will result from the temporary suspension of operations at NEC's six plants in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, and the postponement of information technology-related contracts from many companies that usually place orders in March.

Hitachi Ltd. had forecast a record after-tax profit of 230 billion yen and planned to pay 3 yen per share as its year-end cash dividend. However, it is now "undecided" about the dividend after being forced to stop operations at its three plants, including its mainstay Hitachi facility in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Even companies that suffered minor damage from the quake have lowered their forecasts for after-tax profits.

One such firm is medical equipment manufacturer Terumo Corp. "Due to planned outages, the operating rate of our plants has decreased," a public relation's official said.

Toyota Motor Corp. was forced to reduce its production by about 140,000 units, while Honda Motor Co. cut production by about 33,000 units in the two weeks after the disaster, the companies said.

Automakers have become unable to produce cars even though they want to sell them, a situation seriously harming exports that previously were brisk.

Some companies whose plants escaped direct damage also had to suspend operations because they could not procure supplies from damaged parts manufacturers. Overseas plants are experiencing similar problems.

Major automakers are currently investigating the effects of the March 11 disaster and have yet to revise their earnings. However, they also are likely to revise their business results downward, as the devastating quake and tsunami are considered certain to reduce their profits.

There also are concerns that the economic repercussions will be prolonged.

Global car production by all Japanese automakers is likely to drop by 15 percent to 25 percent in the period ending in March 2012, according to Nomura Securities Co.

Meanwhile, 1,135 listed companies were forced to suspend their operations or suffered other setbacks following the disaster, according to Tokyo Shoko Research Co.

Many companies also said their business had been hindered by damage to their office buildings or planned outages.

"We're behind schedule in compiling our earnings report," an official of Parco Co. said.

Nitori Holdings said it has postponed its earnings announcement for the year ending in February to April 4. It was originally scheduled for Wednesday.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange has moved to help disaster-hit companies by easing rules on the disclosure of corporate earnings and allowing them to report their earnings "when data are finalized." The TSE usually requires listed companies to release earnings within 45 days of the end of their business year.

Many companies also have said they cannot predict how their business results or earnings reports will be affected.

"If the damage affects the earnings announcements of many leading companies, this also will affect the stock market," said Hisatsune Kobayashi of Nikko Cordial Securities Inc.

(Mar. 29, 2011)

05/04 Survey: 64% support grand coalition

The Yomiuri Shimbun

A hefty 64 percent of people surveyed in the latest Yomiuri Shimbun poll would support the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Democratic Party forming a grand coalition to benefit disaster recovery and relief and manage the nuclear crisis.

The telephone poll, conducted Friday through Sunday, also found 61 percent of respondents are dissatisfied with the government's performance in handling the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Asked until when they would like Prime Minister Naoto Kan to hold his post, 31 percent answered "until the current Diet session ends in summer," while 19 percent said they would like him to step down "soon."

These results show 50 percent of people surveyed think Kan should be finished as prime minister by around the time the current Diet session ends June 22.

Of the other two possible answers to the question, 23 percent chose "until autumn next year, when his term as president of the DPJ expires," and 16 percent picked "until summer 2013, when his term as a House of Representatives member ends."

Asked whether they agreed the DPJ should scrap policies stipulated in its 2009 general election manifesto, such as the child-rearing allowances, to help finance recovery and relief measures in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami, 83 percent said "Yes," while only 13 percent chose "No."

Also regarding financing recovery programs, 60 percent agreed taxes should be increased, while 32 percent disagreed.

To the question, "What should be done about the number of nuclear power stations in Japan?" 46 percent said the current number should be maintained. Twenty-nine percent said it should be decreased, while 12 percent said all the nuclear power plants should be abandoned. Ten percent said the number should be increased.

The survey results show that the dominant opinion favors the nation's political forces combining in a grand coalition to give powerful support to recovery efforts, with financial resources to be secured by means including tax increases.

The approval rate of the Kan Cabinet was 31 percent, recovering slightly from 24 percent in the previous survey taken March 4 to 6. The rebound could be attributed to the Cabinet's efforts for recovery and relief programs and nuclear crisis control.

However, the Cabinet's disapproval rate was still high at 56 percent, down from 67 percent in March.

As for party approval rates, the DPJ's was 20 percent, up from 18 percent, and the LDP's was 20 percent, up from 19 percent. Forty-nine percent of respondents supported no specific party, down from 52 percent.

Only about one quarter of people surveyed, 24 percent, said Kan had displayed leadership in the recovery efforts and measures to control the Fukushima Prefecture plant crisis, while 69 percent said he had not.

On the government's handling of the nuclear crisis, 61 percent said they did not admire the government's attempts to bring the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant under control, while 27 percent praised the government's performance.

The nationwide survey excluded some areas in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures that were severely hit by the massive earthquake and tsunami.

The random digit dialing (RDD) format survey used 4,500 computer-generated telephone numbers, which returned 1,666 households with at least one eligible voter. One voter from each of those households agreed to take part in the survey. Of the 1,666 respondents, 1,036, or 62 percent, gave valid answers.

(Apr. 5, 2011)

05/04 Govt holding radiation data back / IAEA gets info, but public doesn't

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Meteorological Agency has been withholding forecasts on dispersal of radioactive substances from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant despite making the forecasts every day, it was learned Monday.

Meteorological institutions in some European countries such as Germany and Norway have been publishing their own radiation dispersal forecasts on their Web sites based on their own meteorological observations.

Nuclear experts at home and abroad are criticizing the Japanese government for not releasing its own forecasts, raising new questions about the government's handling of information on the nuclear crisis.

The agency is making daily forecasts at the request of the International Atomic Energy Agency. When contamination by radioactive substances across national borders is feared, weather organizations of the member nations cooperate to make forecasts on possible migration of the substances.

The Meteorological Agency has been calculating its forecasts on the migration once or twice every day since March 11, when the great earthquake hit the Tohoku and Kanto regions.

The agency inputs observation data sent from the IAEA--such as the time when radioactive substances are first released, the duration of the release and how high the substances reach--into the agency's supercomputer, adding the agency's observation data, including wind directions and other data. The supercomputer then calculates the direction in which the radioactive substances will go and how much they will spread.

However, the agency has only been reporting the forecasts to the IAEA and not releasing them to the public at home.

The IAEA analyzes the data from Japan by adding observation data from other countries it similarly asked for cooperation, such as China and Russia, and notifies nuclear authorities of countries, including Japan, of the results.

Whether to announce the IAEA analysis is left to each government's judgment. The Japanese government's Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters has so far not released the IAEA analysis.

"Japan has its own Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry- operated System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI) for dispersal forecasts. The government in its Basic Disaster Management Plan defines forecasts by SPEEDI as official forecasts," a Meteorological Agency official explained.

"We don't know whether the IAEA basic data the agency uses for the forecasts really fit the actual situation. If the government releases two different sets of data, it may cause disorder in the society."

However, the SPEEDI forecast was announced only once, on March 23. The Nuclear Safety Commission has been refusing to announce subsequent forecasts. "We can't do it because the accuracy is still low," Seiji Shiroya, a commission member said.

(Apr. 5, 2011)

05/04 Govt to provide financial help

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The government plans to give as much financial support and compensation as possible to residents, farmers and companies that suffered damage from the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, but it remains unknown where it will find the money.

Given the unprecedented damage caused by the earthquake, tsunami and accidents at a nuclear power plant, a wide range of people and companies are sure to need financial help.

With more than 160,000 disaster victims living in evacuation shelters, the government is scrambling to construct temporary housing and make efficient use of public housing and private rented accommodations.

It set a target of constructing 30,000 temporary housing units in two months. But Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshihiro Katayama said on an NHK TV program Sunday: "That's far short of the need. We want manufacturers to step up production."

When the Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred in 1995, 48,000 temporary housing units were built. But in the latest disaster, the need for temporary housing is certain to far exceed that after the 1995 quake. Another problem is how to secure land for the housing.

The Disaster Relief Law stipulates that people whose dwellings are destroyed in a disaster are entitled to live in temporary housing.

However, the government is likely to provide temporary housing even for residents in Fukushima Prefecture who evacuated or are staying indoors following the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and the Fukushima prefectural government have been discussing this issue, sources said.

About 44,000 public housing units are currently available nationwide for the survivors of the disaster, who are entitled in principle to stay in the housing rent-free for about six months.

Prefectures that suffered damage in the disaster are considering renting private accommodations and providing them rent-free for their residents for a certain period.

The government's Federation of Housing and Community Centers provides information about public housing and private accommodations for victims of the disaster.

After the Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred, the government created the Disaster Victims Livelihood Recovery Support System under which up to 3 million yen is provided to each household.

But the government has only 54 billion yen left in the system, an amount internal affairs minister Katayama called "totally inadequate."

Therefore, the government plans to establish a new fund by special legislation and is considering raising its share of contributions to the fund from the current 50 percent it contributes to the Disaster Victims Livelihood Recovery Support System.

The government is to pay all the costs of removing collapsed houses and rubble, and is to give as much financial support as possible to the rehabilitation of towns.

"I want to work out a reconstruction plan to create a splendid Tohoku region and a splendid Japan that goes beyond merely restoring the previous conditions," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a press conference Friday.

Kan said part of the plan is to move residential areas along the coastal regions hit by the tsunami to hillsides and to construct fishing ports and facilities to process marine products in waterfront areas.

The government is also considering raising its current 50 percent share of contributions to the fund for mass evacuation of residents, and purchasing vacant lots after they evacuate, according to the sources.

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Govt to introduce tax break

The government also plans to introduce a tax break for the survivors of the disaster.

By applying the so-called casualty loss deduction system, the government will reduce the withholding tax for salaried workers. Under the casualty loss deduction system, taxpayers can claim tax deductions for damage to housing, furniture or stores.

The government is also taking steps to directly provide financing to companies affected by the disaster by improving the crisis response financing system set up after the Lehman shock in 2008. It will also relax requirements for bank loans to companies, the sources said.

It also is likely to seek a grace period for mortgage payments so survivors will not be burdened with paying for two housing loans--for the house destroyed in the disaster and for the house to be built afterward.

The government plans to submit a set of special bills to the Diet by the end of April to implement its financial relief measures, the sources said.

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Deficit bonds may be needed

The government plans to compile several supplementary budgets for fiscal 2011 to finance reconstruction work and compensation for victims of the March 11 disaster, but the nation's difficult fiscal situation may force the government to issue deficit bonds to secure the necessary funds.

According to the Cabinet Office's estimation, the earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused between 16 trillion yen and 25 trillion yen in damage to social infrastructure, including houses, factories and roads. This is far more than the 10 trillion yen in damage inflicted by the Great Hanshin Earthquake.

After the Hanshin quake, the government compiled three supplementary budgets totaling 3.2 trillion yen.

"The funds needed [to deal with the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake] will exceed 10 trillion yen in the fiscal 2011 supplementary budgets alone," said Hidenori Suezawa of SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.

The first supplementary budget is expected to be around 2 trillion yen, according to a senior Democratic Party of Japan official. The money will mainly be allocated for the removal of debris and supporting the livelihoods of evacuees, and will be taken from such sources as reserve funds in the fiscal 2011 budget (1.16 trillion yen) and 5 percent of public works spending (about 300 billion yen).

Funding based on the DPJ manifesto--such as additional spending for child-rearing allowances (208.5 billion yen) and a toll-free expressway project (120 billion yen)--will also be allocated to restoration.

However, deficit bonds may have to be issued to secure revenues for the second and third supplementary budgets needed for full-fledged restoration.

Some DPJ members have proposed creating a special tax for rehabilitation and reconstruction, which would involve raising the rates of corporate, consumption and income taxes.

The government and ruling parties must fully explain to the public the necessity of issuing deficit bonds and raising taxes as temporary measures for restoration.

(Apr. 5, 2011)

05/04 U.S. friends dig deep for isolated island / Cut off after the tsunami tore up its port, Oshima gets lifeline from Operation Tomodachi

Kentaro Nakajima and Koichi Nakamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer and Photographer

KESENNUMA, Miyagi--Restoration work on Oshima island, located off Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, has suffered significant setbacks because ships have struggled to dock at the island's completely devastated port.

However, life on the isolated island has begun to improve since the electricity supply has gradually been restored, thanks to the U.S. Navy's amphibious warfare ship USS Essex, which is capable of delivering heavy machinery and other items to shore even where there is no port.

The quake had raised the level of the seabed, preventing ships from entering or leaving the island's ports, which used to anchor the island's lifeline ferries to Kesennuma city.

A U.S. Marine Corps' landing craft utility, or LCU, played a major role in the island's restoration. The shallow-bottom craft carries large vehicles and can dock in shallow water.

A Yomiuri Shimbun reporter and a photographer joined U.S. marines on board the USS Essex on Sunday. The marines were on their way to Oshima to help with restoration work.

The activities were planned as of Operation Tomodachi, the U.S. military's humanitarian aid mission for victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

A three-day intensive search for missing people by the Self-Defense Forces, Japan Coast Guard and U.S. military finished on Sunday. The operations, conducted in coastal areas in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, found a total of 79 bodies, including 12 bodies found by the SDF and one by the JCG on Sunday.

About 90 ships and about 130 airplanes were involved on the search mission's last day.

On Oshima island, a man cried while watching the muddy remains of his restaurant be demolished by heavy machinery. One hundred meters away, Takujiro Komatsu, 67, had run the sushi restaurant for 38 years. The restaurant had been carried to its present site by the tsunami.

The man operating the machine was a U.S. Marine Corps member. Other marines were clearing debris nearby.

Komatsu bowed his head to the U.S. marines, saying tearfully, "They searched through debris for my precious sushi tub."

At 4 a.m. Sunday, about 160 U.S. marines and Navy personnel approached Oshima island from the USS Essex. They were members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a rapid-response force stationed in Okinawa Prefecture.

They gathered at the LCU docked inside the bowels of the Essex at 3 a.m. and loaded it with the goods needed for their one-week outdoor stay on the island, such as tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, clothes, water and food. Heavy machinery and relief supplies for islanders, including water, were piled high on the deck of the LCU.

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Amphibious assist

The LCU left the USS Essex from its rear gate and continued to Oshima island, about 20 kilometers away.

About 100 U.S. personnel were squatting in small gaps between heavy machinery and aid supplies. There was little space to spare. They barely moved, huddling up to avoid the cold wind during the one hour trip to the island.

It had snowed on the island, and the ground was covered in half-frozen muddy water.

After the earthquake, the island of about 3,500 people became isolated, and hardly any relief aid arrived until recently.

After the earthquake, almost the entire island lost power. The LCU carried Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s power-supply vehicles to Oshima, restoring power to parts of the island from March 27.

The LCU also brought many heavy machines to the island, facilitating the clean-up.

Since Friday, 170 U.S. marines arrived at Oshima to clear debris at the four ports, and more personnel arrived Sunday. Military machinery is removing wrecked cars, while soldiers manually clear concrete and other debris.

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'Ganbarimasho'

The devastated scene was overwhelming even to experienced Marines.

Cpl. Brian Arsenault, 22, said he has been trained to cope with all sorts of tragic situations, but what he saw was very different from what he had imagined.

Col. Andrew MacMannis, 49, said when he saw islanders waving as the marines worked, he was moved to know their help was appreciated.

The U.S. service members, many of whom can speak a bit of Japanese because they are stationed in Okinawa Prefecture, cheered up residents by saying, "Ganbarimasho" (Let's hang in there).

On March 11, USS Essex crew were at Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia after completing drills, enjoying their first holiday in a long time. They changed their schedule to head to Japan the day after the disaster.

Watching the scenes of destruction in Japan on TV, Chief Petty Officer Chris Tucker, 37, and his colleagues were determined to rush to the scene and begin rescuing victims, he recalled.

"Does anybody have candies for kids?" the public address system on the ship asked on March 30. Within an hour, a line of soldiers had filled a box with with candy.

"They didn't do it because of an order, but out of a desire to do something for friends," said SDF Master Sgt. Masanori Ide, who is stationed aboard the USS Essex as a senior officer of a Japan-U.S. bilateral coordination center.

Capt. David Fluker, USS Essex commanding officer, said the relationship between Japan and the United States had grown even stronger in the weeks since the quake.

(Apr. 5, 2011)