Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun.
2011/05/18
They say the three things essential to good fishing are location, bait and skill--in that order.
It means that it is a waste of time to fish in waters where there are no fish, no matter how good the gear one uses or the skills one possesses.
The same thinking may apply to crime. Place and timing seem to be more important than equipment and technique.
A little more than 600 million yen ($7.4 million) was stolen May 12 from a security company office in Tachikawa, western Tokyo. The loot is said to be the largest ever stolen in Japan.
It is not every day that so many bundles of cash spend a night in a single office.
A senior official of the company asked why the robbers picked a day when there was so much money, but surely they must have picked it for that very reason.
The two thieves broke into the office through an unlocked window and forced an employee, who was napping, to tell them a security code for the strong room. They seemed very familiar with the inner workings of the company.
The company has had large amounts of money stolen from its cash delivery vehicles on a few occasions. It is likely the thieves knew that.
Before the latest robbery, the "300 million yen incident" in 1968 was the fifth-largest heist in Japanese history.
In the top four cases, which occurred more recently, the perpetrators have been caught or suspects in other cases admitted their involvement after the statute of limitations had run out. The 1968 incident is the only one that remains unsolved.
That was the year the top prize in the year-end lottery reached 10 million yen. Given that the average starting salary for university graduates was about 30,000 yen, 300 million yen back then would probably be worth more than 2 billion yen today.
Moreover, in the 1968 heist, the perpetrator quickly disguised himself as a police officer with a self-made "police motorcycle." It was a crime that would go down in history.
I don't think the Tachikawa case will be remembered for generations as the "600 million yen incident."
While there is no such thing as a refined or unrefined robbery, the method used in the latest case has no trace of ingenuity.
It was as easy as throwing a net into a small fish preserve. Most wrongdoers would have no trouble stealing the money if they knew where and when to break in.
If the robbers want to defend themselves, I'd like to hear their story. First, they should turn themselves in with their catch.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 17
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
17/05 VOX POPULI: No return to excesses of a "Juliana's lifestyle"
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun.
2011/05/17
2011/05/17
After nearly four decades of business, a well-known bowling alley in Tokyo's Shibaura district has recently closed. It never reopened after operations were suspended in the immediate aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11.
Squinting at an outer wall of the parking lot, I saw the letters JULIANAS, weather-faded and barely discernible.
Opening 20 years ago, Juliana's was a landmark disco nearby. It was so sensational back then, it was touted as something of a social phenomenon. But after three years and three months, it disappeared like a bubble.
A sporting goods store opened on the lot vacated by Juliana's, but it too folded in January. All that now remains is a bleak storefront.
Juliana's was co-owned by Nissho Iwai Corp. (now Sojitz Corp.) and a British firm. According to "Baburu no Shozo" (Portrait of a bubble) by Kyoichi Tsuzuki, the big-time disco was "a kind of makeshift festival site." Tsuzuki elaborates, "There, any woman could become queen for a night if she was ready to bare a bit more skin than usual and kick up her heels."
On raised dance platforms on the floors of this remodeled warehouse, women in figure-hugging outfits bumped and gyrated, fluttering feathery fans that were nicknamed "Juli-sen."
Many people today think of Juliana's as a symbol of Japan's asset-inflated bubble economy, but the economy and stock prices were already beginning to tank when Juliana's was at its zenith. In reality, it was like an out-of-season flower blooming in the burned-out ruins of the bubble economy.
The era that ensued was called the Lost Decade. But with fiscal and economic problems further compounded by political instability, some experts say our country has actually squandered the last 20 years. Even if we now wish to live modestly and quietly, society no longer offers the sense of security and peace of mind that should underpin such a lifestyle.
We know there is no true happiness to be found in the sort of frenzied self-absorption that Juliana's customers reveled in all night. But we also know that remaining in our own shells isn't a solution either.
This being the case, I suggest that we at least reassess our values in this post-disaster era and try to recover what we hold dear. Learning to live within our means and helping one another are things we have stopped doing since the bubble era.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 15
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Squinting at an outer wall of the parking lot, I saw the letters JULIANAS, weather-faded and barely discernible.
Opening 20 years ago, Juliana's was a landmark disco nearby. It was so sensational back then, it was touted as something of a social phenomenon. But after three years and three months, it disappeared like a bubble.
A sporting goods store opened on the lot vacated by Juliana's, but it too folded in January. All that now remains is a bleak storefront.
Juliana's was co-owned by Nissho Iwai Corp. (now Sojitz Corp.) and a British firm. According to "Baburu no Shozo" (Portrait of a bubble) by Kyoichi Tsuzuki, the big-time disco was "a kind of makeshift festival site." Tsuzuki elaborates, "There, any woman could become queen for a night if she was ready to bare a bit more skin than usual and kick up her heels."
On raised dance platforms on the floors of this remodeled warehouse, women in figure-hugging outfits bumped and gyrated, fluttering feathery fans that were nicknamed "Juli-sen."
Many people today think of Juliana's as a symbol of Japan's asset-inflated bubble economy, but the economy and stock prices were already beginning to tank when Juliana's was at its zenith. In reality, it was like an out-of-season flower blooming in the burned-out ruins of the bubble economy.
The era that ensued was called the Lost Decade. But with fiscal and economic problems further compounded by political instability, some experts say our country has actually squandered the last 20 years. Even if we now wish to live modestly and quietly, society no longer offers the sense of security and peace of mind that should underpin such a lifestyle.
We know there is no true happiness to be found in the sort of frenzied self-absorption that Juliana's customers reveled in all night. But we also know that remaining in our own shells isn't a solution either.
This being the case, I suggest that we at least reassess our values in this post-disaster era and try to recover what we hold dear. Learning to live within our means and helping one another are things we have stopped doing since the bubble era.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 15
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
15/05 EDITORIAL: TEPCO desperately needs a 'plan B'
2011/05/15
New discoveries about the condition of a crippled reactor at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant have cast doubt on the plant operator's plan to bring the nuclear crisis under control.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. admitted on May 12 that the fuel rods in the No.1 reactor had probably melted and fallen to the bottom of the pressure vessel housing them.
Huge amounts of radioactive water may have been leaking from both the pressure vessel and the containment vessel enclosing it.
The leak is threatening to thwart TEPCO's efforts to flood the container vessel with water and cool the fuel rods.
In mid-April, the utility said the work to submerge the fuel in water would cool the reactors to a stable level in about three months.
That plan is now in jeopardy. TEPCO's estimate that the reactors can be brought to a stable state known as cold shutdown in six to nine months is also in doubt.
The new findings have delivered a blow to hopes that a successful stabilization of the No. 1 reactor could be replicated at the other troubled reactors.
The fact that fuel had melted became clear after workers entered the reactor building and adjusted a gauge measuring water levels in the pressure vessel.
One major issue complicating the effort at Fukushima No. 1 is unreliable data. Workers are having to guess what is happening within the reactor. Containing a stricken reactor involves a series of difficult challenges. It is like fighting an invisible enemy.
It is possible that remote-controlled cameras and robots might uncover a totally unexpected situation at the plant.
Under TEPCO's blueprint for bringing the crisis under control, the principal means to cool the reactors to a cold shutdown state is flooding the fuel with water.
Engineers involved in responding to the disaster considered other approaches but did not develop specific plans quickly enough. TEPCO has therefore gone ahead with the flooding plan.
New discoveries demanding a rethink of the plan have caused deep disappointment and distrust of the operator in foreign countries, in Japan and in the local communities most directly affected by the crisis.
The company should be offering more than one scenario in its new game plan. It should have a "plan B" to resort to immediately if "plan A" falls apart, and the firm should talk candidly about what it would do in a worst-case scenario.
Whatever approach is adopted, it is clear that efforts to cool the fuel at the bottom of the pressure vessel will continue for years.
It is worrisome that pouring on water to cool the fuel rods will increase the amount of contaminated water. TEPCO must expand its water storage capacity to prevent leaks off the compound.
It should start working immediately to establish a system to decontaminate and circulate water for cooling the fuel without increasing polluted water.
TEPCO must also now bear the crushing burden of figuring out a way to dispose of the melted fuel, a massive new headache for the beleaguered utility. After it accomplishes the urgent mission of bringing the reactors to a cold shutdown state, the company will have to tackle this colossal challenge.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 14
Tokyo Electric Power Co. admitted on May 12 that the fuel rods in the No.1 reactor had probably melted and fallen to the bottom of the pressure vessel housing them.
Huge amounts of radioactive water may have been leaking from both the pressure vessel and the containment vessel enclosing it.
The leak is threatening to thwart TEPCO's efforts to flood the container vessel with water and cool the fuel rods.
In mid-April, the utility said the work to submerge the fuel in water would cool the reactors to a stable level in about three months.
That plan is now in jeopardy. TEPCO's estimate that the reactors can be brought to a stable state known as cold shutdown in six to nine months is also in doubt.
The new findings have delivered a blow to hopes that a successful stabilization of the No. 1 reactor could be replicated at the other troubled reactors.
The fact that fuel had melted became clear after workers entered the reactor building and adjusted a gauge measuring water levels in the pressure vessel.
One major issue complicating the effort at Fukushima No. 1 is unreliable data. Workers are having to guess what is happening within the reactor. Containing a stricken reactor involves a series of difficult challenges. It is like fighting an invisible enemy.
It is possible that remote-controlled cameras and robots might uncover a totally unexpected situation at the plant.
Under TEPCO's blueprint for bringing the crisis under control, the principal means to cool the reactors to a cold shutdown state is flooding the fuel with water.
Engineers involved in responding to the disaster considered other approaches but did not develop specific plans quickly enough. TEPCO has therefore gone ahead with the flooding plan.
New discoveries demanding a rethink of the plan have caused deep disappointment and distrust of the operator in foreign countries, in Japan and in the local communities most directly affected by the crisis.
The company should be offering more than one scenario in its new game plan. It should have a "plan B" to resort to immediately if "plan A" falls apart, and the firm should talk candidly about what it would do in a worst-case scenario.
Whatever approach is adopted, it is clear that efforts to cool the fuel at the bottom of the pressure vessel will continue for years.
It is worrisome that pouring on water to cool the fuel rods will increase the amount of contaminated water. TEPCO must expand its water storage capacity to prevent leaks off the compound.
It should start working immediately to establish a system to decontaminate and circulate water for cooling the fuel without increasing polluted water.
TEPCO must also now bear the crushing burden of figuring out a way to dispose of the melted fuel, a massive new headache for the beleaguered utility. After it accomplishes the urgent mission of bringing the reactors to a cold shutdown state, the company will have to tackle this colossal challenge.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 14
15/05 VOX POPULI: Combining modern means with tradition to beat the heat
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun.
2011/05/15
2011/05/15
"Karo tosen," which literally means "a furnace in summer, a fan in winter," is an old Japanese idiom that denotes something useless.
A school teacher I've known for years once told me of a girl who, when asked in a Japanese language test to explain the meaning of this idiom, answered "an endurance contest."
She must have been imagining someone sitting in front of a furnace in summer and fanning themselves in winter. Wrong as her answer was, I had to take my hat off to her quirky imagination.
The seasons come and go. A fan that's useless in winter becomes a handy thing to have around when the weather warms up.
On Friday, Tokyo was uncomfortably muggy for the temperature, and I pulled a fan down from my cluttered shelf. Mumbling apologies to it for having ignored it for so long, I was most grateful for the reprieve it brought me from the stuffy air in the office. This fan is going to be my trusty brother-in-arms this summer, which, to borrow the girl's expression, could turn into a marathon "endurance contest."
The government has set a uniform 15 percent energy conservation target for all businesses and homes serviced by Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co. The Environment Ministry, which is vigorously pushing this policy, is reportedly going to urge big companies to allow their employees to come to work in what it calls “super-cool biz”attire--T-shirts and aloha shirts. I like this idea. Workers shouldn't be expected to be so dutiful that they have to grit their teeth and face an endurance contest.
In days gone by, the windows and doors of Japanese homes were kept wide open in summer. We heard all sorts of noises from the streets back then. But now, the windows and doors are sealed shut, with air conditioners keeping the houses cool and blasting hot air outside. I wonder if there is a connection between this lifestyle and the mentality of the Japanese people today.
Because of all that hot air from the air conditioners, the temperatures in the big cities have no chance of coming down at night. This makes people even more resolved to remain entrenched in their artificially cooled "strongholds" of their homes.
I miss those days when we fanned ourselves to beat the heat and enjoyed the occasional cool breeze coming in from the open windows and doors. A haiku by Hisaji Iwaki goes: "The wood-floored room of my house in my hometown/ Felt as cool as running an electric fan."
We shouldn't rely solely on artificial means to keep us cool. I wonder if people will be going retro this summer by wearing "suteteko" (loose, baggy, knee-length underpants for men), splashing their yards with water and shading their windows with climbing plants. And what about the classic "tochin" (head pillows made of porcelain) and the long, cylindrical baskets of woven bamboo, placed under bedcovers on summer nights known as "dakikago"?
Nobody can sit out an endurance contest, drenched in sweat, for too long. This summer, we need to combine modern conveniences with old tradition to beat the heat wisely.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 14
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
A school teacher I've known for years once told me of a girl who, when asked in a Japanese language test to explain the meaning of this idiom, answered "an endurance contest."
She must have been imagining someone sitting in front of a furnace in summer and fanning themselves in winter. Wrong as her answer was, I had to take my hat off to her quirky imagination.
The seasons come and go. A fan that's useless in winter becomes a handy thing to have around when the weather warms up.
On Friday, Tokyo was uncomfortably muggy for the temperature, and I pulled a fan down from my cluttered shelf. Mumbling apologies to it for having ignored it for so long, I was most grateful for the reprieve it brought me from the stuffy air in the office. This fan is going to be my trusty brother-in-arms this summer, which, to borrow the girl's expression, could turn into a marathon "endurance contest."
The government has set a uniform 15 percent energy conservation target for all businesses and homes serviced by Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co. The Environment Ministry, which is vigorously pushing this policy, is reportedly going to urge big companies to allow their employees to come to work in what it calls “super-cool biz”attire--T-shirts and aloha shirts. I like this idea. Workers shouldn't be expected to be so dutiful that they have to grit their teeth and face an endurance contest.
In days gone by, the windows and doors of Japanese homes were kept wide open in summer. We heard all sorts of noises from the streets back then. But now, the windows and doors are sealed shut, with air conditioners keeping the houses cool and blasting hot air outside. I wonder if there is a connection between this lifestyle and the mentality of the Japanese people today.
Because of all that hot air from the air conditioners, the temperatures in the big cities have no chance of coming down at night. This makes people even more resolved to remain entrenched in their artificially cooled "strongholds" of their homes.
I miss those days when we fanned ourselves to beat the heat and enjoyed the occasional cool breeze coming in from the open windows and doors. A haiku by Hisaji Iwaki goes: "The wood-floored room of my house in my hometown/ Felt as cool as running an electric fan."
We shouldn't rely solely on artificial means to keep us cool. I wonder if people will be going retro this summer by wearing "suteteko" (loose, baggy, knee-length underpants for men), splashing their yards with water and shading their windows with climbing plants. And what about the classic "tochin" (head pillows made of porcelain) and the long, cylindrical baskets of woven bamboo, placed under bedcovers on summer nights known as "dakikago"?
Nobody can sit out an endurance contest, drenched in sweat, for too long. This summer, we need to combine modern conveniences with old tradition to beat the heat wisely.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 14
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
14/05 VOX POPULI: Rikishi should strive for excellence in May basho
2011/05/14
When a formidable-looking bruiser does something cute that is utterly out of character, the effect is exquisitely comical. Imagine Benkei, the strapping warrior monk of the 12th century, having fun bouncing a ball like a little girl. Or a ferocious Nio guardian god of Buddhism engrossed in the traditional Japanese paper-folding art of origami.
An equivalent scene in our society today may be a burly sumo wrestler texting with his fat thumb, if I may say so.
However, mobile phones are now banned in sumo's "shitakubeya" locker rooms. Images of wrestlers surrendering their phones at a counter before entering Ryogoku Kokugikan reminded me of the student who used his cellphone to cheat on university entrance exams back in February.
This month's basho has been dubbed a "technical examination tournament," and more judges are seated close to the dohyo to monitor the bouts. The whole atmosphere is lacking in the usual carefree mood I associate with the May tournament.
Each of the six annual regular tournaments has a distinctive feel for the locality and the season in which it is held. Normally, the May tournament is characterized by the refreshing breeze from the Sumidagawa river. When one comes out of the Ryogoku Kokugikan after the bouts, with the beat of the "uchidashi" drums ringing in one's ears, the sky is still light and the river breeze is pleasantly cool to one's flushed face.
But this year, it's bittersweet. This is the first regular tournament being held after all the brouhaha over the "yaocho" (bout-fixing) scandal.
And to throw cold water on many eager fans, popular ozeki Baruto blurted out that he couldn't take this tournament seriously.
Baruto should know better. Granted, after the scandal there is no TV coverage, no Emperor's Cup and no prize money this tournament, and it's probably only human to feel a bit less motivated. But this is all the more reason why this tournament is a real test of each wrestler's worth, and fans are watching. This is hardly a "second class" tournament. On the contrary, every win is proof of excellence.
Tokuzo Miyamoto, a writer and sumo fan who died in February, once wrote that true strength comes from being able to achieve the state of mind with no distracting thoughts. This brings to mind a Chinese saying "Mokkei" (wooden rooster). Like a wood-carved fighting rooster, strong sumo wrestlers are impassive in bouts. The great yokozuna Futabayama (1912-1968) aspired for that state of mind.
It's a bit sad when yokozuna Hakuho is the only one matching up to the expectations of Futabayama. I want more wrestlers to follow suit.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 13
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
An equivalent scene in our society today may be a burly sumo wrestler texting with his fat thumb, if I may say so.
However, mobile phones are now banned in sumo's "shitakubeya" locker rooms. Images of wrestlers surrendering their phones at a counter before entering Ryogoku Kokugikan reminded me of the student who used his cellphone to cheat on university entrance exams back in February.
This month's basho has been dubbed a "technical examination tournament," and more judges are seated close to the dohyo to monitor the bouts. The whole atmosphere is lacking in the usual carefree mood I associate with the May tournament.
Each of the six annual regular tournaments has a distinctive feel for the locality and the season in which it is held. Normally, the May tournament is characterized by the refreshing breeze from the Sumidagawa river. When one comes out of the Ryogoku Kokugikan after the bouts, with the beat of the "uchidashi" drums ringing in one's ears, the sky is still light and the river breeze is pleasantly cool to one's flushed face.
But this year, it's bittersweet. This is the first regular tournament being held after all the brouhaha over the "yaocho" (bout-fixing) scandal.
And to throw cold water on many eager fans, popular ozeki Baruto blurted out that he couldn't take this tournament seriously.
Baruto should know better. Granted, after the scandal there is no TV coverage, no Emperor's Cup and no prize money this tournament, and it's probably only human to feel a bit less motivated. But this is all the more reason why this tournament is a real test of each wrestler's worth, and fans are watching. This is hardly a "second class" tournament. On the contrary, every win is proof of excellence.
Tokuzo Miyamoto, a writer and sumo fan who died in February, once wrote that true strength comes from being able to achieve the state of mind with no distracting thoughts. This brings to mind a Chinese saying "Mokkei" (wooden rooster). Like a wood-carved fighting rooster, strong sumo wrestlers are impassive in bouts. The great yokozuna Futabayama (1912-1968) aspired for that state of mind.
It's a bit sad when yokozuna Hakuho is the only one matching up to the expectations of Futabayama. I want more wrestlers to follow suit.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 13
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
POINT OF VIEW/ Seiichi Kondo: Post-disaster reconstruction should pivot around arts, culture
SPECIAL TO THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11 is said to be the worst catastrophe that befell our country since the Jogan mega-tsunami in 869.
Towering breakwaters were destroyed by the March tsunami, reminding us that even our modern technology is powerless before the forces of nature. Science, too, proved incapable of taming nuclear power. The quake and tsunami knocked the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant out of control.
Compared with today, life in the Heian Period (794-1185) offered far fewer conveniences. But that did not stop people from composing poems and reveling in the beauty of the four seasons. World-famous literary masterpieces, such as "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji) and "Kokin Wakashu" (Collected Japanese poems of ancient and modern times), were written during that period.
Roughly a millennium later, we are now forced to take a good, hard look at our supposedly highly developed civilization.
A few days after the quake and tsunami, I saw bittersweet footage of small children in evacuation shelters, wrapped in blankets and happily playing video games. I should imagine the trauma suffered by survivors will become more apparent in the days ahead. To meet their mental health-care needs, I propose that our post-disaster reconstruction efforts be centered around artistic and cultural pursuits.
In order to catch up with the West and follow the trend for globalization, modern Japan turned to science and technology to control nature, and promoted centralization to grow into a military and economic power. But this has deprived society of humanity and left nature badly scarred. Our post-disaster reconstruction work must be designed to correct this sort of distorted "development."
The first task should be to revive regional communities. The Indonesian island of Bali attracts tourists for its terraced rice paddies. This leads me to believe that there is intrinsic value in certain traditional ways of life and work. Any village that has its distinctive personality and tradition, such as festivals that keep community ties intact, is the sort of hometown that even young people, who have left for the big cities, would always cherish and want to return to.
The French city of Nantes declined after its shipyards were shut down, but a cultural renaissance has since made it the No. 1 city French people want to live in. Nantes is famous for its highly affordable and successful classical music festivals. Scotland's Glasgow, too, has been energized by its striking modern architecture, and was designated to host a series of cultural events under the European Capital of Culture campaign in 1990.
Volunteer relief workers from around Japan are rushing to the communities devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake. I suggest that top artists in and outside the nation also gather in the region to engage in creative pursuits. They could participate in community planning and offer their ideas on how to let local history and culture, such as traditional festivals, define the personality of each community. There are enough showcases in Europe and the United States of artists participating in community revival activities and producing great results.
Takata Matsubara, a scenic pine forest in the city of Rikuzen-Takata in Iwate Prefecture, was devastated by the March tsunami. Out of some 70,000 pine trees there, only one survived. This lone pine tree has become a symbol of hope and encouragement not only for survivors, but also for people around the country.
Respecting culture is the same thing as seeking harmony with nature. Nature offers diverse renewable energy sources. Scandinavian countries rely on biomass for district heating that uses hot water being passed through underground pipes. We could follow their example, and apply our knowledge of science to undertakings that will free us from our current dependence on nuclear energy.
If we can adopt this sort of new lifestyle, our country will once again be able to live up to its "Japan as No. 1" reputation. And I believe we Japanese have the right mind-set and technology to pull it off.
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Seiichi Kondo is commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
13/05 VOX POPULI: Tohoku's memories are buried in the rubble
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun.
2011/05/13
2011/05/13
One of the interesting features of the period novels by Shotaro Ikenami (1923-1990) is the unique way the writer put small hiragana readings, called "rubi" or "furigana," next to the kanji characters.
Those readings did not simply transliterate the kanji, they added extra meaning. Let me cite a few examples. "Give me hot sake" is read as "Give me a hot one." "I'm taking the money I left in your care" reads "I'm taking my share." There are many more. The combination of kanji and furigana allows readers to understand the meaning of the words spoken by the characters while enjoying the subtle nuance of their conversations.
Some furigana make us feel sad. The following tanka ran in The Asahi Shimbun's tanka column the other day: "Reporters all write 'gareki'/ Some people read the word, adding the rubi 'omoide' (in katakana)." Gareki is Japanese for rubble or wreckage. Omoide means memories. Depending on the age and personal background of the reader, he or she may apply the furigana "omohide" or "omoide."
"Removal of rubble" will be read as "deletion of memories" in the minds of many survivors. Among the debris, there must be pillars with marks showing the height of children as they grew up, "kotatsu" heated tables where families gathered and desks where students sat as they studied hard. All of these once cherished objects, destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami, are now simply called rubble.
An Asahi Shimbun reporter entered his hometown, Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, immediately after the earthquake and wrote that he was filled with a sense of loss. He said he realized that houses and communities have had lives of their own, alongside the people who lived there. His family was safe, but their house had been destroyed. Perhaps he, too, saw the furigana "omoide" in his mind.
Two months have passed since the March 11 earthquake. I write about memories, but the pain of people who cannot easily turn their past into memories saddens me. People who lost loved ones, homes or communities cannot forget their loss for a moment. Those thoughts have not yet become "memories."
There is estimated to be about 25 million tons of debris in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. There must be many people who want to attach furigana like "nariwai" (livelihood), "ikigai" (reason for living) and "wagamachi" (my town) to the thought of their lives before the earthquake.
Once again, I am overwhelmed by the enormity of the heartbreak and feel I must broaden my empathetic imagination.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 12
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Those readings did not simply transliterate the kanji, they added extra meaning. Let me cite a few examples. "Give me hot sake" is read as "Give me a hot one." "I'm taking the money I left in your care" reads "I'm taking my share." There are many more. The combination of kanji and furigana allows readers to understand the meaning of the words spoken by the characters while enjoying the subtle nuance of their conversations.
Some furigana make us feel sad. The following tanka ran in The Asahi Shimbun's tanka column the other day: "Reporters all write 'gareki'/ Some people read the word, adding the rubi 'omoide' (in katakana)." Gareki is Japanese for rubble or wreckage. Omoide means memories. Depending on the age and personal background of the reader, he or she may apply the furigana "omohide" or "omoide."
"Removal of rubble" will be read as "deletion of memories" in the minds of many survivors. Among the debris, there must be pillars with marks showing the height of children as they grew up, "kotatsu" heated tables where families gathered and desks where students sat as they studied hard. All of these once cherished objects, destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami, are now simply called rubble.
An Asahi Shimbun reporter entered his hometown, Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, immediately after the earthquake and wrote that he was filled with a sense of loss. He said he realized that houses and communities have had lives of their own, alongside the people who lived there. His family was safe, but their house had been destroyed. Perhaps he, too, saw the furigana "omoide" in his mind.
Two months have passed since the March 11 earthquake. I write about memories, but the pain of people who cannot easily turn their past into memories saddens me. People who lost loved ones, homes or communities cannot forget their loss for a moment. Those thoughts have not yet become "memories."
There is estimated to be about 25 million tons of debris in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. There must be many people who want to attach furigana like "nariwai" (livelihood), "ikigai" (reason for living) and "wagamachi" (my town) to the thought of their lives before the earthquake.
Once again, I am overwhelmed by the enormity of the heartbreak and feel I must broaden my empathetic imagination.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 12
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
12/05 POINT OF VIEW / Nobuyoshi Sakajiri: Sichuan earthquake-hit areas now attract tourists
Nearly three years after a massive earthquake hit China's Sichuan province, a young woman was posing in front of a collapsed building, making the V-sign with her hand while her male companion took her photograph. The stricken area of the deadly May 12, 2008, earthquake that left about 87,000 people dead or missing has turned into a "tourist spot."
In Yingxiu, a town in Wenchuan county, Sichuan, which was close to the epicenter, about half of the slightly more than 10,000 residents were killed and around 90 percent of the town's buildings collapsed. Tourists who visit the town on sightseeing buses are greeted by a signboard that shows a guide map of the "ruins of the Yingxiu epicenter."
Yingxiu's Xuankou middle school where 43 students were killed has preserved part of the school building that fell down. A sign at the entrance carries the words of Li Changchun, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee who oversees the party's propaganda activities, to make the site a "base" for education of "national solidarity" and "patriotism."
The town also has a promenade where people can walk for pleasure and a "tourist center." Some of the newly built homes for earthquake survivors have been turned into souvenir shops and restaurants that serve tourists. One of them even carries a sign advertising Italian-style ice cream.
A monument dedicated to the victims of the earthquake stands on a hill overlooking the school. Local residents were selling chrysanthemums for visitors who lay them before the monument. A set of three flowers sold for 5 yuan (about 60 yen or 74 cents). A 42-year-old woman who lost her teenage daughter in the earthquake was selling photos of the school before and after its collapse.
"Houses were built on the land where I used to farm," she said. "I cannot make ends meet unless I make some cash."
Sichuan's Beichuan Qiang autonomous county, which suffered catastrophic damage, moved to a neighboring county where it built new homes, a county office and schools. It opened the ruined city area to the public and operates a shuttle bus that carries tourists to and from a parking lot for a fare of 13 yuan. It is also considering construction of an aerial tramway to carry tourists to a hill that commands a view of the ruined area.
As part of the efforts to rebuild the stricken area, the Chinese government paired up 19 provinces and cities outside Sichuan province with local governments in the quake-hit zone.
The gross provincial product of Guangdong province, which paired with Wenchuan county, tops Indonesia's gross domestic product. The situation also presents a golden opportunity for local government executives who want to join party leadership to prove themselves. The partner provinces and cities are vying with one another to rebuild the infrastructure of the stricken areas. Some of them chose to make the most of the earthquake damage to attract tourists in defiance of opposition by bereaved families who are still suffering the loss of their loved ones.
Meanwhile, holding parties responsible for slipshod construction of buildings that fell apart is making little progress. Such jerry-built structures are likened to buildings made with the "bean curd refuse construction method," a term coined by an indignant Zhu Rongji, who was Chinese premier in 1998 when embankments of the Yangtze River broke during a massive flood because of sloppy construction work. The Great Sichuan Earthquake killed more than 5,000 elementary school and older students. While slipshod construction of school buildings became a social problem, exactly how many of them in Wenchuan and Beichuan were destroyed has yet to be made public.
Three years ago, Premier Wen Jiabao entered the stricken area on the day the earthquake hit. He visited Beichuan middle school where more than 1,000 students were killed and encouraged survivors with tears in his eyes.
Despite such circumstances, the school was not included in the list of designated "ruins." A police box was built in front of the school site where rubble is piled up. Signs of "no photography allowed" are posted here and there. In the last three years, many lawyers who supported parents who lost their children were arrested.
In mid-April, as I was walking around the "ruins," I came across an entourage of high-ranking officials of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party's Central Committee. I was told they were visiting the stricken area to make a preliminary inspection for a memorial service to be held May 12 with the attendance of Premier Wen. About half an hour later, their motorcade of 15 cars left the area without stopping at the site where the school once stood.
* * *
Nobuyoshi Sakajiri is the chief of The Asahi Shimbun's China General Bureau in Beijing.
12/05 EDITORIAL: TEPCO compensation talks should include industry reforms
2011/05/12
Debate within the government over measures to compensate for damage caused by the accident at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has entered the final phase. But we find the reported contents hard to understand in many ways.
At a time when the entire picture of damage remains unclear, the government is only focusing on how to adjust the interests of concerned parties such as whether to set a cap on the burden borne by Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant.
While the government is demanding TEPCO implement strict restructuring measures, it appears the discussion is based on the major premise that it would continue to operate as a listed company.
We repeat that the most important thing the government must hasten to do in studying compensation measures is to ensure that payments are promptly and adequately made to sufferers, and power supply to areas covered by TEPCO is not disrupted.
The purpose is not to "protect" TEPCO. Compensation payments and and power supply can be realized even if the company cannot maintain its current form. If the government clarifies its engagement "to require TEPCO to firmly make payments," there is much room to come up with ideas.
To begin with, the TEPCO problem is inseparable with Japan's electricity and energy policy. It should be debated within a much larger picture.
Is it right to sit back and do nothing to change the electric power industry, which has maintained strong ties with politics and the administration while being protected by regional monopolies? Will Japan continue nuclear power generation in the future? If so, should it leave individual power companies to continue to operate nuclear power plants as they have been doing up to now? Or should they be separated?
Is it not possible to use funds invested in the nuclear fuel cycle project to reuse used nuclear fuel?
By sorting out these points and coming up with a direction, we should be able to determine TEPCO's ability to shoulder the burden in concrete terms. How much can it afford to pay with proceeds from its business and sales of its assets? A decision must be made based on concrete grounds.
In the process, naturally, the responsibility of shareholders will also be questioned. Financial institutions will also be required to "shoulder a burden" in some form for their financial claims in general against TEPCO, excluding emergency loans after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Still, if payments cannot be met in the end, the public may be required to pick up the tab through an increase in electricity charges. Also for that matter, a careful procedure is needed.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan gave a news conference May 10 to announce plans to put the government's basic energy policy back on the drawing board and emphasize the development of natural energy sources. The way electric power supply is left to 10 companies should also be re-examined in the course of discussion.
Repeated attempts to reform the electric power supply system have failed. The unprecedented crisis this time is a chance to implement drastic reforms.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 11
Debate within the government over measures to compensate for damage caused by the accident at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has entered the final phase. But we find the reported contents hard to understand in many ways.
At a time when the entire picture of damage remains unclear, the government is only focusing on how to adjust the interests of concerned parties such as whether to set a cap on the burden borne by Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant.
While the government is demanding TEPCO implement strict restructuring measures, it appears the discussion is based on the major premise that it would continue to operate as a listed company.
We repeat that the most important thing the government must hasten to do in studying compensation measures is to ensure that payments are promptly and adequately made to sufferers, and power supply to areas covered by TEPCO is not disrupted.
The purpose is not to "protect" TEPCO. Compensation payments and and power supply can be realized even if the company cannot maintain its current form. If the government clarifies its engagement "to require TEPCO to firmly make payments," there is much room to come up with ideas.
To begin with, the TEPCO problem is inseparable with Japan's electricity and energy policy. It should be debated within a much larger picture.
Is it right to sit back and do nothing to change the electric power industry, which has maintained strong ties with politics and the administration while being protected by regional monopolies? Will Japan continue nuclear power generation in the future? If so, should it leave individual power companies to continue to operate nuclear power plants as they have been doing up to now? Or should they be separated?
Is it not possible to use funds invested in the nuclear fuel cycle project to reuse used nuclear fuel?
By sorting out these points and coming up with a direction, we should be able to determine TEPCO's ability to shoulder the burden in concrete terms. How much can it afford to pay with proceeds from its business and sales of its assets? A decision must be made based on concrete grounds.
In the process, naturally, the responsibility of shareholders will also be questioned. Financial institutions will also be required to "shoulder a burden" in some form for their financial claims in general against TEPCO, excluding emergency loans after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Still, if payments cannot be met in the end, the public may be required to pick up the tab through an increase in electricity charges. Also for that matter, a careful procedure is needed.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan gave a news conference May 10 to announce plans to put the government's basic energy policy back on the drawing board and emphasize the development of natural energy sources. The way electric power supply is left to 10 companies should also be re-examined in the course of discussion.
Repeated attempts to reform the electric power supply system have failed. The unprecedented crisis this time is a chance to implement drastic reforms.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 11
12/05 VOX POPULI: Are nuclear plants in Japan standing on tofu?
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun.
2011/05/12
The bonnet bus I often rode as a child had directional indicators that stuck out horizontally. To this day, I remember the slogan on the driver's seat apparently because it left a deep impression on my young mind. It went: "Don't fend off with the handle. Stop first."
It may be unreasonable to compare an old-fashioned bus with nuclear power plants but I believe the slogan remains an unchanging truth as a basic action to ensure safety. Chubu Electric Power Co. agreed to Prime Minister Naoto Kan's request to shut down the reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture. The plant, which sits on the assumed epicenter area of a potential Tokai earthquake, is said to be "the world's most dangerous." I wish to support the bold decision of politics and the private sector.
Responsibility for nuclear power plants does not stop at the domestic level. Referring to nuclear tests that disperse radioactive substances, a scientist once said, "No one ever thought it was possible to contaminate the whole world from a single point on earth," according to the book "Watashitachi wa Koshite 'Genpatsu Taikoku' o Eranda" (This is how we chose to be 'a major country of nuclear power plants') by Toru Takeda.
After the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the former Soviet Union, radioactive iodine was observed in extensive areas across Japan. A catastrophic accident at a nuclear power plant could induce a similar situation. The determination not to make Hamaoka internationally infamous is also a message to the world without regard to profits.
If I remember correctly, there is a rakugo story about a person who buys a turtle at a night stall because the vendor said it would live 10,000 years. But the turtle dies right away and the buyer complains to the vendor only to hear the reply: "Today happened to be its 10,000th birthday."
Experts estimate the probability for a major Tokai earthquake to strike within the next 30 years at 87 percent. But the probability that it may strike today is no laughing matter.
Nuclear power plants in earthquake-prone Japan are said to be standing on "tofu." We need courage to also shut down other plants if necessary. Humans do not live by business and economy alone. This is what Fukushima's suffering is telling us.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 11
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
2011/05/12
The bonnet bus I often rode as a child had directional indicators that stuck out horizontally. To this day, I remember the slogan on the driver's seat apparently because it left a deep impression on my young mind. It went: "Don't fend off with the handle. Stop first."
It may be unreasonable to compare an old-fashioned bus with nuclear power plants but I believe the slogan remains an unchanging truth as a basic action to ensure safety. Chubu Electric Power Co. agreed to Prime Minister Naoto Kan's request to shut down the reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture. The plant, which sits on the assumed epicenter area of a potential Tokai earthquake, is said to be "the world's most dangerous." I wish to support the bold decision of politics and the private sector.
Responsibility for nuclear power plants does not stop at the domestic level. Referring to nuclear tests that disperse radioactive substances, a scientist once said, "No one ever thought it was possible to contaminate the whole world from a single point on earth," according to the book "Watashitachi wa Koshite 'Genpatsu Taikoku' o Eranda" (This is how we chose to be 'a major country of nuclear power plants') by Toru Takeda.
After the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the former Soviet Union, radioactive iodine was observed in extensive areas across Japan. A catastrophic accident at a nuclear power plant could induce a similar situation. The determination not to make Hamaoka internationally infamous is also a message to the world without regard to profits.
If I remember correctly, there is a rakugo story about a person who buys a turtle at a night stall because the vendor said it would live 10,000 years. But the turtle dies right away and the buyer complains to the vendor only to hear the reply: "Today happened to be its 10,000th birthday."
Experts estimate the probability for a major Tokai earthquake to strike within the next 30 years at 87 percent. But the probability that it may strike today is no laughing matter.
Nuclear power plants in earthquake-prone Japan are said to be standing on "tofu." We need courage to also shut down other plants if necessary. Humans do not live by business and economy alone. This is what Fukushima's suffering is telling us.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 11
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
11/05 EDITORIAL: Tsunami not the only safety concern for Hamaoka plant
2011/05/11
Chubu Electric Power Co. decided on May 9 to halt, for the time being, operations of all reactors at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant, which is located right above what seismologists say will be the focus of an expected Tokai earthquake.
The company made the decision in an emergency board meeting in response to Prime Minister Naoto Kan's unusual request for the action.
The March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake has triggered a disastrous accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co., shattering the myth of the safety of nuclear power generation.
There is clearly a compelling case for shutting down the nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, which is considered the most dangerous in Japan, and taking fresh measures to bolster the safety of the plant.
One troubling element in the move is that the suspension of reactor operations requested by Kan is limited to the period until medium- to long-term safety measures, like the construction of levees, have been implemented at the plant.
This raises the question of whether the plant is strong enough to withstand the violent shaking of the ground caused by powerful seismic waves in the first place.
The medium- to long-term safety measures have been called for by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency in light of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant. They are aimed at enhancing defenses against massive tsunami and potential losses of power sources.
Besides building levees, Chubu Electric says that it will also install watertight doors, a backup reactor cooling system and additional power sources for emergencies.
But the blueprint doesn't contain measures for checking and enhancing the safety of the plant against quakes themselves.
The principal concern about the Hamaoka plant has been whether it can withstand the force of the expected Tokai earthquake, a mega-quake that occurs at the boundaries of tectonic plates.
In response to the concern, Chubu Electric announced in 2005 plans to strengthen the quake resistance of the plant. Other electric power companies have followed suit.
But NISA's assessment of the quake resistance of the Hamaoka plant based on the new quake safety standards adopted in 2006 is not yet over.
The assessment has been delayed by the safety implications of some recent seismic events, including the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu-oki Earthquake, which shook the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture with a far stronger intensity than TEPCO had expected.
It is also necessary to glean lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Regarding the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, attention has been focused on the height of the tsunami that struck the facilities.
But it is possible that the piping of the reactors might have been seriously damaged by the intense shaking before the tsunami hit.
The March 11 earthquake was marked not just by its strong peak ground acceleration but also by the unusual length of the shaking.
What is crucial in taking safety precautions is not to focus too much on a single aspect.
The Fukushima No. 1 plant suffered unexpectedly serious damage from a tsunami, a factor that had not been given much attention in preparations for a natural disaster.
But it would be foolish to go to the opposite extreme and concentrate only on the danger of tsunami in taking precautionary measures to make the Hamaoka plant safer.
Let us not forget the destructive force of the shaking of a mammoth quake.
New important discoveries have been made almost annually about the mechanisms and risks of earthquakes that occur in areas surrounding the Japanese archipelago.
Such new knowledge should be used for the sake of making more informed decisions on whether to keep or stop operating specific reactors.
A greater dose of flexibility is needed for the government's nuclear power policy.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 10
Chubu Electric Power Co. decided on May 9 to halt, for the time being, operations of all reactors at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant, which is located right above what seismologists say will be the focus of an expected Tokai earthquake.
The company made the decision in an emergency board meeting in response to Prime Minister Naoto Kan's unusual request for the action.
The March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake has triggered a disastrous accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co., shattering the myth of the safety of nuclear power generation.
There is clearly a compelling case for shutting down the nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, which is considered the most dangerous in Japan, and taking fresh measures to bolster the safety of the plant.
One troubling element in the move is that the suspension of reactor operations requested by Kan is limited to the period until medium- to long-term safety measures, like the construction of levees, have been implemented at the plant.
This raises the question of whether the plant is strong enough to withstand the violent shaking of the ground caused by powerful seismic waves in the first place.
The medium- to long-term safety measures have been called for by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency in light of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant. They are aimed at enhancing defenses against massive tsunami and potential losses of power sources.
Besides building levees, Chubu Electric says that it will also install watertight doors, a backup reactor cooling system and additional power sources for emergencies.
But the blueprint doesn't contain measures for checking and enhancing the safety of the plant against quakes themselves.
The principal concern about the Hamaoka plant has been whether it can withstand the force of the expected Tokai earthquake, a mega-quake that occurs at the boundaries of tectonic plates.
In response to the concern, Chubu Electric announced in 2005 plans to strengthen the quake resistance of the plant. Other electric power companies have followed suit.
But NISA's assessment of the quake resistance of the Hamaoka plant based on the new quake safety standards adopted in 2006 is not yet over.
The assessment has been delayed by the safety implications of some recent seismic events, including the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu-oki Earthquake, which shook the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture with a far stronger intensity than TEPCO had expected.
It is also necessary to glean lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Regarding the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, attention has been focused on the height of the tsunami that struck the facilities.
But it is possible that the piping of the reactors might have been seriously damaged by the intense shaking before the tsunami hit.
The March 11 earthquake was marked not just by its strong peak ground acceleration but also by the unusual length of the shaking.
What is crucial in taking safety precautions is not to focus too much on a single aspect.
The Fukushima No. 1 plant suffered unexpectedly serious damage from a tsunami, a factor that had not been given much attention in preparations for a natural disaster.
But it would be foolish to go to the opposite extreme and concentrate only on the danger of tsunami in taking precautionary measures to make the Hamaoka plant safer.
Let us not forget the destructive force of the shaking of a mammoth quake.
New important discoveries have been made almost annually about the mechanisms and risks of earthquakes that occur in areas surrounding the Japanese archipelago.
Such new knowledge should be used for the sake of making more informed decisions on whether to keep or stop operating specific reactors.
A greater dose of flexibility is needed for the government's nuclear power policy.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 10
11/05 VOX POPULI: Beef restaurants and journalists must be sure of their sources
2011/05/11
Many comic plots revolve around mix-ups. A stock example might be a shabby company president looking uncomfortable in his business suit and a fat, dignified-looking aide. Wherever they go, people mistake one for the other. Ridiculous situations develop.
I didn't intend to raise a laugh in my column on May 7, but I did mix up the characters of the famous novel "Botchan" by Natsume Soseki (1867-1916).
In a scene in which the protagonist, Botchan, and his colleague Yama-arashi eat sukiyaki together, I attributed the line "Hey, that meat isn't done yet. You're going to get tapeworm from that" to Yama-arashi and the reply "It's probably going to be all right" to Botchan. It should have been the other way round.
Since reading the book as a boy, I had always thought it was Yama-arashi who had cautioned Botchan. I went back to the novel before I quoted the lines, but never doubted that attribution. Predictably, since I was quoting such a famous novel, many readers pointed out my mistake after it was published. I wish to thank them and to apologize for my blunder.
That column was about food poisoning at a chain of yakiniku barbecue restaurants. What of the truth of that incident? While the wholesaler of the tainted beef claims it was meant for cooking, the restaurant operator says it was meant to be served as "yukhoe" raw beef.
Was this also a mix-up? The more we learn about this food poisoning case, the more the ambiguities of the beef distribution system become apparent.
According to reports, shipments of beef clearly specified as being for raw consumption have been close to nonexistent for several years, but yukhoe is served at restaurants across Japan. The dish can be served as long as restaurants properly prepare it in accordance with health standards set by the health ministry. Few customers appear to have understood this situation.
In the old days when Japan was westernizing, beef was a symbol of cultural enlightenment. Back then, people must have timidly nibbled on the delicacy. Now, yakiniku is a popular dish nationwide. While I am ashamed of my absent-minded mistake, I wish to once again stress the need for thorough safety measures.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 10
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Many comic plots revolve around mix-ups. A stock example might be a shabby company president looking uncomfortable in his business suit and a fat, dignified-looking aide. Wherever they go, people mistake one for the other. Ridiculous situations develop.
I didn't intend to raise a laugh in my column on May 7, but I did mix up the characters of the famous novel "Botchan" by Natsume Soseki (1867-1916).
In a scene in which the protagonist, Botchan, and his colleague Yama-arashi eat sukiyaki together, I attributed the line "Hey, that meat isn't done yet. You're going to get tapeworm from that" to Yama-arashi and the reply "It's probably going to be all right" to Botchan. It should have been the other way round.
Since reading the book as a boy, I had always thought it was Yama-arashi who had cautioned Botchan. I went back to the novel before I quoted the lines, but never doubted that attribution. Predictably, since I was quoting such a famous novel, many readers pointed out my mistake after it was published. I wish to thank them and to apologize for my blunder.
That column was about food poisoning at a chain of yakiniku barbecue restaurants. What of the truth of that incident? While the wholesaler of the tainted beef claims it was meant for cooking, the restaurant operator says it was meant to be served as "yukhoe" raw beef.
Was this also a mix-up? The more we learn about this food poisoning case, the more the ambiguities of the beef distribution system become apparent.
According to reports, shipments of beef clearly specified as being for raw consumption have been close to nonexistent for several years, but yukhoe is served at restaurants across Japan. The dish can be served as long as restaurants properly prepare it in accordance with health standards set by the health ministry. Few customers appear to have understood this situation.
In the old days when Japan was westernizing, beef was a symbol of cultural enlightenment. Back then, people must have timidly nibbled on the delicacy. Now, yakiniku is a popular dish nationwide. While I am ashamed of my absent-minded mistake, I wish to once again stress the need for thorough safety measures.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 10
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
21/05 Analysts dispute TEPCO's estimate of height of tsunami
Experts are questioning whether the tsunami that hit the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant was as high as the plant's operator says.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) says the tsunami was a towering 14-15 meters high when it hit the plant, but some analysts are pointing out that the figure is well in excess of other measurements in the vicinity.
If the wave is found to have been smaller, it would be much harder for TEPCO to argue that it had been hit by an unforeseeable calamity and would severely weaken the company's case in trying to limit its compensation liabilities.
TEPCO released on May 19 new photos of the tsunami hitting the Fukushima No. 1 plant and said a survey of sea-facing walls at the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 reactors demonstrated that water had reached 4-5 meters above ground level and 14-15 meters above sea level.
That 14-15 meter figure is much higher than the 5.7 meter tsunami height envisaged in the plant's original design, and TEPCO has been emphasizing the "unanticipated" scale of the March 11 event.
"It was nearly three times as large as (the design anticipated)," said Sakae Muto, an executive vice president at TEPCO.
The company has asked for alleviation of its compensation liabilities in the light of the unusual size of the wave.
In a letter to the government-appointed panel overseeing the Fukushima compensation issue on April 25, TEPCO said: "Given that the tsunami was so large that it reached a height of 14-15 meters, there is good room for an interpretation that it amounted to an 'extremely large-scale act of God.' "
The utility is arguing that the law on compensation for nuclear accidents gives it immunity from compensation liability in such a case.
Some experts agree with TEPCO's estimates. Yuichiro Tanioka, professor of seismology at Hokkaido University, said evidence that tanks at the facility had been submerged by the water backed up the firm's analysis.
"The tsunami height was also probably around 15 meters along the seashore," he said.
But Fumihiko Imamura, professor of tsunami engineering at Tohoku University, pointed out that the photos released by TEPCO appeared to show that the tsunami was only slightly higher than a 10-meter-high levee.
"The tsunami height was probably around 10 meters along the coastline," he said.
Imamura stressed that the height of a tsunami after it hits land can exceed its height along the coastline.
"The countermeasures should distinguish between the two heights," he said.
Yasuhiro Suzuki, professor of geomorphology at Nagoya University, analyzed satellite photos with his coworkers.
They only found traces of water reaching a height of about 10 meters on a gently sloping road several hundred meters from the reactor buildings.
"The sustained depth of water in the buildings was probably a maximum of around 10 meters," Suzuki said.
He said images that appear to show that water had reached up to 15 meters in areas of the plant may be misleading. "These are probably waves that ran up locally after clashing against buildings," he said.
Tomoya Shibayama, professor of coastal engineering at Waseda University, said the water seen in the images appeared to be moving with some speed. He thinks the photos represent the height of the water as it inundated the plant, rather than waves rebounding off walls.
Meanwhile, the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami Joint Survey Group, an association of scientists, said the height of the tsunami was less than 10 meters in the Fukushima Prefecture area.
The scale of a tsunami can be amplified in a particular location by coastal topography, but Imamura said, "There appears to be no particular reason for the tsunami to be amplified just there."
There is no doubt that the tsunami on March 11 exceeded the scale anticipated by the designers of the Fukushima plant. But, with the continuing crisis at the Fukushima plant making access to the coastline difficult for scientists, the issue still being debated is what size of wave the Fukushima plant might have survived without the breakdown seen on March 11.
Tidal gauges installed near the coastline have not produced accurate data. More precise conclusions on the height of the wave will require detailed on-site investigations.
(This article was written by Eisuke Sasaki, Shigeko Segawa and Tsuyoshi Nagano.)
21/05 VOX POPULI: Yearning for comfort of family life in dark post-disaster days
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun.
2011/05/21
We obviously don't want to be alone when we are lost in the mountains, but that's not the only occasion when we feel very alone.
Roaming the streets of Tokyo the other night, darkened to conserve power, it hit me that we humans are animals that crave company.
Many people were thumbing their mobile phones, apparently for the comfort of being connected with someone anytime, anywhere.
Something of a "marriage boom" is said to have been triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Reportedly, the number of people signing up with marriage arrangement agencies or requesting brochures has spiked lately, even though the agencies have been advertising less than before the quake.
Also, many people are said to be leaving these agencies after finding marriage partners.
Media reports say it's mostly women who are taking the initiative to seek permanent partners.
Living alone in fear of aftershocks, outages and radiation must be trying even on people who are used to the loneliness of life in the big cities.
On the night of the quake, they walked for hours to get home, where there was nobody waiting for them.
I am not surprised that they have come to yearn for the sort of contentment that comes from the easy intimacy of family life.
A well-known piano tuner once wrote, "Rocking and shaking won't really affect pianos, but fluctuations in temperatures and humidity will mess them up immediately."
I guess we are like pianos. Tremors we can somehow live with, but we feel deep unease over society's changed atmosphere since the March 11 disaster.
Each of us seems to be searching for a private "tuner" who can fix the problem.
In the United States, mini-baby booms are invariably reported after massive blackouts, catastrophes and terrorist attacks.
I can't vouch for the accuracy of those reports, but I suppose any harrowing event makes people yearn for the warmth of human intimacy.
Singles become determined to find prospective spouses, dating couples decide to get married, and young married people ... well, they make babies.
When society is bleak and people's nerves are frayed, they apparently seek shelter in the comfort of family life.
More than 10,000 lives were lost instantaneously in spring 2011.
The current marriage boom in this period of national mourning comes across to me like an attempt to make up for the lives lost.
It may be an exaggeration to say that the human instinct for self-perpetuation of the species has kicked in.
But I welcome this phenomenon anyway if the curse of March will become a blessing and help fix our country's low birthrate problem.
Our country is not going to die away.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 20
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
2011/05/21
We obviously don't want to be alone when we are lost in the mountains, but that's not the only occasion when we feel very alone.
Roaming the streets of Tokyo the other night, darkened to conserve power, it hit me that we humans are animals that crave company.
Many people were thumbing their mobile phones, apparently for the comfort of being connected with someone anytime, anywhere.
Something of a "marriage boom" is said to have been triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Reportedly, the number of people signing up with marriage arrangement agencies or requesting brochures has spiked lately, even though the agencies have been advertising less than before the quake.
Also, many people are said to be leaving these agencies after finding marriage partners.
Media reports say it's mostly women who are taking the initiative to seek permanent partners.
Living alone in fear of aftershocks, outages and radiation must be trying even on people who are used to the loneliness of life in the big cities.
On the night of the quake, they walked for hours to get home, where there was nobody waiting for them.
I am not surprised that they have come to yearn for the sort of contentment that comes from the easy intimacy of family life.
A well-known piano tuner once wrote, "Rocking and shaking won't really affect pianos, but fluctuations in temperatures and humidity will mess them up immediately."
I guess we are like pianos. Tremors we can somehow live with, but we feel deep unease over society's changed atmosphere since the March 11 disaster.
Each of us seems to be searching for a private "tuner" who can fix the problem.
In the United States, mini-baby booms are invariably reported after massive blackouts, catastrophes and terrorist attacks.
I can't vouch for the accuracy of those reports, but I suppose any harrowing event makes people yearn for the warmth of human intimacy.
Singles become determined to find prospective spouses, dating couples decide to get married, and young married people ... well, they make babies.
When society is bleak and people's nerves are frayed, they apparently seek shelter in the comfort of family life.
More than 10,000 lives were lost instantaneously in spring 2011.
The current marriage boom in this period of national mourning comes across to me like an attempt to make up for the lives lost.
It may be an exaggeration to say that the human instinct for self-perpetuation of the species has kicked in.
But I welcome this phenomenon anyway if the curse of March will become a blessing and help fix our country's low birthrate problem.
Our country is not going to die away.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 20
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
20/05 福井知事、原発の再稼働認めず「県民の安全が優先」
2011年5月20日15時2分
福井県の西川一誠知事は２０日、朝日新聞の単独インタビューに応じ、定期検査などで停止中の県内の原子力発電所の再稼働について「夏場の電力不足も想定されるが、県民の安全性の確保を優先する」と述べ、関西などにおける電力需給を考慮しても現時点で再稼働は認めない姿勢を示した。
菅直人首相はすでに安全が確認されているとして各地の原発の再稼働を認める方針を示しているが、西川知事は「国が示した緊急安全対策は津波対策に偏っている。地震の揺れの影響が検証されていない」とし、県の要請を反映した暫定的な安全基準を国が設けることを再稼働の条件に挙げた。
福井県内は、関西電力の１１基と日本原子力発電の２基という国内最多の商業用原発が立地し、関西の消費電力の５５％を供給する。６基が検査のため停止し、７月にはさらに２基が定期検査に入る見通しで、福井県の対応が注目されている。
西川知事はさらにインタビューで、福島第一原発の１～６号機がいずれも運転開始から３０年を超えていたと指摘し、「原発を動かしたいなら、国は高経年化（老朽化）原発の安全基準を示すべきだ」と述べた。福井県内では８基の原発が３０年以上経過している。（足立耕作、笹川翔平）
福井県の西川一誠知事は２０日、朝日新聞の単独インタビューに応じ、定期検査などで停止中の県内の原子力発電所の再稼働について「夏場の電力不足も想定されるが、県民の安全性の確保を優先する」と述べ、関西などにおける電力需給を考慮しても現時点で再稼働は認めない姿勢を示した。
菅直人首相はすでに安全が確認されているとして各地の原発の再稼働を認める方針を示しているが、西川知事は「国が示した緊急安全対策は津波対策に偏っている。地震の揺れの影響が検証されていない」とし、県の要請を反映した暫定的な安全基準を国が設けることを再稼働の条件に挙げた。
福井県内は、関西電力の１１基と日本原子力発電の２基という国内最多の商業用原発が立地し、関西の消費電力の５５％を供給する。６基が検査のため停止し、７月にはさらに２基が定期検査に入る見通しで、福井県の対応が注目されている。
西川知事はさらにインタビューで、福島第一原発の１～６号機がいずれも運転開始から３０年を超えていたと指摘し、「原発を動かしたいなら、国は高経年化（老朽化）原発の安全基準を示すべきだ」と述べた。福井県内では８基の原発が３０年以上経過している。（足立耕作、笹川翔平）
19/05 押し流されるタンク鮮明 第一原発、津波襲来の様子公開
東京電力は１９日、３月１１日に発生した東日本大震災直後の大津波に福島第一原発が襲われた写真を公開した。津波で防波堤が崩れている様子のほか、波が発電所内を襲い、重油タンクが押し流されている様子が鮮明に写っている。集中廃棄物処理建屋やタンクなどが水没した写真もある
20/05 東北電、女川原発に３メートルの防潮堤 安全対策発表
2011年5月18日20時19分
東京電力福島第一原発の事故を受けて、東北電力は１８日、女川原発（宮城県石巻市、女川町）の周囲に高さ３メートル（海面から１７メートル）の防潮堤を設けるなどの安全対策を発表した。原発を囲むように約８００メートルにわたり建設し、来年４月の完成を目指す。
東日本大震災を受けて、経済産業省原子力安全・保安院が電力各社に安全対策の検討を求めていた。
東北電によると、女川原発は約１３メートルの津波に襲われたが、海面から１４．８メートルのところに建設されていた主要施設は大きな被害を免れた。しかし、地震で敷地が１メートルほど沈んでおり、敷地から高さ３メートルの防潮堤を新たに設けて浸水を防ぐことにした。
また、原子炉の冷却機器などを動かす電源装置を高台に設置したり、原子炉建屋に水が入らないよう扉を密閉したりするという。（福島慎吾）
東京電力福島第一原発の事故を受けて、東北電力は１８日、女川原発（宮城県石巻市、女川町）の周囲に高さ３メートル（海面から１７メートル）の防潮堤を設けるなどの安全対策を発表した。原発を囲むように約８００メートルにわたり建設し、来年４月の完成を目指す。
東日本大震災を受けて、経済産業省原子力安全・保安院が電力各社に安全対策の検討を求めていた。
東北電によると、女川原発は約１３メートルの津波に襲われたが、海面から１４．８メートルのところに建設されていた主要施設は大きな被害を免れた。しかし、地震で敷地が１メートルほど沈んでおり、敷地から高さ３メートルの防潮堤を新たに設けて浸水を防ぐことにした。
また、原子炉の冷却機器などを動かす電源装置を高台に設置したり、原子炉建屋に水が入らないよう扉を密閉したりするという。（福島慎吾）
18/05 津波６時間後には放射能漏れ １号機、水素爆発の兆候か
東日本大震災で被災した東京電力福島第一原子力発電所１号機で、津波が到達した６時間余り後には、原子炉建屋内に放射性物質が漏れ出ていたことが東電の公表資料でわかった。建屋内側の格納容器が損傷し、水素も一緒に漏れ出ていた可能性が高い。１号機では格納容器内の排気（ベント）が遅れ、翌１２日の実施後まもなく水素爆発が起きたが、ベントが早ければ爆発を防げた可能性もあり、東電の対応が検証課題になりそうだ。
１号機へは３月１１日午後３時半ごろ津波が到達。東電が１６日に公表した１号機中央制御室の資料によると、午後９時５１分、原子炉建屋で放射線が検出されて立ち入りが禁じられた。
検出量は１０秒間で０．８ミリシーベルト。毎時に換算して約２９０ミリシーベルト。今回の事故で認められた作業員の被曝（ひばく）限度（２５０ミリシーベルト）に１時間弱で達する高い値だ。
東電の解析では、この時点では圧力容器内の燃料が空だきになり、大量の水素ガスが発生、外側の格納容器に放射性物質とともに漏れていたとみられている。格納容器では、容器の壁を貫く配管や電線などが高温、高圧の蒸気にさらされて貫通部にすき間が生じていた可能性がある。
明治大学の勝田忠広准教授（原子力工学）は「１号機のような『マーク１（ワン）』と呼ばれるタイプの原子炉の格納容器は、圧力容器との間の容積が小さく、事故でガスが出ると圧力が高まりやすい。高温、高圧のガスで配管の貫通部にすき間が生じ、漏れ出た可能性が高い」と指摘。東電の担当者も「圧力容器の圧力はすでに高まっており、（圧力容器から）核生成物を含んだ蒸気や水素が格納容器と原子炉建屋へ漏れ出していると考えられる」と認める。
１号機で水素爆発が起きた結果、大量の放射性物質が放出されただけでなく、衝撃で機器や配管が損傷し、高濃度の汚染水が漏れ出て建屋内外を汚染し、その後の復旧の大きな壁になっている。
勝田准教授は「東電は早い段階で水素爆発を予想して対応すべきだった」と話している。（小堀龍之、杉本崇）
18/05 ２号機原子炉建屋に作業員入る 復旧作業の可否確認
2011年5月18日13時10分
東日本大震災で被災した東京電力福島第一原発２号機で１８日午前、作業員が原子炉建屋内に入り、中で復旧作業ができるかどうかを確認した。圧力抑制室での爆発事故後、２号機で原子炉建屋に作業員が入るのは初めて。
建屋内は核燃料プールから出ているとみられる蒸気が立ちこめ、作業の妨げになっている。東電は今後、プールに循環型冷却装置を取り付けて燃料を冷やし、建屋内の蒸気を減らす計画だ。
この日は空気ボンベをかつぎ、マスク、雨がっぱ、防護服姿の作業員４人が建物の中で放射線量を測った。２号機の建屋には４月１８日にロボットが入ったが、湿度が９０％を超え、監視用カメラが曇って奥に進めなかった。その際、入り口付近で毎時４・１ミリシーベルトだった。
冷却装置は空冷と水冷の混合タイプで、設置工事の準備を進めている。経済産業省原子力安全・保安院の許可が得られれば、今週中にも設置にとりかかるという。（坪谷英紀、杉本崇）
東日本大震災で被災した東京電力福島第一原発２号機で１８日午前、作業員が原子炉建屋内に入り、中で復旧作業ができるかどうかを確認した。圧力抑制室での爆発事故後、２号機で原子炉建屋に作業員が入るのは初めて。
建屋内は核燃料プールから出ているとみられる蒸気が立ちこめ、作業の妨げになっている。東電は今後、プールに循環型冷却装置を取り付けて燃料を冷やし、建屋内の蒸気を減らす計画だ。
この日は空気ボンベをかつぎ、マスク、雨がっぱ、防護服姿の作業員４人が建物の中で放射線量を測った。２号機の建屋には４月１８日にロボットが入ったが、湿度が９０％を超え、監視用カメラが曇って奥に進めなかった。その際、入り口付近で毎時４・１ミリシーベルトだった。
冷却装置は空冷と水冷の混合タイプで、設置工事の準備を進めている。経済産業省原子力安全・保安院の許可が得られれば、今週中にも設置にとりかかるという。（坪谷英紀、杉本崇）
18/05 低濃度汚染水の放出「米から要請」 平田オリザ参与
2011年5月18日10時52分
内閣官房参与で劇作家の平田オリザ氏は１７日夜、ソウル市内で講演し、福島第一原発事故で東京電力が比較的低濃度の放射能汚染水を海に放出したことについて、「米政府からの強い要請で（海に）流れた」と述べた。放出は東電からの報告を受けて菅政権が容認したとされていた。
平田氏は韓国の日韓問題関係者らを前に「震災と日本再生」と題して講演し、風評被害の防止や日本への観光を呼びかけた。質問に答える形で「汚染水の処理問題では韓国の方々にも大変な迷惑をかけた。流された水は非常に低濃度で量も少ない」などと語った上で、米政府の要請を受けたものだったと釈明した。
韓国では隣国にもかかわらず、事前通告なしに放出されたとして強い懸念が出ており、この日の講演会でも日本政府の姿勢を問う質問が出た。（ソウル＝箱田哲也）
内閣官房参与で劇作家の平田オリザ氏は１７日夜、ソウル市内で講演し、福島第一原発事故で東京電力が比較的低濃度の放射能汚染水を海に放出したことについて、「米政府からの強い要請で（海に）流れた」と述べた。放出は東電からの報告を受けて菅政権が容認したとされていた。
平田氏は韓国の日韓問題関係者らを前に「震災と日本再生」と題して講演し、風評被害の防止や日本への観光を呼びかけた。質問に答える形で「汚染水の処理問題では韓国の方々にも大変な迷惑をかけた。流された水は非常に低濃度で量も少ない」などと語った上で、米政府の要請を受けたものだったと釈明した。
韓国では隣国にもかかわらず、事前通告なしに放出されたとして強い懸念が出ており、この日の講演会でも日本政府の姿勢を問う質問が出た。（ソウル＝箱田哲也）
18/05 放射能放出、ＷＨＯ総会で「おわび」 大塚厚労副大臣
2011年5月18日10時4分
厚生労働省の大塚耕平副大臣は１７日、ジュネーブでの世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）総会に出席し、福島第一原発事故による放射能放出について「国際社会の一員としておわび申し上げます」と謝罪した。周辺住民の健康調査を長期的に行う方針も示した。
大塚氏は総会後、「放出は事実であり、おわびする以外ありえないと考えた」と記者団に説明。一部の加盟国からは「もはや（この事故は）日本だけの責任ではない」と言葉をかけられたといい、「日本の姿勢は、肯定的に受け入れられたと思う」としている。
会合では原発を持たないギリシャが「多大な被害にあった国が、まだ原発を持つのか」と質問。大塚氏は「原子力政策をどうするのか慎重かつ真剣に検討している最中。世界共通の課題だと思う」と答えた。
また、その後開かれた日本の地震と放射能がテーマの会合でも、被害の現状を説明。住民の健康調査に関する情報は各国と共有したいと強調した。（ジュネーブ＝前川浩之）
厚生労働省の大塚耕平副大臣は１７日、ジュネーブでの世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）総会に出席し、福島第一原発事故による放射能放出について「国際社会の一員としておわび申し上げます」と謝罪した。周辺住民の健康調査を長期的に行う方針も示した。
大塚氏は総会後、「放出は事実であり、おわびする以外ありえないと考えた」と記者団に説明。一部の加盟国からは「もはや（この事故は）日本だけの責任ではない」と言葉をかけられたといい、「日本の姿勢は、肯定的に受け入れられたと思う」としている。
会合では原発を持たないギリシャが「多大な被害にあった国が、まだ原発を持つのか」と質問。大塚氏は「原子力政策をどうするのか慎重かつ真剣に検討している最中。世界共通の課題だと思う」と答えた。
また、その後開かれた日本の地震と放射能がテーマの会合でも、被害の現状を説明。住民の健康調査に関する情報は各国と共有したいと強調した。（ジュネーブ＝前川浩之）
18/05 日中韓の首脳、そろって福島へ ２１日、安全アピール
2011年5月18日9時20分
今週末に来日する中国の温家宝（ウェン・チアパオ）首相と韓国の李明博（イ・ミョンバク）大統領は、２１日に東日本大震災の被災者らを励ますため、東京電力福島第一原発事故が起きた福島県内の避難所を菅直人首相とともに訪れる方向で最終調整に入った。
３首脳がそろって同原発の地元に入ることで日本の「安全」を強調し、日本産品などへの風評被害に一致して取り組む姿勢をアピールする狙いもある。
１７日までの計画によると、温首相と李大統領は２１日に仙台空港に到着し、仙台市内などでそれぞれの予定をこなした後、一緒に福島県内の避難所を訪問。東京から菅首相も合流したい考えだ。夜は東京都内で夕食会に臨み、翌２２日に日中韓首脳会談を開く。
日本側から当初提案した福島市内での首脳会談開会式は見送られたが、避難所を訪ねる形で３首脳の福島訪問を実現させる。
今週末に来日する中国の温家宝（ウェン・チアパオ）首相と韓国の李明博（イ・ミョンバク）大統領は、２１日に東日本大震災の被災者らを励ますため、東京電力福島第一原発事故が起きた福島県内の避難所を菅直人首相とともに訪れる方向で最終調整に入った。
３首脳がそろって同原発の地元に入ることで日本の「安全」を強調し、日本産品などへの風評被害に一致して取り組む姿勢をアピールする狙いもある。
１７日までの計画によると、温首相と李大統領は２１日に仙台空港に到着し、仙台市内などでそれぞれの予定をこなした後、一緒に福島県内の避難所を訪問。東京から菅首相も合流したい考えだ。夜は東京都内で夕食会に臨み、翌２２日に日中韓首脳会談を開く。
日本側から当初提案した福島市内での首脳会談開会式は見送られたが、避難所を訪ねる形で３首脳の福島訪問を実現させる。
17/05 原発事故、ＩＡＥＡ調査団受け入れへ ２４日から
2011年5月17日21時2分
枝野幸男官房長官は１７日の記者会見で、東京電力福島第一原発事故をめぐり、国際原子力機関（ＩＡＥＡ）の調査団派遣を２４日から６月２日に受け入れると発表した。６月２０～２４日にウィーンで開かれるＩＡＥＡ閣僚級会議で、調査団による事故報告書が公表される見通しだ。
調査団は各国の原子力専門家ら約２０人からなり、日本側の関係機関と意見交換し、福島第一原発も視察する。枝野氏は「国際社会に対して最大限の透明性を確保することの一環だ。我が国の経験を各国と共有するため有意義なものとしたい」と語った。
調査団来日に合わせて日本側も細野豪志首相補佐官をトップとする「報告書作成チーム」を設置。６月上旬にも、調査団に先立ち内容を公表する。
枝野氏は原発事故を検証する有識者の第三者委員会を政権に発足させる考えも表明。年内にも中間報告をまとめる方向だ。
枝野幸男官房長官は１７日の記者会見で、東京電力福島第一原発事故をめぐり、国際原子力機関（ＩＡＥＡ）の調査団派遣を２４日から６月２日に受け入れると発表した。６月２０～２４日にウィーンで開かれるＩＡＥＡ閣僚級会議で、調査団による事故報告書が公表される見通しだ。
調査団は各国の原子力専門家ら約２０人からなり、日本側の関係機関と意見交換し、福島第一原発も視察する。枝野氏は「国際社会に対して最大限の透明性を確保することの一環だ。我が国の経験を各国と共有するため有意義なものとしたい」と語った。
調査団来日に合わせて日本側も細野豪志首相補佐官をトップとする「報告書作成チーム」を設置。６月上旬にも、調査団に先立ち内容を公表する。
枝野氏は原発事故を検証する有識者の第三者委員会を政権に発足させる考えも表明。年内にも中間報告をまとめる方向だ。
17/05 原発「５～８カ月で収束」目標は維持 東電が工程表改訂
2011年5月17日22時53分
東日本大震災で被災し爆発事故を起こした福島第一原子力発電所について、東京電力は１７日、１カ月前に示した事故の収束のための工程表の改訂版を示した。この間、新たに炉の損傷や冷却水の漏れが相次いで見つかったが、当初示した７月までに原子炉を安定的に冷やし、今後５～８カ月以内に事故を収束させるという目標は維持する。
新たに示した工程表で、原子炉を冷やすため、タービン建屋や原子炉建屋にたまった水を原子炉に戻し冷却に使う「循環注水冷却」という新たな方法を優先的に採り入れることにした。
工程表では、２カ月以内に安定的に原子炉を冷やす「ステップ１」で準備し、その後３～６カ月以内と想定する「ステップ２」で、原子炉の水を１００度未満にする冷温停止状態を達成する方針。東電は、装置の設置については早ければ６月にも完成できるという。
これまでは、格納容器を水で満たす冠水や、熱交換器の設置によって、原子炉を冷やすとしていた。
だが、１号機はメルトダウンを起こし、格納容器の破損で水をためられなくなったため、冠水の実施は難しいと判断。２、３号機も同じ状態になっている可能性があり、冠水措置は後回しにするか、冷温停止ができれば実施しない。
現在、１～４号機のタービン建屋には８万７５００トン、１号機の原子炉建屋には３千トンのたまり水がある。２、３号機の原子炉建屋にも水がたまっている可能性が高い。１～３号機は燃料を冷やすため、毎日５００トンの水をそれぞれの原子炉に入れ続けている。
汚染水は現在処理できずに、ためるほかなく増え続けている。循環注水冷却の採用で汚染水をこれ以上増やさないようにする。
汚染水は冷却用に使うほか、仏アレバ、米キュリオンが６月中に設置する放射能汚染処理施設を活用、年内にすべて処理する計画。
また、今回新たに地下水の汚染拡大防止策と余震対策を盛り込んだ。地下水が海に流出するのを防ぐために、海岸近くに地下水の遮蔽（しゃへい）壁を設ける。余震対策もステップ１で４号機の使用済み燃料プールの耐震補強工事を終え、ステップ２では新たに１～３号機の耐震補強工事も実施する。
菅政権の原子力災害対策本部も１７日、事故原因の検証を始めるとし、原発敷地外の放射線監視も工程表に盛り込んだ。（坪谷英紀）
東日本大震災で被災し爆発事故を起こした福島第一原子力発電所について、東京電力は１７日、１カ月前に示した事故の収束のための工程表の改訂版を示した。この間、新たに炉の損傷や冷却水の漏れが相次いで見つかったが、当初示した７月までに原子炉を安定的に冷やし、今後５～８カ月以内に事故を収束させるという目標は維持する。
新たに示した工程表で、原子炉を冷やすため、タービン建屋や原子炉建屋にたまった水を原子炉に戻し冷却に使う「循環注水冷却」という新たな方法を優先的に採り入れることにした。
工程表では、２カ月以内に安定的に原子炉を冷やす「ステップ１」で準備し、その後３～６カ月以内と想定する「ステップ２」で、原子炉の水を１００度未満にする冷温停止状態を達成する方針。東電は、装置の設置については早ければ６月にも完成できるという。
これまでは、格納容器を水で満たす冠水や、熱交換器の設置によって、原子炉を冷やすとしていた。
だが、１号機はメルトダウンを起こし、格納容器の破損で水をためられなくなったため、冠水の実施は難しいと判断。２、３号機も同じ状態になっている可能性があり、冠水措置は後回しにするか、冷温停止ができれば実施しない。
現在、１～４号機のタービン建屋には８万７５００トン、１号機の原子炉建屋には３千トンのたまり水がある。２、３号機の原子炉建屋にも水がたまっている可能性が高い。１～３号機は燃料を冷やすため、毎日５００トンの水をそれぞれの原子炉に入れ続けている。
汚染水は現在処理できずに、ためるほかなく増え続けている。循環注水冷却の採用で汚染水をこれ以上増やさないようにする。
汚染水は冷却用に使うほか、仏アレバ、米キュリオンが６月中に設置する放射能汚染処理施設を活用、年内にすべて処理する計画。
また、今回新たに地下水の汚染拡大防止策と余震対策を盛り込んだ。地下水が海に流出するのを防ぐために、海岸近くに地下水の遮蔽（しゃへい）壁を設ける。余震対策もステップ１で４号機の使用済み燃料プールの耐震補強工事を終え、ステップ２では新たに１～３号機の耐震補強工事も実施する。
菅政権の原子力災害対策本部も１７日、事故原因の検証を始めるとし、原発敷地外の放射線監視も工程表に盛り込んだ。（坪谷英紀）
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