International recovery efforts continue in
Japan. A Japanese research team found that
the March 11th quake generated a record 38.9-meter
high tsunami wave in Miyako City of Iwate
Prefecture. With some 139,100 people still
in shelters across the nation, Japan’s National
Police Agency has confirmed over 13,400 fatalities
and more than 14,700 missing after the disasters
devastated northeastern Japan and triggered
a nuclear crisis at the Tokyo Electric Power
Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
power plant. The casualties are expected to
rise as personnel continue to look for victims.
On Thursday, April 14, Japanese police and
firefighters began search operations within
10 kilometers of the nuclear power plant for
the first time.
Wishing to offer encouragement to the many
still displaced, Japan’s Emperor Akihito
and Empress Michiko visited Asahi City in
Chiba Prefecture on Thursday, April 14 in
a first visit to the disaster zones, where
they were gratefully received by the peopl
there.and they are scheduled to visit more
in the near future.
At the Fukushima power plant, workers are
still struggling to remove some 60,000 tons
of highly radioactive water filling the turbine
building basements and connecting trenches
of reactors No. 1, 2, and 3. With the presence
of the toxic water hindering vital efforts
to restore reactor cooling systems, TEPCO
said that more time is needed to install tanks
to contain it. To aid in their efforts, the
US Department of Energy is sending five large
stainless steel water storage tanks and a
tractor trailer with a shielded tank. On Wednesday,
workers were successful in transferring 660
tons of the contaminated water from one of
the tunnels into a storage tank inside the
nearby turbine building of reactor No. 2.
However, the level of the radioactive water
quickly rose again and was only 1.5 centimeters
lower than prior to the transfer by Thursday
morning. Moreover, TEPCO stated that samples
of groundwater near reactors No. 1 and 2 taken
the day before showed that the level of radioactive
iodine and cesium has increased up to several
dozen times higher over the past week. This
indicates that toxic water may have seeped
from nearby reactor turbine buildings or elsewhere.
In response to a misunderstanding regarding
how long residents who had to evacuate the
20 kilometer zone around the plant would be
displaced, the Japanese government said on
Thursday they would work to better relay information
with surrounding communities. Meanwhile, as
radioactivity measurements in Tochigi Prefecture
stabilized, the government lifted a ban on
shipments of kakina leafy vegetables from
the area. On Friday, Fukushima University
released a large balloon to ascend some 30
kilometers above the ground, where it will
provide additional radiation information and
obtain other data. Meanwhile, a Convention
on Nuclear Safety meeting sponsored by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
was held in Vienna, Austria, where the 72
signatory parties released a statement conveying
their support for Japan’s efforts to stabilize
the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi power
facility. They also announced a decision to
hold a special meeting in August 2012 to address
Japan's nuclear crisis as well as more general
issues of nuclear energy and safety.
We are thankful for the tireless endeavors
of the officials and other personnel in Japan
and other countries who continue working to
stabilize the situation for all the disaster-stricken.
May Heaven continue to protect the Japanese
people as we strive toward kinder, more uplifting
lifestyles that ensure the safety of the planet�
