International recovery efforts continue in
Japan. Since the deadly 9.0-magnitude earthquake
and ensuing tsunami devastated northeast Japan
on March 11, the National Police Agency has
confirmed the loss of over 14,200 lives and
listed more than 12,200 others missing, although
an unknown number of people are still unaccounted
for. Over 13,000 people remain in shelters
due to the disasters and resulting nuclear
accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company
(TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
A recent agreement on the part of some municipalities
has allowed the assistance of international
medical help, with a four-member team of doctors
from Jordan scheduled to arrive in Fukushima
City on Monday, April 25 to assist a growing
number of people experiencing circulation
problems due to their prolonged stay at the
crowded shelters. Another team from Thailand
will also arrive on May 9 to treat children.
On Friday, April 22, Emperor Akihito and Empress
Michiko made their second visit to disaster-affected
residents as they went to offer their empathy
and encouragement in the devastated Otsu port
at Kitaibaraki City in Ibaraki Prefecture.
TEPCO President Masataka Shimizu meanwhile
visited a shelter in Fukushima Prefecture's
Koriyama City to offer his apologies to evacuees
who had been forced to leave their homes due
to high radioactivity from the troubled Fukushima
Daiichi facility.
Due to the evacuations, tens of thousands
of farm animals were abandoned, many of whom
perished after being left without food. With
the accident rated as severe as that of the
1986 Chernobyl catastrophe, a team of Japan’s
agricultural officials visited an area near
Chernobyl, Ukraine, where a special long-term
study is being conducted to evaluate decontamination
efforts on farmland. The International Commission
on Radiological Protection meanwhile called
for more radiation checks in Fukushima, and
on Saturday, Fukushima prefectural government
officials announced the possible implementation
of periodic health checkups for residents
along with monitoring the long-term health
of children.
As the six-week crisis continues at the Fukushima
power plant, workers are pumping water into
the reactors in desperate cooling efforts.
At reactor No. 1, where the fuel rods are
believed to be the most severely damaged,
six tons of water is being injected per hour.
The Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety
Agency has expressed concerns that the added
pressure from the water may be making components
of the building more susceptible to earthquakes
and is recommending frequent checks for durability.
On Friday, the head of the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
Angel Gurria, announced the international
organization's readiness to send experts who
would assist in checking the safety of Japan’s
existing nuclear plants.
Meanwhile in Georgia, USA, a failed breaker
set off the automatic shutdown of a nuclear
reactor at Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
on Wednesday. Saying on Friday that no threats
to public health or safety had been found,
plant officials said the reactor would be
restarted once the components that may have
led to the failure are replaced.
We thank the Japanese and international governments,
medical and relief personnel, and nuclear
experts working to ensure the welfare of the
disaster-affected. May Heaven grace the Japanese
people with continued resiliency as we join
in benevolent efforts to protect the ecosphere
and all lives�
