Highest radiation levels measured outside reactor LETHAL IN 20 MINUTES
Tokyo Electric Power Company says radiation levels are extremely high in an area near a ventilation pipe at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
TEPCO found radiation of 25 sieverts an hour on a duct, which connects reactor buildings and the 120-meter-tall ventilation pipe.
The estimated radiation level is the highest ever detected outside reactor buildings. People exposed to this level of radiation would die within 20 minutes.
The exhaust pipe in question was used to release radioactive gases following the outbreak of the accident 2 years ago.
TEPCO says radioactive substances could remain inside the pipes.
Dec. 6, 2013 - Updated
21:13 UTC
NRC chief: Consider releasing contaminated water IS ANYONE SURPRISED?
The top US nuclear regulator says Japan should study discharging water containing radioactive tritium from Fukushima after diluting its contents.
The chairperson of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Allison Macfarlane, spoke with NHK in Tokyo on Friday.
She referred to the radioactive water building up at the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Workers are decontaminating the water, but currently have no method of removing the tritium.
Macfarlane noted that the decision is up to Japan.
She said the issue is very complex with no silver bullet to solve it. But she added that Japan should probably consider releasing the water into the sea, after diluting its contents to below the government-set limit.
Macfarlane's suggestion is in line with a recent recommendation by experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Macfarlane also spoke about the disposal of high-level nuclear waste. She said every country that has a nuclear program has to deal with the issue, and most of them are pursuing the idea of building a repository deep down in the earth.
Dec. 6, 2013 - Updated
07:05 UTC
Japan's Diet enacts state secrecy law THIS SHOULD WORRY YOU.
Lawmakers in Japan have approved a bill that gives the government the authority to designate certain official information as special secrets. The law will strictly penalize those who leak information.
Lawmakers in the ruling coalition used their majority in the Upper House to cut off debate on the secrecy bill.
Then they voted in favor of it.
The law gives senior government officials the authority to define information as 'special secrets.'
That would include material related to defense, diplomacy, counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism.
Public servants found guilty of leaking such secrets could be jailed for up to 10 years.
Some people, including international human rights groups, writers and scientists, are concerned about the power the law gives Japan's leaders. They say it will undermine the people's right to know.
Prime Minister Abe has vowed to set up panels to oversee the decisions officials make under the new law.
Dec. 6, 2013 - Updated
15:48 UTC
Govt. to keep nuclear power as base source WOW, THIS IS JUST UNFUKUSHIMA BELIEVABLE KAMIKAZE
Japanese government officials have drafted a basic energy policy designed to keep nuclear power generation as an important base source of electricity.
The draft presented on Friday to an industry ministry energy policy panel says Japan must reduce its reliance on nuclear power as much as possible.
But it also says the country will continue nuclear power generation if power plant safety is ensured. It says the method produces a steady electricity supply at a low cost without worsening climate change.
The plan marks a major shift from a policy drawn up last year by the Democratic Party government aimed at ending nuclear power generation in the 2030s. It also called for a halt to building reactors.
The new draft does not mention any plan to build or rebuild nuclear power plants.
On renewable energy sources, the draft says Japan aims to promote renewable energy sources as promising domestic resources for the next 3 years or so.
The government plans to get the new policy approved by Cabinet early next year.
Dec. 6, 2013 - Updated
10:45 UTC
Headlines I may have missed: Radioactive Reality (06 December 2013) Japan enacts state secrets law
http://youtu.be/mlNbrxcqjko
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