Typhoon Ma-on heading northwest south of Japan

[robdogbucky]

Typhoon Ma-on heading northwest south of Japan

A very large, strong typhoon is over the Pacific Ocean south of Japan.

The Meteorological Agency says typhoon Ma-on was moving north-northwest off Japan's southernmost island of Okinotorishima at 20 kilometers per hour on Sunday afternoon.

The typhoon has a central atmospheric pressure of 935 hectopascals and winds of up to 180 kilometers per hour are blowing near its center.

Sunday, July 17, 2011 12:55 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_08.html




Kansai Electric shuts down reactor

A power company in western Japan shut down a reactor on Saturday night at its nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture following trouble in an emergency cooling system.

Kansai Electric said the trouble with a system to inject water into a reactor in the event of an emergency occurred at the Number One reactor in the Ohi plant.

The Fukui prefectural government says it will not approve resumption of the operation of the reactor even after the utility determines the cause of the trouble and comes up with measures to prevent a repetition.

It says the national government's safety stress test of nuclear power plants should take place before any reactors resume operation.

Of the 54 reactors in Japan, 18 now remain in operation.

Sunday, July 17, 2011 11:02 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_07.html




Another 84 cows in Fukushima found to have been fed contaminated straw

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Authorities in Fukushima Prefecture, where the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is located, said Saturday they have discovered that another 84 cows shipped from five beef cattle farms in the prefecture were fed with straw contaminated with high levels of radioactive cesium.

The latest finding showed that a total of 143 cows exposed or suspected of having been exposed to radioactive cesium were already shipped to at least 35 of Japan's 47 prefectures, according to a calculation by Kyodo News.

The 84 cows were shipped to eight prefectures -- Miyagi, Fukushima, Yamagata, Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo, Osaka and Ehime -- and the nation's farm ministry and the Fukushima prefectural government have asked related municipalities to check where the meat was distributed.

The latest findings surfaced during a survey of cattle farms in the prefecture conducted by the Fukushima prefectural government since July 11, after a cattle farm in Minamisoma was found to have fed cows with straw containing radioactive cesium far above the government-set limit...

(Mainichi Japan) July 17, 2011

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110717p2g00m0dm010000c.html




Gov't to review Fukushima no-entry zone when cold shutdown realized

FUKUSHIMA (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Goshi Hosono, state minister in charge of dealing with the nuclear crisis, met Saturday with the leaders of municipalities near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and said that the central government will consider reviewing its policy on the no-entry zone near the plant when the reactors at the complex are stabilized.

According to participants, the two said the government will consider reviewing the areas within a 20-km radius of the Fukushima plant, which continues to spew radiation, and also said the government is aiming to bring forward the schedule for stabilizing the reactors from January as previously planned.

Kan's meeting with the leaders of local municipalities came as it appeared almost certain that the Step 1 phase of stably cooling down the nuclear reactors will be achieved on time by Sunday.

The first phase of plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s time schedule for bringing the troubled nuclear power plant under control includes injecting nitrogen into the No. 3 reactor to prevent a hydrogen explosion...

(Mainichi Japan) July 17, 2011

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110717p2g00m0dm009000c.html