[Machine Translation] Japanese nuclear workers exposed to plutonium-239 Exposed to significant levels of radiation during a routine inspection at the Oarai Research and Development Center, five people were hospitalized.
Le Monde 8th June 2017 read more »
The JAEA said five workers at a nuclear facility that handles plutonium have been exposed to high levels of radiation after a bag containing highly radioactive material broke during equipment inspection. The state-run agency said the incident occurred Tuesday at its Oarai Research & Development Center, a facility for nuclear fuel study that uses highly toxic plutonium.
Fukushima 311 7th June 2017 read more »
The governor of Japan’s Niigata prefecture, home to the world’s largest atomic power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, will not take steps to restart the site until a nuclear advisory committee completes its work, delaying its operation at least three years. Governor Ryuichi Yoneyama told Reuters in an interview that he plans to create an advisory committee to review the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and examine evacuation drills in Niigata and the health impacts of the radiation release during the world’s worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl. The review will start by August at the latest, he said.
Reuters 9th June 2017 read more »
Japan’s trade minister on Friday denied a media report and said the government is not considering building new nuclear plants or replacing existing reactors. The Nikkei business daily reported earlier that Japan’s trade ministry would launch a panel as early as this month to revise the country’s energy plan and consider building new nuclear plants or replacing existing plants in the future. The government will keep its current plan, set up in 2014, to reduce its reliance on nuclear energy, according to the Nikkei report, but also says that keeping nuclear power at a minimal share of the overall energy mix would require the construction of new reactors. “At this point, we are not thinking of new construction or replacement at all,” Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko told reporters, dismissing the report as groundless. Seko said the government is discussing the schedule for the revision of its basic energy plan, normally done every three to four years. No details for consideration have been set, he said.
Reuters 9th June 2017 read more »