2011 Japan Earthquake,

Tsunami, & Nuclear Threat

Prefectures (political units of Japan,

equivalent to states)

Prefectures of Japan The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions:

one "metropolis“, Tokyo (都 to),

one "circuit“, Hokkaidō (道 dō),

two urban prefectures, Osaka and Kyoto (府 fu), ; and

43 other prefectures (県 ken).

In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as todōfuken (都道府県?). Prefectures are governmental bodies larger than cities, towns, and villages.

The chief executive of each prefecture is a directly elected governor (知事,

chiji?). Ordinances and budgets are enacted by a single-chamber assembly

(議会, gikai?) whose elected members serve four-year terms.

Under the current Local Autonomy Law, each prefecture is further

subdivided into cities (市 shi) and districts (郡 gun). Each district is further

subdivided into towns (町 chō or machi) and villages (村 son or mura).

This hierarchy is similar to that of U.S. democracy.

The prefectures are also

often grouped into

regions. Those regions

are not formally

specified, they do not

have elected officials,

nor are they corporate

bodies. However, the

practice of ordering

prefectures based on

their geographic

location is common.

Cities

The aging of Japan outweighs all other nations with the highest

proportion of elderly citizens, 21% over the age of 65.[1] In 1989,

only 11.6% of the population was 65 years or older, but projections

were that 25.6% would be in that age category by 2030. However,

those estimates are updated at 23.1% (as of February 2011) are already

65 and over, and 11.4% are 75 and over[2], now the world's highest

(though 2010 Census age results are not out yet). The change will have

taken place in a shorter span of time than in any other country.

The age 65 and above demographic group increased from 26.5 million

in 2006 to 29.47 million in 2011, a 11.2% increase. The Japanese

Health Ministry estimates the nation's total population will decrease by

25% from 127.8 million in 2005 to 95.2 million by 2050.[3] Japan's

elderly population, aged 65 or older, comprised 20% of the nation's

population in June 2006,[4] a percentage expected to increase to

40% by 2055.[5]

Now look at the world’s worst population pyramid, that for Japan. These graphs show that a nearly

perfect pyramid drove a miracle stock market during the fifties and sixties which I remember well, when

Japan had your model high growth emerging market economy. That changed dramatically when the

population started to age rapidly during the nineties. The 2007 graph is shouting at you not to go near

the Land of the Rising Sun, and the 2050 projection tells you why. By then, a small young population

of consumers with a very low birth rate will be supporting the backbreaking burden of a huge

population of old age pensioners. Every two wage earners will be supporting one retiree. Think low

GDP growth, huge government borrowing, deflation, and a terrible stock and housing markets.

Japan is ageing faster than any country in history

FOR about 50 years after the second world war the combination of Japan’s fast-growing labor force and the

rising productivity of its famously industrious workers created a growth miracle. Within two generations the

number of people of working age increased by 37m and Japan went from ruins to the world’s second-

largest economy. In the next 40 years that process will go into reverse. The working-age population will

shrink so quickly that by 2050 it will be smaller than it was in 1950, and four out of ten Japanese will be over

65. Unless Japan’s productivity rises faster than its workforce declines, which seems unlikely, its economy

will shrink.

http://www.japanfocus.org/-Roger-Goodman/2472

http://www.wwq.jp/indexfr.html

127,433,494 people 10th most populous country, but 3rd largest economy

Largest Cities of Japan, 2005Rank City Name Prefecture Pop. Rank City Name Prefecture Pop.

1 Tokyo Tokyo 8,483,050 11 Hiroshima Hiroshima 1,154,595

2 Yokohama Kanagawa 3,579,133 12 Sendai Miyagi 1,024,947

3 Osaka Osaka 2,628,776 13 Kitakyu-shu- Fukuoka 993,483

4 Nagoya Aichi 2,215,031 14 Chiba Chiba 924,353

5 Sapporo Hokkaido- 1,880,875 15 Setagaya Tokyo 841,399

6 Ko-be Hyo-go 1,525,389 16 Sakai Osaka 831,111

7 Kyo-to Kyo-to 1,474,764 17 Niigata Niigata 813,847

8 Fukuoka Fukuoka 1,400,621 18 Hamamatsu Shizuoka 804,067

9 Kawasaki Kanagawa 1,327,009 19 Shizuoka Shizuoka 713,716

10 Saitama Saitama 1,176,269 20 Sagamihara Kanagawa 701,568

Tokyo and Mt Fuji

Tokyo aerial

photo

Yokohama

Osaka

Nagoya

On March 11, 2011, at

05:46:23 UTC, a

magnitude 8.9

earthquake hit off the

Oshika Peninsula of

Japan. This is the

largest earthquake to

hit Japan in recorded

history and one of the

largest in the world since

records began.

The earthquake has

triggered tsunamis,

which have hit coastal

areas of Japan and

traveled across the

Pacific Ocean to threaten

Hawaii and parts of the

US west coast.

Complications Arising from the

Dual Disasters • Threat of after shocks and additional quakes

• No food or water

• Massive damage and clean up resulting from tsunami inundation: an unexpected 6 miles inland

• No gasoline or train/transit service; Bullet trains were halted and disrupted due to slight irregularities in the track alignment that are intensified by the high speeds (162 mph)

• Rolling black outs due to limited power facilities

• Potential and unknown amounts of radiation poisoning from the damaged nuclear plants

Japan is prepared for earthquakes

because throughout the country they

typically have 1500/year.

• Buildings are adequately over-designed with

safety measures

• One per week is common

• They are a part of their daily lives

• This one was not predicted and the worst ever

Damaged nuclear plants and resulting power shortage

Two nuclear reactors at the coast of Fukushima Prefecture suffered

damage from the earthquake and tsunami. Authorities have issued

evacuation orders to people living within 20 kilometers of the first reactor

and within 10 kilometers of the second reactor. Prospective travelers to

Japan should keep an eye on the evolving matter.

The damage to the nuclear plants is also causing a power shortage in

Eastern Japan. As a result, rolling blackouts will be carried out in the Kanto

Region around Tokyo from March 14 for an undetermined period of time.

Power will be switched off for 3-hour periods in rotation between five areas.

Only a few central districts of Tokyo will not be affected by the blackouts.

Wide areas of Tokyo and the following major tourist destinations will be

affected by the rolling blackouts: Yokohama, Kamakura, Hakone, the Fuji

Five Lake region, the Izu Peninsula and Nikko.

Effects on transportation

All major airports re-opened within 24 hours of the earthquake. After massive flight

cancellations yesterday, air traffic is normalizing today. Inquire with your airline on details

about specific flights.

* Narita Airport (Tokyo): The airport re-opened yesterday, and is back to almost

normal business today. JR and Keisei resumed train service between the airport and central

Tokyo yesterday, while Skyliner and Narita Express trains resumed operation today. Some

airport bus lines, however, remain out of service.

* Haneda Airport (Tokyo): The airport re-opened within hours of the earthquake,

and operation is almost back to normal. Monorail and train access to the airport was

resumed on the 12th.

* Sendai Airport, which was directly hit by the tsunami, can be expected to

remain closed for some time to come. The two small airports of Hanamaki and Ibaraki

also remain closed.

* All other airports, including Osaka's Kansai Airport, Nagoya's Central Japan Airport and

Fukushima Airport, are open.

Train Travel • Many trains across Japan were stopped after the earthquake and tsunami,

but most have resumed operation yesterday or today, except for most train lines in the affected Tohoku Region.

• * Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo - Nagoya - Kyoto - Osaka): Service resumed within hours of the earthquake and has been back to normal since yesterday.

• * The Tohoku Shinkansen (including Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen), which passes close by the worst hit areas, remains out of service along its entire route on March 13. Although the railway tracks did not seem to have suffered any major damage, no date for the resumption of service has been announced yet.

• * All other shinkansen lines, including the recently completed Kyushu Shinkansen, resumed operation yesterday.

• * Most major subway and urban and suburban train lines in Tokyo have resumed service yesterday with a few exceptions. However, due to the power shortage, many lines will run at reduced frequencies.

• * The following long distance trains outside the Tohoku Region remain out of service on March 13:

• o Trains between Aomori and Hakodate

• o Night trains to/from Tohoku and Hokkaido

• o Super/Fresh Hitachi trains between Tokyo and Ibaraki

Japanese bullet trains

Rail Line Map

Oshika

Peninsula,

nearest the

epicenter

Intensity of the quake is indicated

by size and color of the dot.

Intensity of the quake is indicated

by size and color of the dot.

Scope of

the tsunami

Tsunami waves and Island nations of the

south Pacific

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear

Plant and Evacuation Zone

Nuclear Plant and Cities

Americans in Japan were evacuating

Plants are easily identified by their stacks.

World Nuclear Plants

Nuclear Power by Country: US = #1

Japan

US Germany

France

S.Korea

All others

About 1/5 of all electricity comes from

these 104 US Nuclear Plants in 31 States.

20 new sites are under consideration for construction, although with the

uncertainty of the Japanese situation, they are now in jeopardy.

South Texas Plant in Bay City, TX

2 hrs. southwest of Houston in

Matagorda Co.

Symbol

for

radiation

poison

April 2011 is the 25th Anniversary of the

Chernobyl accident.

I updated the Ppt. with photos of the memorial

last week and horrific photos of the effects of

radiation, which causes severe birth defects. Do

not be offended by the photos--this is the reality

and the importance of a re-assessment of

nuclear power in the US.

This weeks tornadoes April 2011 in Alabama

have brought forth reconsideration of locating

US reactors in tornado prone areas.

Global Nuclear Disasters

Date Location Description Deaths?

Cost (in

millions

$US 2006)

INES rank

2004 Fukui Prefecture, Japan Mihama Nuclear Power Plant kills 5 workers and injures dozens more 5 9 1

1975 Greifswald, East Germany Electrical error causes fire in the main trough that destroys control lines and five main coolant pumps 0 443 3

2002 Oak Harbor, Ohio, US Davis-Besse reactor 0 143 3

1961 Idaho Falls, Idaho, US National Reactor Testing Station. An additional 1,100 Curies were released as fission products to the atmosphere, but due to the remoteness, most of it was recovered and buried. 3 22 4

1977 Jaslovské Bohunice, Czechoslovakia Severe corrosion of reactor and release of radioactivity into the plant area, necessitating total decommission 0 1,700 4

1999 Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan Tokaimura uranium processing facility added too many buckets of uranium directly into a precipitation tank, causing it to go critical, killing two, and exposing one more to radiation levels above permissible limits 2 54 4

1979 Middletown, Pennsylvania, US Three Mile Island accident 0 2,400 5

2011 O-kuma, Fukushima, Japan Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant 1 5

1986 Pripyat, Ukraine Chernobyl disaster) necessitating the evacuation of 300,000 people from Kiev and dispersing radioactive material across Europe53 6,700 7

1966 Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan, US Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station. No radiation leakage into the environment. 0

1984 Athens, Alabama, US Browns Ferry Unit 2 0 110

1985 Athens, Alabama, US Browns Ferry Units 0 1,830

1986 Plymouth, Massachusetts, US Boston Edison’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant 0 1,001

1986 Hamm-Uentrop, Germany Experimental THTR-300 reactor releases small amounts of fission products (0.1 GBq Co-60, Cs-137, Pa-233) to surrounding area 0 267

1987 Delta, Pennsylvania, US Peach Bottom units 2 and 3 shutdown due to cooling malfunctions and unexplained equipment problems 0 400

1987 Lycoming, New York, US Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation to shut down Nine Mile Point Unit 1 0 150

1989 Lusby, Maryland, US Calvert Cliff Units 1 and 2 reveal cracks at pressurized heater sleeves, forcing extended shutdowns 0 120

1996 Waterford, Connecticut, US Millstone Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2, multiple equipment failures found 0 254

1996 Crystal River, Florida, US Crystal River Unit 3 0 384

The Chernobyl disaster

was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl

Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). It is

considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and it is the

only one classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

The disaster began during a systems test on 26 April 1986 at reactor number

four of the Chernobyl plant, which is near the town of Pripyat. There was a

sudden power output surge, and when an emergency shutdown was

attempted, a more extreme spike in power output occurred, which led to a

reactor vessel rupture and a series of explosions. This event exposed the

graphite moderator components of the reactor to air, causing them to ignite.

The resulting fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere and

over an extensive geographical area, including Pripyat.

Russia

Pripyat city was founded in 1970 to house workers for the nearby

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It was officially proclaimed a city in 1979, but was

abandoned in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster. It was the ninth nuclear-city

("атомоград" (atomograd) in Russian, literally "atom city") in the Soviet Union at its

time. Its population had been around 50,000 before the accident. Annual Rate of

natural increase was estimated at around 800 persons, plus over 500 newcomers

from all corners of the Soviet Union each year. It had been planned that the Prypiat's

population should have risen up to 78,000 in the nearest future.

Sergei Supinsky—AFP/Getty Images

April 18, 2011. A doll and gas masks are pictured on a bed within a rooms in the ghost city of Pripyat in the heart of Chernobyl, Ukraine. To check its structure and radiation levels, specialists regularly venture inside the concrete cover sheltering the ruined reactor that exploded on April 26, 1986, even 25 years after the fact.

Apr 26 2011 SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP/Getty Images

A widow cries during the memorial ceremony at the Chernobyl victims'

monument in Kiev. The world marks a quarter century since the world's

worst nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in Ukraine.

Radiation Causes

Birth Defects

Miss Chernobyl

2004

18 Years After The

1986 Chernobyl

Nuclear Accident

April is the 25th Anniversary of the Chernobyl

accident.

I updated the Ppt. with photos of the memorial

last week and horrific photos of the effects of

radiation, which causes severe birth defects. Do

not be offended by the photos--this is the reality

and the importance of a re-assessment of

nuclear power in the US.

This weeks tornadoes in Alabama have brought

forth reconsideration of locating US reactors in

tornado prone areas.

Tornadoes from 1950 through 2008 and Facilities Like Fukushima; and

Those with Inadequate Spent Fuel Rod Cooling Power Backup.

Total number of

tornadoes

Tornadoes Kill 300+ people

April 25,

2011

Path of destruction was over 1 mile wide.

The Three Mile Island, PA 1979

• The Three Mile Island accident was a partial core meltdown in Unit 2 (a pressurized water reactor manufactured by Babcock & Wilcox) of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, United States in 1979.

• The power plant was owned and operated by General Public Utilities and Metropolitan Edison (Met Ed).

• It was the most significant accident in the history of the USA commercial nuclear power generating industry, resulting in the release of up to 481 PBq (13 million curies) of radioactive gases, and less than 740 GBq (20 curies) of the particularly dangerous iodine-131.[1]

President Jimmy Carter’s limousine leaving

Three Mile Island, PA after an address to the people, 1979.

Nuclear Tests are not the same

as plant malfunctions!

HIROSHAMA, JAPAN

AFTERMATH in 1945

Since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,

nuclear weapons have remained highly controversial and

contentious objects in the forum of public debate.

90,000–166,000 killed in Hiroshima and

60,000–80,000 killed in Nagasaki

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki • During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic

bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945 and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only active deployments of nuclear weapons in war to date.[2]

• For six months, the United States had made use of intense strategic fire-bombing of 67 Japanese cities. Together with the United Kingdom and the Republic of China, the United States called for a surrender of Japan in the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945. The Japanese government ignored this ultimatum. By executive order of President Harry S. Truman, the U.S. dropped the nuclear weapon "Little Boy" on the city of Hiroshima on Monday, August 6, 1945,[3][4] followed by the detonation of "Fat Man" over Nagasaki on August 9.

• Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki,[1] with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring on the first day. The Hiroshima prefectural health department estimates that, of the people who died on the day of the explosion, 60% died from flash or flame burns, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes. During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness. In a US estimate of the total immediate and short term cause of death, 15–20% died from radiation sickness, 20–30% from flash burns, and 50–60% from other injuries, compounded by illness.[5] In both cities, most of the dead were civilians.[6][7][8]

• Six days after the detonation over Nagasaki, on August 15, Japan announced its surrender to the Allied Powers.

Hiroshima before and after the bombing.

The Enola Gay and its crew,

who dropped the "Little

Boy" atomic bomb on

Hiroshima.

A map showing mission runs of August 6 and August 9 from

Guam; with Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kokura (the original

target for August 9) displayed.

Nagasaki

before and

after

bombing.

A victim with

severe burns.

Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over

Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right)

Destruction of

Japan’s other

cities during

WWII was

equally

unbelievable,

as shown by

this chart.

City % area City % area

destroyed destroyed

Toyama 99 Himeji 49

Fukui 86 Hiratsuka 48

Tokushima 85 Tokuyama 48

Fukuyama 81 Sakai 48

Kofu 79 Choshi 44

Kuwana 75 Saga 44

Hitachi 72 Utsunomiya 44

Nara 69 Numazu 42

Tsu 69 Shimizu 42

Mito 69 Kure 42

Okayama 69 Sasebo 41

Takamatsu 68 Ujiyamada 41

Shizuoka 66 Chiba 41

Tsuruga 65 Nagoya 40

Hachioji 65 O-gaki 40

Nagaoka 65 Shimonoseki 38

Maebashi 64 Kawasaki 36

Matsuyama 64 Omuta 36

Imabari 64 Osaka 35

Gifu 64 Yokkaichi 34

Kagoshima 63 Omura 33

Toyohashi 62 Okazaki 32

Hamamatsu 60 Kumamoto 31

Yokohama 58 Aomori 30

Isesaki 57 O-ita 28

Ichinomiya 56 Miyakonojo- 27

Kobe 56 Miyazaki 26

Ko-chi 55 Nobeoka 25

Kumagaya 55 Fukuoka 24

Tokyo 51 Moji 23

Akashi 50 Sendai 22

Wakayama 50 Yahata 21

Ube 21

Amagasaki 19

Nishinomiya 12

Tokyo from the air after the Bombing of Tokyo,

1945. 51% of the area was destroyed.

US Nuclear Test Sites Affiliated with the

Manhattan Project, leading to the drop of an

atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan

November 1951 nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. Test is shot

"Dog" from Operation Buster, with a yield of 21 kilotonnes of

TNT. It was the first U.S. nuclear field exercise conducted on

land; troops shown are 6 mi from the blast.

Atomic bomb

testing at the

Nevada test

site.

Current

nuclear waste

in the US is

planned for

disposal at

Yucca

Mountain, NV

Waste from

104 plants is

transported

through urban

centers,

possibly

exposing

them to high

levels of

radiation.

Waste disposal storage sites