Extremely high level of radiation detected inside Fukushima reactor

The Fukushima nuclear plant operator has detected an extremely high level of radiation inside its No. 2 reactor, based on an analysis carried out by a robot, a company spokesperson told EFE Friday.

This will hamper the process of dismantling its installations, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

The operator estimates a radiation level of around 530 sieverts per hour inside the reactor's containment vessel and just beneath the vessel's core, a level that would be deadly to humans.

The power company made the estimate after analyzing images obtained by a robot, the first one sent inside the No. 2 reactor, the spokesperson said.

Since a dose of just one sievert per day can prove very harmful for human beings and can even lead to death, the estimated levels inside the reactors - capable of even damaging electronic devices - have made it impossible for human operators to access the reactor.

Reactors No. 1, 2 and 3 suffered partial meltdowns due to an earthquake and a tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011.

Determining the exact condition of the nuclear fuel rods in the reactors is key to understanding how they can be managed and dismantled.

TEPCO technicians believe there is enough melted fuel in reactor No. 2 to perforate the pressure vessel and accumulate at the bottom of the containment vessel.

It is suspected that the residues, a mixture of the melted fuel and broken pieces of the core protection system, could be the reason for the high radiation levels inside the containment vessel.

However, TEPCO said no new radioactive leakages from the reactor have been detected, nor did it confirm any fuel accumulation at the bottom of the containment vessel.

The new data comes a few days after TEPCO said that video captured by the robot showed a dark substance under a metallic platform at the bottom of the pressure vessel, which could have come from the nuclear fuel rods.

The company is planning to carry out more analysis and will soon send another robot to continue examining the reactor.

The high radiation levels pose new obstacles for the removal of these nuclear fuel rods, necessary for the process of dismantling the reactor, which is expected to take around 30 to 40 years as it is impossible for humans to enter inside the reactor.

The Fukushima incident is the worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

Source: EFE

World's largest fish market faces uncertain future

The impending relocation of Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, the largest in the world, has hit a roadblock owing to contamination at the new site following a series of political errors that could take a toll on tourism and the traders.

Thousands of foreign tourists and locals flock daily to the rundown alleys of the market filled with fish vendors and restaurants displaying over 450 native species of fish, shellfish, mollusks and other fresh and processed produce.

Source: EFE

Hispanic film festival opens in Tokyo with two Spanish films

The Latin Beat Film Festival kickstarted in the Japanese capital Friday in the presence of Spanish director Iciar Bollain and her film "El Olivo" (The Olive Tree), and the premiere of Alberto Rodriguez's "El hombre de las mil caras" (The man with a thousand faces), based on the life of Spanish spy Francisco Paesa.

LBFF will screen 13 Hispanic films in Tokyo until Oct. 16, in Osaka on Oct. 22-23, and in Yokohama on Nov. 12-13.

Source: EFE

Japan unveils Tokyo 2020 Olympic logos

The logo, called Harmonized Chequered Emblem, replaces the first choice which was thrown out last year after the designer was accused of plagiarism.

The designer denied stealing the idea.

Organisers said the new design used traditional Japanese colours and patterns to represent the intercultural themes of the Games.

"It incorporates the message of 'unity in diversity'," they said, and the idea that the Games "seek to promote diversity as a platform to connect the world".

When designer Asao Tokolo found out he had won the re-opened contest he said "my mind has gone blank".
"I put a lot of time and effort into this design as though it was my own child."

The first design was rejected after Belgian artist Olivier Debie alleged it copied his design for a theatre logo.

The Games organising committee never agreed to the allegation of plagiarism but said there were too many doubts over the emblem for it to be used.

The logo dispute came shortly after Tokyo decided to scrap the designs for the main Olympic stadium because of spiralling construction costs.

A cheaper design, by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, was chosen in December last year.

Source: BBC