Dear Friends,
I attach great importance to this message.
According to the Asahi News Paper of 27 January,
Tepco is reported to envisage the removing the nuclear fuel debris from the Unit 2 only in 2021.
In the meantime,as Professor Shuzo Takemoto,Honorary Professor of Kyoto
University, warns (cf.P.S. below), intensity 7class earthquakes are
certain to take place, which could bring about the collapse of the
building of the Unit 2.
The number of nuclear fuel rods in the cooling pools are as follows; Unit 1--- 392, Unit 2---615,Unit 3---566.
As Professor Akira Hasegawa( Maxwell Prize Winner) points out,Japan is at a loss what to do.
International cooperation is of absolute necessity.
The mobilization of human wisdom on the widest possible scale is urgently needed.
Prime Minister Abe,asked in the Parlamentary deliberations on 25 January,surprisingly reconfirmed his assertion "under control".
It is now entirely up to the international community to reassure the safety of the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020.
Please allow me to count on your increased understanding and support.
With highest regards,
Mitsuhei Murata
Former Ambassador to Switzerland
P.S. Professor Takemoto's warning.
The earthquake of 22 November 2016 off the coast of the Fukushima
Prefecture (M7.4) and the earthquake of 28 December 2016 in the
Northern part of the Ibaragi Prefecture are situated in the aftershock
area of the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of T?hoku. In this
area, we must foresee a number of magnitude 7 class earthquakes.
Consequently, we cannot exclude the possibility of intensity 6 and
intensity 7 earthquakes befalling the Fukushima Daiichi. What is most
dreaded is what could happen to the Unit 2 whose pressure vessel
contain a large volume of nuclear fuel debris(615 fuel rods).
This pressure vessel has endured the sudden change of temperature and
pressure in the accident of March 2011. However, in view of its
possible weakening due to irradiation, it will be destroyed,if it
should meet with a big earth tremor, and scatter the remaining nuclear
fuel and its debris, making the Tokyo metropolitan area uninhabitable.
The Tokyo Olympic 2020 will then be utterly out of the question.
The Problem of the Unit 2 building of the Fukushima Daiichi
On 24 May, 2012, a year and 2 months after the accident, Tepco made
public “the estimations of “the release into the atmosphere of
radioactive materials”, according to which, of the total volume, around
20% from the Unit 1,a little more than 40 % from the Unit 4, and a
little less than 40% from the Unit 3 were released respectively.
On 28 July,2016,Tepco made public the images of the F1 Unit 2 reactor
screened by muon particles coming from the universe, like by X ray.
They showed the shadow of materials equivalent to 180~210 tons at the
lower part of the pressure vessel. Consequently, Tepco concludes “Most
of nuclear fuels are estimated to remain in the vessel.”
It can hardly be said that the Fukushima accident is heading toward a
solution. The problem of the Unit 2 where a large volume of nuclear
fuels remain as stated above is particularly crucial. The Unit 2
started its commercial operation in July 1974.It held out severe
circumstances of high temperature and high pressure emanating from the
3/11 accident without being destroyed. However, years long use of the
pressure vessel must have brought about its weakening due to
irradiation. If it should meet with a big earth tremor, it will be
destroyed and scatter the remaining nuclear fuel and its debris, making
the Tokyo metropolitan area uninhabitable. The Tokyo Olympic 2020 will
then be utterly out of the question.
The number of nuclear fuel rods in the cooling pool are as follows;
Unit 1--- 392, Unit 2---615,Unit 3---566.In ordinary times, these fuel
rods can continue to be cooled if electricity is secured. We are filled
with anxiety when we think of a power failure and of a strong
earthquake befalling them, and of their consequences.
The earthquake of 22 November 2016 off the coast of the Fukushima
Prefecture (M7.4) and the earthquake of 28 December 2016 in the
Northern part of the Ibaragi Prefecture are situated in the
aftershock area of the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku.
In this area, we must foresee a number of magnitude 7 class
earthquakes. Consequently, we cannot exclude the possibility of
intensity 6 and intensity 7 earthquakes befalling the Fukushima
Daiichi. What is most dreaded is what could happen to the Unit 2 whose
pressure vessel contain a large volume of nuclear fuel debris.
This pressure vessel has endured the sudden change of temperature and
pressure in the accident of March 2011,but in view of its
possible weakening due to irradiation, it could be seriously damaged if
a new big earth tremor befalls it.
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