Japan’s nuclear nightmare continues
“Endure your trials as ‘discipline,’ ” encourages the second reading this Sunday. Japan has endured its share of trials since a massive earthquake and tsunami crippled a nuclear reactor two years ago, and the crisis appears to be escalating . . .
“Endure your trials as ‘discipline,’ ” encourages the second reading this Sunday. Japan has endured its share of trials since a massive earthquake and tsunami crippled a nuclear reactor two years ago, and the crisis appears to be escalating. The country’s nuclear watchdog now fears more storage tanks are leaking contaminated water.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called the situation "deplorable," and the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said it feared the disaster—the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier—was "in some respects" beyond the plant operator's ability to cope.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, the plant's operator, has been criticized for its failure to prepare for the disaster and has since been accused of covering up the extent of the problems at the plant. After months of denial, Tepco recently admitted that the plant was leaking contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean from trenches between the reactor buildings and the shoreline.
It said on Tuesday that water with dangerously high levels of radiation also was leaking from a storage tank—the most serious problem in a series of recent mishaps, including power outages, contaminated workers, and other leaks.
Japan’s NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka likened the stricken nuclear plant to a house of horrors at an amusement park. "I don't know if describing it this way is appropriate, but it's like a haunted house and, as I've said, mishaps keep happening one after the other," he told reporters. "We have to look into how we can reduce the risks and how to prevent it from becoming a fatal or serious incident."
South Korea's Asiana Airlines said it would cancel charter flights between Seoul and Fukushima city in October due to public concerns over the radioactive water leaks. The city, around 37 miles from the nuclear facility and with a population of some 284,000, is a popular destination for golfers and tourists visiting nearby local hot springs and lakes.
Homily hint: The debates for and against nuclear energy often come down to how confident we can be that humanity can build structures that can withstand nature’s destructive capacity. Our faith calls for responsible stewardship of the earth and its resources. With safe, clean, renewable energy resources gaining momentum every year, may the day soon arrive when taking the high stakes gamble on nuclear energy is no longer necessary.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called the situation "deplorable," and the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said it feared the disaster—the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier—was "in some respects" beyond the plant operator's ability to cope.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, the plant's operator, has been criticized for its failure to prepare for the disaster and has since been accused of covering up the extent of the problems at the plant. After months of denial, Tepco recently admitted that the plant was leaking contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean from trenches between the reactor buildings and the shoreline.
It said on Tuesday that water with dangerously high levels of radiation also was leaking from a storage tank—the most serious problem in a series of recent mishaps, including power outages, contaminated workers, and other leaks.
Japan’s NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka likened the stricken nuclear plant to a house of horrors at an amusement park. "I don't know if describing it this way is appropriate, but it's like a haunted house and, as I've said, mishaps keep happening one after the other," he told reporters. "We have to look into how we can reduce the risks and how to prevent it from becoming a fatal or serious incident."
South Korea's Asiana Airlines said it would cancel charter flights between Seoul and Fukushima city in October due to public concerns over the radioactive water leaks. The city, around 37 miles from the nuclear facility and with a population of some 284,000, is a popular destination for golfers and tourists visiting nearby local hot springs and lakes.
Homily hint: The debates for and against nuclear energy often come down to how confident we can be that humanity can build structures that can withstand nature’s destructive capacity. Our faith calls for responsible stewardship of the earth and its resources. With safe, clean, renewable energy resources gaining momentum every year, may the day soon arrive when taking the high stakes gamble on nuclear energy is no longer necessary.
Source: An article by Kiyoshi Takenaka and James Topham for Reuters