Society

Boring survey begins for treated water discharge

Dec 15 (NHK) - The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has begun a boring survey to build an undersea tunnel for releasing treated water from the facility.

The water, used to cool molten nuclear fuel, is treated to remove most radioactive materials, but still contains radioactive tritium and other radioactive materials.

Japan's government plans to release the water into the ocean around spring of 2023, after diluting it to below levels set in national regulations.

Ahead of the construction, Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, began drilling the seabed on Tuesday afternoon 700 meters offshore from the plant.

TEPCO plans to conduct more boring surveys 400 meters and one kilometer offshore.

The firm plans to dig as much as 21 meters into the seabed at the deepest site and take samples of mud and rocks to examine their components and hardness.

The surveys are expected to take 5 to 10 days for each location. TEPCO plans to use the resulting data to determine the route of the tunnel.

Local communities and critics are voicing concerns that the planned discharge could cause spreading of misinformation about the safety of local marine products.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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