Big earthquake in Japan

[MMM]

Originally Posted by hennaz

I know that, I've been to Japan twice. On both occasions, I felt completely safe. I understand that earthquakes happen everyday in Japan, because it lies on 3 tectonic plate boundaries, and for the most part, they aren't serious. But even for Japan, earthquakes of that size and these consequences is unbelievable. In my lifetime, there's SURELY gonna be another earthquake as devastating as this one, and it can strike anywhere in Japan. That's why I even though I do love Japan and have always wanted to live there, I don't think it's safe to now, because something like this is SURELY gonna happen again.

If you are going to live your life worrying about earthquakes, how can you live a full life?

This earthquake was the largest one in Japan in recorded history. That's thousands of years. How can you be so sure there will be another one of this size in your lifetime. It might be 5000 years before one of this size hits again, or it may be never.

[tokusatsufan]

Who says it'll even be the same plate next time? People might see this and start taking the UK's "safeness" for granted and we could have a tsunami from Iceland.

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by tokusatsufan

Who says it'll even be the same plate next time? People might see this and start taking the UK's "safeness" for granted and we could have a tsunami from Iceland.

that's true, though fortunately plate behaviour is fairly consistent and well observed, the plates next to japan are significantly more active...

also, this same tsunami and earthquake happened before in the same place. it's been on tv here a bit how a researcher was about to claim that

[termogard]

Illegal levels of radioactive substances found in Fukushima mushrooms

TOKYO, April 3, Kyodo

The health ministry said Sunday it has detected radioactive substances higher than the legal limits in mushrooms sampled Friday in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, where the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said it found the mushrooms to contain 3,100 becquerels of radioactive iodine and 890 becquerels of radioactive cesium against the limits of 2,000 becquerels and 500 becquerels.

The announcement led the prefectural government to ask farmers to voluntarily refrain from shipping mushrooms in Iwaki.

Meanwhile, the science ministry said its helicopter, which examined air samples at the altitude of 160-650 meters, detected radiation of 0.30 microsieverts per hour in the sky above Kawamata in the prefecture -- a level more than 10 times the normal figures for the prefecture's sky at 0.01-0.03 microsieverts.

''Radioactive substances have spread to higher altitudes in the atmosphere,'' the ministry said.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology also said it found that levels of radiation went down in some locations in the Tohoku northeastern Japanese area and the Kanto area surrounding Tokyo.

Radiation levels in Ibaraki Prefecture in the 24 hours after 5 p.m. Saturday fell to 0.180 microsieverts from 0.187 microsieverts in the preceding 24-hour period, while those in Tokyo and Gunma Prefecture went down to 0.094 microsieverts and 0.050 microsieverts.

==Kyodo

[RickOShay]

Originally Posted by hennaz

I know that, I've been to Japan twice. On both occasions, I felt completely safe. I understand that earthquakes happen everyday in Japan, because it lies on 3 tectonic plate boundaries, and for the most part, they aren't serious. But even for Japan, earthquakes of that size and these consequences is unbelievable. In my lifetime, there's SURELY gonna be another earthquake as devastating as this one, and it can strike anywhere in Japan. That's why I even though I do love Japan and have always wanted to live there, I don't think it's safe to now, because something like this is SURELY gonna happen again.

What exactly gives you this certainty? Do you have some special knowledge that nobody else in the world has? It is true that there are earthquake hotspots (and the one that happened in the Tohoku region is one of them) but the likelihood of one like that happening ANYWHERE in Japan is quite slim I would say. I think you are kind of foolish to let fear control you so much, nothing is certain, you could get hit by a bus on your way home today, you just don't know. Sure lots of people died as a result of the quake/tsunami, but have you thought about how many people did not die? The answer is the vast majority of Japanese people.

Anyhow you are wrong to say that a big earthquake like that will certainly happen anywhere in Japan. If you are that scared do a little research and find out what the less earthquake prone places in the country are, take some precautions, be picky about what kind of building you live in and where it is located, that's all it takes. Or, just be a victim of your largely irrational fears the rest of your life, and maybe get hit by a bus one day. Your choice I guess.

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by RickOShay

What exactly gives you this certainty? Do you have some special knowledge that nobody else in the world has? It is true that there are earthquake hotspots (and the one that happened in the Tohoku region is one of them) but the likelihood of one like that happening ANYWHERE in Japan is quite slim I would say. I think you are kind of foolish to let fear control you so much, nothing is certain, you could get hit by a bus on your way home today, you just don't know. Sure lots of people died as a result of the quake/tsunami, but have you thought about how many people did not die? The answer is the vast majority of Japanese people.

Anyhow you are wrong to say that a big earthquake like that will certainly happen anywhere in Japan. If you are that scared do a little research and find out what the less earthquake prone places in the country are, take some precautions, be picky about what kind of building you live in and where it is located, that's all it takes. Or, just be a victim of your largely irrational fears the rest of your life, and maybe get hit by a bus one day. Your choice I guess.

I gotta admit, both you and Hennaz have a point.

Yes Japan is far more prone to earthquakes and tsunamis than many other places on earth.
Yes it's true that we shouldn't allow fears to dictate and bottleneck our experiences.

Statistically you're more likely to be shot to death in the States than to die in an earthquake in Japan lol, how's that for fear?

Solution? Live in Canada or Sweden, you will only die for self induced reasons or old age haha.

In Japan, given modern architecture, an earthquake is normally an interesting bump that adds flavor to your day, or something that makes your monitor fall off your desk. If you choose to live on the 10th floor of a 40 year old building then that's plain stupid, but such buildings are virtually non-existent in Japan.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by MMM

This earthquake was the largest one in Japan in recorded history. That's thousands of years. How can you be so sure there will be another one of this size in your lifetime. It might be 5000 years before one of this size hits again, or it may be never.

You`re not quite right on that one - it was the biggest earthquake since they could measure earthquakes. That is a rather short chunk of history. There have been numerous earthquakes in the recorded history of Japan that may have been larger - but there is no way to check how big they really were as there was no equipment measuring them at the time.

There was actually a comparable tsunami about 120 years ago.

Anyway though - if someone wants to live in fear of earthquakes... Personally, I`d say Japan is one of the best places to be for one. We`re due any time now for a massive one - a predicted 9+ off the coast near me - that is predicted to hit my area with a high 6 or low 7. I`m not all that worried. Not that I don`t think it will hit - but that the earthquake alone won`t do all that much. Sure, it`ll crack some stuff. Sure, it will probably screw the roads up and knock some older buildings down (with the unfortunate casualties involved)... But because the earthquake for this area has been due for a while, and because the dangers of lower building standards were displayed in the Kobe quake, the building codes around here are pretty strict. Add this to how Japan tends to rebuild everything instead of continuing to use older buildings.
An earthquake wouldn`t be fun, but if there is anywhere that I would choose to be when one hits - It is Japan.

The devastation when an earthquake hits somewhere unexpected is shocking.

To give some idea of what I mean;
2.2 magnitude earthquake rocks Blackpool | Mail Online

This has been on the news here, as apparently it is huge news in the UK. The very idea that there could be damage from something so small has shocked people in Japan. My alert system isn`t even set to notify me if the earthquake won`t be hitting me with more than a 3. The 2 range is "Hey, did it shake?" "Maybe, I`m not sure." level.

But to a location that is not prepared for one, and that has not built things to withstand even a small earthquake... You can see the difference.

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

My alert system isn`t even set to notify me if the earthquake won`t be hitting me with more than a 3. The 2 range is "Hey, did it shake?" "Maybe, I`m not sure." level.

lol when I got here small tremors made me say "holy shit did you feel that?! the fucking ground SHOOK!!!" and then the Japanese people around me would be like "uhh.. what? did it? I thought you knocked the table or something..."

but now it's more like "did you feel that?" then "feel what?"

[termogard]

Tokyo Electric struggles to pin down source of seawater pollution

TOKYO, April 4, Kyodo

Tokyo Electric Power Co. used colored powder Monday to trace the source of highly radioactive water leaking into the sea near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, while mulling the use of silt-barriers in the sea to prevent the further spread of radiation.

The plant operator poured 13 kilograms of the powder into an underground trench to find the point from where radioactive water is leaking into the Pacific Ocean in front of the plant, after its attempt to block the leakage from a cracked seaside pit connected to the No. 2 reactor turbine building showed no effect so far.

Radioactive water has been filling up the basement of the No. 2 reactor turbine building and the tunnel-like trench connected to it. The powder was injected into the trench shortly after 7 a.m. but did not come out from the crack as of 11 a.m., according to the company officials.

''We must prevent radioactive water from spreading in the sea as soon as possible,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said, adding that the longer the contamination continued, the larger the impact on the sea would be, even if radioactive materials were diluted.
.....................................................

TEPCO has revealed that radioactive iodine-131 more than 10,000 times the legal concentration limit was detected in the water found in the pit.

On Sunday, workers used polymeric water absorbent that can soak up 50 times its volume into pipes leading to the pit, but the nuclear safety agency said the same day that water flow has remained unaffected.

==Kyodo

[termogard]

Japan defends radioactive water disposal, vows to fully inform world

TOKYO, April 5, Kyodo

Japan defended Tuesday its dumping of massive low-level radioactive water from the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, saying the action does not violate international laws, and pledged to fully inform the international community of Tokyo's steps to tackle the ongoing emergency.

Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto said at a press conference that Tokyo had briefed diplomatic corps in Japan on the start of radioactive water disposal hours before the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. began releasing the liquid into the Pacific Ocean on Monday evening.

The minister stressed that the discharge poses ''no significant health threats'' to human bodies, but said Tokyo will explain to other countries about the background of measures taken at the Fukushima plant, where the nation's worst nuclear crisis is unfolding following the March 11 massive earthquake and tsunami.

He also said the dumping does not violate the 1986 Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, which obligates nations to provide data such as the accident's time, location and radiation releases to affected states when harmful trans-boundary radiation release is feared.

The treaty also encourages voluntary reporting of accidents that do not meet the criteria for mandatory notification. Matsumoto said Tokyo has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency of the radiation leak in accordance with the pact.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano separately said Japan contacted the IAEA rather than individual neighbors because the water has been released from the plant on the Pacific coast. The top government spokesman also said the discharge would ''not cause immediate radioactive contamination in neighboring countries.''

Matsumoto also said Japan has been making its best efforts to minimize the sea contamination in line with the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

South Korea has aired concern over the radioactive water release, Yonhap News Agency reported Tuesday, citing South Korean foreign ministry officials.

==Kyodo

Really excellent news.
Does it still belong to pure domestic situation of Japan, huh?