[Biography of the Day] from [Britannica]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Queen Victoria
Born this day in 1819, Victoria, queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837–1901) and empress of India (1876–1901), gave her name to an era that was marked by British expansion and economic prosperity.
[On This Day] from [Britannica]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
1883: Opening of the Brooklyn Bridge
A brilliant feat of 19th-century engineering, the Brooklyn Bridge—spanning the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan Island in New York City—opened this day in 1883, designed by civil engineer John Augustus Roebling.
[TODAY'S TOP STORIES] from [The Japan Times]
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Second batch of MOX delivered to Saga reactor
（ＭＯＸ燃料：浜岡原発に次いで玄海原発に陸揚げ）
Controversial nuclear fuel stirs safety concerns in Kyushu
By ERIC JOHNSTON
Staff writer
GENKAI, Saga Pref. — The second of three deliveries of mixed uranium-plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel manufactured in France arrived at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai No. 3 reactor in northern Saga Prefecture early Saturday morning.
If plans proceed on schedule, this plant on the Sea of Japan coast will see the country's first commercial use of the controversial fuel later this year.
Security was tight as a small flotilla of Japan Coast Guard ships escorted the Pacific Heron into the dock beside the plant. Heavy security checks were in place for all vehicles entering the main gate.
About 75 antinuclear protesters from around Japan were gathered in front of the main entrance, calling for a halt to the MOX program over safety and environmental concerns, especially the issue of nuclear waste.
"The entire MOX plan needs to be rethought, especially since there is no way to dispose of the radioactive waste that results from using the uranium-plutonium fuel," said Yasutaka Yoshimori, a local antinuclear activist.
Kyushu Electric officials, citing security reasons, refused to divulge how much MOX would be given to Genkai. The Tokyo-based Citizens' Nuclear Information Center says both the Pacific Heron and its sister ship, the Pacific Pintail, are likely carrying about 1.7 tons of plutonium in 69 fuel assemblies, of which 20 would be unloaded at Genkai.
CNIC also believes 28 units were unloaded at Chubu Electric's Hamaoka No. 4 reactor in Shizuoka Prefecture last week, and that the Ikata No. 3 reactor in Ehime Prefecture will get the final 28 in a few days.
The government and nuclear power officials have repeatedly said MOX is safe, and, together with French maker Areva insist shipping it halfway around the world does not increase nuclear proliferation risks.
But Greenpeace warns that the largest shipment of MOX fuel to Japan presents a great proliferation risk.
"There is enough plutonium (in all of the MOX shipments) to make 225 nuclear weapons," Greenpeace said in a statement back in March.
Kyushu Electric will be conducting tests on the Genkai No. 3 reactor, which burns conventional uranium fuel, until August, after which it will and make preparations to load it with MOX. If all goes according to schedule, the plant will use MOX to generate electricity for Saga Prefecture and the Fukuoka area by November.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Robbery suspect linked to cabby case
OSAKA (Kyodo) A fresh arrest warrant was served to a 37-year-old man Saturday on suspicion he attacked a taxi driver in Matsubara, Osaka Prefecture, in January during a murder-robbery attempt, police officials said.
The man, Shotetsu An, allegedly slashed the neck of driver Toshiki Nozawa, 61, in the early hours of Jan. 5 and stole 25,000 from the taxi. Nozawa was seriously injured.
An was initially arrested over a March 27 convenience-store robbery and is standing trial. The new arrest warrant was issued after recent DNA tests revealed that Nozawa's blood was on An's sneakers during the convenience store robbery, the police said.
An has denied involvement in the Nozawa case.
"I was sleeping all day on that day. I've never been to Matsubara, either," he was quoted as telling investigators.
The police also suspect An was involved the murder-robbery of another taxi driver in December in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture, in which driver Toshiharu Goto, 67, was killed, sources said.
An was 2.8 million in debt to several consumer lenders and may have attacked the drivers to steal money, the sources said.
About eight years ago, An worked for a building-cleaning company in Matsubara, the sources said, adding that this experience probably expanded his geographical knowledge of the area.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
GPS studied as tool to track ex-convicts
(Kyodo News) The Justice Ministry will begin research on how other countries employ satellite-based global positioning systems to locate people released from prison and to see if the systems work at discouraging repeat offenders.
Officials said they will not set the development of a similar system for Japan as the goal of the research, but said the move is likely to spark criticism among those who believe such surveillance violates human rights.
Countries including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada already use GPS-based monitoring systems to track some former prisoners, and the ministry is planning to learn by the end of fiscal 2010, or March 31, 2011, why they did so, the purpose of their use, who is being targeted, what devices are used, and how the systems operate.
Some countries use GPS to prevent sex offenders visiting specific locations, while others use the technology to ease overcrowding in prisons by releasing offenders tagged with the devices.
The use of GPS was included as an item for study in an action plan finalized at a meeting of Cabinet ministers concerning crime prevention in December.
[BUSINESS]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
G8 energy chiefs to discuss oil, futures oversight
（G8 環境相会合で石油先物取引に言及）
(Kyodo News) Japan will press for regulating speculative money in oil futures when energy ministers from the Group of Eight major nations gather in Rome for a two-day meeting Sunday, government officials said.
The Rome energy conference is set to discuss issues ranging from stability in oil markets to cooperation in promoting energy-efficient technologies, but Japan's focus is on ensuring price stability in oil futures.
Tokyo's proposal is expected to face opposition from countries that want to avoid excessive control of the markets, the officials said.
The ministers from the G8, also including Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, will be joined by counterparts from some emerging economies, including China and India, as well as oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia in most of their sessions.
Ministers and officials from a total of 22 countries will try to reach a consensus on energy strategies in response to global climate change, as well as on investment to maintain oil production capacity even amid the worldwide financial turmoil and economic downturn.
They will also discuss establishing a working group within the G8 framework to fight "energy poverty" in Africa, the Japanese government said.
Oil price volatility will be a dominant issue during the meeting.
Crude oil prices are hovering around $60 dollars per barrel, after surging to a record high of $147 last summer and falling to around $30 amid the financial turmoil.
Japan and some other Asian countries have agreed on the need to regulate speculative money in the oil futures market and limit positions held by short-term investors like hedge funds.
In April, 20 oil producing and importing countries from Asia and the Middle East gathered in Tokyo, stressing the importance of taking further harmonized actions.
Japan, which hosted the energy ministers' meeting last year when it held the G8 presidency, briefed its G8 colleagues on the results of the April meeting at working-level talks ahead of the Rome conference.
"Last year, we failed to deliver a strong message on financial regulation due to opposition especially from the United States and Britain," a Japanese official said. "This time is our second attempt. But we don't know whether we could get something included in a document to be issued after the meeting."
Italy, the host of the upcoming meeting, is planning to issue a joint statement.
The G8 ministers are likely to express concern that oil producers have cut investment to maintain output capacity.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Queen Victoria
Born this day in 1819, Victoria, queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837–1901) and empress of India (1876–1901), gave her name to an era that was marked by British expansion and economic prosperity.
[On This Day] from [Britannica]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
1883: Opening of the Brooklyn Bridge
A brilliant feat of 19th-century engineering, the Brooklyn Bridge—spanning the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan Island in New York City—opened this day in 1883, designed by civil engineer John Augustus Roebling.
[TODAY'S TOP STORIES] from [The Japan Times]
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Second batch of MOX delivered to Saga reactor
（ＭＯＸ燃料：浜岡原発に次いで玄海原発に陸揚げ）
Controversial nuclear fuel stirs safety concerns in Kyushu
By ERIC JOHNSTON
Staff writer
GENKAI, Saga Pref. — The second of three deliveries of mixed uranium-plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel manufactured in France arrived at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai No. 3 reactor in northern Saga Prefecture early Saturday morning.
If plans proceed on schedule, this plant on the Sea of Japan coast will see the country's first commercial use of the controversial fuel later this year.
Security was tight as a small flotilla of Japan Coast Guard ships escorted the Pacific Heron into the dock beside the plant. Heavy security checks were in place for all vehicles entering the main gate.
About 75 antinuclear protesters from around Japan were gathered in front of the main entrance, calling for a halt to the MOX program over safety and environmental concerns, especially the issue of nuclear waste.
"The entire MOX plan needs to be rethought, especially since there is no way to dispose of the radioactive waste that results from using the uranium-plutonium fuel," said Yasutaka Yoshimori, a local antinuclear activist.
Kyushu Electric officials, citing security reasons, refused to divulge how much MOX would be given to Genkai. The Tokyo-based Citizens' Nuclear Information Center says both the Pacific Heron and its sister ship, the Pacific Pintail, are likely carrying about 1.7 tons of plutonium in 69 fuel assemblies, of which 20 would be unloaded at Genkai.
CNIC also believes 28 units were unloaded at Chubu Electric's Hamaoka No. 4 reactor in Shizuoka Prefecture last week, and that the Ikata No. 3 reactor in Ehime Prefecture will get the final 28 in a few days.
The government and nuclear power officials have repeatedly said MOX is safe, and, together with French maker Areva insist shipping it halfway around the world does not increase nuclear proliferation risks.
But Greenpeace warns that the largest shipment of MOX fuel to Japan presents a great proliferation risk.
"There is enough plutonium (in all of the MOX shipments) to make 225 nuclear weapons," Greenpeace said in a statement back in March.
Kyushu Electric will be conducting tests on the Genkai No. 3 reactor, which burns conventional uranium fuel, until August, after which it will and make preparations to load it with MOX. If all goes according to schedule, the plant will use MOX to generate electricity for Saga Prefecture and the Fukuoka area by November.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Robbery suspect linked to cabby case
OSAKA (Kyodo) A fresh arrest warrant was served to a 37-year-old man Saturday on suspicion he attacked a taxi driver in Matsubara, Osaka Prefecture, in January during a murder-robbery attempt, police officials said.
The man, Shotetsu An, allegedly slashed the neck of driver Toshiki Nozawa, 61, in the early hours of Jan. 5 and stole 25,000 from the taxi. Nozawa was seriously injured.
An was initially arrested over a March 27 convenience-store robbery and is standing trial. The new arrest warrant was issued after recent DNA tests revealed that Nozawa's blood was on An's sneakers during the convenience store robbery, the police said.
An has denied involvement in the Nozawa case.
"I was sleeping all day on that day. I've never been to Matsubara, either," he was quoted as telling investigators.
The police also suspect An was involved the murder-robbery of another taxi driver in December in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture, in which driver Toshiharu Goto, 67, was killed, sources said.
An was 2.8 million in debt to several consumer lenders and may have attacked the drivers to steal money, the sources said.
About eight years ago, An worked for a building-cleaning company in Matsubara, the sources said, adding that this experience probably expanded his geographical knowledge of the area.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
GPS studied as tool to track ex-convicts
(Kyodo News) The Justice Ministry will begin research on how other countries employ satellite-based global positioning systems to locate people released from prison and to see if the systems work at discouraging repeat offenders.
Officials said they will not set the development of a similar system for Japan as the goal of the research, but said the move is likely to spark criticism among those who believe such surveillance violates human rights.
Countries including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Canada already use GPS-based monitoring systems to track some former prisoners, and the ministry is planning to learn by the end of fiscal 2010, or March 31, 2011, why they did so, the purpose of their use, who is being targeted, what devices are used, and how the systems operate.
Some countries use GPS to prevent sex offenders visiting specific locations, while others use the technology to ease overcrowding in prisons by releasing offenders tagged with the devices.
The use of GPS was included as an item for study in an action plan finalized at a meeting of Cabinet ministers concerning crime prevention in December.
[BUSINESS]
Sunday, May 24, 2009
G8 energy chiefs to discuss oil, futures oversight
（G8 環境相会合で石油先物取引に言及）
(Kyodo News) Japan will press for regulating speculative money in oil futures when energy ministers from the Group of Eight major nations gather in Rome for a two-day meeting Sunday, government officials said.
The Rome energy conference is set to discuss issues ranging from stability in oil markets to cooperation in promoting energy-efficient technologies, but Japan's focus is on ensuring price stability in oil futures.
Tokyo's proposal is expected to face opposition from countries that want to avoid excessive control of the markets, the officials said.
The ministers from the G8, also including Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, will be joined by counterparts from some emerging economies, including China and India, as well as oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia in most of their sessions.
Ministers and officials from a total of 22 countries will try to reach a consensus on energy strategies in response to global climate change, as well as on investment to maintain oil production capacity even amid the worldwide financial turmoil and economic downturn.
They will also discuss establishing a working group within the G8 framework to fight "energy poverty" in Africa, the Japanese government said.
Oil price volatility will be a dominant issue during the meeting.
Crude oil prices are hovering around $60 dollars per barrel, after surging to a record high of $147 last summer and falling to around $30 amid the financial turmoil.
Japan and some other Asian countries have agreed on the need to regulate speculative money in the oil futures market and limit positions held by short-term investors like hedge funds.
In April, 20 oil producing and importing countries from Asia and the Middle East gathered in Tokyo, stressing the importance of taking further harmonized actions.
Japan, which hosted the energy ministers' meeting last year when it held the G8 presidency, briefed its G8 colleagues on the results of the April meeting at working-level talks ahead of the Rome conference.
"Last year, we failed to deliver a strong message on financial regulation due to opposition especially from the United States and Britain," a Japanese official said. "This time is our second attempt. But we don't know whether we could get something included in a document to be issued after the meeting."
Italy, the host of the upcoming meeting, is planning to issue a joint statement.
The G8 ministers are likely to express concern that oil producers have cut investment to maintain output capacity.
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