Gov't says volcanic eruption will have no impact on nuclear restarts

The Japanese government said the sudden deadly eruption of a volcano in central Japan won’t derail its push to restart two reactors located near active volcanoes, even though the public remains opposed to nuclear power after the Fukushima crisis.

The government on Monday said the latest eruption in one of the world’s most volcanically active countries was hard to predict, but critics were quick to note that the same was said about the tsunami and earthquake that caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

Thousands of people gathered in Kagoshima after the eruption of Mount Ontake, about 800 kilometers away, to protest against plans to restart two reactors at Kyushu Electric Power Co’s nearby Sendai nuclear plant, according to one of the organizers.

The Sendai plant is located about 50 kilometers from Mount Sakurajima, an active volcano that erupts frequently. Five giant calderas, crater-like depressions formed by past eruptions, are also in the region, the closest one 40 km from the Sendai plant.

“No one knows when natural disasters, including earthquakes and tsunamis will strike. The fact that they could not predict the Mt Ontake eruption highlights that,” said Yoshitaka Mukohara, a candidate in the 2012 elections for the governorship of Kagoshima who helped organise Sunday’s demonstration.

“There were plumes above Sakurajima yesterday and today. We have no idea when something might happen,” he said.

Japan lies on the “Ring of Fire” - a horseshoe-shaped band of fault lines and volcanoes around the edges of the Pacific Ocean - and is home to more than 100 active volcanoes.

Mount Ontake with 10 confirmed dead and more presumed to have perished as hikers near the summit were caught by belching ash and steam.

“This was a steam-driven (eruption) and it has been said it was extremely difficult to predict,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.

Asked whether the eruption would require careful assessment of the restart at Sendai, Suga said: “I don’t think so.”

Japan’s nuclear regulator on Sept 10 said the Sendai nuclear power station met its new safety standards, the first step to reopening an industry that was idled by the Fukushima disaster.

The plant still needs to pass operational safety checks as well as gain the approval of local authorities and may not restart till next year.

Before giving its initial greenlight in July, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said the chance of a major volcanic activity during the lifespan of the Sendai nuclear plant was negligible.

Critics of the restarts, including some scientists consulted by the NRA, said regulators are turning a blind eye to the kind of unlikely but potentially devastating chain of events that led to three meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant north of Tokyo after an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

The NRA has also formed another panel of experts to look further into mitigating the risk from volcanoes.

The issue of volcanoes was repeatedly raised by members of the public during a consultation phase after the NRA’s initial assessment.

Most Japanese remain opposed to nuclear power more than three years after the Fukushima disaster even though the shutdown of the country’s reactors has forced utilities to import expensive fossil fuels, pushing electricity bills higher.

More than 10,000 people gathered in Tokyo last Tuesday to protest the plans to restart the Sendai reactors, according to local media.

Toyota recalls 690,000 pickups in U.S. over fire risk

Toyota on Monday said it was recalling about 690,000 Tacoma pickup trucks in the United States to fix a suspension system flaw that could result in vehicle fires.

The safety recall covers model years 2005-2011 Tacoma 4x4 and Tacoma PreRunner pickup trucks, the U.S. unit of Toyota Motor Corporation said.

The trucks’ rear suspension system contains springs that could fracture due to stress and corrosion, it warned.

If the broken spring moves out of position and contacts the fuel tank repeatedly, it could puncture the tank, causing a fuel leak that increases the risk of a vehicle fire.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, said it was not aware of any fires, crashes, injuries or fatalities associated with the condition.

A Toyota spokeswoman told AFP that the company also was recalling about 100,000 of the Tacoma trucks outside the US.

It was the third safety recall issued by Toyota USA this month, bringing the total to 840,000 vehicles.

On September 18, the Japanese automaker recalled 20,000 cars due to bad welding on a fuel delivery pipe in the engine compartment that could cause a fuel leak and subsequent fire.

That recall affected 2015 model year Lexus RX, the company’s luxury brand, and four 2014 model year brands: Avalon, Camry, Highlander and Sienna.

Toyota had said it knew of no fires, crashes, injuries or fatalities linked to the problem.

A September 11 recall affected 130,000 of 2014 model year Tundra pickup trucks to fix a structure that could interfere with side air-bag deployment in the case of a crash. No crashes, injuries or deaths were reported.

Japan's volcanoes: Could Fuji be next?

The sudden eruption of Mount Ontake over the weekend, which is believed to have killed at least 31 people, was a reminder of Japan’s vulnerability to its many active volcanoes.

Gas continued to pour from the ruptured crater Monday, as emergency workers tried to reach the bodies of hikers trapped on the peak when it spat into life.

Ontake is one of 110 live volcanoes dotted throughout the seismically-active country, including Mount Fuji, the country’s tallest mountain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that welcomes some 300,000 walkers each year.

Fuji’s location just 100 kilometers from Tokyo adds an extra element of concern to its inclusion on the list of 47 volcanoes believed to be at risk of eruption in the coming century.

While Japanese authorities watch them closely for signs of activity, rare and unpredictable events such as the sudden eruption of Ontake, which had been largely quiescent for 35 years, bring home the impossibility of out-guessing Mother Nature.

“What happened on Saturday was beyond our current prediction methods,” said Toshitsugu Fujii, head of the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Before it began spewing a deadly blanket of ash, rocks and steam, Mount Ontake had a Level One warning attached, the lowest on a five-point risk scale.

A Level Five warning requires the evacuation of nearby towns, but Level One—currently held by Mount Fuji—means no particular restrictions for hikers.

Mount Ontake has now been raised to Level Three, and people have been advised not to approach.

According to a government study published in June, 80% of inhabited areas threatened by the effects of a potential nearby volcanic eruption have no evacuation plan.

Shizuoka Prefecture is preparing for the possible rude awakening of its star attraction with an emergency procedure for local residents posted online.

It has also created an interactive website that simulates various paths red-hot lava might take in an eruption.

“For now we see no particular signs of activity, but a big eruption would result in more serious consequences and damage than other volcanoes, affecting many regions including Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures,” warns the 60-page evacuation plan produced by Shizuoka Prefecture in February.

In addition to the danger to those living nearby, Fuji’s eruption could cut off the main rail and road routes between Tokyo and Osaka, resulting in huge disruption to the national economy.

Earthquakes in Japan, which sits at the meeting place of four of the Earth’s tectonic plates, can trigger the eruption of volatile summits like Ontake, said Fujii.

“A very strong earthquake like that seen on 11 March 2011 (which caused a catastrophic tsunami) can heighten the risk of volcanic eruptions in the region due to an accumulation of magma,” he said in 2012.

And that’s just what happened the last time Fuji blew its top.

On Dec 12, 1707, just 49 days after a violent quake of magnitude 8.6 hit southern Japan, an explosive eruption of a vehemence rarely seen in history occurred there.

That eruption of Mount Fuji flung ash and smoke as high as 23 kilometers into the air, scientists have calculated.

This ash cloud blocked out sunlight as far away as Edo (now Tokyo) and formed a large new crater on the mountainside.

No deaths were reported from the eruption itself, which had no lava flow, but the ash covered farmland in the surrounding area, resulting in localised starvation.

Currently, four of the 47 volcanoes under surveillance are at alert level three, five at level two (danger near the crater), with the rest at level one or classed as without risk.

Of particular worry to vulcanologists at the Japan Meteorological Agency are the islands of Miyakejima, Iwoto and Nishinoshima.

VisitBritain, JNTO to promote tourism between UK, Japan

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and VisitBritain have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Tokyo, committing both countries to the mutual exchange of experience and information in the field of tourism.

In anticipation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, JNTO will execute the effective promotion of Japan to overseas visitors with the help of first-hand information and experiences shared by VisitBritain, the national tourism agency that succeeded in promoting inbound tourism to Britain through hosting the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The MoU sees JNTO and VisitBritain build a cooperative system, with the ultimate aim of increasing the number of visitors travelling between the two countries.

In 2013, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan reached 10 million for the first time in history. In the same year, Tokyo won the bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 2014 marks the start of Japan’s campaign to reach the even higher goal of attracting 20 million foreign tourists. Hosting the Games will present Japan with a golden opportunity to achieve this.

The first project is a Japan-UK tourism symposium, “Growth Strategy for Tourism, Making the Best Use of the Olympic and Paralympic Games” which will be held in London on Oct 2 at the Embassy of Japan.

JNTO President Ryoichi Matsuyama said “In 2013, Japan welcomed 10 million overseas visitors for the first time and we have started our working towards 2020. We are delighted to sign this MoU with successful Olympics host VisitBritain, and value the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as an opportunity to transform Japan into a more tourism oriented country.”

Christopher Rodrigues, Chairman of VisitBritain, said: “2013 was a record year for British tourism and contrary to popular belief, we didn’t experience a drop in Olympic year either. This agreement - with our friends at JNTO - will enable us to pass on invaluable knowledge and help deliver a lasting tourism legacy for Japanese tourism.”

METI orders Benesse to improve data protection

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on Friday reprimanded educational services firm Benesse over a data leak that affected more than 20 million people this year.

The ministry ordered Benesse to improve its data protection systems and strengthen oversight and submit a report by Oct 24.

Masaomi Matsuzaki, a systems engineer, was arrested in July for allegedly stealing massive amounts of personal data—including names, addresses, phone numbers and birthdays—multiple times, which he then sold for about 2.5 million yen.

The magnitude of the leak prompted angry calls for an explanation from Benesse, one of the country’s best-known companies.

The firm, whose holdings include the Berlitz language education brand, offers services ranging from teaching babies how to use toys to English instruction.

Benesse confirmed the leak of personal data of at least 7.6 million people, but said the problem could ultimately affect more than 20 million.

However, other details such as credit card numbers, banking data and student performance evaluations were safe, it said.

Matsuzaki was a systems engineer at Benesse affiliate Synform Co when he allegedly copied personal details of customers who had supplied the information to the educational services company, according to police. They said a minimum of 10 million were affected.

The stolen data was sold to at least 10 list brokers, including JustSystems Corp which used it to send ads to Benesse customers.

The theft was discovered when people started receiving phone calls and advertising letters from Benesse rivals that should not have had the information, authorities said.

Volcano erupts in central Japan; 7 unconscious, 250 stranded

A volcano erupted in central Japan on Saturday, spewing ash and small rocks into the air and leaving seven people unconscious, eight seriously injured and more than 250 stranded on the mountain, officials and media said.

A thick, rolling, grey cloud of ash rose into the sky above 3,067-meter Mount Ontake close to where TV footage showed hikers taking pictures. Trekkers and residents were warned of falling rock and ash within a radius of four kilometers.

“It was like thunder,” a woman told broadcaster NHK of the first eruption at the volcano in seven years. “I heard boom, boom, then everything went dark.”

The Meteorological Agency said the volcano, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures 200 km west of Tokyo, erupted just before midday and sent ash pouring down the mountain’s south slope for more than three kilometers.

There was no sign of lava from the TV footage.

The eruption forced aircraft to divert their routes, but officials at Tokyo’s Haneda airport and Japan Airlines said there were no disruptions to flights in and out of Tokyo.

NHK quoted a Nagano prefectural official as telling a government meeting that seven people were unconscious and eight people were seriously wounded.

Police said more than 250 hikers were stranded on the mountain, which is 3,067 metres high and last erupted in 2007.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who returned from the United States on Saturday, said he had issued instructions to mobilise the military to help in the rescue effort.

“Nearly 200 people are in the process of descending the mountain, but we are still trying to figure out details. I instructed to do all we can to rescue the people affected and secure the safety of the trekkers,” Abe told reporters.

Nagano police sent a team of 80 to the mountain to assist the climbers who were making their way down, while Kiso Prefectural Hospital, near the mountain, said it had dispatched a medical emergency team.

“We expect a lot of injured people so we are now getting ready for their arrival,” said an official at the hospital.

More than five hours after the initial eruption, the thick ash cloud showed no signs of abating, NHK TV showed.

“It’s all white outside, looks like it has snowed. There is very bad visibility and we can’t see the top of the mountain,” Mari Tezuka, who works at a mountain hut for trekkers, told Reuters.

“All we can do now is shut up the hut and then we are planning on coming down… This is a busy season because of the changing autumn leaves. It’s one of our busiest seasons.”

Fujifilm unveils face-tracking camera for self-portrait photos

Fujifilm Corp has developed a digital camera that automatically tracks a person and takes his/her pictures. A prototype of the camera, “New Concept Camera,” was exhibited last week at photokina 2014, one of the world’s largest trade shows on cameras, in Cologne, Germany.

“We aimed to make a personal photographer,” a developer of the camera said. “I wanted to make a camera that takes videos and pictures of me actively moving as if they were taken by a person.”

Taking a picture of oneself has become popular and is now known as a “Selfie.” However, because people take images of themselves while holding a camera, their compositions are fixed. Also, it is difficult to take images while the user is moving. Though Sony developed the “Party Shot” digital camera platform, which automatically searches for people and takes their pictures, the purpose of the platform was to randomly take pictures of many subjects.

The new camera developed by Fujifilm takes images of a subject after being placed somewhere. Its camera unit tracks the user and continuously takes his/her pictures. As a result, it is possible to capture, for example, natural facial expressions of the user playing sports. It tracks the subject with a face recognition function, etc and keeps it in the frame by moving the camera unit with a built-in motor.

At this point, the camera detects only the face of the user. Therefore, when the subject turns its back, it can no longer be tracked. But this problem can be solved by using the “moving object tracking technology,” which has already been commercialized for digital cameras. The technology estimates the subject’s direction of movement based on its trajectory.

A subject is selected by using a tablet computer that is connected to the camera via wireless LAN. Also, it is possible to perform zooming, panning and tilting with the tablet.

Fujifilm said that the exhibited camera is a prototype. And the company will consider commercializing it after seeing the reactions of visitors to the show.

Maglev train reaches 500 km/hour during first public test

Central Japan Railway Co (JR Tokai) on Monday conducted the first public test of its new ultra-high speed magnetic levitation (maglev) train in Tsuru, Yamanashi Prefecture.

Specially invited members of the public and press were able to walk through newly designed ticket gates, and ride aboard the train as it briefly rocketed along the 42.8-kilometer test track at a speed of 500 km/hour, NTV reported.

The driverless maglev train utilizes a high-tech propulsion system called the “L-Zero” system that first brings the train to a speed of 160 km/hour. Upon reaching 160 km/hour, the train initiates the maglev system and slowly accelerates to 500 km/hour, JR Tokai said.

The current fastest train in Japan is the Hayabusa shinkansen which travels at 320 kph. JR plans on offering official test-rides to the broader public in November.

The maglev train, which will run between Tokyo and Nagoya, is expected to be operational by 2027. JR Tokai said there will be four stations on the 286-kilometer route between Shinagawa and Nagoya. The Shinagawa and Nagoya stations will be about 40 meters underground, Sankei Shimbun reported. The first station after Shinagawa will be Sagamihara in Kanagawa Prefecture (also underground). The next three stops will be above ground in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Iida, Nagano Prefecture and in Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture.

First ever exhibition dedicated to Oasis coming to Tokyo

Tokyo will host “Chasing The Sun: Oasis 1993 – 1997,” an exhibition of rare and iconic photographs, artifacts and memorabilia from the early years of Oasis, one of the most significant bands to emerge from the UK in the past two decades.

“Chasing The Sun” chronicles the band’s supercharged journey from a Manchester rehearsal studio to international rock stardom, via three landmark albums – “Definitely Maybe”, “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory”, and “Be Here Now” - and many legendary gigs, from London’s 100 Club to Glastonbury Festival to their era-defining two night stand at Knebworth House.

The exhibition, which is coming to Japan in October, includes previously unseen images from the photographers who had fly-on-the-wall access to the band. The exhibition will also display some of the iconic instruments played on the early albums (lent by the band members themselves), vintage merchandise, artifacts from the album sleeves. As special content for Japanese exhibition, there will be photos taken by Mitch Ikeda who accompanied the band from the very first Japan tour, plus rarely seen live performance footage of the 1994 Shibuya Club Quattro show. All photography and limited edition Oasis merchandise will be available for purchase.

Opening 20 years to the day since the release of their debut single “Supersonic” (released April 11, 1994), “Chasing The Sun: Oasis 1993 - 1997” is the first ever exhibition dedicated entirely to Oasis.

The exhibition is happening in conjunction with the new “Chasing The Sun” album reissues, which rolled out with the release of “Definitely Maybe” on May 14, followed by “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?” on Sept 24. Both titles are available on standard CD & digital download, Special Edition 3 x CD & digital download, 12” vinyl LP (with digital download bundle of all bonus CD content), & Deluxe Box Set (including LP, Deluxe CD, exclusive 7” & merchandise).

Japanese scientists among Ig Nobel spoof award winners

Researchers who measured the slipperiness of banana peels, the ability of pork strips to stop nosebleeds, and the reactions of reindeer to humans in polar bear suits were among the winners of this year’s Ig Nobel prizes for comical scientific achievements.

The annual prizes, meant to entertain and encourage global research and innovation, are awarded by the Annals of Improbable Research as a whimsical counterpart to the Nobel Prizes which will be announced next month.

Among the 10 awards, four went to researchers that took a peculiar interest in food. A team of Japanese scientists earned the Ig Nobel Physics Prize, for example, for detailing the hazards of stepping on a banana peel in their paper titled “Frictional Coefficient under Banana Skin.”

Other teams earned prizes for studying what happens in the brains of people who see the face of Jesus in their toast, how infant poop can be used in the production of fermented sausages, and how pork strips can be stuffed into peoples’ nostrils to stop severe nosebleeds.

Ig Nobel prizes this year also went to researchers who measured the relative pain people suffer while looking at an ugly painting, investigated whether cat ownership can be mentally hazardous, and studied how people who routinely stay up late can be more psychopathic.

Former winners of real Nobels handed out the spoof awards at a ceremony at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Thursday. The ceremony included a three-act mini-opera about people who stop eating food and instead nourish themselves entirely with pills, inspired by the pill-heavy diet of Google engineering director Ray Kurzweil.

A personal favorite of Marc Abrahams, editor of the Annals and architect of the Ig Nobels, was a study by a team of Norwegian and German researchers who tested how reindeer react to seeing humans wearing polar bear costumes.

“I’ve never in my life met anyone who disguised himself as a polar bear to frighten a reindeer,” Abrahams said.

Thursday’s winners also included scientists from the Czech Republic, Germany and Zambia who determined that dogs prefer to align their body axis with the Earth’s north-south geomagnetic field lines while defecating, and the Italian government’s National Institute of Statistics for increasing the official size of the economy by including revenues from prostitution, drugs dealing, smuggling and other crimes.

Abe to visit New York from Monday for U.N. General Assembly

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit New York for five days starting next Monday to attend the U.N. General Assembly, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday.

Abe is scheduled to speak during general debate at the assembly’s 69th session and at the U.N. climate summit, and to hold meetings with other world leaders, Suga said.

Abe’s attendance at the General Assembly will be “a great opportunity for him to share Japan’s visions and stances toward issues facing the international community and to deepen trust with other leaders,” Suga said.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will also go to New York on Sunday to discuss issues such as climate change and the war against terrorism at U.N. General Assembly meetings, he told reporters.

Asked if there will be any contact with his North Korean counterpart during the trip, Kishida said, “Nothing has been decided.”

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong plans to attend the General Assembly meetings in what would be the first visit to the United States by a North Korean foreign minister in 15 years, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported at the end of August.

Tokyo is waiting for the first report by Pyongyang on its new round of investigations into Japanese abductees, following an agreement in late May. The abduction issue has prevented the two countries from establishing diplomatic ties.