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☆ Tiny grain of nuclear fuel pulled from ruined Japanese nuclear plant in a step toward cleanup
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A robot that has spent months inside the ruins of a nuclear reactor at Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi plant delivered a tiny sample of melted nuclear fuel on Thursday, in what plant officials said was a step toward beginning the cleanup of hundreds of tons of melted fuel debris. Employees of Tokyo Electric Power Company load a transportation box containing fuel debris from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A device to remove debris from a reactor at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant. The sample return marks the first time the melted fuel is retrieved out of the containment vessel. An estimated 880 tons of fatally radioactive melted fuel remains in them.

Persons: Akira Ono, That’s, Telesco Organizations: Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Plant, Employees, Tokyo Electric Power, Inc, TEPCO, Kyodo Locations: Fukushima, AFP

☆ Big Tech goes nuclear: Amazon's pitch to use power plants shows the crucial role the energy source plays for AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, inside Amazon's internal pitch for turning to nuclear power to meet its growing energy needs . AdvertisementThat's led Big Tech to consider nuclear power to address its skyrocketing energy requirements. Nuclear power ticks that box better than other clean energy options like solar or wind. Nuclear power, meanwhile, is an industry in desperate need of some love , BI's Daniel Geiger and Ellen Thomas previously reported. From advertising platforms to AI tech companies, here's the startups to watch .

Persons: —, Jocko Willink, we've, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, That's, Business Insider's Eugene Kim, Andy Jassy, it's, Sam Altman, Eugene, BI's Hasan Chowdhury, BI's Daniel Geiger, Ellen Thomas, Jim Burke, Vistra, Chelsea Jia Feng, Elon Musk, Jean Boivin, He's, Marc Benioff isn't, bashed, Miles Brundage, OpenAI, Emma Tucker's, Tucker, Mike Jeffries, SpaceX's, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, Milan Sehmbi Organizations: Business, Service, Navy, Big Tech, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Keystone, Hulton, Constellation Energy, Getty, EV, BlackRock Investment Institute, San Francisco, BI, AGI, Abercrombie, Fitch Locations: Fukushima, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New York, London

☆ Inside Amazon's nuclear ambitions, its 'Piano Man' project, and CEO Andy Jassy's support
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-24 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The company's energy strategy team recently pitched CEO Andy Jassy on the benefits of nuclear power. AdvertisementIn June, Amazon's Global Energy Strategy team pitched CEO Andy Jassy the idea of doubling down on nuclear power to support its growing network of data centers. Jassy agreed, according to an internal Amazon document from the third quarter that was obtained by Business Insider. The company considered tapping into at least four additional existing nuclear power plants and sought even more small modular reactor deals. Nuclear power can be safer, more reliable, and more cost-efficient in the long term compared to other power sources, according to Jacopo Buongiorno, a nuclear engineering professor at MIT.

Persons: Andy Jassy, —, Thos Robinson, It's, Sam Altman, Jassy, Jacopo Buongiorno, Buongiorno Organizations: Service, Amazon's Global Energy, Business, Amazon, Amazon Web Services, Hulton, Google, Kairos, Microsoft, Amazon's Global Energy Strategy, BI, US Department of Energy, MIT, Global Energy Strategy Locations: Pennsylvania, Fukushima, Maryland, Texas

☆ Film on haenyeo, Korea's 'mermaids,' shows women who fight to preserve sea and sisterhood
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-10 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

South Korea’s “haenyeo,” or women divers, say that they’ve become inseparable from their deep blue environment. The women are preserving a centuries-old tradition, which includes maintaining a sort of sisterhood, and are also vocal against issues like climate change and nuclear waste. Haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island in “The Last of the Sea Women.” Hasisi Park / Apple TV+The women argue and bicker almost as much as they crack jokes together. A haenyeo diver of South Korea’s Jeju Island in “The Last of the Sea Women,” premiering October 11, 2024. We have to go to the sea,” Geum Ok, a haenyeo, says in the film.

Persons: Malala Yousafzai’s, ”, Hasisi, Yousafzai, ” Yousafzai, “, Jang, Duk, Sue Kim, ” Kim, Lee Hee, ” Jang, It’s Organizations: Apple, UNESCO Intangible, Human Rights Locations: Jeju, South, “, Switzerland, Japan

☆ ‘Education of hatred’: Killing of Japanese boy sparks soul searching in China over rising nationalism
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It was the second knife attack on Japanese children and third assault on foreigners in China in recent months. “As a Chinese, I feel heartbroken, outraged and ashamed,” said a Shenzhen resident who laid a white rose outside the Japanese school following the boy’s death last Thursday. The killing has shaken the Japanese community in China, with some of Japan’s biggest companies offering to repatriate staff members and their families. Generations of Chinese grew up learning about the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers in school textbooks and on state television. “There is no so-called Japan-hating education in China,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Monday.

Persons: ”, …, Xi Jinping, Lin Jian, “, influencers, WeChat, Kuaishou, Zhang, “ Little, ” Zhang, Yoko Kamikawa, Wang Yi, ” Kamikawa, Wang, Japan, I’m, I’ve Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Authorities, Kyodo, East China, Japan, ” Foreign, Communist Party, CNN, Japan’s, Associated Press, Japanese Foreign Ministry, Chinese Foreign Ministry Locations: Hong Kong, China, Japan, Shenzhen, Beijing, East, United States, Tokyo, Yasukuni, China’s, Shanghai, New York, Guangzhou, ”, “

☆ China and Japan end dispute over Fukushima water discharge
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — China and Japan reached a consensus in August on the discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, the Chinese foreign ministry said Friday, bringing to an end a diplomatic dispute that had rumbled on for over two years. Beijing called the release “a major nuclear safety issue with cross-border implications,” when Tokyo started discharging treated radioactive water from the site in August 2023. It also announced a blanket ban on all aquatic products from Japan. But Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, later said that both countries reaching consensus “does not mean that China will immediately resume imports of Japanese aquatic products,” at a regular news conference in Beijing. “We will carry out technical consultations with the Japanese side and gradually resume the import of Japanese aquatic products,” she added.

Persons: ”, Mao Ning, “ Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency Locations: BEIJING, China, Japan, Beijing, Tokyo

☆ Why it's so difficult to build nuclear power plants in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Shawn Baldwin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, is the largest source of clean energy in the U.S. following the addition of two new reactors, according to Georgia Power. The plant's unit 4 reactor began commercial operations in April and unit 3 went online last year. But bringing a nuclear power plant to life is difficult and costly. The U.S. has 54 operating nuclear power plants and 94 reactors, making it the world's largest producer of nuclear power — accounting for 30% of global nuclear electricity, according to the World Nuclear Association. So why is it so hard to build nuclear reactors in the U.S. and should the new Vogtle reactors be a blueprint or a cautionary tale for the future?

Persons: Chris Womack Organizations: Georgia Power, Southern Co, World Nuclear Association Locations: Waynesboro , Georgia, U.S, Fukushima, Covid

☆ Japan's next prime minister could be the youngest candidate in a crowded election for party leadership
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-29 | by ( Lin Lin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Japan's Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi delivers a speech during a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on September 17, 2020. Charly Triballeau | AFP | Getty ImagesJapan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is set to elect a new leader in September and, by extension, the country's next prime minister. Along with 49-year-old Takayuki Kobayashi, who has already announced his candidacy, the two contenders are seen as the choices for generational change in the party election. Nishimura said Koizumi stands a good chance of gaining votes from both LDP Diet members as well as rank-and-file members across Japan. The winner of the LDP election will need to secure a majority of the vote.

Persons: Shinjiro Koizumi, Charly Triballeau, Junichiro Koizumi, Takayuki Kobayashi, Koizumi, Rintaro Nishimura, Nishimura, getters Organizations: AFP, Getty, Liberal Democratic Party, The Asia Group, Diet Locations: Tokyo, Fukushima, Japan

☆ China says relations with Japan at 'critical stage'
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Relations between China and Japan are at a critical stage, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Japanese counterpart on Friday as the pair discussed thorny issues including Japanese nationals detained in China, food import bans and semiconductor curbs. "China-Japan relations are currently at a critical point: advance or be left behind," Wang told Kamikawa, according to a readout of the talks issued by the Chinese foreign ministry. It is hoped that the Japanese side will establish an objective and correct perception of China and pursue a positive and rational policy towards China." In their first one-to-one talks in eight months, Kamikawa strongly urged the lifting of import restrictions Beijing imposed on Japan food products in the wake of the Fukushima water release. She also called for the early release of Japan detainees in China.

Persons: Wang Yi, Wang, Japan's Yoko Kamikawa, Kamikawa Organizations: Southeast, ASEAN, Saturday's East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum, Japan, Astellas Pharma Locations: China, Japan, Laos, Saturday's, Beijing, Tokyo

☆ NextEra considers restarting Iowa nuclear plant amid rising demand for carbon-free energy
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

NextEra Energy is considering restarting a nuclear plant in Iowa as demand for carbon-free energy grows amid a historic surge in electricity consumption. The Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo, Iowa ceased operations in 2020 after 45 years of service. "There would be opportunities and a lot of demand from the market if we were able to do something with Duane Arnold," Ketchum said on NextEra's second-quarter earnings call Wednesday. The Duane Arnold plant was scheduled for retirement in late 2020 after a key customer, Alliant Energy, sought cheaper energy alternatives. Nuclear energy fell out of favor over the past decade as plants struggled to compete with cheaper energy sources such as natural gas and renewables.

Persons: Duane Arnold, John Ketchum, Ketchum Organizations: NextEra Energy, Duane Arnold Energy Center, Alliant Energy, Congressional Research Service Locations: Iowa, Palo , Iowa, Japan, U.S

“Today, I would like to announce that a settlement has been reached in the civil trial with the three perpetrators who were found guilty in the criminal trial,” Gonoi said. Authorities initially seemed unwilling to believe her but Gonoi’s refusal to be silenced eventually prompted prosecutors to reopen investigations in a sweeping probe into sexual harassment across the JSDF. The broad investigation led by Japan’s defense ministry found that Gonoi had suffered physical and verbal sexual harassment daily between late 2020 and August 2021. Not backing downAs a child, Gonoi said she saw JSDF members as heroes. The defense ministry eventually launched a broad investigation into sexual harassment across the JSDF that found Gonoi had suffered physical and verbal sexual harassment daily between late 2020 and August 2021.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Rina Gonoi, ” Gonoi, Gonoi, “, Yoshiaki Saito, Japan’s, Kazuhiro Nogi, Fumio Kishida, Boram Jang, “ Rina Gonoi, ” Jang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, “, Japan Self, Defense Force, NHK, CNN, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, Authorities, Getty, Japanese, Gonoi, Amnesty Locations: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Japan, Higashi, Japan’s, Miyagi, Fukushima, AFP, East Asia

☆ It took a messy school bus stabbing for China to finally do something about extreme nationalism on social media
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewIt's no secret that people on Chinese social media dislike Japan. A whirlwind of emotion and debate ensued on social media. As the two narratives intertwined, Chinese social media companies intervened in lockstep. AdvertisementThough China's social media is heavily moderated, anti-Japanese rhetoric has been one of several popular nationalistic sentiments allowed to flourish in recent years. But social media firms in the country react sensitively to what the state deems acceptable, often simultaneously issuing announcements about undesirable posts.

Persons: —, stoked, Hu Youping, Zhou, he'd, Hu, Douyin, Nancy Pelosi's, Lifeng Organizations: Service, Business, Tech, Facebook, Twitter, China Morning Post Locations: Japan, Nanking, Suzhou, lockstep, Japanese, Weibo, Taiwan, China, Tokyo, China's Jiangsu

☆ This new technology for nuclear power could help fuel the AI revolution
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Scientists have long considered nuclear energy one of the cleanest and most reliable forms of energy production. Tech companies at the forefront of the AI revolution are also turning to nuclear energy to power their vast AI data centers. A new fuel cycle for nuclear powerTransmutex's technology destroys nuclear waste and produces new nuclear fuel. AdvertisementNuclear physicists say the company's technology avoids one of the biggest concerns with nuclear energy: that the same fuel used to power nuclear plants can also be used to manufacture atomic weapons. Oklo, a startup backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is betting on generating nuclear power through small nuclear reactors.

Persons: —, Jennifer Granholm, Franklin Servan, Schreiber, Transmutex, Cameron Porter, Andrei Afanasev, George, Afanasev, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, nicolas lieber, photographie Servan Organizations: Service, Business, US, . Tech, Steel, George Washington University's Institute for Nuclear Studies, Department of Energy, Energy Locations: Swiss, Switzerland, United States, Saudi Arabia, Transmutex, Georgia

☆ A way to play the global nuclear power renaissance from Morgan Stanley
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But the company also has an underappreciated growth story as an attractive "pick-and-shovels" way to play the nuclear renaissance theme, Morgan Stanley analysts led by Kristine Liwag told clients in a research note Thursday. Curtiss-Wright builds a crucial reactor coolant pump for Westinghouse's third-generation AP1000 nuclear plants and there's growing interest in these builds in Europe in particular. Talk of a nuclear renaissance 15 years ago fizzled due to the political emphasis on renewables and competitively priced alternatives, the Morgan Stanley analysts said. Modernization of current nuclear plants in the U.S. is a $7 billion opportunity through 2050, according to Curtiss-Wright management. In a bull case, Curtiss-Wright could realize $4.9 billion in revenue through 2050 on AP1000 builds, Morgan Stanley estimates.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Wright, Kristine Liwag, Morgan Stanley's Organizations: Curtiss, Westinghouse Locations: Europe, Japan, Ukraine, Curtiss, Wight, U.S, Canada, South Korea

☆ How Georgia became America's green-manufacturing capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Howey, now 30, grew up in northwestern Georgia near Dalton, a small city known as the "carpet capital of the world." SolarCycle, which reclaims old solar panels to make new ones, in February announced plans for a glass factory. The law authorized big tax credits for companies making renewable-energy technologies, including solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles, in the US. According to S&P Global, the US imported more than two-thirds of its solar panels from Southeast Asia last year. When he sees solar panels atop the chargers, he feels pride in his job.

Persons: Robert Howey, Howey, he'd, Qcells, Catherine Boudreau, Joe Biden, Biden, Bob Keefe, Keefe, Gedia, Pat Wilson, Wilson, Brian Kemp, Benz, Dalton, Kemp, Heidi Popham, Popham, Donald Trump, Scott Moskowitz, Sen, Jon Ossoff of, Moskowitz, it's, Carl Campbell, Campbell, —, Whitfield, Jevin Jensen, Jensen, He's Organizations: US Navy, Business, Qcells, South, Hanwha, SK, Hyundai, Georgia Department of Economic, Gov, Porsche, Mercedes, SK On's, Financial Times, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Treasury Department, P Global, Microsoft, Development Authority, Shaw Industries, Mohawk Industries, EV Locations: Georgia, Dalton, Japan, Cartersville, South Korea, Malaysia, North Carolina, China, Georgia , North Carolina, South Carolina, Savannah, Atlanta, Cartersville , Georgia, Germany, Commerce , Georgia, Southeast Asia, Korea, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Washington, BloombergNEF, Vietnam, Whitfield County, ., Whitfield, Calhoun

Tech firms and Silicon Valley billionaires have been pouring money into nuclear energy for years, pitching the sustainable power source as crucial to the green transition. While generative AI has grown at lightning speed, nuclear power projects are heavily regulated and usually advance at a plodding pace. That's raising questions about whether advances in nuclear energy can cut emissions as swiftly as energy-guzzling AI and other fast-growing technologies are adding to them. The nuclear power industry hasn't meaningfully expanded its share of the U.S. energy mix for decades. By one estimate, up to 800 gigawatts of new nuclear power will be needed by 2050 to meet current green energy targets.

Persons: Sarah Myers West, Myers, Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, Jacob DeWitte, Oklo, hadn't, You've, DeWitte, Oklo's Organizations: Silicon, CNBC, Helion Energy, Microsoft, federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Air Force, NRC, Idaho National Laboratory, Energy Department, Pew Research Locations: Idaho, Ohio, United States, Alaska, U.S, Ukraine, Fukushima, Japan

☆ Japan’s population crisis was years in the making – and relief may be decades away
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The demographic crisis has become one of Japan’s most pressing issues, with multiple governments failing to reverse the double blow of a falling fertility rate and swelling elderly population. But Japan’s crisis is unique in that it’s been decades in the making, experts say – meaning its impact is particularly evident now, with relief unlikely to come anytime soon. ‘Not reversible’The first thing to understand about Japan’s population crisis is that it’s only partly behavioral, said James Raymo, professor of sociology and demography at Princeton University. As of last year, Japan’s fertility rate sat at 1.3. The real problem is that the fertility rate has been consistently low for so long.

Persons: handwringing, It’s “, –, it’s, James Raymo, ” Raymo, ‘, aren’t, Raymo, Tomohiro Ohsumi, – “, Stanislav Kogiku, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Princeton University, government’s Institute of Population, Social Security Research, Getty Locations: Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain, Italy, United States, India, Yonomori, Fukushima, singlehood, Vietnam, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Toyko

☆ Japan’s millennia-old ‘naked man festival’ ending because of population decline
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Chris Lau | Himari Semans | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

They now face a ballooning elderly population and shrinking workforce, in a challenge to fund pensions and health care as demand from the aging population surges. Participants wearing only "Fundoshi" loincloths at the Somin-sai festival at Kokusekiji Temple in Iwate prefecture, Japan, on February 17, 2024. The Asahi Shimbun/Getty ImagesThe Somin-sai festival was one of three major “naked man” or Hadaka Matsuri festivals held in the country. It took place annually on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year at the Kokusekiji Temple in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate. Participants purify themselves with cold water on Yamauchigawa river during Somin-sai festival at Kokusekiji Temple in Iwate prefecture, Japan on February 17, 2024.

Persons: Japan’s, Daigo Fujinami, Priest, “, Kikuchi Toshiaki, ” Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Asahi Shimbun, NHK Locations: Kokusekiji, Japan, Iwate prefecture, Iwate, Okayama prefecture, Kuronuma, Fukushima

☆ Can Germany’s sputtering economy be revived in 2024?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Europe’s biggest economy shrank last year for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. And the outlook isn’t much brighter: the International Monetary Fund predicts that Germany will be the slowest-growing major economy in 2024, eking out an increase of just 0.5%. “Germany needs a fundamental economic transformation,” Marcel Fratzcher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin, told CNN. Carsten Koall/Getty ImagesHomegrown troublesAlongside an external environment that has become more hostile to Germany’s outward-facing economy, the country’s internal political climate has worsened. Businesses such as these, which can find new markets and applications for their know-how, may hold the key to reviving Germany’s moribund economy.

Persons: What’s, ” Marcel Fratzcher, ”, Carsten Brzeski, Jens Schlueter, Constanze Stelzenmuller, Christian Lindner, Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, Carsten Koall, Michael Probst, Karl Haeusgen, ” Sebastian Shukla, Chris Stern Organizations: London CNN — Trains, Lufthansa, International Monetary Fund, European Union, European Commission, German Institute for Economic Research, CNN, ING, Brookings Institution, Volkswagen, Biden, Free Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party and, Green Party, Deutsche, LinkedIn, Investors, SAP, chipmaker Infineon, Intel, MAN Energy Solutions, Germany’s Machinery, Equipment Manufacturers Association Locations: Europe’s, Germany, Ukraine, Berlin, Europe, China, Zwickau, United States, Russia, “, Japan, masse, Frankfurt, ”, Hamburg, Jungheinrich, Augsburg, Munich, Esbjerg, Denmark

☆ How the U.S. Became the World’s Biggest Gas Supplier
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Brad Plumer | Nadja Popovich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Became the World’s Biggest Gas SupplierTop exporters of liquefied natural gas 12 billion cubic feet per day U.S. Qatar 10 Australia 8 6 Russia 4 Malaysia 2 2014 2023 12 billion cubic feet per day United States Qatar Australia 10 8 6 Russia 4 Malaysia 2 2014 2023 Source: S&P Global Note: Data reflects annual average liquefied natural gas exports by country. But climate activists worry that soaring exports of liquefied natural gas could make global warming worse. In the early 2000s, natural gas was relatively scarce at home, and companies were spending billions of dollars to build terminals to import gas from places like Qatar and Australia. In the mid-2000s, U.S. drillers perfected methods to unlock vast reserves of cheap natural gas from shale rock. The process of making and shipping liquefied natural gas adds complexity and cost, but if the difference between U.S. natural gas prices and overseas prices is big enough, it is profitable.

Persons: Biden, Fracking, ”, Kenneth Medlock, —, Ben Cahill Organizations: U.S, drillers, Cheniere Energy, Center for Energy Studies, Rice University, “, Asia, Department of Energy, Energy Department, . Energy, Energy Information Administration, Clearview Energy Partners, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: U.S, Qatar, Australia, Russia, Malaysia, United States Qatar Australia, United States, Japan, Europe, Asia, Ukraine, China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Texas , Louisiana, Maryland, Georgia, Mexico

Two idled reactors at Shika nuclear power plant on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa suffered power outages because of damage to transformers. All Japanese nuclear power plants were temporarily shut down after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster for safety checks under stricter standards. They are asking officials to freeze the screening process while damage at the Shika nuclear plant is fully examined and safety measures are implemented. Nuclear safety officials have noted that the extensive damage suffered by houses and roads in the area of the Shika plant make current evacuation plans largely unworkable. Hundreds of other residents of towns hosting nuclear plants submitted similar requests to regulators and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier this week.

Persons: Susumu Kitano, Fumio Organizations: TOKYO, Hokuriku, Co, Nuclear, Authority Locations: Ishikawa, Noto, Tokyo, Kanazawa, Fukui prefecture, Niigata prefecture

☆ The US, Russia and China are in a race to dominate new-wave nuclear energy — and win global influence
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Angela Dewan | Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Russia's floating nuclear power plant, Akademik Lomonosov, leaving the service base Rosatomflot on August 23, 2019. For some experts, nuclear energy — in all forms, large or small — has an important role to play in that transition. Globally, the construction of conventional nuclear power plants dipped following the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986. Russia has already built or designed nuclear plants — the traditional type — for China, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Slovakia, Egypt and Iran. “It certainly dampens the excitement abroad,” said John Parsons, a senior lecturer at MIT and a financial economist focused on nuclear energy.

Persons: Akademik Lomonosov, Biden, Lomonosov, Maxim Shemetov, “ There’s, ”, Josh Freed, China —, Vladimir Putin’s, Bill Gates ’, Luo Yunfei, Kirsten Cutler, they’re, Cutler, ” Cutler, They’re, John Parsons, John Kerry, Thomas Mukoya, Way’s Freed, “, ” Parsons, Mohammed Hamdaoui, ” Hamdaoui, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Reuters, European Union, International Energy Agency, Energy, World Nuclear, IEA, US, SMR, US Export, Import Bank, International Development Finance Corporation, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, China, Changjiang, China News Service, Nuclear Energy, US State Department, “, MIT, InfluenceMap, The State Department, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC, Rystad Energy Locations: Alaska, Russian, Russia, China, European, Japan, India, South Korea, Europe, Dubai, America, Poland, North Carolina, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, Turkey, Slovakia, Egypt, Iran, Lomonosov, Siberia, Russia’s, Washington, Bill Gates ’ TerraPower, Wyoming, Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Hainan province, United States, Oregon, Idaho, United Arab Emirates

☆ Japan Business Leaders Return to China Seeking to Bolster Cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Japanese economic delegations had visited China every year since 1975, but those visits lapsed during the COVID-19 era when China largely shuttered its borders due to its stringent pandemic policies. During their visit this week, the Japanese business delegates, which included Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the powerful Keidanren, as the Japan Business Federation is known, are due to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday. Japan is heavily reliant on China, where Japanese companies have for years invested in building manufacturing supply chains and forged relationships with local partners. China last year arrested a Japanese executive, an employee of the drugmaker Astellas Pharma, on suspicion of espionage. The move has had a chilling effect on business, Japanese officials say.

Persons: Masakazu Tokura, Premier Li Qiang, Fumio, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Gamble, Ryan Woo, Miyoung Kim, David Dolan, Michael Perry Organizations: Japan Business, Premier, Pharma, Procter, SK, Nidec Corp, Toyota, Nissan Locations: BEIJING, China, Japan, United States, Kishida, Greater China, Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo

☆ P&G's beauty sales hurt by an unlikely headwind: A wastewater release in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

While Japan and the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said the move was safe, China retaliated by banning all seafood imported from Japan. Chinese consumers followed with boycotts on Japanese brands, including P&G's SK-II, fearing that their products would be tainted by radiation. While the brand took a hit in the previous quarter, P&G executives said SK-II is already seeing sales turn around. "Our consumer research indicates SK-II brand sentiment is improving, and we expect to see sequential improvement in the back half," CFO Andre Schulten said on the company's earnings conference call. CEO Jon Moeller also reminded investors that previous tensions between Japan and China have hurt SK-II's sales, but the brand always bounced back.

Persons: Gamble, Andre Schulten, Jon Moeller Organizations: Procter, SK, United Nations, G's SK Locations: Greater China, Japan, —, China

☆ Japan takes earthquake safety seriously. Here's how its culture of preparedness keeps so many people alive.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

With its history of natural disasters, Japan is one of the countries best prepared for emergencies. Japan now has some of the strictest building codes of any country in the world, The New York Times reported after the 2011 earthquake. Japan installs resilient infrastructureMuch like its buildings, Japan has the experience and the money to fortify its infrastructure against earthquakes. During that 2011 disaster, rapid response teams were able to quickly repair roads to help move supplies and assistance to affected areas. According to the World Bank, historical knowledge may have helped save lives during Japan's 2011 tsunami.

Persons: —, Daniel Aldrich, Aldrich, he's, Kim Kyung, They're Organizations: Service, Reuters, World Bank, Northeastern University, Japan, New York Times, BBC News, Officials, Universal Studios Japan, Kyodo, REUTERS, Japan Meteorological Society, Japan Railways, Japan Times, Guardian, KYODO, Japan Meteorological Agency, NOAA Locations: Japan, Noto, Turkey, Syria, Haiti, Pakistan, Wajima, Tokyo, Mashiki, Kumamoto, Fukushima, Natori

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