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A-bomb survivors sue gov't for refusing victim status
Index:
A-bomb survivors sue gov't for refusing victim status
Work on Shutdown of Russian Plutonium Production Reactors
Russia quizzes Iran but vows to build nuclear plant
Tohoku begins steps for reactor restart
=================================
A-bomb survivors sue gov't for refusing victim status
Twenty-one survivors of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of Japan filed
suits Tuesday in Tokyo, Chiba and Osaka against the central
government seeking a revocation of its decision not to recognize them
as radiation victims as well as 3 million yen each in compensation.
The move comes after similar suits by seven plaintiffs in Sapporo,
Nagoya and Nagasaki in April. Others are to follow them in June in
Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kumamoto.
The Japan Confederation of Atomic and Hydrogen Bomb Sufferers
Organizations (Hidankyo) said it is aiming to involve 100 plaintiffs
and bring about changes in the government regarding atomic bomb
sufferers through the suits.
The 21 plaintiffs are aged between 62 and 84. According to the suits,
the plaintiffs were exposed to atomic bomb radiation in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in August 1945 and have suffered from cancer and liver
disease.
They asked the government to recognize them as radiation illness
victims, but were rejected. The status would have entitled them to
special medical benefits.
''We seek an early solution as many of the plaintiffs suffer from
serious illnesses,'' their lawyers said.
As of the end of March last year, 285,620 people had certificates
recognizing them as atomic bomb sufferers. Of those, only 2,169, or
0.76%, are recognized as suffering from radiation illnesses,
according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
------------------
Department of Energy Selects Groups to Begin Work on Shutdown of
Russian Plutonium Production Reactors
WASHINGTON, May 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- At a press conference with
Russian Ambassador to the United States Yuri Ushakov, U.S. Secretary
of Energy Spencer Abraham announced today that the Department of
Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration has awarded
Washington Group International and Raytheon Technical Services a
total of $466 million to begin work to shutdown the last three
remaining weapons-grade plutonium production reactors in Russia. The
Department will work to replace those reactors with coal-fired heat
and electricity plants.
Shutting down the three reactors, two located at Seversk and one at
Zheleznogorsk, will end the production of enough weapons-grade
plutonium to produce approximately one nuclear weapon every day and a
half.
"The selection of the contractors is another significant step in
advancing the Bush Administration's nonproliferation programs,"
Secretary Abraham said. "Replacing these reactors with fossil fuel
energy is critical to eliminate the production of weapons-grade
plutonium in Russian and closing these facilities. Russia and the
United States have enjoyed a good relationship on this program and we
look forward to continued progress."
The awarding of the work orders is the next major step in fulfilling
commitments agreed to by the U.S. and Russian governments in Vienna,
Austria, implementing the Elimination of Weapons-Grade Plutonium
Production Program (EWGPP).
At a ceremony in Vienna in March 2003, Secretary Abraham and Russian
Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev signed an agreement
that would reduce the threat from weapons of mass destruction by
stopping plutonium production at the last three Russian plutonium
reactors. As part of the agreement, the Department of Energy,
working with its partners in Russia, will provide replacement fossil-
fuel facilities to produce replacement energy for heat and
electricity currently produced by the reactors and serving two cities
in Russia.
Working with counterparts at the Russian contracting firm
Rosatomstroi, both Washington Group International and Raytheon
Technical Services will implement the shutdown programs for both
sites.
Washington Group International will oversee work at the Seversk site.
There, the U.S. will provide assistance in refurbishing an existing
fossil fuel plan to produce electricity lost from the shutdown of the
reactors. The refurbishment work, once contracts are signed with
Rosatomstroi, is estimated to take five years, at that time the
reactors will close.
Major work at the Seversk site will include refurbishing or replacing
existing coal-fired boilers, providing one new high pressure coal-
fired boiler, replacing turbine generators, completing construction
of the fuel supply system, refurbishing the industrial heating unit
and ancillary systems.
Raytheon Technical Services will oversee work at the Zheleznogorsk
site. There, the U.S. will provide assistance in building a new
fossil fuel plant. Once contracts are signed with Rosatomstroi,
estimated time of completion for the project is eight years and the
reactor will shutdown.
Major work at the Zheleznogorsk site will include providing a co-
generation boiler, an extraction/condensing steam turbine, heating
only boilers, a fuel handling system, an ash removal system,
environmental controls, and a hot water pipeline to connect the new
plant with the district heating system.
Abraham said in a letter to Minister Rumyantsev that he expects the
Department's National Nuclear Security Administration to have final
contracts in place with Washington Group International and Raytheon
Technical Services by June 30, 2003.
The reactors, although originally designed to produce weapons-grade
plutonium, also provide heat and electricity required by the
surrounding communities in Siberia. The EWGPP program is providing
fossil-fueled energy plants to supply such heat and electricity to
the surrounding communities, facilitating the shut down of the
reactors.
--------------------
Russia quizzes Iran but vows to build nuclear plant
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia, currently building Iran's first nuclear
reactor, expressed concern Tuesday over Tehran's nuclear plans, days
before a U.S-Russian summit, but vowed to continue work on the power
plant.
Russia's technology sales to Iran and the construction of the Bushehr
nuclear power station have been major irritants in Moscow-Washington
ties, adding to unease over Russia's refusal to support the U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq.
Washington accuses Iran of developing a secret nuclear weapons
program. Iran denies the charge, saying its nuclear facilities are
solely geared to electricity generation.
At a meeting with Iran's ambassador Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Georgy Mamedov "expressed concern over serious outstanding
issues concerning Iran's nuclear program and stressed the importance
of an exhaustive discussion of this problem at the meeting of the
IAEA board of governors," a Foreign Ministry statement said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is due to discuss Iran next
month and could rule it in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, signed by Iran in 1970.
Russia says it is providing Iran with only civil nuclear equipment
and that spent fuel from the 1,000-megawatt plant under construction
at the southwestern port of Bushehr will be shipped back to Russia
for reprocessing.
Russia won an $800 million contract in the early 199Os to help finish
the plant, due for completion by early 2004.
SMOOTHING OVER DIFFERENCES
Moscow's expression of concern could help smooth the way before this
week's meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President
Bush, their first since the Iraq war.
But Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev said Russia would not
bow to U.S. pressure and would stand by its plans to build Bushehr.
"Russia does not see any reason now to review its stance and its role
regarding construction of the first nuclear reactor," Prime Tass news
agency quoted Rumyantsev as saying after talks with visiting Iranian
nuclear officials.
"We will continue to fulfill our duties despite the fact that our
position on this question is different from Washington's official
view."
U.S. officials question why Iran, the second-biggest oil producer in
OPEC, needs a nuclear power station. Iran is also developing other
nuclear facilities, including a uranium enrichment plant.
Washington has stepped up its criticism of Iran in recent days, also
accusing Tehran of harboring al Qaeda members.
Iran -- part of Bush's "axis of evil" alongside Iraq and North Korea -
- warned Washington on Tuesday to stay out of its internal affairs.
U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton last month failed to
convince Moscow to curtail nuclear cooperation with Iran.
---------------------
Tohoku begins steps for reactor restart
TOKYO, May 27 (Reuters) - Tohoku Electric Power Co Inc said on
Tuesday it has begun steps to restart a nuclear reactor that shut
down due to Monday's earthquake, after completing safety checks.
"We are beginning to take steps to resume normal operations...and if
these progress smoothly we expect to be able to restart the reactor
as soon as this evening," a company spokesman said.
The 825,000 kilowatt (kW) No 3 nuclear reactor at Tohoku Electric's
Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, shut down
automatically on Monday when a powerful earthquake struck the region.
The plant, near the city of Sendai, 300 km (190 miles) north of
Tokyo, is designed to shut down automatically during a quake of a
certain strength.
The quake injured more than 100 people and rocked buildings as far
away as Tokyo, about 450 km (280 miles) south of its epicentre.
The Meteorological Agency said the quake measured seven on the open-
ended Richter scale, about the same strength as a quake that
devastated the southern Japan city of Kobe eight years ago.
About 35,000 homes temporarily lost power supplies on Monday but
electricity was restored for most within a few hours.
Two other nuclear reactors at the Onagawa plant, which have
capacities of 524,000 kW and 825,000 kW, have been closed for
maintenance checks.
Tohoku Electric said safety checks had also been completed on two
thermal power plants in the vicinity, the Shin Sendai No 1 and No 2
plants.
It has resumed regular maintenance checks on the No 1 plant, which
were interrupted by the earthquake.
The No 2 plant was restarted on Monday, it said in a news release.
A spokesman at Japan's Federation of Electric Power Companies said
Tohoku Electric's Onagawa No 3 unit was the only nuclear reactor that
closed down due to the quake.
"There have been no reports of (other) impacts," he said.
Tohoku Electric's nuclear power plant was the closest of Japan's
nuclear power plants to the centre of the quake, whose focus was 20
km (12 miles) off the coast and 71 km (44 miles) below the surface.
Resource-poor Japan relies on nuclear power for about one-third of
its electricity needs.
-------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle
Director, Technical
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100 Extension 2306
Fax:(714) 668-3149
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/
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