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Thread is about the various issues surrounding Japan in the aftermath of the recent earthquake. Don't bring the shit side of the internet to the thread, and post with the realization that this thread is very important, and very real, to your fellow members.
Do not post speculative and unconfirmed news you saw on TV or anywhere else. Generally the more dramatic it sounds the less likely it's true. |
On March 18 2011 09:47 darmousseh wrote: The crisis in japan is causing major economic problems here in the US.
Today we laid off 1 person and cut 5 people to half time from full time (company only has 10 employees total) since we are an electronic component distributor and no one is buying electronic parts because of the disaster in japan. Like so many already said. The biggest worry is the long term effect this will have on Japans economy. For Sweden japan is the tenth biggest supplier and buyer for services and electronics. If Japan gets to bad hurt like electricity shortage or downfall on the Japanese stock market then practically everything in Sweden will be effected as well. These effects has yet to show itselfs so it will probably take more than a week before it stabilizes. Could take months or years even if things goes really bad.
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Here my own (probably mostly correct) translation of two pieces.
[00.57 Uhr]... Die "Financial Times" hat einen neuen Versuch gestartet, die Kosten der Naturkatastrophe in Japan zu berechnen. Laut den Kalkulationen der Zeitung bewegen sich die Schäden durch Beben und Tsunami zwischen fünf und zehn Billionen Yen (42 bis 84 Milliarden Euro). Halten sich die Folgen des Dramas um die Kernreaktoren in Fukushima im Rahmen, kann laut "FT" von einer Summe am unteren Ende des veranschlagten Spektrums ausgegangen werden. Das Beben von Kobe im Jahr 1995 hatte Kosten von rund 80 Milliarden Euro verursacht, dieses Mal seien die Schäden aber vergleichsweise geringer. ...
... The financial times started a new attempt to calculate the costs of the catastrophe in Japan. According to the calculations of the newspaper the costs are between five and ten trillion Yen (42 to 84 billion Euro). When the aftermath of the drama at the nuclear reactor will be limited, according to the 'FT' a sum at the bottom of the possible spectrum of costs would be likely. The quake of Kobe in the year 1995 had caused costs of about 80 billion Euro, but this time the damages were comparatively lower. ... http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,751401,00.html
... Fest steht: Der rasche Ausstieg aus der Kernenergie wäre teuer. Die Kosten bis 2020 würden sich grob überschlagen auf rund 233 Milliarden Euro summieren, mit den zusätzlichen Windkraftwerken auf 245 Milliarden. ...
What's for sure: the swift exit from nuclear energy would be costly. The costs until 2020 would roughly estimate to a sum of 233 billion Euro, with additional wind power stations to a sum of 245 billion Euro.
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/0,1518,751293-3,00.html
Based on these estimations, an exit from nuclear energy in the next ten years in Germany would therefore cause at least three times the direct costs of the catastrophe in Japan.
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So is it 100% confirmed that the fuel rods are exposed from one of the reactors? The US says they are but Japan still has not announced it
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I like the news and weather report chicks at NHK World. Do they wear a wedding ring in Japan, when they are married?
User was warned for this post
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On March 18 2011 10:24 Perscienter wrote: I like the news and weather report chicks at NHK World. Do they wear a wedding ring in Japan, when they are married? really dude? Don't you find that a little bit inappropriate for this thread?
But yes modern day Japan has adopted the custom of wearing wedding rings
Certainly in Japan at least, the custom of wearing a ring is now prefered to the fashion of the Edo era (late-1800s) when married women displayed their marital status by painting their teeth black (ohaguro).
That said wearing wedding rings doesn't have such a long cultural tradition as in western countries, so some people may opt not to do it. But just seeing a hot chick from the other side of the world and asking whether they are married makes you sound creepy to say the least.
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2nd Worst City in CA8938 Posts
Just got an e-mail from my study abroad program. They are evacuating all students from Japan and are suspending all study abroad activity atm.
They say they might cancel the 2011-2012 study abroad term; decision will be made within the coming weeks.
w-t-f.
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On March 18 2011 10:48 Souma wrote: Just got an e-mail from my study abroad program. They are evacuating all students from Japan and are suspending all study abroad activity atm.
They say they might cancel the 2011-2012 study abroad term; decision will be made within the coming weeks.
w-t-f. (Sorry for answering an off-topic post again.)
I feel you man. I wanted to spend a semester abroad this year and I am waiting for confirmation from my professor. But he said I should wait until the situation with the reactors has cleared before making a decision. Friggin sensationalist news-outlets here in Germany. It's not like I was gonna go to university near fukushima but to a uni in the south.
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On March 18 2011 10:22 ThumperSD wrote: So is it 100% confirmed that the fuel rods are exposed from one of the reactors? The US says they are but Japan still has not announced it
As of this moment the rods in the REACTORS are not exposed. There is the question of whether or not there is a leak in reactor #2 but Japanese sources say the containment unit has not been breached. Whether you want to believe them is up to you though I don't believe them to be lying.
What the media is probably referring to though when talking about exposed rods is the spent fuel rods in reactors #3 and #4 which are exposed to air but can do no harm as long as they are cooled which is what TEPCO is doing right now. There's been no real developments in the past few hours and they are trying to attach power lines to return power so hopefully things are going smoothly. Will update if there are any though.
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On March 18 2011 10:46 Bigpet wrote:Show nested quote +On March 18 2011 10:24 Perscienter wrote: I like the news and weather report chicks at NHK World. Do they wear a wedding ring in Japan, when they are married? really dude? Don't you find that a little bit inappropriate for this thread? But yes modern day Japan has adopted the custom of wearing wedding rings Show nested quote +Certainly in Japan at least, the custom of wearing a ring is now prefered to the fashion of the Edo era (late-1800s) when married women displayed their marital status by painting their teeth black (ohaguro).
That said wearing wedding rings doesn't have such a long cultural tradition as in western countries, so some people may opt not to do it. But just seeing a hot chick from the other side of the world and asking whether they are married makes you sound creepy to say the least. Ok, that's a probably inappropriate chatting for this thread. Sorry. Nevertheless they look great. It popped into mind, since news reporters are usually looking less sexy (for a reason).
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Russian Federation1890 Posts
GMT time 23:47 DJ: CORRECT: Japan Govt Plans To Issue Over Y10T In Earthquake Reconstruction Bonds -Report ------------------------------
0:02 DJ: Japan Fin Min Noda: G-7 Cooperation On Fx Stability Extremely Important ------------------------------
0:03 DJ: Dollar/Yen Surges To 80.24 As G-7 Agrees To Intervention ------------------------------
0:03 DJ: Japan Fin Min Noda: To Announce Intervention Size 2 Months From Now ------------------------------
0:07 DJ: Dollar/Yen Breaks Above 81.00 BOJ Intervention; Was 79.50 ------------------------------
1:13 DJ: Japan Yosano: FX Intervention Was Appropriate Timing, Appropriate Action - Nikkei ------------------------------
2:11 DJ: Japan Edano: No Immediate Danger From Reactors No.5-6 ------------------------------
2:12 DJ: Japan Edano: Highest Priority Is Reactor No. 3 ------------------------------
2:13 DJ: Japan Edano: Fire Dept. To Help Cool Reactor No. 1 ------------------------------
2:18 DJ: Japan Edano: Evacuation advisories by other nations "natural" to protect citizens - Kyodo ------------------------------
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NHK TV < You can watch this for live updates and current news surrounding Japan.
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Russian Federation1890 Posts
DJMN: News Highlights: Top Economic Stories Of The Day
3RD UPDATE: G-7 PLEDGES RARE JOINT FX INTERVENTION AS CRISIS-STRICKEN JAPAN SELLS YEN The Group of Seven industrial powers pledged to intervene in the currency markets for the first time in a decade as Japan dumped yen on the currency markets Friday to keep the currency's record surge from further damaging an economy ravaged by earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. (published 0232 GMT)
UPDATE: JAPAN NODA: DOLLAR FALL TO AROUND Y76 TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT ON INTERVENTION Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Friday that the dollar's plunge to its all-time low around the Y76 level was taken into account in Japan's decision to seek cooperation from its Group of Seven counterparts in intervening in the currency markets. (published 0236 GMT)
STATEMENT OF G-7 FINANCE MINISTERS AND CENTRAL BANK GOVERNORS We, the G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, discussed the recent dramatic events in Japan and were briefed by our Japanese colleagues on the current situation and the economic and financial response put in place by the authorities. (published 0146 GMT)
BERNANKE, TRICHET FIRST AMONG G-7 CENTRAL BANKERS SAYING WOULD HELP IN YEN INTERVENTION -SOURCE Joint intervention on foreign exchange markets to curb the value of the yen was unanimously backed by all members of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, with U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet the first in expressing their support for the coordinated move, a G-7 official told Dow Jones Newswires. (published 0206 GMT)
UPDATE: BOJ SHIRAKAWA: BOJ TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE AMPLE LIQUIDITY Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa said Friday the central bank will continue to pump cash into Japan's financial system as needed to stabilize domestic financial markets as Japan and its Group of Seven counterparts act jointly to stabilize foreign exchange rates. (published 0107 GMT)
JAPAN YOSANO: BOJ WON'T BE ASKED TO TAKE SPECIAL STEPS ON ANY RECONSTRUCTION-RELATED BONDS -NIKKEI Japan's Economy Minister Kaoru Yosano said Friday that the country's central bank won't be called upon to take special steps such as underwriting any earthquake reconstruction government bonds, after a local media report earlier in the day said Tokyo had decided on such an option, the Nikkei reported. (published 0209 GMT)
WSJ: BEHIND YEN'S RECORD SURGE; INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS, HEDGE FUNDS SCRAMBLED TO BUY A day after a heart-stopping rally drove the Japanese yen to one of its sharpest ascents in history, traders and bankers blamed a freak onslaught of forced buying by Japanese individual investors and hedge funds--a barrage that came at the exact time of day when the currency market is at its most vulnerable. (published 2326 GMT)
MOST CHINA CITIES' FEBRUARY NEW HOME PRICES UP ON MONTH, ON YEAR Prices of newly built homes in 56 of the 70 large and medium-sized Chinese cities covered in a survey rose in February from the previous month, down from 60 cities in January, the country's statistics bureau said Friday, indicating the central government's tightening measures are gradually having an effect. (published 0238 GMT)
WSJ: EBA: EU STRESS TESTS WILL FOCUS ON BANKS' CORE TIER 1 CAPITAL LEVELS European officials unveiled some details of the "stress tests" they plan to run on the continent's banks, hoping to show that the exercise will be tough enough to defuse fears about the sector's health. (published 0001 GMT)
US STOCK FUNDS INVESTING IN JAPAN HAD WEEKLY INFLOW OF $956M - LIPPER U.S. stock funds investing in Japan had $955.9 million in net inflows for the week ended March Wednesday, said Lipper. (published 2247 GMT)
BANK OF ENGLAND'S DEPUTY GOVERNOR AGAINST IMMEDIATE RATE RISE -REPORT Britain has entered a hazardous period as new question marks hang over the domestic economy's recovery at a time of persistently above-target inflation, a top Bank of England official said, The Times in London reported Friday. (published 0226 GMT)
DATA SNAP: UK CONSUMER CONFIDENCE CONTINUES TO EVAPORATE U.K. consumers became even more pessimistic about the outlook for the economy and their job prospects during February, and less willing to spend, according to a monthly survey commissioned by the Nationwide Building Society. (published 0001 GMT)
JAPAN TO REDOUBLE FUKUSHIMA WATER COOLING EFFORTS; RADIATION LEVELS DOWN Japanese officials on Friday plan to redouble efforts to cool overheating spent fuel to prevent radiation leaks at the severely damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, as slight declines in radiation levels around the plant raised hopes that water-spraying operations started Thursday may be having the intended effects. (published 0250 GMT) (END) Dow Jones Newswires March 17, 2011 23:01 ET (03:01 GMT)
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I love these updates you are giving, one of the few sources that actually makes sense is up to date and is concise. Sorry for the off topic but how much do you pay for it, thinking of getting it as my primary news source about the economy and so on, it seems just awesome and is able to explain alot of the things going on in the background and the results of it.
Edit: And also looking around, what's the exact name for it if you would be so kind?
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Russian Federation1890 Posts
GMT time 3:41 DJ: Japan Police: Quake, Tsunami Death Toll At 6,406, Missing At 10,259 As Of 0200 GMT ------------------------------
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Russian Federation1890 Posts
GMT time 4:08 DJ: Defense Minister: Not Planning Helicopter Cooling Operations Friday - Kyodo ------------------------------
4:09 DJ: Tokyo Electric: Sufficient Water Confirmed In Spent Fuel Pool At No. 4 Reactor ------------------------------
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Note from Fukushima: Since this all began the govt here, the Tokyo Power Company had been saying they would concentrate on containment, making sure the reactors were stable, making sure they wouldn't have a meltdown. Anything and everything else was secondary to that, including repairing the electrical grid to the plant, or setting up new pumps capable of dealing with pumping sea water. Now they are using water cannons to cool the plant's reactors, radiation has been dropping consistently. Furthermore they are repairing the electrical grid and trying to get pumps back online. Once these are set up the reactors will be consistently and automatically cooled with water until they are no longer dangerous, which will be after a few weeks of consistent cooling. Simply the fact they are doing this kind of things, they are talking about setting up these pumps and electrical grids, is a sign that things are stable enough to properly cool the reactors.
Have to say the whole of Japan is really coming around to help us here. They are making sacrifices, and recognising the sacrifices being offered by the 'Fukushima 50', the group working at the plant. I just want to thank them for what they are doing. The danger they are putting themselves in for us is not being ignored.
We also need to concentrate on other areas of Japan. The reactors are obviously worrying (to us, people - seriously people thousands of miles away need to chill. Even here radiation rises are negligible and have no effect on human health, the same in Tokyo. Just chill. I shudder to think you their reaction if they were actually in Fukushima prefecture...) but we are worried about what may happen, the potential for disaster which even in the worst case scenario will be contained to this prefecture in the short and medium term at least. Further north there are people who have lost their homes, their families, everything. They are in evacuation centres being fed half a rice ball at a time because food and water supplies are not getting through in levels needed. They are the ones who need help right now. Don't forget them.
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Question for those who know more about this than me: IF something were to go really wrong, and the cooling/etc failed and we saw a complete meltdown, what kind of disaster are we looking at here? Im assuming if one reactor fails then they all are fucked because the radiation would prevent further cooling efforts? I would assume a smaller effect than Chernobyl for sure, anyone know?
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