Top Japanese Official Warns of Fresh Nuclear Blast Risk

TOKYO (AP) — Japan‘s top government spokesman is warning of a fresh threat of explosion from a nuclear unit at a power plant the country’s earthquake-ravaged northeast.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Sunday that a hydrogen explosion could occur at Unit 3 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex. That would follow a blast the day before at the same power plant as operators attempted to prevent a nuclear meltdown of another unit by injecting sea water into it.

More than 170,000 people were evacuated as a precaution, though Edano said the radioactivity released so far into the environment is so small it does not pose any threat to human health.

IWAKI, Japan (AP) — A partial meltdown was likely under way at a second nuclear reactor, a top Japanese official said Sunday, as authorities frantically tried to prevent a similar threat from nearby unit following a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.

Some 170,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the area covering a radius of 12 miles (20 kilometers) around the plant in Fukushima near Iwaki. A meltdown refers to a very serious collapse of a power plant’s systems and its ability to manage temperatures. A complete meltdown would release uranium and dangerous byproducts into the environment that can pose serious health risks.

Japan dealt with the nuclear threat as it struggled to determine the scope of the twin disasters Friday, when an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, the most powerful in its recorded history, was followed by a tsunami that ravaged its northeastern coast with breathtaking speed and power.

The official count of the dead was 763, but the government said the figure could far exceed 1,000. Media reports said some 10,000 people were missing or unaccounted for.

The quake and tsunami damaged three reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which lost their cooling functions necessary to keep the fuel rods functioning properly. At first the Unit 1 reactor was in trouble with an explosion destroying the walls of the room in which it is placed. Later, Unit 3 also began to experience problems.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said operators released slightly radioactive air from Unit 3 Sunday, while injecting water into it as an effort to reduce pressure and temperature to save the reactor from a possible meltdown.

Still, a partial meltdown in the unit is “highly possible,” he told reporters.

“Because it’s inside the reactor, we cannot directly check it but we are taking measures on the assumption of the possible partial meltdown,” he said.

Edano said radiation levels briefly rose above legal limits, but that it has since declined significantly. Also, fuel rods were exposed briefly, he said, indicating that coolant water didn’t cover the rods for some time. That would contribute further to raising the temperature in the reactor vessel.

Meanwhile, the government doubled the number of troops pressed into rescue and recovery operations to about 100,000 from 51,000.

Teams searched for the missing along hundreds of miles (kilometers) of the Japanese coast, and thousands of hungry survivors huddled in darkened emergency centers that were cut off from rescuers and aid. At least a million households had gone without water since the quake struck. Large areas of the countryside were surrounded by water and unreachable. Some 2.5 million households were without electricity.

Powerful aftershocks continued to rock the country, including one Sunday with a magnitude of 6.2 that originated in the sea, about 111 miles (179 kilometers) east of Tokyo. It swayed buildings in the capital, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.

Comments (92)

1 2
  • Extremepatriot
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 5:51pm

    No matter what happens in Japan we cant let any nucular disaster there stop Americas nuclear power program. Dont forget there technicians are not Americans.

    Report Post »  
  • flagbearer
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 5:50pm

    @CaptainKook:

    I’m a staunch conservative, but opposed to nuclear power. No one will ever convince me it is “safe.” I know of several cover ups here that involved spilled waste on an exit ramp and ground water contamination in at least two states. Also, I don’t think it is right for states to force another to take and store nuclear waste. (Obama has also made an agreement to take Russia’s!) No matter how “safe” the containers are, or how “safe” the power plants are, things eventually wear out. I believe it is very short-sighted and selfish to develop nuclear power that will eventually cause problems for future generations. This is no different from creating financial woes for future generations. It is selfish and does not address long-term problems. We must find a better, safer solution. America has some of the richest oil fields in the world, but the world bankers who apparently control everything are preventing our drilling for it.

    Report Post »  
    • Ghandi was a Republican
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 6:21pm

      You should read up on Nuclear reactors. You should also report these 2 crimes to the Nuke Reg. Agency. Really! No Capitalist Nation has ever had past it’s fail safes.. That’s an amazing record. They resolve this reactor any time they want. All they need to do is pump seawater from tankers and back and ship it out to sea. If the cooling system has no integrity any more – Then let the designers and the CEO of the electric company (And Bureaucrats) crane the damn think to a trawler and let them tote to the abysmal plain!

      Report Post » Ghandi was a Republican  
  • Ghandi was a Republican
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:57pm

    Why not drill a 5,000 foot hole underneath these things so that a complex breakaway mechanism can just drop the reactor in an extreme emergency? Bury it with a layer of lead and then concrete… Or is that somehow to easy?

    Report Post » Ghandi was a Republican  
  • Guitar Master
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:29pm

    I’ve never heard so much spin on TV in my entire life. The majority of so called “experts” that I’ve heard being interviewed have said there should be no concern even if a melt-down does happen.

    Does anyone have an idea how many of these spin doctors are in bed with the nuclear industry?

    Having been involved with the nuclear industry in the past, I can say with a 100% degree of certainty that the people in the western United States should be extremely concerned about radioactive fallout if there is are melt-downs.in Japan . .

    Report Post »  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 6:52pm

      This issue has become politicized, and some people here won’t get it unless Glenn spells it out for them. I know that because when Glenn is uncertain about something and later shifts his position, their comments reflect the shift in stance. Very sad. Where has Glenn’s recommendation to follow common sense gone? Govts. have an invested interest in covering-up tragedies. In the case of nuclear fallout, it is very easy to mislead people with inconclusive studies.

      Report Post »  
  • GdHUs
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 3:32pm

    TOWER7 – I can’t believe your post was totally ignored by Blaze contributors. I know it was out of context but it got my attention. What a story! And the article was from 2009. I don’t understand why even the liberal media would ignore this let alone Fox.
    Check it out. It was posted at 7:47 AM

    Report Post » GdHUs  
  • Chilloften
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 1:33pm

    I don’t believe for one second that this incident is nothing to worry about!

    Report Post »  
  • TulsaYeeHaw
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 12:46pm

    I know why the radiation spiked! Michael Moore went over there and farted!!

    Report Post »  
    • GdHUs
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 3:45pm

      Hey, Tulsa, here we are facing a nuclear conflagration and you’re making fart jokes. It was funny though, but not very credible . The Japananese would never let Moore into their country in the first place. They’re obsessed with cleanliness and personal grooming.

      Report Post » GdHUs  
  • Tnredneck
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 12:34pm

    @ dawg of god…. I am not judging anybody. I was actually kidding. But from your remarks current and former I think you seem to have a problem with the whole “god” thing.you seem to be WWII to judge others or make derogatory remarks about them. What every one else believes is between them and their god and is none of my business. I have no problem with where I stand with God and that’s all that matters. So lighten up dude .. Nobody is perfect including yourself

    Report Post »  
  • mossbrain
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:51am

    Thank God I use lead paint on my house and have already stocked up on tin foil. If my calculations are correct it will take 5 layers of foil for absolute protection.

    Report Post » mossbrain  
    • CaptainKook
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 11:04am

      A couple of layers of duct tape over your siding will help too!

      Report Post »  
  • cdwhite75
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:44am

    What I don’t get is that I heard a total damage estimate of 15 billion. That seems awfully low, I’ll bet Obama spends that every year on Q-tips.

    Report Post »  
  • CaptainKook
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:29am

    Spam, spam spam spam
    [verse]
    Spam spam spam spam
    [chorus]
    Spam spam spam spam

    Report Post »  
  • felina g
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:19am

    What ???!!!!!

    Report Post »  
  • dawg of gawd
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:18am

    Oh, goodie, a fresh nuclear blast. So reassuring to see the “all of the above” energy policy of the conservative pundits and their hordes of bleating tools play out so well. First the gulf spill and now Japan. You folks just don’t seem to get it. Your anachronistic world view, in energy and everything else, is killing us. Literally.

    But hey, don’t worry, I hear all the Tea Party people are bussing over to Japan to help all the cardboard signs that have “Hitler” written on them in trash cans. That’s really the only things that matters in the end, right?

    By the way, have you seen Michelle Obama’s arms? Now THAT is a tragedy. Can I get an amen? Thank you, brothers and sisters. Now, pass the plate around. That’s right, we can‘t do god’s work ’round here iffin you don’t do your part. Remember, god can’t do it alone.

    Report Post » dawg of gawd  
    • jackrorabbit
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 1:33pm

      Funny, you slam the energy policy, but you are using a computer that is MADE OF OIL! Plastic is a derivative of it. I bet you drive an automobile. Do you have your own windmill, or are you on the power grid? I would wager that you probably even have a high def TV. For all the griping and complaining done by those that hate our country and the energy that we produce, they sure use a lot of it. Also interesting to note, that you are attacking two sectors that have had less than 1% failure rate or catastrophe associated with them. Try googling the number of meltdowns or nuclear facility problems( I will help you here, before the massive earthquake caused ones now, there were 2, only one of which caused any meaningful damage)
      As for oil drilling, name me the last oil disaster that happened from a drilling rig before the BP one.
      http://home.versatel.nl/the_sims/rig/i-blowout.htm
      The last one was in 1992 of any major release.
      The last one caused by a US company 1977.
      If you want to go to solar and wind, great so do I. Tell me, how do you plan on building them? Solar panels are made from OIL. Wind Turbines are made from metal, which require COAL or OIL to heat them up enough to melt them. It’s sad when reality SMACKS you in the face, but there it is.

      Report Post »  
    • Ghandi was a Republican
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 5:01pm

      Yo! do‘s scandinavians and do’s frenchies are real conservative you tool of pawns…. Feeble and indoctrinated is no way to go through life son…

      Report Post » Ghandi was a Republican  
    • Ghandi was a Republican
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 5:04pm

      Shhhhh! Liberals are allowed to use all the energy the want and need, so they can do the good work of the people. None of it puts any food on the table, creates a job or contributes to feeding the World’s poor of course – but hey, it makes them feel important so.. welll uh? Hmmmm? Neeveeer mind..

      Report Post » Ghandi was a Republican  
  • Bob1943
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:56am

    The Blaze headline makes it sound like they are about to have a nuclear explosion….which, of course, is not the case.

    Nuclear power is a viable energy source that even with the risk and the need to store waste is still the best source of large amounts of electricity. If the idiots in the U.S. had not stopped the original promise to the utilities to reprocess the spent fuet, as is done in the rest of the world, the amount of spent fuel that needs long term storage would be much less that it is now.

    Nuclear power isn’t going to go away. and the next generration of plants are even more safe than the ones that have been in service for almost 50 years.

    Report Post »  
    • CaptainKook
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:14am

      Recycling nuclear waste is mostly hype:

      Nuclear Recycling Fails the Test
      By Robert Alvarez. Edited by Miriam Pemberton, July 2, 2008

      [excerpt]
      Nuclear Recycling and the Environment
      In order to recycle uranium and plutonium in power plants, spent fuel has to be treated to chemically separate these elements from other highly radioactive byproducts. As it chops and dissolves used fuel rods, a reprocessing plant releases about 15 thousand times more radioactivity into the environment than nuclear power reactors and generates several dangerous waste streams.
      If placed in a crowded area, a few grams of waste would deliver lethal radiation doses in a matter of seconds. They also pose enduring threats to the human environment for tens of thousands of years.

      Europe reprocessing has created higher risks and has spread radioactive wastes across international borders.

      Radiation doses to people living near the Sellefield reprocessing facility in England were found to be 10 times higher than for the general population.

      Denmark, Norway, and Ireland have sought to close the French and English plants because of their radiological impacts.

      Discharges of Iodine 129, for example, a very long-lived carcinogen, have contaminated the shores of Denmark and Norway at levels 1000 times higher than nuclear weapons fallout. Health studies indicate that significant excess childhood cancers have occurred near French and English reprocessing plants. Experts have not ruled out radiation as a possible cause, despite intense pressure from the nuclear industry to do so.

      Nuclear recycling in the U.S. has created in one of the largest environmental legacies in the world. Between the 1940’s and the late 1980’s, the Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors reprocessed tens of thousands of tons of spent fuel in order to reuse uranium and make plutonium for nuclear weapons.

      By the end the Cold War about 100 million gallons of high-level radioactive wastes were left in aging tanks that are larger than most state capitol domes. More than a third of some 200 tanks have leaked and threaten water supplies such as the Columbia River. The nation’s experience with this mess should serve as a cautionary warning.

      According to DOE, treatment and disposal will cost more than $100 billion; and after 26 years of trying, the Energy Department has processed less than one percent of the radioactivity in these wastes for disposal.

      By comparison, the amount of wastes from spent power reactor fuel recycling in the U.S. would dwarf that of the nuclear weapons program – generating about 25 times more radioactivity.

      full article:
      http://www.fpif.org/articles/nuclear_recycling_fails_the_test

      NUKES for power generation: OBSOLETE and DANGEROUS technology.

      Report Post »  
    • Miami
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 11:03am

      CaptainKook

      For the slow people in the back of the room,

      Socialism, Marxism and Communism have killed a hundred thousand times more people than Nuclear attacks or accidents…

      Yet the left seem to embrace Socialism, Marxism and Communism….

      Report Post » Miami  
    • TulsaYeeHaw
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 12:45pm

      Does Robert Alverez also think the sun has nothing to do with Earth’s heating?

      Report Post »  
  • TOWG
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:52am

    I will pray for the people of Japan. They have had a ROUGH 75 year run.

    Report Post »  
  • Tnredneck
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:47am

    @deutscher ….. As for now there has already been a release into the atmosphere but the amounts would rapidly dissipate after a hundred miles or so. But that doesn’t help the folks immediately down wind in japan. The problem now is contamination of sea water and fishing intrest near the coast of japan. The contaminated seawater got to go somewhere assuming the fresh water piping loop and storage is out of commission

    Report Post »  
    • Deutscher
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:25am

      I know there was some release of pressure and a local story term rise in levels but my point is there is no reason to think there is a problem with particles reaching the jet stream ( not just moderate downwind dispersion). Hopefully the cooling system loop remains closed.
      I think the headline is misleading and causing people to think this is more than a local problem ( large quantities of highly radioactive particles in seawater aside ).

      Report Post »  
  • tower7femacamp
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 8:04am

    China has an earthquake machine, as does the US

    Report Post » tower7femacamp  
  • jacobstroubles
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 8:01am

    The main stream media has been told to tamp down reports/headlines which indicate what’s really happening. There is a 2nd reactor in the process of melt down… Which means there was a first…
    dahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! It’s likley that there will be several others in that same chain of reactors that
    wont be able to be stopped. THEY WONT BE ABLE COVER THEM WITH THE CEMENT FAST ENOUGH UNTILL MASSIVE DOSES OF RADIATION IS UP AND WELL INTO THE JET STREAMS.

    Report Post »  
  • fedfreakingup
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 7:21am

    Is anyone out there concerned about the American Military lives we’re sending into this place? If I was a husband, wife or parent of one of these soldiers I WOULD BE TERRIFIED FOR THERE LIFE! I wonder if one of the politicians kids or spouses were in the military would they want them going there with a nuclear plant ready to explode.

    Report Post »  
    • randy
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:18am

      I am! I’m sorry, but this is one case where it should be a volunteer effort, no one should be ordered to help.

      Report Post » randy  
    • felina g
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:17am

      Also the volunteers from all of the other countries as well as troops. Amazed at all of the interviews from Americans who have lived in Japan for many years teaching, coaching, doing what they do best. I am very proud of that.

      What do we do ? I would be willing to adopt a Japanese family as long as they don`t glow in the dark.

      Report Post »  
    • jackrorabbit
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 1:19pm

      Just imagine if this same thing happened in the St. Louis area, where they have had an earthquake this size before, but their building codes are nowhere close to the Japanese. The only good thing that has been shone in this disaster, is that good planning can mitigate a massive earthquake.

      Report Post »  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 3:29pm

      Very, very concerned.

      Report Post »  
    • AzDebi
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:23pm

      @randy:
      “I am! I’m sorry, but this is one case where it should be a volunteer effort, no one should be ordered to help.”
      _____________
      I totally agree…can you even imagine being “inside” and at “your” station. behind the controls? I can’t!

      Report Post » AzDebi  
    • Ghandi was a Republican
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 5:11pm

      Why not? These people are heroes. It is no more a humanitarian effort than the rest of the military S.O.P.
      For you progressive/Liberals out there— Name one soul that has ever asked the US military to leave, and I will show you millions who begged for their help time and time again.! It’s what our people sacrifice for – It’s why we spend Trillions on technology to be able to do it. They shouldn’t even call it the military. They should call it Santa Clause. Everyone wants something from it except the evildoers!

      Report Post » Ghandi was a Republican  
  • Fina Biscotti
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 6:48am

    Almighty God, help us.

    Report Post »  
    • Almighty God
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 7:13am

      No.

      Almighty God  
    • QuantumVerp
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 7:23am

      Yes!

      (Don’t pay any attention to that man behind the curtain!)

      Report Post » QuantumVerp  
    • randy
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:15am

      ALMIGHTY GOD…….. You’re disgusting to even pretend to be god!

      Report Post » randy  
    • Tnredneck
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:38am

      I think almighty gods(little g) comments are funny and right on. A little humor does t hurt every now and then. And let the (big G) God deal with him should he blaspheme!

      Report Post »  
    • dawg of gawd
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:05am

      almighty god . . . that was absolutely BRILLIANT!

      Report Post » dawg of gawd  
    • dawg of gawd
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 11:17am

      tennessee – you act like blasphemy is a big deal. Like it’s a commandment or something. And we all know the commandments don’t mean anything. you now how I know? Because nobody abides by them. So don‘t waste your time snickering like you’re immune to the judgment you wish on others. You ain’t got no advantage over anybody else in this world when it comes to knowing god, seeing beyond death, or . . . living in humility as prescribed by the good word.

      Report Post » dawg of gawd  
    • 1chicagoan
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 12:29pm

      I agree with You. However, the FAKE Almighty God will probably be sending “Godzilla” or “Mothera” or some other Japanese fictional monster to rescue all the peoplo!

      Report Post »  
    • Showtime
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 1:25pm

      It would not surprise me at all if Dawg of Gawd and Almighty God are one and the same. Dawg is saying that his own comments are brilliant — yep, that sounds about right.

      Dawg, go pee in your cereal! We REALLY don’t want to read your crap, and this is not the place for it.

      Report Post » Showtime  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 3:26pm

      Well, the big “G” is not to my liking, but almightygod did make a valid point when he noted that govts. who build nuclear reactors in seismic areas are disregarding the well-being of their citizens and the rest of God’s creation. Now O’bum, the global tyrant wannabe, is planning to build nuclear reactors in Palestinian-infested, earthquake-prone Chile too. That vile commie roach.

      Report Post »  
    • NeoFan
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:26pm

      @Almighty God, Dam I almost peed my pants. That is so funny. “I swear to me”. Ha
      Dear God I love you.

      Report Post »  
    • NeoFan
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:35pm

      @Dawg of God,
      I have had some of the people on this site tell me that the commandments are only there to show us all that we are powerless to follow them. They say if we follow them we are trying to work our way to heaven and this is wrong. I hate stupid doctrines like that.
      What the hell do we have free will for? Do they really think following the commandment that thou shalt not murder is working our way to heaven?
      Does it matter to your children if you try to follow the commandments do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Your wife? Your children?
      Anyway I liked your comment.

      Report Post »  
    • Hisemiester
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 11:12pm

      Dis almighty Gawd must be from the Westboro Baptist Church, You think?
      Or he just be playing games. Almighty Gawd dis is no time to be playing games.

      Report Post »  
  • Deutscher
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 5:06am

    There are conflicting statements. If radiation levels dropped after the containment explosion, then it’s unlikely the core was melting. At the very least they seem to be having a hard time determining the status of the situation. At least they have evacuated the areas so a worst-case will be less worse.

    Report Post »  
    • Tnredneck
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:30am

      Radiation levels went down near the ground because it was released upward into the atmosphere after the blast. Try going downwind and do a measurement. At the time of the measurement the wind was blowing out to sea

      Report Post »  
    • Deutscher
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:15am

      The blast was of the containment building not the reactor itself.

      Report Post »  
  • Land of the free
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:20am

    Lord our God, Please help the people of Japan, in Jesus’ name amen.

    Report Post »  
  • projectvxn
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:14am

    Stratfor global intelligence service has said that the Japanese government has already confirmed a meltdown. http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20110312-japanese-government-confirms-meltdown?utm_source=redalert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=110312%286%29&utm_content=readmore&elq=c37481be769b4d429f06ad3b316f3258

    As many as 90 people have been exposed to radiation. The containment casing has also been breached according to Stratfor.

    Report Post » projectvxn  
    • Tnredneck
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:27am

      90 people my foot…..whoever gets near that plant as far as workers trying to repair it have and will be exposed. It will be a suicide mission to repair the plant now as radiation at these levels requires protective equipment that would make repair near impossible. The option …. Lots of sand and lead laced concrete.

      Report Post »  
    • AzDebi
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 2:24pm

      Hydrogen combustion would not occur necessarily in the containment building, it is inert—it doesn’t have any oxygen—but they have had to vent the containment, because this pressure is building up from all this steam. And so the hydrogen is being vented with the steam and it’s entering some area, some building, where there is oxygen, and that’s where the explosion took place…

      Report Post » AzDebi  
  • Florida_Freedom_Fighter
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:04am

    The magnitude of this quake is unbelievable……….

    Report Post » Florida_Freedom_Fighter  
    • fedfreakingup
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 7:33am

      Maybe the Myans, Hopi Indians, and Nostradomas where right?

      Report Post »  
    • jackrorabbit
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 1:15pm

      The fact that we have had three like this in the 21st century is really amazing.

      Report Post »  
  • GONESURFING
    Posted on March 13, 2011 at 3:25am

    This is really a tragedy of Biblical proportion, keep praying for Japan.

    Report Post » GONESURFING  
    • GONESURFING
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:35am

      Live coverage now on CNN; A meltdown may have happened.

      Report Post » GONESURFING  
    • brliantedj
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 6:50am

      I ha e news for you!
      If they warn, consider it done!!! This is bad.

      Report Post »  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 7:47am

      What ever happened to that 134.5 BILLION in bonds found on 2 Japanese men in Italy ?
      Here’s yet another huge financial story that has been virtually blacked out by the US financial media. Although on the surface, this story appears to be a non-event, if we consider some of the released facts about this case, you will understand why I consider it to be a huge story. On June 8th, the Asia News reported the following story:

      “Italy’s financial police (Guardia italiana di Finanza) has seized US bonds worth US 134.5 billion from two Japanese nationals at Chiasso (40 km from Milan) on the border between Italy and Switzerland. They include 249 US Federal Reserve bonds worth US$ 500 million each, plus ten Kennedy bonds and other US government securities worth a billion dollars each. Italian authorities have not yet determined whether they are real or fake, but if they are real the attempt to take them into Switzerland would be the largest financial smuggling operation in history; if they are fake, the matter would be even more mind-boggling because the quality of the counterfeit work is such that the fake bonds are undistinguishable from the real ones.”

      Here are just a few fascinating facts about this case (at least they are being reported as “facts” at this current time):

      (1) Though the smugglers have been identified in the press as “Japanese nationals” there has yet to be any confirmation if the smugglers were indeed Japanese or of some other ethnicity. How difficult is it to confirm the ethnicity of the smugglers and why is this information being kept secret?

      (2) According to a brief Bloomberg article regarding this story, the seized bearer bonds allegedly were dated as of 1934. Since bearer bonds in denominations of $500 million did not exist in 1934, the bonds were deduced as fake, though the Italian police are still waiting for a declaration regarding the bonds’ authenticity from the SEC. There is something truly “off” about this declaration. How can the quality of the forged bearer bonds be so meticulous that they “are indistinguishable from the real ones”, yet the people involved in the alleged forgery so ill-informed as to not date the bearer bonds with a more recent year that would not immediately identify them as fraudulent? How hard would it have been to date the bearer bonds with a more recent year? An equivalent analogy would be if an expert art forger meticulously re-created a Picasso oil canvas and then erroneously signed the work with the wrong artist’s name. This story just does not add up.

      (3) The Bloomberg story also reported that there is no known existence of the alleged 10 Kennedy bonds that were discovered in the smuggler’s suitcases, each with a denomination of $1 billion. Again, this discovery defies any logical explanation. Why would expert counterfeiters make 249 bearer bonds with denominations of $500 million apiece, each indistinguishable from the real thing, and then instead of just making 20 more such bonds, decide to make 10 bonds in denominations of $1 billion a piece in a bearer bond design that has never existed? Were the alleged counterfeiters just too lazy to confirm if Kennedy bearer bonds were ever a legitimately issued security? Again, this story makes no sense.

      (4) On March 30, 2009, the US Treasury Department announced that USD $134.5 billion remained in its Troubled Asset Relief Program [TARP]. The stated amount of seized bearer bonds was $134.5 billion. Coincidence?

      (5) The two well-dressed Japanese men opted to travel to Chiasso on a local train normally full of Italian manual laborers commuting to Switzerland. If they were really intent on successfully smuggling these bonds, counterfeit or real, why would they not take more care to select a travel route in which it was literally impossible for them not to stick out like two sore thumbs? Again, this part of the story defies all logic.

      (6) The bearer bonds were discovered in a hidden briefcase compartment after a customs inspection. Again, if the bonds were indeed authentic and owned by a nation state, they could have been transported in a diplomatic pouch exempt from customs searches that would have guaranteed transport without detection.
      Thus, all of the above irreconcilable and illogical points, other than the coincidence of the amount of the bearer bonds exactly matching the remaining TARP fund amount declared on March 30th, seem to indicate that not only were the seized bearer bonds counterfeit, but also that the smugglers were intent on being caught.
      Before I continue, let’s review the purpose of bearer bonds.
      http://seekingalpha.com/article/143462-strange-inconsistencies-in-the-134-5-billion-bearer-bond-mystery

      http://seekingalpha.com/article/149213-ongoing-134-5-billion-bearer-bond-mystery-possible-link-to-upcoming-bank-holiday

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 7:48am

      Japan is not and has never been part of the NWO
      maybe somebody wants them out ?

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 7:49am

      Japan and China are mortal enemies…

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
    • stevefim5
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 8:38am

      As terrible as this is for the Japanese – and it is a tragedy of epic proportions; it means future nuclear power plant construction now has zero chance in this country. And THAT is a tragedy for us…..

      Report Post » stevefim5  
    • CaptainKook
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:40am

      re: “As terrible as this is for the Japanese – and it is a tragedy of epic proportions; it means future nuclear power plant construction now has zero chance in this country. And THAT is a tragedy for us…..”

      How is it a tragedy? It’s a CLEAR WARNING:

      Nuclear power, for all of its benefits [expensive electricity that was originally sold to us a being potentially so cheap that utility companies might "not bother to meter it." Remember? - I do] ] this event illustrates the enormous unsolved problems with nuclear power:

      1) Any accident that allows radiation to escpae is potentially a widespread disaster putting the lives of untold numbers at risk

      and

      2) ALL NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS will eventually wear out and have to be treated like the big pile of radioactive waste they are – FOR CENTURIES TO COME and AT GREAT EXPENSE – and we still don’t know how to deal safely with just the spent fuel rods and other waste already piling up.

      The real tragedy here would be for us to ignore this warning – we must get serious about non-polluting energy, and nuclear power DOES NOT QUALIFY for that description.

      Report Post »  
    • Miami
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 10:55am

      I pray for those who have lost their family members as they have to endure the hardships that are to come without the support of those family members whom I’m sure are in a better place.

      As for Nuclear it is still safer than Socialism, Marxism or Communism which have killed a hundred thousands times what all Nuclear attacks or accidents together…

      Report Post » Miami  
    • AzDebi
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 11:06am

      Nuclear Experts Explain Worse Case Scenario:

      http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fukushima-core

      Report Post » AzDebi  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 11:41am

      Democrat Playbook

      Oil Bad– Shut down US drilling

      Coal Bad – Shut down US Mining

      Natural Gas Bad- Stop Drilling

      Solar Good- Chinese GE Panels abuilding

      Windmill’s Good- Chinese GE windmills abuilding

      Democrat Party Pledge- I, (State Your Name ) pledge, to divest myself of all energy wasting items, such as , but not excluding Automobiles (excepting those getting 200 MPG ), Airtravel, Electric Lights ( except those that contain mercury? ) Non solar powered computers, Cell phones, Cooking stoves, Easy Bake Ovens, . I pledge to leave the USA with no cogent energy policy from the (Dept Of No Energy) for the children, while spending 15 times what is brought in. I pledge to tax the rich until the rich exist no more, then when the only US citizens that have jobs are the Public Sector Unions, we can create our Socialist Utopia. Exempted from above pledge are: Public sector Unions, Democrat Politicans( who have signed above pledge,)

      Signed
      New DemoKratic Party Member

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
    • TulsaYeeHaw
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 12:39pm

      CaptainKook

      Well lets just build a bunch of worthless windmills

      Report Post »  
    • jackrorabbit
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 12:58pm

      If their government is like ours, then the radiation leaks and explosions are much worse than the story is telling. I just pray that it doesn’t become a hydrogen explosion, akin to a nuclear blast.

      Report Post »  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 1:21pm

      @Miami
      You are comparing apples and oranges. A political ideology and an energy program are two entirely different things.

      @CaptainKook
      I couldn’t agree more. Heed the warning, America. A nuclear meltdown doesn’t just kill people and damage the ecosystem; it can permanently alter the genes of all life forms in contaminated areas.

      There is also a real risk that a nuclear accident will initially go unreported (e.g., at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pa. in Nov. 2009). Even when the general public has knowledge of the event, the ensuing studies to analyze health consequences typically yield varying and/or inconclusive results.

      Drill here and drill now.

      Report Post »  
    • AzDebi
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 1:35pm

      @CaptainKook:
      “re: “As terrible as this is for the Japanese – and it is a tragedy of epic proportions; it means future nuclear power plant construction now has zero chance in this country. And THAT is a tragedy for us…..”

      How is it a tragedy? It’s a CLEAR WARNING:

      Nuclear power, for all of its benefits [expensive electricity that was originally sold to us a being potentially so cheap that utility companies might "not bother to meter it." Remember? - I do] ] this event illustrates the enormous unsolved problems with nuclear power:”
      ______________________

      Hey Captain…Have you ever worked at a nuclear power plant? I have…AND…I can tell you from first hand experience that the power plant in AZ SHOULD be the model for the entire world! Japan should NEVER have built a reactor in the low-lying area that it did…even though what has happened is well beyond the “imaginable”…the generators which were meant to be the back-up power supply were swamped due to the tsunami…unacceptable at any speed! The American people were uneducated and fear mongering took the forefront a very long time ago…that’s too bad!

      Report Post » AzDebi  
    • Dale
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 1:44pm

      Kook;

      “The real tragedy here would be for us to ignore this warning – we must get serious about non-polluting energy, and nuclear power DOES NOT QUALIFY for that description.”

      Why do you qualify your response to ‘non-polluting’ energy? You and your ‘green’ friends cannot explain how the air became cleaner suing polluting energy sources. Why, then, do we need alternate energy sources (with nuclear being a possible execption)? The answer is simply to ‘redistribute’ wealth. If you can, answer the question.

      Report Post » Dale  
    • GEETAR
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 3:40pm

      This is a very scary situation for not only the Japanese people but for all us watching too. We must all pray for their safety

      Report Post »  
    • GONESURFING
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 4:25pm

      CAPTAINKOOK, I am not a fan of nuclear power either, the power plants are “safe” until something goes wrong, and when things go wrong they really go wrong. Then there is the nuclear waste problem. I personally don’t want a nuclear power plant in my neighborhood or on my island. So called green energy is a joke also, so drill baby drill, as there is plenty of oil in our own country and elsewhere. In most cases it is the green nuts preventing us from drilling for it.

      Report Post » GONESURFING  
    • Miami
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 6:53pm

      kryptonite

      Deaths are deaths If we compare accidental to intentional it more like millions to one. I guess the logic is beyond your liberal mind and killing is fine if it’s done of the name of pushing your ideology…

      Report Post » Miami  
    • FEDupFRANK
      Posted on March 13, 2011 at 9:08pm

      Dont fall for all the hyperbole. There is no danger to the public. This plant was designed for just such a worse case situation. even if it does MELTDOWN. The green movement has done to nuclear what it has done to Sarah Palin We all need to wise up! http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/

      Report Post »  
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