Leak Source Found

The source of the leak or possibly one of the sources of the leak that has led to contaminated water has been found at the Fukushima Plant. Apparently there's a crack in a concrete pit in the No. 2 reactor. They already tried pouring concrete into the pit in an attempt to seal the crack, but this was not successful. So TEPCO has turned to water-absorbent polymers instead. Although this isn't my forte, from what I understand, there's two type of superabsorbent polymers: low and high density. Essentially they link with the hydrogen molecules in water to form a bond. They can hold anything from 50 to 500 times their own weight, acting as a sort of preventative gel or film against further leakage. They've been used in feminine sanitary napkins, baby diapers, disposable bed liners, candles, surgical pads, etc. So far, there's been no word if this has been successful.

Prime Minister Kan  is under intense pressure recently to resign and call a snap election. He's been accused by TEPCO and news media for traveling to the affected area too quickly which apparently halted the restabilization effort. Then, he's been accused by everyone for not going and helping the evacuees. Finally, people have become irritated for his disappearance altogether from the political scene. This is just my personal and humble opinion, but I think maybe the Japanese are being a little hard on him. My friend, Jazmin, and I are really debating whether they know how long a prime minister is supposed to stay in office. They seem to get rid of them every two months or so. At the same time though, I do understand where people are coming from. If I didn't know better, Iwould think that Edano, the Cabinet Secretary, was the Prime Minister. He's on the news every couple hours giving a press conference. I really hope he's getting his sleep because without him I don't know what Japan will do.

Produce continues to be stopped from Fukushima, and the little that gets through people will not buy. Farmers are asked to pour their milk into pits because it can't be shipped to the public. I'm not sure what they're doing with the produce. The ground and water is becoming more contaminated. Other farmers in Japan are worried. Overseas, it seems like there's a backlash going on against Japanese produce, and farmers whose food is safe are being hurt. In Japan, people are having to prove that their produce to safe, so apparently, according to Reuters at least, there have been some farmers who have bought Geiger counters (I haven't heard about this anywhere else though.)

Actually, one of the main problems that has come up from this disaster is what to do with the bodies. The death toll has reached 28,000. If they burn the bodies outside, then they are afraid that the contamination will get into the air. If they bury them, it could further contaminate the soil. It's Buddhist tradition to burn the bodies, and to bury the ashes in the family grave. But right now, there's not enough wood or flammable materials to burn all of them. Mass graves have been dug, but whether these will be permanent or not is unsure.

Three mega banks, one of which is Mitsuo Sumitomo, are planning to loan 2 trillion yen (about 23 billion US dollars ) to TEPCO in order to rebuild, restabilize, and compensate all those who have been affected. This is necessary in order for TEPCO not collapse and further affect eastern and northern Japan.

In other news, the cherry blossoms have started blooming. Despite all of the destruction that's occurred, they're beautiful, and since they last for a few days, people are trying to enjoy them. Normally by this time, there would be big friend and company parties but they seem a little toned down this year.

Sources:
Japan says it may take months to end radiation leaks (Reuters)
東電へ2兆円融資、銀行団も背水の陣 (NIKKEI)