August 29 2011 Update
Japan faces costly, unprecedented radiation cleanup
After nearly six months since the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, Japan faces the daunting task of cleaning up an area of radioactivity that spans between 1,000 – 4,000 square kilometers due to the fuel core meltdowns that occurred at the Fukushima nuclear plan in March. The government has declined entry into a 20 km area surrounding the Fukushima plant and over 80,000 civilians have been evacuated, leaving behind homes, farmland, and cattle.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/26/us-japan-nuclear-decontamination-idUSTRE77P0HE20110826
West Coast salmon to be tested for radiation
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is reporting that Salmon, Coho, Sockeye, Chum, Pink, and Albacore Tuna, caught along the West Coast of North America, will be tested for radiation originating from the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. Test results will be posted on the CFIA website “as they become available.”
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/128425033.html
Finance Minister To Be Japan's Next Prime Minister
Japan elected Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as its new prime minister early this morning, replacing the former Prime Minister Naoto Kan who resigned after only 15 months in office. Kan’s administration was widely criticized as having failed to aid the people of Japan due to “political infighting and [poor] handling of the disasters.”
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/29/140027792/finance-minister-to-be-japans-next-prime-minister
Japan welcomes Chinese tourists during holiday
Since the Fukushima disaster in March of 2011, Japan has seen fewer and fewer Chinese tourists enter the country - an estimated 50 percent drop in tourism numbers from a year prior, according to the Japan Tourism Agency. In response, Japan will “further relax its visa policy and provide more convenient services to attract more tourists from the Chinese mainland.” The Japanese government has also continued to assure foreign travelers that its beef, both exported and sold within the country, is safe to eat.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/beijing_tokyo/2011-08/23/content_13168336.htm