**A LOT OF UPDATES!!! — from various sources

Dear readers, I clearly haven’t had a chance to update this blog lately, so I’ve included this “get-up-to-speed” post that includes a variety of stories by topic. Thank you for staying informed!

Five years after the world’s worst nuclear disaster occurred, mainstream media are finally waking up to the ongoing Fukushima disaster.

-Melanie

5-year Fukushima anniversary

“‘Japan’s existence was at stake’: Fukushima disaster nearly prompted Tokyo evacuation – former PM” — RT

“Fukushima ‘dark tourism’ aids remembrance and healing” — Rappler

“Fukushima Keeps Fighting Radioactive Tide 5 Years After Disaster” — The New York Times

“Fukushima Five Years On: Not a Comedy of Errors, a Calamity of Terrors” — CounterPunch

“Fukushima; What Will The Future Be?” — SimplyInfo

“Crippled Fukushima Reactors Are Still a Danger, 5 Years after the Accident” — Scientific American

“When the Unthinkable is Deemed Impossible: Reflecting on Fukushima” — Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

“Fukushima: Five years on from nuclear meltdown locals still in the dark about future” — ABC News

“5 years later, Fukushima radiation continues to seep into the Pacific Ocean” — PBS Newshour

Reactor restarts & energy policy

“Court issues surprise injunction to halt Takahama nuclear reactors” — The Japan Times

Japan Speaking Tour Series — Arnie Gundersen, Fairewinds Energy Education

“Editorial: Japan should heed lessons from Fukushima to promote safety and develop new energy policy” — Nikkei Asian Review

Radiation exposure & cancer rates

“Fukushima Report: 10,000 Excess Cancers Expected in Japan as a Result of 2011 Reactor Meltdowns, Ongoing Radiation Exposure” — Physician For Social Responsibility

“Experts divided on causes of high thyroid cancer rates among Fukushima children” — The Mainichi

“It’s Not Just Cancer! Radiation, Genomic Instability and Heritable Genetic Damage” — CounterPunch

“How A Crowd Science Geiger Counter Cast Light On The Fukushima Radioactive Fallout Mystery” — Forbes

“Five years later, Fukushima’s contamination risk to aquatic food is low” — Ars Technica

“Fukushima’s organic farmers still battle stigma” — The Japan Times

“Fukushima farmers grow flowers using polyester ‘soil'” — The Asahi Shimbun

Fukushima workers & decontamination work

“Fukushima ‘Decontamination Troops’ Often Exploited, Shunned” — ABC News

“Water, Soil And Radiation: Why Fukushima Will Take Decades To Clean Up” — NPR, Colorado Public Radio

“The heroes of Fukushima Dai-ichi, but don’t call them that” — PBS Newshour

Fukushima No. 1 cleanup & prefecture recovery

“Fukushima’s ground zero: No place for man or robot” — Reuters

“Nuclear experts from France, U.S. to help with Fukushima clean-up” — Japan Today

“Razing of wrecked homes lagging badly as Fukushima residents ponder return” — The Japan Times

“Fukushima survivors determined to rebuild new life in deserted Japanese town Naraha” — ABC News

Fukushima lessons

“Fukushima: Lessons for the nuclear waste dump proposed for Lake Huron” — The Voice

Fukushima documentary

“Meltdown – The Fateful 88 Hours” — CounterPunch

Operation Tomodachi

“16 US ships that aided in Operation Tomodachi still contaminated with radiation” — Stars and Stripes