TEPCO has already stated that reactors 1-4 have already been scheduled for decommission. The only reason they are going through all this trouble is because they need a stable method for keeping the fuel rods cool.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12903725

Also, TEPCO hasn't come out and said it specifically, but the idea of long-term relocation has been discussed on the news quite a bit here in Japan. Many of the people affected were relocated to a new city as a group so that the community could stay together for the short term. Their housing options run out in about 6 months, so most likely that's when we will start to hear how the government wants to handle the situation. They are going to require financial assistance either way, so the government has to figure out ways to finance their relocation - which they are already talking about.

The TEPCO stock has already lost most of its value, and there is a lot of talk about nationalizing the company so that affected residents can be compensated for their losses. Again, all of this is being discussed on a regular basis here.

Nothing in this situation is going to happen quickly. We're looking at least a decade of slow steps to even get back to where we were prior to the earthquake. Everyone clearly recognizes that, especially with first-hand experience in disaster recovery from the Kobe earthquake in 1995.

What do you mean, out of options? They detail their options on a daily basis in every press conference they hold.

Currently they are trying to remove the radioactive water from the trench connecting the reactor building to the combine room, and once that is done they will continue with power restoration to get cooling systems back online. Removing the water will also help them determine what kind of additional damage they are facing, if there are water leaks, and whether any circuit boards need to be replaced.

They are also currently trying to decide on ways to minimize the spread of airborne radiation further, including a liquid material that will reduce dust in the area and a specialized tarp that will keep radiation from spreading from the damage reactor buildings.

Seriously. Just visit some reputable news sources once in a while:

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/ http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html

They could always just fill the seats with robots.

Then at the flip of an executive-controlled switch, they could all burst into cold, robotic laughter. Even better, special appearances from Robot Wars contestants could make their way into the program to give the audience something to relate to. Kryten might even end up the next Justin Bieber.

Since when do blogs count as journalism?

The source material is linked as a matter of course because it's being covered on a blog. That's how Slashdot does it, and that's that the entire Internet does it...except for real news sites, at least.

I visit these sites to get an entertaining take on the game industry, nothing more.

Unless those workers are being hired in China or India.

This is probably going to be more and more of a problem in the near future. I just got back from an Adobe seminar yesterday, and all of the tools in the CS5 Design series are focused on making Flash movies and Flash-based (interactive) PDFs much easier. I can't even imagine the security holes in an interactive PDF that's been generated using In Design or Illustrator.

I tried, but I gave up once my 'if' statement reached 10,000 lines of code.

Why not:

Pay to be treated like a criminal

OR

Give your money to a company that doesn't treat you like a criminal.

Actually, you're right, but in the wrong sort of way. The term smartphone that we've all associated with PDA-style functionality has yet to really rear its head here in Japan. Docomo has just barely started advertising the "Google Phone", and AU/KDDI won't even get a smartphone model until next year. Seriously, if you look at this list (I know, RTFA), Wilcom is in the number 2 position, and that company is barely a spec of dust in the cell phone market over here.

I wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone continued at the top of the smartphone market because of its extensive advertising, but even if the iPhone is be a well-made phone, simply put, it has no competition in Japan for its particular segment.

What makes this funny is that after a recent trip to New York, I was asked zero questions about my bags during check-in, and the individual checking bags on the x-ray monitor was talking to a fellow co-worker while people went through the metal detector. But at least I took my shoes off and didn't have any large bottles of liquid with me.

What exactly is the point of this increased security?

Thanks for checking! I'll be sure to give them a call and see what they can offer. I know my building uses J:Com by default, but we chose to go with AU since that's the service we use for our cell phones. Now I'm thinking that wasn't such a great idea... :)

Did you sign up for this package using some kind of campaign discount? I read your description and immediately went to J:com's website to see about signing up, but with everything that you mentioned, the cheapest rate I can find is 10,980 yen - and that's without the phone services. The website I was looking at is available http://www.jcom.co.jp/information/common/pricing/pay_pack.php. If you've got any other information about getting 160Mbps for that price, please let me know. I'm currently paying 5800 yen with kddi for 50Mbps and that would be a massive speed increase.

Did anyone else read this as George W.?

George W. "data" is laced with examples of manipulation.

But we're not talking about excessive populations. We're talking about underpopulation.

Take a look at the birth rate for countries in Europe and Japan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_birth_rate

It takes responsibility to have and raise children, but it doesn't make someone irresponsible to not have kids. This is what I'm arguing. Cultural factors will have a strong influence on a couple's decision to NOT have children, and factors like unaffordable childcare only make the decision to not have children that much easier.

Like I said, companies (society) shouldn't feel required to assist people who do have children, but a lack of assistance isn't without consequences.