PROFESSIONAL LUNCHEON
György Dallos, Greenpeace International
Senior Energy Investments Advisor
Ayako Sekine, Greenpeace Japan Nuclear Campaigner

The speech and Q & A will be in English & Japanese with English interpretation

The full text of this notice & menu will be available shortly.

PROFESSIONAL LUNCHEON
Chris Anderson, Curator of Technology Entertainment Design (TED) Conference
Patrick Newell, Vision Navigator of TEDxTokyo.

The speech and Q & A will be in English.

Have you heard of TED? It stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, a conference series that was founded in the United States in 1984 and has since become a global movement, sprouting branches in cities all over the world.

What does TED do? It hosts conferences in which speakers are given a limited period of time to address important topics in the most engaging and informative manner that they can. The slogan of the organization is "Ideas Worth Spreading."

TED grants licenses to third parties to organize "TEDx" events in cities around the world. It has already taken off in many parts of Japan with events such as TEDxTohoku, TEDxKyoto, TEDxOsaka, TEDxFukuoka, and TEDxSapporo already having been held.

But now they are taking a major step forward in this country with the worldwide curator of TED, Chris Anderson, and TED Content Director Kelly Stoezel coming to Japan for a short visit. They are currently touring 14 cities on their Worldwide Talent Search for TED2013 "The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered."

The FCCJ is hosting its own event to help our members discover TED and the efforts it is making to bring good ideas to the world. The two speakers will be Chris Anderson and Patrick Newell, Vision Navigator of TEDxTokyo. We think it would be a "good idea" for you to come and listen to them.

Menu
Seafood Croquette with Tomato Sauce, Carrots and Green Vegetables, Seasonal Salad

PROFESSIONAL LUNCHEON
Mitsuhei Murata,
Former Japanese Ambassador to Switzerland

The speech and Q & A will be in English.

What's Happening To Reactor 4?

In mid-May, two government officials came to the FCCJ to describe the ongoing work to dismantle the crippled reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Senior Vice Minister for Reconstruction, Ikko Nakatsuka, and Director-General for Energy and Environmental Policy at METI, Hiroshi Asahi, essentially concluded: "Don’t worry, it’s under control."

One man who might not agree is Japan's former Ambassador to Switzerland, Mitsuhei Murata. In March, he told a public hearing in Japan's House of Councilors that another accident at the plant could cause a global catastrophe "the like we have never before experienced. " He added: "Such a catastrophe would affect us all for centuries."

Like many commentators, Murata is particularly concerned about the spent fuel inventory in the Reactor No. 4 fuel pool. Analysts have repeatedly warned about the scale of the threat from this spent fuel, which is immensely radioactive. However, his testimony has given the warnings credibility and is widely believed to have put the government and plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., on the defensive again.

There are 1,532 fuel rods in the Reactor No. 4 building spent fuel pool 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground and a common spent fuel pool containing 6,375 fuel rods located just 50 meters away. None of those rods are protected by a containment vessel and are open to the air, making them extremely vulnerable to another large seismic event, says Murata.

Murata, a native of Tokyo, has enjoyed a long diplomatic career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has represented Japan in the United Nations and was ambassador to Senegal, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In 1999 he accepted a professorial post at Tokai Gakuen University. He was also made an honorary professor of Tianjin University of Science and Technology in China in 2008.

Come along and hear what he has to say.

Menu:
Hamburg Steak with Cheese, Crushed Potato and Green Vegetables, Seasonal Salad