Japan must ditch nuclear power: Kan

[AsahinaKimi]

Timetable specifics lacking but snap election mandate ruled out

By NATSUKO FUKUE
Staff writer/Japan Times

Japan should gradually become a society that does not have to rely on atomic power, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Wednesday amid the continuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.

"I think that's the direction our country should head toward," Kan told a televised news conference. But he did not specify a timetable, saying it is too early to outline specifics.

Kan also denied that he is planning to call a snap election over energy issues, amid strong speculation that he may dissolve the Lower House this summer to try to break the political stalemate.

Concerning his expected resignation, Kan only said, "I have already spoken on my course of action at a meeting of lawmakers and a news conference," referring to the June 27 news conference in which he said he intends to step down after three key bills clear the Diet.

more...http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110714a1.html

[MADem]

1. They have excellent engineering chops--maybe they're the ones to cough up a viable

ocean wave technology that's durable and easy to maintain.

They've got tons of ocean all around them to play with, too.

[Art_from_Ark]

2. They have been developing ocean wave technology using dielectric elastomers

Here's a link to a recent (2010) abstract:

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=5603972

[AsahinaKimi]

3. Thank you

for the link!

[Art_from_Ark]

5. I've had the pleasure of reading a few papers

by Chiba and Waki. Their technology sounds promising, and I think Mr. Waki is an officer in a company called Hyper Drive Corporation that is working with SRI of California to take this to the next level:

http://www.sri.com/news/releases/120808.html

[MADem]

4. Fascinating stuff! nt