The effects of a powerful Japan earthquake of magnitude 9.0 Richter scale and devastating tsunami with a wave more than 10 meters high considerable caused extensive damage in the northeastern region of Japan, including damage to the installation Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which is resulted in the release of radiation, numerous explosions, multiple meltdowns, and the world’s worst nuclear accident in 25 years. Natural disaster may impart the recession to that country, but if the nuclear power plant explosion have complicated and elaborated risk assessment.
The triple disasters that happen in Japan destroyed the entire cities in north-east. The disasters resulted in a human death and missing the people, massive damage to homes and business, much damage to coastal ports and cities with over a million destroyed or partially collapsed. Beside that a few of plant’s workers were severely injured or killed by the disaster conditions resulting from the earthquake. And also, thousands of residents were evacuated from the area as radioactive material continued to leak into the environment.
To make things worse, radiation contamination was added Japan’s people concern. The massive earthquake and extremely powerful tsunami were bad enough caused a radioactive leak at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. In result, there was occurred the explosion of the reactors of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant sparked and make plant’s cooling systems were knocked out, resulting in reactor meltdown and radiation poisoning. Based on International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), Japan was rated 7, the same level as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. This accident caused by the major release of radioactive material and widespread environmental effects. (Amadeo, 2012)
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is the largest electric utility in Japan and 4th largest utility in the world. As TEPCO stands in a leading position in this industry, they have relatively a strong effect for Japanese economics, environment and energy industry. But, TEPCO was failing to take adequate safety measures, despite the evidence that the area was susceptible to powerful earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO as the operator of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant ignored the tsunami warning that the complex was at risk of damage from a tsunami of the size that hit north-east Japan and dismissed the need for better protection against seawater flooding.
The impact of radiation from the ongoing events at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant caused any diseases for the population or the society. The radiation disturbed people on the human health and the environment effect. This impact can lead and increase in the incidence of solid tumors in many body organs, damage the DNA, leukemia and other cancers. The biggest health effects were psychological. May people were traumatized and depression/stress. And also, for the environment many cities of north-east in Japan were abandoned. The effects of radiation exposure create the contaminated zones that caused a lot of damage to suicide and caused to the weaker immune systems. So, the government persuaded evacuation for the residents to leave or move out to the other city, because the danger of radiation could not be stopped. (Japan earthquake and tsunami: the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant – Telegraph)
The tsunami has plunged Japan into recession after the devastations caused by natural disaster destroyed many factories caused severe shortages of parts for manufacturers both for the people and industry and also caused widespread power cuts. The disruption of electric power as power is critical for the facilities to run and shortage of raw material supplies like chemicals, etc. The triple disasters also had damaged rail, bridge and road, closed down key ports and some airports shut briefly. This effect can disrupt and interrupt for the global supply chain of the equipment and materials for the global market. The triple disasters in Japan make the economic challenges of government, rising commodity prices and a shrinking labor pool. The northeastern region like that hit in Japan Miyagi, Fukushima, Aomori, Yamagata, Akita and Iwate were destroyed. They have the potential businesses and sales volume impact to be closed. A lot sales volume in many industries has the potential to be impacted like Wholesale, Retail, Services, Manufacturing and Construction.
The Fukushima disasters resulted in major supply chain issues for chip manufacturing and Japanese auto. Northeast Japan is one of the Japan’s manufacturing locations for semiconductors and the major manufacture’s like Toshiba, Samsung, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Renesas, Shin-Etsu Handotai, etc. Japan accounted 20% of worldwide semiconductor market in revenue terms and any disruptions would have significant affect on the global semiconductor industry. Because of the earthquake give a significant effect for Japan semiconductor industry, many of manufacturing facilities both equipment and buildings in earthquake zones, the infrastructure and also the electrical power shortages due to shutting down of nuclear plants were damaged.
Besides that, the triple disaster had affected many of Japan’s factory production and manufactures even automakers like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki temporarily suspended production. The productions were shut in the area because it will be affected in the short-term conditions because of the manufacturing units were severely damaged, submerged some of units, the infrastructure is knocked out and people can’t work or shop because reported numerous damage of factories and offices.
The supply chain affected by quake, tsunami and nuclear are not limited to high tech or automakers; some of food supply chains are also directly influenced by disaster. The region hit by the tsunami is known for growing rice, and there are lots of concerns over the temporary entrance of salt water into paddies. It is uncertain as to how the disaster will come into play in food market but the increase in food price (at least for some products) is not beyond the expectations.
In addition, the radioactive happened in Japan can also bring the serious health threat that will be affected of marine environment especially for the highly contamination level of seafood. The contamination of seafood especially for seafood from areas near the damaged nuclear activity like fish, they can migrate directly to another parts of the world, it will make food safety problem for consumer. So, it will be affected in business food supply due to the limitation of good seafood production and examination the seafood imports from Japan by identifying risk from production process from the specific types of seafood and certain countries/firms.
The impact of this disaster is also affected on the local economy in local industries, farm produce and tourism side because of nuclear contamination. We know that Japanese food product is safe and has high quality production, but due to the nuclear contamination that foods will be resulted in a sense of distrust among the public or society. The effect is also made the tourists become frightened. We know that Japan has many beautiful places like renowned for its green mountain, hot springs and sweet summer peaches. So, it will influence the economy of the local people and it will affect an extensive global impact.
The economic impact of triple disasters has the potential to affect not only businesses within Japan’s border, but also a lot of locations in countries around the world, because Japan has the potential business influence among countries in the world. A lot of Japanese corporations outside Japan’s border have influence in other countries, like in China, United States, Germany, France, Singapore, Malaysia, and also for Indonesia. However, the most important global effect of disaster is on the supply chains of companies sourcing their main components and raw materials from Japan. The disruptions and production shutdown in Japan’s manufacturing plants rippled through an interconnected complex network of supply chains and influenced many companies around the globe.
Those paragraphs above explained the consequences and what causing of the three disasters. The infrastructures were destroyed, the ecosystems were interrupted, many casualties, and the economies were interrupted. The carelessness of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) causing reactor meltdown, radiation poisoning, and ecosystem damage. So, the suggestion I can give is don’t underestimate natural disaster. By awareness and not underestimating, we can anticipate every disaster happens without panic.
yohanamegawati 