Land Of The Rising Core Temperature, Part 24

As a new 6.6 magnitude aftershock rocked Japan today, officials are today expanding the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant because of increased radiation.

The government announced earlier that because of accumulated radiation contamination, it would encourage people to leave certain areas beyond its 20 km (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant.

Children, pregnant women, and hospitalised patients should stay out of some areas 20-30 km from the nuclear complex, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters.

"These new evacuation plans are meant to ensure safety against risks of living there for half a year or one year," he said. There was no need to evacuate immediately, he added. 

This is clearly the beginning a new medium to long term phase in the Japanese reaction to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.  And speaking of medium to long term results, Japanese local elections on Sunday were a devastating blow to the country's ruling party.

Tokyo's outspoken governor Shintaro Ishihara won his fourth term by a landslide Sunday, as the ruling Democratic Party of Japan lost several key gubernatorial elections in the first nationwide elections since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The opposition Liberal Democratic Party backed Mr. Ishihara, an Independent, who called the disasters "divine punishment" for "egoism" in Japanese society. Mr. Ishihara defeated the DPJ-endorsed business entrepreneur candidate.

Political watchers expected Mr. Ishihara to dominate the race, as people tend to favor incumbents during times of crisis. Of the 12 gubernatorial races that took place Sunday, all nine incumbents kept their seats. The remaining three elections were among newcomers.

The DPJ's general-secretary Katsuya Okada played down the loss, saying the disaster took a toll on newcomers. But his LDP counterpart, Nobuteru Ishihara, said his party's win in the gubernatorial seats will have larger political consequences.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose approval ratings already were low, will have to address Sunday's loss while trying to forge a blueprint for Japan's reconstruction. 

Elections in northern Japan continue to be postponed, which given the circumstances is something the ruling DPJ party isn't terribly upset about.  Just wait until the summer blackouts begin...