Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

On July 1, 2012 one nuclear reactor, Ohi No.3 located in Ohi town in Fukui Prefecture was restarted. It was first time re-operation of nuclear power plant in Japan since 311 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The government says it was to prevent blackout in case of energy shortage in heated summer. But the truth is to help electric power company from financial crisis. That is why so many people protesting the restart. More than 100 thousand people gathered in front of Prime Minister's House and Parliament building to shout "No Restart!" on the eve of restart. 

In Ohi, local town of the nuclear plant, 7 hour bus ride from Tokyo, hundreds of people gathered at the entrace of the plant.

 

 

The problem is the plant had no safety measures to counter what happened in Fukushima. No wall to protect from tsunami, no filter ventilation, no earthquake resist building.

Even after a terrible disastor happened in Fukushima, there are people who want to forget about Fukushima and restart nuclear business.

In last two months, electricity was provided all over Japan without nuclear generation. That proves we never needed one. Japan has only relied 20-30% of energy on nuclear even before 311. It is easy to supplement that portion by other methods.

What we have to do is keep shouting protest against nuclear energy which is not only dangerous but cost-inefficient, harmful to the environment and human health even while regular operation. It consumes so much water and oil to dig and transport. Many got sick while digging uranium and maintenance. So much money is needed to operate including subsidies to local towns' poor budget in order to obtain approval for acceptance.

Stupid! We have to stop such stupidity.

Due to the nonconformities at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station caused by Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011,  Soil of Fukushima Prefecture was covered with a mass of radioactive substances which the effects on human body are not clarified completely yet..

 

Fukushima prefectural government and the Central Government took countermeasures quickly, including the designation of the areas within 20 km and 30 km respectively as a nationally specified evacuation area and a scheduled evacuation area, as well as a series of designations for evacuation according to the actual situation.

 

However, the standard for the scheduled evacuation area, as a basis of protection against radiation in Fukushima Prefecture, was set to 20 mSv/year, and the standard values specified so far for the evacuation areas were set to levels not always safe and very high for the children and the people who were to give birth to, and bring up children.

 

In the matter of radiation, the effects on human body are not clarified. In the event of accident that has occurred at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, former Soviet Union, people were evacuated by force from areas exceeding the radiation level of annual 5 mSv. Causal relationship was not demonstrated at the results of investigations by a research institute consigned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It is said, however, that there are significant differences, in the incidence rates of cancers and leukemia, over the border line of 10 mSv/year between the people who were exposed to low doses of radiation continuously and those not exposed to such radiation.

 

It is requested that "Crisis management capability" at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station controlled by Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TEPCO) be investigated thoroughly. We are persuaded by neither the TEPCO's instructions to enforce things nor the explanations by Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Standard values for foods are also higher in Japan than the "Standard values" ruled under the influence of radioactivity after the accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. What will become of Japanese diet several years later if no corrective action is taken? What is wanted now is "Safe foods." It is essential, before anything, to install the standard values even severer than the temporary standard values ruled in the event of Chernobyl Accident.  

Standards values must be tightened as soon as possible to protect the safety of children. For 1 month or more, at least, in summer vacation, winter vacation and spring vacation, "children, pregnant women, etc. must be evacuated to areas of low environmental radioactivity to recover their health." Please note children are indispensable to support future.

 

Therefore, we hope the Central Government learns cases in the past, and implements the following measures quickly to ensure the safety of the children living in Fukushima Prefecture and the ease-of-mind of their parents.

 

Create the environment quickly for the Children to easily evacuate by setting up standards for young people whose 4 times ( 2 times for Elementary school kids) more sensitive than adult for current radioactive standards, 20mSv/Year, set up in planned evacuation area.

Provide more support for self-evacuee who resides outside of 30Km areas, for the purpose of maintaining children’s safety from the risk of radioactive threat. 

There is a necessity to spread the word to residents of Fukushima that radioactive exists certain risks to their life. To do so, possible demand dismissal of current advisor, Mr. Shunichi Yamashita and select highly knowledgeable advisor to remind residents of Fukushima to give necessary awareness of crisis management.

For further conducted health monitoring, Country will overall support based on the premise of protecting all residents of Fukushima. This monitoring will conduct thyroid gland echo to contribute early detection of thyroid cancer, most threatening disease influenced by radioactivity, urine testing, and blood testing to all ages of residents of Fukushima. For monitoring, setup checkup organization by third party.

To set standards and to disclose information swiftly regarding radioactive protection, Set up unified decision making organization beyond the border of existed government agency. System should be able to adopt international standards, as well as Japanese standards  .

Influences of massive radioactive not only for Japan but also for the world from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear plant which under the supervision of Tokyo Electric Power Company(TEPCO) is way beyond immeasurable. TEPCO must pay compensation for damages to all workers (not only in Fukushima) who are engaged in farming/breeding/fisheries.

 It’s beyond imaginable to think that current situations are stable enough for policy to lift the evacuation area. There is massive radiation fell to the ground, contaminate the land and no place for kids to play outside. We have to replace all of contaminated soil.

Government and TEPCO must buy up lands within the range of 30km radius areas from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, set up restricted area, build interim storage facilities, and disclose all information to citizens and residents of Fukushima.　At the same time, set up an independent panel to discuss regarding the way of communications for disabilities. 

 

Simulate the nuclear power plant again, think about the way how to make sufficient disclosure of information so as to prevent the similar accidents from happening again, and make efforts to avoid that citizens and residents struggle for decontamination on the streets.

Fukushima governor neglected accurate and adequate information dissemination for Fukushima residents including even disabled people, resulting in exposition to radiation of many people.  He also neglects the measure for voluntary evacuation.  He and Fukushima government are required to pay the burden charge which is used by citizens for evacuation purpose

We urge Fukushima government to apologize to all Fukushima citizens through TV and newspapers for the following reasons:

 / Not to disclose any information on SPEEDI simulation although it already come on March 11 from the national government.

/Not to disclose any information on stable iodine although written instructions are obtained before that.     Fukushima citizens, not knowing anything, only waited for water-supply wagon and gasoline.

After governor Satoh declared the safety of Fukushima rice, many people bought rice made in Fukushima prefecture.  However, radioactive material exceeding the national standard was found later, driving many farmers into the plight.  In order to support their livelihoods, we urge Fukushima government, TEPCO and national government to carry out reparations based on the revenue of each farmhouse in the last fiscal year.

In the caution zone, many animals are left behind and are not rescued yet.  It is plausible that they be rescued by volunteer organization.  Animals have also rights to live, to become happy and to eat as we humans have.Should their rescue efforts end on 27th?  The notion that it is unavoidable in a watch zone will be 'unconstitutional'.Only the governor can give the permit.  In order to save their lives, 'please give us the permit to save them.

The biggest news this year is muti-meltdown of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants caused by magnitude 9.0 earthquake. Massive radiation was released out of the plants.

A lot people died by the earthquake and tsunami, but damage by the nuclear accident will go on for a long time. Since March 11, bad news continued endlessly. Every day is like living in hell. It is said the nuclear power plants is now stabilized but no one knows how nuclear reactor is like at this point. It will take years to just know actual situation. To fix and clean-up it will take decades.

 

I went to Fukushima prefecture to join clean-up efforts.

I joined anti-nuke demonstration march in Tokyo. I watched nuclear related documentary films and read books on nuclear power generation. 

In Tokyo, a big political movement is collecting signatures to call for the referendum for demanding the government to halt nuclear power generation. I am one of signature collectors.

The activists set up the tents in the government building district to show the will to protest nuclear power. The Japanese government is considering lowering dependency of nuclear power generation but still approves exporting nuclear power technology overseas.

 

We have to raise voice to change things better, not counting on politicians or beaucrats any more. That is what I learned this year.

 

I hope 2012 will be opening of new energy era such as solar power, wind power, micro-hydrogen, and so on. Of course I know it is not a very easy thing to do.

The book is letter format. A writer named Chikako Yamamoto's wrote her experience of life in West Germany during Chernobyl nuclear crisis between April 1986 and 1989.

During that time she lived in West Berlin. What she experienced had many similarities to my current life in Tokyo, or surprisingly even worse. Tokyo is 220 kilometers away from Fukushima, but West Berlin is 1200 km away from Chernobyl. But radioactives Germen had to deal with was the same or even worse than Fukushima. Is it because Chernobyl disaster was much worse and more wide-spread or what we've been told since Fukushima crisis was censored by the authorities?

The life in West Germany was dramatically changed since Chernobyl accident occurred. The newspaper was occupied by radioactive related matters.

In contrast as time passed by, people tried to adopt to such changed environment and not to pay attention to serious matters although food they ate had been kept contaminated.

West Germany at that time censored the reports on radioactives and supressed anti-nuke activities because at that time West Germany took pro-nuke policy. But some citizens stood up and started to fight against oppression.

Similar phenomenons have been happening here in Japan.

However, because this is quarter century after Chernobyl, we may have been a little wiser, I hope.

Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan declared "Less dependency on nuclear energy" policy on August 6, the day of Hiroshima nuclear bomb day. It is like modeled after Germany's decision of abandoning all nuke plants in that country by 2012.

Now only 1 third of Japan's nuclear power plants are operated currently. No re-operation is scheduled at this point. Local governments of where nuke plants are located are very reluctant to OK re-operation. 

Japan's Parliament decided to pass the law that promotes more use of renewable energy, so called FIT (Feed in Tarrif). This is modeled after Germany's system as well.

We have to learn a lot from Germany's experience, like we did in the past such as imperial constitution and ground force military system in late 19th century and how to recover relationship with neighboring nations which we invaded during the second world war.

Deutschland, be our good model. Danke!