Original Japanese written by  staffer
The English below translated from the original Japanese by Heeday
The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

(Source: articles of October 21^st, 2015 editions of the Fukushima Minpo and Asahi Shimbun newspapers)

▼Click each image to enlarge it and read the caption.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, on October 20^th, announced that it had certified an ex-worker—who worked at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi NPP after the disaster and who developed leukemia—as qualifying for worker’s compensation. This was the first case ever of such certification which recognized a cause-effect relationship between exposure to radiation caused by a NPP accident and a disease.

According to the certified ex-worker, a 41-year-old male resident in the City of Kitakyushu, he was engaged in structural installation and welding around Units 3 and 4 of Fukushima Daiichi, in 2012 to 2013, as a worker employed by a business partner of TEPCO. Then, in January 2014, he was diagnosed with acute myelocytic leukemia. His accumulated exposure dose was around 15mSv from Fukushima, and an additional 4mSv or so from Kyushu Electric Power’s Genkai NPP, where he served during a regular checkup for around three months in 2012.

The certification needed to qualify for worker’s compensation for leukemia requires that the worker had an annual exposure dose of 5mSv or more, his/her leukemia emerged at least one year after the last exposure, and there was no evident cause of the leukemia other than the exposure at work.

According to epidemiological studies of NPP workers, conducted by a public-interest, incorporated foundation called the Radiation Effects Association, and other groups, 34 such workers lost their lives due leukemia with their accumulated exposure dose at 10mSv or more between 1990 and 2009. More than 60 other workers passed away due to stomach, lung, or other cancer after accumulated exposure of 100mSv or more,.

As of the end of August 2015, more than 20,000 people had accumulated exposure of 5mSv or more working at Fukushima Daiichi after its disaster. This number will keep rising. To win worker’s compensation certification, a worker is required to know his/her exposure dose, health state, etc. Such information, however, is often not available to many workers. Furthermore, the application procedure for the certification is not easy.

Moreover, there is currently no legal framework for providing compensation to any common resident who has been exposed to radiation, even if he/she has developed cancer and pays for his/her own medical expenses and takes leave from work. A survey of some 460,000 residents of Fukushima Prefecture estimated that some 950 residents, excluding NPP workers, had an exposure dose of 5mSv or more during the four months following the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.

Dr. Saburo Murata, vice director of Hannan Chuo Hospital, is an expert in radiation exposure control for NPP workers. Says the doctor, “Those workers take some measures to protect themselves from radiation, though such measures are mostly insufficient. Their exposure doses are measured. On the other hand, common residents are exposed to radiation without any protective measures, and their doses are not controlled. There should be a legal framework to grant them compensation for leave from work and treatment for lower doses of exposure than those of NPP workers.”

For residents in Fukushima, much of their anxieties concerning radiation are about their future health. The Japanese government must establish a legal framework to provide compensation for health hazards from radiation, regardless of whether the victims are NPP workers or common residents. Otherwise, the government would be acting irresponsibly in restarting existing NPPs.

Original Japanese written by  staffer
The English below translated from the original Japanese by Heeday
The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

(Sources: article of October 9^th, 2015 edition of the Fukushima Minpo newspaper, and those of October 9^th and 14^th editions of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper)

▼Click each image to enlarge it and read the caption.

Ms. Svetlana Alexievich (67), a Belarussian writer and journalist, has been chosen as the 2015 Nobel Laureate in Literature. She is famous for both “Chernobyl Prayer,” a non-fiction work that presents the stories of witnesses to the Chernobyl disaster, and for other works.

She has held numerous interviews with those victimized by wars, the Chernobyl accident, and by other tragedies, and has presented their stories in her written works. Resisting pressures from the national government, Alexievich has consistently reported the truth of the victims to society.

Her renowned work, “Chernobyl Prayer,” was first published in 1997, and was then translated into many languages, including Japanese. The work has won numerous international awards. Still, the Belarussian president rebuked the work and temporarily suspended its publication within the country.

Says Ms. Svetlana Alexievich, “A state is dedicated to protecting its own interests and power and just lets people disappear into oblivion with time. This makes it all the more important to record the memories of individuals.”

Mr. Ryoichi Wago, a poet resident in Fukushima City, says, “I have interviewed many residents of Fukushima and written down what they say since the earthquake and tsunami disaster of 2011. To me, the choice of Ms. Alexievich as a Nobel Laureate is a great encouragement. In this age of drastic turmoil, her winning the Prize has demonstrated that the world now badly wants documentary work like hers. The truth of Chernobyl and that of Fukushima overlap each other a lot. As rebuilding is in progress in devastated Tohoku, I do feel a silent voice saying, ‘Why do you still talk about experiences of the devastation,’ yet I am now convinced that I should not hesitate to spread the truth. Ms. Alexievich has reminded me that I must spread the truth.”

I (the author) too read “Chernobyl Prayer” and I found it hard to turn the pages—the voices recorded in that book are so vivid and so many of them are similar to the voices heard here in Fukushima. I have been deeply moved by those voices. The book also convinced me that the radiation hazards created by the Chernobyl disaster have no end, which suggests the future of Fukushima as well. What grief!

Now, four years after the 2011 disaster, I find my feelings about radiation changing every single day. Looking back, shortly after the tsunami and earthquake, I was seriously afraid of radiation. Now, I often seem to be insensitive to it. Right after the disaster, we heard a confusing diversity of information about radiation and I did not know what to believe. All I could do was to avoid exposure to radiation as far as I could. Today, my worries are about the future health of citizens here and the discrimination they might face.

I certainly hope a disaster like Fukushima Daiichi meltdown will never happen again. To prevent another tragedy, I do believe that it is crucial to collect and record the voices of the ordinary citizens of Fukushima.

Original Japanese written by  staffer
The English below translated from the original Japanese by Heeday
The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

(Source: article of October 9^th, 2015 edition of the Fukushima Minpo newspaper)

▼Click the image to enlarge it and read the caption.

This questionnaire survey, targeted at Fukushima parents with an infant/infants who were examined for internal exposure to radiation from TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), found major differences in the rate those parent use both agricultural products produced within the prefecture and the local tap water.

Among those municipalities with a large number of parents who were examined for internal exposure, in Miharu-machi, only 4% of the respondents said that they avoided the use of rice and vegetables produced in Fukushima Prefecture, as well as local tap water. Meanwhile, in Minamisoma and Soma, the avoidance rate reached 57% and 65%, respectively. Mr. Masaharu Tsubokura, a special-mission researcher at the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, described his opinion, saying, “Many of those parents living in the municipalities close to Fukushima Daiichi are still worried over their food and water.”

In Koriyama, another municipality in Fukushima, among the 208 parents that responded to the questionnaire, 106 (51%) said they avoided the use of tap water, 89 (43%) said they avoided rice produced in Fukushima, 96 (46%) said they avoided vegetables produced in the prefecture, and 47 (23%) replied that they avoided all of rice and vegetables produced in Fukushima as well as local tap water.

I (the author) live in Koriyama, where local grocery stores sell vegetables produced in Fukushima at lower prices than vegetables from elsewhere. Still, few buy Fukushima vegetables, many of which remain unsold.

A certain mother of a child, living in Koriyama, says she has never used fresh foods produced in Fukushima or local tap water for cooking or drinking since the NPP disaster.

For the last decade, I have heard that, in the contaminated forest around Chernobyl, many tree leaves have been turning into leaf soil, which is easily absorbed by plants. Today, in that forest, the highest level of radioactivity has been detected at 5 to 10cm (2” to 4”) below the soil’s surface. Furthermore, radioactivity inside wood from the forest has recently been rapidly on the rise, according to Mr. Masaharu Kawada, a molecular biologist involved in rescue work for Chernobyl refugees. In other words, the radioactivity of food and drink does not necessarily diminish as time goes by.

The Fukushima Daiichi meltdown drastically changed what it means to raise a child in Fukushima. Without sufficient, trustable information available on food safety, parents have been raising their children with serious stress and anxiety. Their fear of internal exposure to radiation, caused by contaminated food and drink, will never leave them. In addition to direct damage to health from internal radiation, the serious mental stress experienced by parents can adversely affect their children as well. For many years to come, those parents simply have to live with such fears and anxieties.

Original Japanese written by  staffer
The English below translated from the original Japanese by Heeday
The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

(Source: article of October 5^th, 2015 edition of the Fukushima Minpo newspaper)
▼Click the image to enlarge it and read the caption.

The decommissioning work, currently in progress, of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has been producing huge amounts of debris and other waste. Now, such waste is expected to exceed the full storage capacity on the NPP’s premises in March 2017. TEPCO is thus facing an urgent task. As of the end of August 2015, the storage capacity is already half full.

The premises accommodate numerous tanks containing contaminated water. It is hard to secure space for more storage and incinerators that burn waste to reduce its volume.

There is no legal restriction to removing waste containing radioactive substances from the premises. TEPCO is considering removing it and then reusing it as building materials. At the same time, however, the power company is aware that many building subcontractors and general citizens are reluctant to reuse waste from a NPP accident. Thus, according to the company, “Currently, the best way is to store such waste on the NPP’s premises.”

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority is expected to set up a new committee dedicated to this issue, which should begin discussions on what to do with such waste. The Authority’s preferred choice currently is to reuse the waste as building materials.

Many countries in Europe and North America are ahead of Japan in the “age of decommissioning,” and they have already chosen sites for burying low-level radioactive waste. The burying of such waste is already in progress.

According to sources from the prefectural government of Fukui and others, the US, by August 2014, had decided to decommission 27 of its 127 NPP reactors. Of these 27, the decommissioning of 10 is already completed. The low-level radioactive waste from this decommissioning is buried in four vast disposal sites established in states like Utah and Texas, etc.

A world leader in “going nuke-free,” Germany, has decided to decommission 23 of its 32 NPP reactors, almost 70%. Nine of them are currently in operation, and they too are to terminate their operation by 2022. This means that the nation will produce huge amounts of radioactive waste in and shortly after 2022. The German government is responsible for what to do with such waste and has been building disposal sites. This is  a major difference from Japan, where the power companies are responsible for disposing waste from their NPPs.

Final disposal sites for radioactive waste pose another problem. At this moment, of all the countries of the world, only Sweden and Finland have chosen such sites. A public relations person from Sweden’s Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) says, “It took 30 years of research before we chose the final site.” The company surveyed everywhere within Sweden and considered every possible scenario, from an earthquake to the next ice age, according to Deutsche Welle, an international broadcast service of Germany.

As Japan faces the age of decommissioning many of its existing NPPs, we already see a limit to what power companies can do with respect to nuclear waste disposal sites. I believe the national government will have to take the initiative. In that case, however, I am worried that rural regions will be sacrificed again as disposal sites. For example, Fukushima was producing power consumed by Tokyo, until recently.

Also, the Japanese government set up “clearance levels,” allowing some very low-level radioactive waste to be treated as general waste, not “radioactive.” This means such radioactive waste can be reused and find its way into our everyday lives. No one is certain as to what such reuse will do to us. (For your reference, please visit http://www.chernobyl-chubu-jp.org/_userdata/kawata42.pdf part of a Japanese website containing writings by Mr. Masaharu Kawada, a molecular biologist helping Chernobyl refugees.

Capitalist economy, addicted to the pursuit of wealth, has its dark side, such as NPPs. If our future generations have to pay “the price” for NPPs, what kind of a world will it be? We have to keep the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in mind and be aware that it is time for us to change our value system.

Original Japanese written by  staffer
The English below translated from the original Japanese by Heeday
The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

(Source: article of October 7^th, 2015 edition of the Fukushima Minpo newspaper)
▼Click the image to enlarge it and read the caption.

A team led by Toshihide Tsuda, a professor of environmental epidemiology at Okayama University, has published the results of a study claiming that many of the thyroid cancer cases found in Fukushima Pref., after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, are ascribable to exposure to radiation. The result is published in the e-journal, dated October 6^th, of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology. Some other experts say, however, “It is still too early to conclude such a cause-effect relation.”

Prof. Tsuda’s team analyzed thyroid examination results conducted by the end of 2014, sponsored by the prefectural government. Those examinations covered some 370,000 residents in the prefecture who were 18 years old or younger when the disaster took place. The team obtained the annual crisis rate of those samples, which is some 20 to 50 times higher than Japan’s nationwide average prior to the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. Within Fukushima Prefecture, furthermore, the crisis rate differs depending on the region, by up to 2.6 times. The team concludes: “The crisis rates of Fukushima are way greater than the national average. It is hard to ascribe such differences to any other factor than radiation.”

Actually, following the Chernobyl disaster, we discovered many health related issues only several years after the tragedy hit. Similarly, we can justly expect that a long time will be necessary before conclusions can be reached on health hazards caused by the Fukushima meltdown.

Many cases of this type of cancer have been found following the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, and it would be very helpful to many if the causes of thyroid cancer in Fukushima’s children are identified. Are these cases ascribable to external exposure to radiation or to internal exposure caused by contaminated foods and drinks? Depending on the causes, future countermeasures can differ significantly. Possibly, some young people would be relieved from unnecessary worry if appropriate countermeasures were clarified. I am worried, however, that the longer it takes to confirm the health effects of radiation exposure, the longer it will take to identify the causes and take appropriate countermeasures

I asked the mother of a child living in Koriyama, Fukushima, what was the most serious anxiety she had recently experienced. Her reply was, “The future health of my child.” To help people protect their children’s health, I hope medics will reach a conclusion about the increase of thyroid cancer among the children of Fukushima as soon as possible, so that the causes can be identified and the right countermeasures can be developed.

Original Japanese written by  staffer
The English below translated from the original Japanese by Heeday
The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

(Source: articles of October 1^st, 2015 editions of the Fukushima Minpo and Asahi Shimbun newspapers)

▼Click each image to enlarge it and read the caption.

The level of stress experienced by children and their parents living in Fukushima Prefecture as refugees from the vicinity of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which experienced a disaster, kept diminishing until last year. A survey by the Center for Psychological Studies of Disaster, Fukushima University, however, discovered that the reduction in stress among refugees stopped this year. The survey results were published on September 30^th.

The Center’s Director, Yuji Tsutsui, a professor of symbiotic systems science, analyzes this leveling off of the reduction in stress levels and describes the cause, saying, “After all the decontamination work, the radiation level remains higher than it was before the meltdown. Those refugees are still living every day with the fear of radiation. Thus, their stress level does not come down anymore. Their stress level might remain as it is for years to come.”

The survey results also show that those mothers and children living as refugees in or out of Fukushima Prefecture suffer from higher levels of stress than those living in the same prefecture, but not as refugees. Says Professor Tsutsui, analyzing this survey result, “Those refugees can experience stress with every change they face in their lives as refugees, be they changes in work, housing, schools, etc.”

The survey also found that residents in southern Miyagi Prefecture (bordering on northern Fukushima) suffer from levels of stress similar to what many Fukushima residents experience. Assistant Professor Hiroko Yoshida,  at Radioisotope Research and Educational Center, Tohoku University, has been measuring the air dose rates of radiation since shortly after the Fukushima disaster. She reports, “The doses (in southern Miyagi) are no lower than those in northern Fukushima, such as in Soma and Date. Psychological suffering is not an issue for Fukushima residents alone.”

I (the author) live in Koriyama, Fukushima, and I cannot escape the fear of radiation, even though more than four years have passed since the earthquake of March 2011. In everyday conversations here, people will say aloud that they don’t care about radiation—because they are not “supposed” to say they care.

Actually, most residents here are doing what they can to alleviate radiation in their everyday lives. Speaking aloud about radiation can create friction with others, ruining good relationships with them. Thus, as time goes by, the people here are talking less and less about radiation. Nevertheless, people are in fact worried about radiation. To live in this neighborhood, they have no choice but to live with some radiation.

Especially serious is the stress experienced by mothers raising children. A certain mother of a child living in Koriyama still does not dry her laundry outdoors. All her family members, after coming home from outdoors, change their clothes, wash their hands and gargle to remove radioactive substances as far as they can. They don’t open windows on a windy day. They avoid vegetables grown in Fukushima. She advises her child not to play outdoors.

The vulnerable in society, such as women and children, bear greater risks from radiation, while they cannot even speak about their worries. Today, the Japanese government is again becoming a nuclear-powered nation, claiming that it will produce more wealth. I believe, however, that a world where mothers and children can live with peace of mind would bring about the true “happiness” we need and want.

Original Japanese written by  staffer
The English below translated from the original Japanese by Heeday
The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

(Source: article of September 19^th, 2015 edition of the Fukushima Minpo newspaper)

▼Click the image to enlarge it and read the caption.

Following the meltdown of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), numerous residents and employees of facilities for the elderly were evacuated from the NPP’s vicinity. This evacuation, needless to say, freed them from the risk posed by radiation. The evacuation, however, exposed them to other kinds of risk, which are almost 400 times greater than that from radiation, according to an academic paper published in the U.S. science journal POS ONE by a study team consisting of scientists from the University of Tokyo and other institutions. To elderly people, many of whom suffer from disabilities and/or a chronic disease, emergency evacuation can mean risks to their wellbeing far greater than those from radiation. Thus, according to the study, evacuation can shorten their lives.

Needless to say, however, no one can claim that such people should remain in the radioactive areas. This is one of the highly troublesome complexities accompanying a NPP accident. A member of the study team, Mr. Michio Murakami, currently an associate professor at Fukushima Medical University and formerly an assistant professor at the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo, says, “We need to develop and prepare less burdensome means of transportation and facilities to evacuate to. Also, such facilities need to be equipped with medicines and food. Then, we should be able to reduce the accompanying risk.”

Shortly after the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown began, among those facility residents and hospitalized patients being evacuated, one victim after another passed away in the confusion accompanying the sudden evacuation. Many consider those deaths ascribable to physical and mental stress, burdens accompanying the evacuation, and insufficient medical care.

When the Sendai NPP was restarted, the prefectural government of Kagoshima specified evacuation destinations only for those facilities within 10km (6.2 miles) of the NPP. Learning from the tragedy of Fukushima, however, we see that there is a high probability that many facilities outside the 10km radius may also face the need for evacuation. This means that many such facilities could face the very tough decision of running away from a disaster or not.

If another NPP disaster hits and creates a situation similar to that of Fukushima, such facilities say they will have to choose to evacuate. Any facility for the elderly located close to a NPP needs to prepare many emergency measures to secure the safety of its residents and employees.

Starting with Sendai’s restart, Japan is reverting to a country powered by NPPs. This means we might face another NPP tragedy at any time. We need to learn lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. One urgent task is to develop and prepare a great variety of risk-reduction measures in case of a NPP accident. Otherwise, such an accident could shorten the lives of many.

Original Japanese written by  staffer
The English below translated from the original Japanese by Heeday
The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

(Source: article of September 20^th, 2015 edition of the Fukushima Minpo newspaper)
▼Click each image to enlarge it and read the caption.

While the Japanese government is striving to restart the nation’s nuclear power plants (NPPs), 58% of the Japanese citizens surveyed were opposed to it, far exceeding the 37% who were in favor of the restarts, according to a nationwide poll on energy conducted on September 12^th and 13^th by the Japan Association for Public Opinion Research, of which Fukushima Minpo is a member.

To the question, “Do you think residents around a restarted NPP, in case an accident occurs, can evacuate as planned?” a total of 74% of the respondents replied either “No, I do not think they can” or “No, not very well.” This exceeded by far the total of 25% who replied either “Yes, they can” or “Yes, to some extent.”

Though Kyushu Electric Power last August restarted Unit 1 of its Sendai NPP, located in Kagoshima, Kyushu, most citizens are seriously worried over countermeasures to an accident, as the poll discovered.

The most common reason (39%) to oppose a restart is that “The safety measures are insufficient, such as accident prevention measures of NPPs, resident evacuation plans in case of an accident, etc.,” followed by “They have yet to decide what to do with radioactive waste from NPPs” and “We have yet to bring an end to the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi.”

To the question, “Who do you think should be held responsible for a NPP restart or accident?” 70% replied with “The national government.” This was far greater than the 15% who chose the runner-up reply, “The electric power company,” and 10% who said “The Nuclear Regulation Authority,” which held third place. Still, those parties have yet to clarify who should be held responsible for what.

The poll also asked for the respondents’ opinions about the decommissioning of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi NPP. To this, 87% replied either “Not progressing very smoothly” or “Not progressing smoothly at all.”

When Tokyo invited the 2020 Olympics, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared to the whole world that Fukushima Daiichi’s contaminated water “is under control.” In fact, however, problems involving contaminated water have never been resolved from the time of the meltdown until today. The toughest issue about the decommissioning—the removal of the power plant’s nuclear fuel—has also yet to be resolved. They have not yet confirmed the current state of those melted fuels.

So, the national government keeps ignoring its people’s voices. Then, who does the government’s energy policy actually serve? I am convinced that the government is giving higher priority to something other than the people’s lives.

Original Japanese written by  staffer
The English below translated from the original Japanese by Heeday
The English translation edited by Rev. Dr. Henry French, ELCA

(Sources: articles of September 10^th, 12^th, and 13^th, 2015 editions of the Fukushima Minpo newspaper and of August 12^th, 2015 edition of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper)

▼Click each image to enlarge it and read the caption.

A deluge hit much of Kanto and Tohoku, Japan, this September. On the 9^th and 11^th days of the month, some rain water containing radioactive substances ran into the Pacific Ocean out of a drainage at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).

The contaminated flow went on and off out of “Drainage K,” within the NPP’s premises. Built to make rain water run out of the area around the buildings containing a reactor, this drainage system directly connects to the ocean outside the NPP’s port. Even before the recent deluge, TEPCO had discovered that some rain water containing radioactive substances had leaked and they took emergency countermeasures to fix the problem last April. Still, at least seven such leakages have been confirmed since then.

Fukushima Prefecture’s government is requesting the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) to set up a standard for detecting contaminated rain water. So far, no such a standard is in sight.

Japan’s Nuclear Reactor Regulation Law has no clear regulation on the treatment of contaminated rain water. The NRA is reluctant to set up a standard for detecting contaminated rain water since there is no law currently in place requiring such detection. A related source revealed that, “To detect and handle contaminated rain water, we need to amend the relevant law, which takes a long time.”

Radioactive rain water ran into the ocean again and again, even before the emergency measures taken last April. TEPCO, though it was aware of this fact, did not announce it until the end of February this year.

Against this background, most fishery operators have a deep-rooted distrust in TEPCO.

More typhoons are expected to hit Japan in the coming weeks. There are still some rumors claiming that marine products from the ocean close to Fukushima are contaminated. Such rumors no doubt hurt fishery operators’ livelihood. TEPCO is advised to take countermeasures with sincerity. Otherwise, among many other problems, more such bad rumors might arise.