Radioactive Japan: ‘Tokyo Citizens Were Irradiated’ – Cyndi Lauper: ‘Aggressively Buy Fukushima Pref. Products’ – More Municipalities Embrace Death, Say Yes To Disaster Debris – Fukushima Blogger’s Blog Has Been Shut Down – Iodine 131 Detected In WELL WATER – Former Washington Post Writer Fed Up With Selfish And Irrational Japanese

“Tokyo citizens were irradiated” (Fukushima Diary, Mar 12, 2012):

Though Japanese media manipulated the statement of Japanese emperor,

Mr. Sugaya, the Matsumoto city mayor managed to tell the truth on NHK’s news show.

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— ????? (@sayakaiurani) March 12, 2012

<Translate>

On today’s News9 of NHK, Mr. Sugaya, the Matsumoto city mayor, who has been involved in medical care in Chernobyl clearly stated, “After all, Tokyo citizens were exposed.”. Did you see it ? Media has started reporting Tokyo citizens have been exposed. Yes, I thought “exposure” was a story of WWW2 too but I have been too. I’m Hibakusha too.

US Pop Star Joins the Chorus of “Buy Fukushima Products to Support Fukushima” (EX-SKF, Mar 12, 2012):

Ms. Cyndi Lauper, world-famous pop star who is in Japan for the one-year anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earthquake/tsunami disaster, held a press conference on March 12 to the foreign media. She said, “Please give economic support by aggressively buying things produced in Fukushima Prefecture and other disaster-affected areas.”

More Municipalities Say Yes to Disaster Debris as Government Sends Formal Request to Prefectures to Accept It (EX-SKF, Mar 12, 2012):

The push for disaster debris that has been contaminated with radioactive fallout from Fukushima I Nuke Plant has reached an almost hysterical level with TV commercials, huge ads in the paper, and newspaper editorials calling anyone who doesn’t want the debris burned in their neighborhood as “unpatriotic”. Even a foreigner living in Japan, former Washington Post reporter, chimes in, rebuking the Japanese for refusing to “help” people in the disaster affected area.

Volcanism in Japan has become active (Fukushima Diary, Mar 12, 2012):

Mt. Sakurajima had explosions 996 times last year, which was the most frequent ever. This year, it has already exploded over 300 times, which is faster than last year.

Numayu’s blog shut down (Fukushima Diary, Mar 10, 2012):

Minamisoma blogger called Numayu was recording her health state since after 311.

Just before one year anniversary. her blog was shut down.

There is no even cache.

The reason why it was shut down is not announced.

When she appeared on Aljazeera, she had purplish patch.

She was planning to attend at National Network of Parents to protect Children from Radiation.

She was invited to talk with Noro Mika, the chairman of Bridges to Chernobyl, but because she  has been very feverish recently, she is going to attend by Skype.

Iodine 131 measured from well water in Minamisoma (Fukushima Diary, Mar 10, 2012):

Following up this article..Iodine131 measured from tap water in Minamisoma

HCR reported Iodine 131 was measured from well water too.

The underground water vein is already contaminated in Minamisoma.

Date of analysis : 3/8/2012  12:20:09

Iodine 131 : 9.90 +- 3.22 Bq/Kg

Cesium 137 : ND (Detectable amount : 9.72 Bq/Kg)

Cesium 134 : ND (Detectable amount : 10.4 Bq/Kg)

US Scholar Living in Japan Is Fed Up With Selfish and Irrational Japanese Who Refuse to Accept Disaster Debris (EX-SKF, Mar 12, 2012):

Brookings Intitute’s nonresident fellow and former Washington Post writer Mr. Paul Blustein derides the Japanese for their irrational fear of radiation and joins Cyndi Lauper in scolding the Japanese for refusing to accept and burn the disaster debris in their neighborhood.

In the article commemorating the one-year anniversary of the disaster, the resident of Kamakura City writes in Washington Post (emphasis is mine),

… That spirit has faded, however, as divisions have erupted over nuclear power. The national discussion of the country’s reliance on atomic energy has degenerated into farce as many people have become increasingly — and irrationally — preoccupied with how radiation from the crippled Fukushima Daiichipower plant might affect them. Large segments of the population are so petrified, and so militant in their fear, that most local governments outside Tohoku are refusing to accept for burial some of the millions of tons of rubble left by the tsunami. (And I’m talking about the remnants of smashed buildings and vehicles in other prefectures, not junk from the nuclear plant’s vicinity.)

In a town near where I live, officials rejected the debris, saying that even if the radiation emissions were zero, local farmers and fishermen might suffer from huu hyou higai — financial losses due to baseless rumors — just as many Tohoku producers are already. So much for kizuna.

So much indeed. Most Japanese hate that word now. He doesn’t seem to realize that people he criticizes as “irrational” know fully well that the remnants of smashed buildings and vehicles are not from the nuclear power plant but earthquake and tsunami debris in Miyagi and Iwate, and that as the debris lied along the coast of Miyagi and Iwate the nuclear power plant had several explosions that spewed out a large amount of radioactive materials that deposited on top of the debris. For most of the country outside southern Tohoku and Kanto, the radiation levels of the debris are much higher than their background.

He probably doesn’t know (or care) that these debris may be contaminated with chemicals and oil, soaked in seawater, and that the municipal incinerators for household garbage may not be equipped to handle such debris. Or the fact that the debris with 100 becquerels/kg of cesium will result in ashes with 3300 becquerels/kg of cesium, which have to be buried in the disposal sites which often are located near the water source or the agricultural land with inadequate facilities to trap and clean the radioactive runoff.

He doesn’t seem to listen to the heads of the municipalities in the disaster-affected Miyagi and Iwate who do not want the debris to be shipped outside their cities and towns.

Details too minor, I suppose.

Then he goes on to scold the citizens for not trusting their government and experts:

The hysteria about radiation reflects a breakdown in trust, as witnessed by endless media accounts quoting people who doubt the government’s monitoring of food and soil. This is lamentable; although officials disingenuously played down the possibility of a much worse accident at Fukushima Daiichi in the first days after the quake, reputable experts affirm the government’s major claim: that health risks are minuscule except in areas very close to the plant.

You can read the entire article at the Brookings site, here.

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