Japanese Diplomat: “Worsening situation” at Fukushima Daiichi — 40+ more years of radiation contamination coming out of plant may have sizeable effects in neighboring countries

http://enenews.com/japan-diplomat-worsening-situation-at-fukushima-daiichi-at-least-40-more-years-of-radiation-contamination-coming-from-plant-may-have-sizeable-effects-in-neighboring-countries

August 20th, 2012
By ENENews

Title: Fukushima Needs a Hero: Responsibility and Democracy in Japan
Author: Akio Matsumura
Date: August 20, 2012

[…]

I have growing concerns about the management of the national crisis where the central government, local government, TEPCO and media have barriers to speak out about the worsening situation [See also: Fukushima Nuclear Situation Deteriorating].

[…]

On the other end of the spectrum, in age at least, are the three girls of Soma High School who staged a play about the suicide of a friend in the wake of the accident. Young colleagues in the United States, calling themselves Friends of Fukushima, admired their courage and created English captions that allowed it to be watched around the world.

Friends of Fukushima has been offered by their friends in Pakistan, Germany, France and others to translate it into their languages. In democratic countries, those old enough are able to express our opinions with our vote. If you’re too young, this opportunity—the focal point of democracy—is lost. However, YouTube provided a place to grieve and call for something different. Their message was of despair tinged with hope. It is hard for me to understand why Soma High School had YouTube remove the video. (They claim there is a copyright issue). They should be encouraging their students’ brave messages, not censoring them.

It is fundamental issue for democracy that the freedom of speech for those too young to vote is guaranteed.

Mr. Yamada is a hero of the older generation. The three actresses are heroines of the young. I am ashamed that those in the middle generation, those who have the power to tackle the largest issues, are weak, cowering behind the excuse of a stoic culture. Hiding in the anonymity of bureaucracy. Bowing to an unshakeable status quo. Fearing for their careers and reputation while their country’s health is at stake.

Fukushima needs a hero. Where are the champions of this current generation?

[…]

Here is my impressions and memory of the play.

3 girls are talking about normal interests but the dynamics of the girls personalities change throughout.. the play move into the darker side of their existence and they then start talking about the issues except one girl who is more playful and animated, she ignores the conversation at annoyance of the other two.

Eventually, the lively happy girl succumbs to the conversation and joins in.. much to the surprise of the other two girls. she then makes a good breakdown of the tragedy and then the school bell rings for home time..

The other two girls then make to leave and the lively girl says she needs to sort through her bag and for them to go on..

The two girls leave and the lights dim, the child slowly transforms and becomes slower and slumped.. she sits down and says a few sad words.. end of scene..

The new scene opens with the three chairs and the two girls occupying two of them. the third chair has flowers on it.

The two remaining girls start a conversation about why there friend committed suicide. they had some guilt about they way they treated her but the conversation was about her normal behaviour before and then as the conversation deepened they realised that she had a more difficult time because of the disaster than they had realised.

This summary from memory is as close as i could get.. it was a very powerful and emotive play.. i have not seen anything with that much power. the girls acting was superb and the script and concept were worthy of great acclaim. frankly i didnt think i would see anything any where near as good from a school play. well i was wrong! i am sorry that i can not provide links to this play but the ones i have are now dead links.

Here is the summary that came with the video

“One year after the earthquake in Japan, three high school girls in Soma, Fukushima are hanging out after school in a classroom. Topics such as the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plants inevitably come up. The girls come to realize how everyone, not only themselves, is still suffering and express how they truly feel about the situation.”

And heres some more information with quotes from the play..

The Hydrangea Revolution and Japan’s Unheard Voices

“..Last week I watched a recording of a play entitled ‘Unheard Voices,” which was performed on March 11, 2012 in Tokyo by three girls from Soma High School in Fukushima Prefecture.  I was moved by their courage but find myself in despair over their grief and worries.  We have made an irreversible mistake that will affect their future. It is our moral obligation to listen to them. This is even more necessary after learning that the video has become controversial in Japan.

I would like to introduce an excerpt that shows the deep lamentation expressed by the three young actresses in the drama.

Maki:  “In the future, if we get married to people outside of the region and have children, what if they say something about the Fukushima radiation? In the future, when we have children, if that child has any sort of disability, we’ll be blamed for everything.”

Sakura: “But it’s not our fault! … I think that the surrounding areas only grew thanks to the power plant. In exchange for all the risk, of course. But, those risks aren’t something our generation agreed to!

Maki:  “Don’t you see? We’ve been robbed of our freedom. I mean, what is freedom anyway? The food is contaminated! So is the soil! As is the water and the ocean! Can we even say that we’re ‘free’ when we have to live in fear of the radiation? We live so close to the nuclear power plant, but just because we’re outside of the warning zone, we’ve been given no guarantees. I want them to guarantee our future.”

Nozomi (committed suicide): 455… 456…457…458…In Soma, this many people have died because of the disaster.  Will I be counted as the 459^th?  Why don’t people understand?  Did I say something wrong?  Like how beautiful the stars in the night sky are, or how green and beautiful Soma becomes after the winter.     What do you know? You don’t know anything!

These short lines leave a clear message of what sort of ill life we are passing on to younger generations.

If Fukushima reactor unit 4 collapses, the catastrophe would degrade the lives of our descendants for hundreds or thousands of years. If we have nothing to explain to these girls now, how will we explain an the cause and effects of an even larger catastrophe later?

The girls’ perspective of life and nature has changed.  “Mountain, Forest, River, Sea…” these words now bring to mind radiation, not the dwelling place of any spirit or God. We live on a world of water. From space, our planet is blue with the oceans that cover 70 percent of its surface.  As life on our planet comes from water, we too are formed from a single cell in the small sea of our mother’s womb.  Like the earth, we are 70 percent water.  But something is terribly wrong when water, the worldwide symbol of purity, becomes polluted. The natural order is upside down when a drink of water brings disease instead of relief.  When a heavy rain kills trees and lakes. When the source of life is poisoned as it flows from the ground. We are a tenant of the planet.  We have no right to change the planet.

I like to suggest that our policy makers, nuclear power plant companies and nuclear scientists step back   for a moment and think over as an individual, not an associate of any group, what our responsibility is for our children, grand children and our descendants for years to come.  The Hydrangea Revolution is a push for true democracy in Japan. A free press is a critical pillar of any democracy. It is a time for each member of the media to ask basic questions of the Japanese government and its companies and shed light on the true situation there.

Still, it may be too late to do anything now unless the wisdom of the international community and the military step in….”

http://akiomatsumura.com/2012/07/the-hydrangea-revolution-and-japans-unheard-voices.html

August 23, 2012 - Posted by arclight2011 | Uncategorized