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Japanese government’s inaction on health of Fukushima’s children

the response by Japanese politicians to the Fukushima disaster has been “ludicrously irresponsible,” not just because of their fundamental ignorance but because of their political ties with TEPCO and the nuclear industry, which tends to orchestrate a large part of the Japanese political agenda.

 Unfortunately, politicians are focused on little but the mid-December national election

The Search for Action among Japan’s Ruling Classes November 14, 2012 By Akio Matsumura “,,,,, The debate right now in Japan centers not on the continuing issues with the Fukushima-Daiichi site, but whether to close down Japan’s nuclear power plants.

While politicians are focusing on national nuclear policy there are growing concerns that
the children of Fukushima require greater medical attention and assistance. After the Fukushima accident, concerns grew in the region as to whether higher rates of cancer, especially in the thyroid gland, would be found in children due to exposure to radioactive iodine.
The eminent physician Helen Caldicott wrote that the response by Japanese politicians to the Fukushima disaster has been “ludicrously irresponsible,” not just because of their fundamental ignorance but because of their political ties with TEPCO and the nuclear industry, which tends to orchestrate a large part of the Japanese political agenda. Dr. Caldicott’s article was picked up by major media in Japan
and began to focus the public’s attention on the medical issue during
my time there. Despite this single success, the media has largely
underperformed since the earthquake, allowing TEPCO’s influence to
prevent the true story from being told.
I viewed my visit to Japan as a chance to build a national consensus
that two types of action must be taken. First, repeating myself from
my last visit in April, that an independent assessment team must be
created, given an ample budget, and allowed to visit inside the
Fukushima Daiichi site. Second, that more than one million children
are likely to end up with thyroid cancer and so action must be taken
quickly to best stem or prevent this medical catastrophe.
Politicians and business leaders alike were shocked to hear that more
than one million children are at risk of thyroid cancer in the next
five to ten years. These same concerns about radioactivity, modestly
extrapolated by experts studying the results of the Chernobyl
accident, also apply to food and the environment.
Politicians worried for public safety: can an already aging population
handle one million new cases of childhood cancer? How does one start
to prevent a nuclear disaster? I agreed that the enormity of the
problem is overwhelming; it is difficult to know where to begin……
It was clear to business leaders how much a radioactive environment
would disrupt the economy. I repeated over and over that for current
crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi site the government, not TEPCO, should
be in charge. And for the medical emergency, that we need more
original research and policies to build on and reflect the experiences
at Chernobyl…..
One especially encouraging meeting was with Mr. Yoshimi Watanabe, a
Member of Parliament and president of the Your Party.  He immediately
grasped the situation and edited his ten minute speech he was going to
give to Prime Minister Noda and his cabinet members at the next day’s
Diet (parliament) session.
In his speech he asked the Prime Minister:
1.      To establish an independent assessment team;
2.      To describe the plan to remove the spent fuel assemblies at Reactor 4;
3.      If the government is prepared to use the military to tackle
the worst case scenario;
4.      Whether the national government should be responsible for the
entire operation concerning the medical emergency, rather than leaving
it with the Fukushima municipal government.
There is no doubt that his clear, powerful speech will contribute to a
greater public and governmental understanding of the issues.
The party leaders, the businessmen, the general public I met with were
all shocked to hear the nature of the crisis and most agreed to take
action. (How has the media failed to make this clear?) But the path
forward is uncertain. Japan faces a largely invisible crisis. One
million cases of childhood cancer will devastate the nation, but how
does one begin to contain or prevent it? From where would the money
come and to where would it be allocated? How does one convince others
to take immense action as a precautionary measure? These questions can
and must be answered, but it will take great political will and
planning. Unfortunately, politicians are focused on little but the
mid-December national election……
http://akiomatsumura.com/2012/11/906.html

November 26, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general