国際人権ひろば No.124(2015年11月発行号)

Reconstruction Process Has Made Radiation Victims Invisible

Where is the reconstruction headed to? 

 

The Act on the Establishment of the Reconstruction Agency provides a 10-year reconstruction period. Four years and 8 months have passed since the earthquake occurred. So far, 2.55 billion Yen have been used for the projects implemented under the law, and the additional 650 million Yen have to be allocated for the projects planned for the remaining 5 years, making a total cost of 3.2 billion Yen. However, this does not necessarily mean that reconstruction of the life of affected people has been smooth. Rather, some critical voices have been heard saying that affected people are left behind due to the inclination towards development projects under the slogan of "Creative Reconstruction". "Creative Reconstruction" aims to create a fundamental structural change, and advocates that without the reconstruction of the affected areas, no resurgence of the Japan's economy is expected.  

Promotion of large-scale projects such as the construction of coastal levee or community relocation finds difficulties in terms of consensus-building between local governments and residents. As time goes, residents from the affected areas have continued to flow out making it more difficult to implement the community building as per the original plan. PTSD and other forms of mental stress need to be addressed. 

Under these circumstances, the radioactive contamination spreading over Miyagi Prefecture, north of Fukushima, has totally been invisible. 

Damage by radiation is not visible

 

In May, 2011, radioactive matters were detected in the grass in Miyagi Prefecture, and in the following July, radioactive cesium was detected in beef produced from cows fed by contaminated rice straw in Miyagi. The government gave the instruction to hold shipments from this place. 

From March to September in 2011, 6,120 calls were made to the temporary telephone consultation service on the Fukushima nuclear accident. While the health examination for residents started in Fukushima prefecture, residents in Miyagi raised their voices calling for the health examination.  In October, 2011, the first thyroid testing was conducted only in two districts in Miyagi with the official findings stating, "Under the present conditions, no deleterious effects to health is conceivable, thus it indicates no need of the health examination." Since then, the prefectural government has only concentrated on the counter-measures against reputational risk and "dissemination of correct information" to residents to ease their anxiety. As a result, there has been no public health examination done for residents in Miyagi Prefecture. 

Obviously, radioactive matters do not have borders. In Miyagi Prefecture, 8 municipalities are designated as "focused areas for the research of (radioactive) contamination." Quite a large number of people have potential anxiety for the future health risk. If not intentionally, these damages and disturbances cannot be seen. While many people hold unmeasurable fear and are forced to make an unwished choice on many occasions in their daily life, the choices they make are treated as if they make it voluntarily. It is unreasonable that offenders assess victims of nuclear accident to determine compensation and post-treatment support which is quite irrelevant to the actual damage.   

Against this background, in autumn 2011, farmers in Ohgawara-town in the southern Miyagi voluntarily set up a test station to measure radioactive contamination of crops, foods and soil. They hold a bazar every Saturday to sell vegetables and processed foods with an indication of test results. The test station has been used as a base for different types of community activities. 

Test Station "Teto Teto"

Bazar "Teto" 

Challenges that March 11 has posed on us

 

Post-war Japan has concentrated its efforts on the economic growth in the belief that it is the best way to enjoy a peaceful society, and giving priority to economic values rather than protecting life and the environment. It might have internalized a logic that enabled local community to face risks. 

The proposal made by the Reconstruction Promotion Committee considers the 2020 Tokyo Olympic as a golden opportunity to show that Japan has steadily made progress towards the reconstruction of “New Northeastern Japan.”  It should be noted that what we have lost in the great earthquake were not only limited to those that are visible. Reconstruction should aim at realizing a society where the life of everybody is individually respected, not just aim at having the most advanced future society. 

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• « Summary of the Japanese-language HURIGHTS OSAKA Newsletter, Kokusai Jinken Hiroba No.124, November 2015
• Invisibility Brought About by "Reconstruction" and Voices of Resisting "Upstanders" »
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