In scathing terms, one of Japan's honest citizens lashed out the other day, claiming that rather than do what is in the best interest of the people, the government is simply making decisions to "prolong its own life."
Toshiso Kosako, one of Japan's leading experts on nuclear safety, resigned in April in disgust as "acceptable" radiation levels were raised to those equal to nuclear workers near the Fukushima nuclear facility -- a move he felt put citizens in harm's way.
I like Mr. Kosako a lot and wrote about his bravery in a previous blog note two months ago. He tells it like it is. And he held little back in his piercing attack on the powers that be, noting that ocean testing for radiation exposure to marine life has been limited and that the fall harvest season of radiated rice will create "havoc." We shall see. In the meantime, I stopped eating fish from surrounding Japanese waters two months ago and have developed a love for imported pasta from Italy and canned spaghetti sauce.
Mr. Kosako knows how Japan works. For this reason, he intends to put pressure on Japan from outside Japan. "Gaiatsu," or outside pressure, has proven to be a most effective way of initiating change here. Many non-Japanese know this, too.
Of equal importance and through his actions, Mr. Kosako raises the issue of who works for whom. Since March, the people of Japan have never really realized the power they possess to be the ultimate initiators of desired change. I pointed this out in a previous blog note. It is the taxpayers of Japan who are the bosses and public servants the employees, not the other way around. In time, the masses will "get it."
Signs of enlightenment are happening. A group of residents, including a mayor in Shizuoka Prefecture, have filed a lawsuit seeking to decommission the Hamaoka nuclear power plant for safety reasons. In addition, the governor of Saga Prefecture has come under fire at their prefectural assembly for his willingness to see the restart of two reactors at the Genkai nuclear power station. They see why there is reason for concern. And at the recent Tokyo Electric Power shareholders meeting, heckles and shouts greeted the leadership. So slowly there is evidence that limits have been reached.
Let us also not forget those suffering up north near the reactor zone. Tens of thousands of people are still living in gymnasiums and other public facilities with no privacy and increasingly no hope. Suicides are on the rise as feelings of desperation win over images of a bright future. Even so, many prefer to stay in this situation (vs. opt for recently-built government housing) because at least where they are guaranteed food each day. Wiped out and with no savings, knowing they can eat wins out over privacy. What a choice.
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OSAKA — "How did earthquake-prone Japan, where two atomic bombs were dropped at the end of World War II creating a strong antinuclear weapons culture, come to embrace nuclear power just a few decades later?"
Therein lies a tale whose main characters include two former prime ministers, a suspected war criminal, CIA agent and postwar media baron, and "Japan's Charles Lindbergh," a flamboyant pilot who encouraged people to search for uranium in their backyards.
It also involves thousands of politicians, bureaucrats, engineers and the pronuclear media collectively known as Japan's "nuclear power village."
(I found this article on the history of nuclear power in Japan interesting. The role of the media is pushing the technology is particularly disturbing, IMO.
It should be noted that there were those from early on who opposed the technology and warned of the threat of earthquakes.)
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110716f1.html
What kind of responsible government is this? Didn't they keep telling their own people and the world nuclear radiation level is ok even after USA raised more alert and moved its citizens out of a wider radius?
We need more protests in Japan against such government.
See www.aesopinstitute.org to understand why and how we might minimize the impact.
Japan is a wake up call!
Cheap green power is being born and can begin to supersede fossil and radioactive fuels much faster than might be imagined.
See E-Cat and Black Swans on the Aesop website. Black Swans are highly improbable innovations with huge implications.
Japanese taxpayers footing the bill for private investors is the corrupt gift that keeps on giving.
Intentionally not testing for contamination, underreporting what has been tested and changing acceptable exposure limits is all about money first and the power it buys second.
Good commentary as usual. Due to the quake/tsunami/nuclear plant situation, I've come across your column. Would like to contact you. I am a Tokyo-born, U.S.-educated nuclear and mechanical engineering professor at University of Idaho.