People affected by Fukushima nuclear accident discuss end to nuclear power and nuclear damage at symposiums in Tokyo
Apr. 4, 2016
by Michiko Tanaka and Jumpei Fujimura, Staff Writers
On March 11, five years after the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant, several symposiums took place in the Tokyo metropolitan area to study current conditions in the quake-affected area in Tohoku and discuss Japan’s energy policy. Some from the A-bombed city of Hiroshima attended the symposiums to convey the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons.
At the symposium organized by the non-governmental organization FoE Japan, a group based in Tokyo that works on environmental issues, three sufferers of the nuclear accident addressed the audience. Kenichi Hasegawa, 62, a former cattle farmer from the town of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, said that he was forced to suspend his farming operation. Mr. Hasegawa evacuated from Iitate where he had lived with his son’s family before the nuclear accident. He talked about the difficulties of refugee life, separated from his son’s family, and called for an end to the use of nuclear energy, saying, “I don’t want anyone to feel the way I’m feeling now.”
Two women who faced the nuclear disaster in the city of Fukushima described their anxiety by saying that the event caused a great deal of distress to their children and that the government was planning to end housing support, which is an important lifeline for evacuees.
Ten peace activists also took the stage. Steven Leeper, 67, the former chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation and now a resident of Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture, said, “Both nuclear weapons and nuclear energy are capable of wiping a country off the face of the Earth. I hope that everyone will seriously consider the idea of abandoning nuclear energy.” About 400 symposium participants listened intently to his speech.
About 80 people attended a symposium organized by the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo). With the eradication of radiation damage as the theme, specialists in nuclear technology and energy, doctors, and lawyers expressed their views.
Osamu Saito, 68, who long provided medical treatment for A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and is now living in the city of Fukushima, said that the sufferers of the nuclear accident, who lost their land, jobs, and the means for making a living, are still unable to envision life in the future. He said that it will take a long time to overcome the damage caused by the nuclear accident.
(Originally published on March 14, 2016)
On March 11, five years after the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 (Daiichi) nuclear power plant, several symposiums took place in the Tokyo metropolitan area to study current conditions in the quake-affected area in Tohoku and discuss Japan’s energy policy. Some from the A-bombed city of Hiroshima attended the symposiums to convey the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons.
At the symposium organized by the non-governmental organization FoE Japan, a group based in Tokyo that works on environmental issues, three sufferers of the nuclear accident addressed the audience. Kenichi Hasegawa, 62, a former cattle farmer from the town of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, said that he was forced to suspend his farming operation. Mr. Hasegawa evacuated from Iitate where he had lived with his son’s family before the nuclear accident. He talked about the difficulties of refugee life, separated from his son’s family, and called for an end to the use of nuclear energy, saying, “I don’t want anyone to feel the way I’m feeling now.”
Two women who faced the nuclear disaster in the city of Fukushima described their anxiety by saying that the event caused a great deal of distress to their children and that the government was planning to end housing support, which is an important lifeline for evacuees.
Ten peace activists also took the stage. Steven Leeper, 67, the former chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation and now a resident of Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture, said, “Both nuclear weapons and nuclear energy are capable of wiping a country off the face of the Earth. I hope that everyone will seriously consider the idea of abandoning nuclear energy.” About 400 symposium participants listened intently to his speech.
About 80 people attended a symposium organized by the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo). With the eradication of radiation damage as the theme, specialists in nuclear technology and energy, doctors, and lawyers expressed their views.
Osamu Saito, 68, who long provided medical treatment for A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and is now living in the city of Fukushima, said that the sufferers of the nuclear accident, who lost their land, jobs, and the means for making a living, are still unable to envision life in the future. He said that it will take a long time to overcome the damage caused by the nuclear accident.
(Originally published on March 14, 2016)
