Last weekend I was in Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture to meet and exchange ideas and opinions with a group of some 180 fathers and mothers of elementary and middle school children. Radiation was the topic of our discussion, which was sponsored by Happy Road Net (HRN), an NGO actively supporting the victims of the Fukushima nuclear explosion of March 2011.

　　　The venue was the Fukushima Prefectural Sogo Agricultural Center, a sleak modern building located on a plot spacious enough to accommodate at least 12 large domed baseball stadiums. Amply employing locally grown zelkova timber in its high ceilings and roomy floors, the center -€ boasting a stylish design with reinforced glass panels forming much of its outer walls -€ stood elegantly amid a lush green sea of rice paddies and hills. No wonder they call this prefecture “Fukushima the beautiful.”

　　　Almost all of the participants came to Koriyama from temporary shelters across Fukushima, where they live as refugees following the two nuclear explosions at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Corporation (TEPCO). Facing this group of people highly concerned about their future and the possible effects of radiation, I started my presentation by first noting that the real effects of radiation on the human body can only be determined by full-fledged epidemiological research involving a significant number of people, not by investigation of isolated cases.

　　　When an individual comes down with cancer, I explained, it’s nearly impossible to specify its cause or causes -€ for instance, whether it might be exposure to radiation, smoking, an excessive intake of salt, being overweight or underweight, an undisciplined lifestyle, or any combination of these. That is why epidemiological research is mandatory, and, as far as the effects of exposure to radiation are concerned, the studies conducted by the Japanese government on the survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are considered the most credible in the world.

　　　In 1950, when the government conducted the first post-war national census, a total of 284,000 people were registered as “hibakusha” -€ radiation exposed survivors. Out of that total, the government chose 200,000 whom it expected to be able to monitor on a continuing basis, dividing them into groups on the basis of how far they were from ground zero when the explosion occurred. For comparison’s sake, the government simultaneously chose a group of
healthy control subjects matching them in age and sex, conducting in-depth interviews with each participant.

　　　Keiichi Nakagawa, Associate Professor of the Department of Radiology, University of Tokyo Hospital, who traveled to Koriyama from Tokyo to join the session, pointed out:

　　　“The investigations were very thorough; they left no stone unturned, making sure under what circumstances each one of them was subjected to the A-bomb attack -€ for instance, at the moment of the explosion, whether they were outdoors or indoors, whether they were standing or sitting, or whether they were protected by any sort of structure.”

Appalling Lack of Information on Radiation

　　　For decades, the government has kept up health checks on this large number of citizens, providing the so-called “hibakusha techo” -€ a medical report detailing their status and the nature of treatments given them. Against such a backdrop, the health examinations conducted by the current government of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) following the Fukushima nuclear disaster are incredibly inferior. The appalling incompetence and lack of imagination on the part of the incumbent DPJ administration is an absolute outrage.

　　　I urge as many people in Japan as possible to once reflect on the data available from the long years of detailed scientific investigations conducted in Hiroshima and Nakagaki, which the world puts great trust in. I have no doubt that the sharing of the data will prove the basically unscientific nature of the current radiation decontamination operations and lead to food safety standards which will provide the refugees a more definite and reliable yardstick by which they will be able to decide with greater confidence whether they should continue to live in their shelters away from home, or go back home.

　　　The conclusion from the Hiroshima-Nagasaki research is this: there are no recognizable negative effects on the human body from low radiation exposure (under 100 millisieverts/year). This does not mean exposure to radiation has no effects on the human body. Rather, it means exposure to radiation lower than 100 millisieverts cannot be determined as a cause of cancer. As mentioned before, cancer is caused by many factors, each of which can possibly be a factor equal to, or larger than, 100 millisievert radiation.

　　　One epidemiologic research that the people of Fukushima would find beneficial has to do with the Chernobyl accident. A 2011 report by the United Nations Scientific Committee (UNSC) marking the 25th anniversary of the disaster lists more than 6,000 infants as suffering thyroid cancer, with 15 dead. Cases of thyroid cancer are presumed to have increased among the infants in Chernobyl as their evacuation was greatly delayed while a halfway measure restricting food and drink was implemented, allowing them to continue consuming contaminated milk. Meanwhile, the UNSC report concludes there is no evidence of cesium affecting the health of ordinary citizens -€ a matter of serious concern for the Japanese today.

　　　Judging from knowledge obtained through research involving Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Chernobyl, one can safely conclude that the government efforts to conduct radiation decontamination in areas across Fukushima Prefecture registering at least 1 millisievert are totally devoid of meaning. Decontamination is naturally required in areas with much higher radiation levels, but I seriously question the wisdom of the government insisting on the 1 millisievert/year standard as it pours in millions of yen in tax money to decontaminate villages and towns in Fukushima across the board. Isn’t it a plain waste of money no matter how you may look at it?

　　　During the question-and-answer session, many specific questions were raised, such as whether it is safe to let children play in sandboxes in the parks, or what caution should be exercised in choosing food for small children now living in Koriyama. Professor Nakagawa answered each of these questions meticulously from the standpoint of an expert, identifying the radiation levels of each of the specific areas the questioners referred to. According to the professor, one should not be concerned if adults are exposed to between 10 and 20 millisieverts of radation a year; the figure was less than 10 millisieverts for children. He said he considered it best for everyone who asked questions, except for a man whose house is in Minami Soma City less than 7.5 kilometers (about 4.5 miles) from the nuclear power station, to return home and live a normal life again. The advice from Professor Nakagawa once again brought home to me the sad fact that, because of this deplorable lack of pertinent information about radiation, many of Fukushima’s citizens have unfortunately been compelled to live amid worries and anxieties that they should have been spared.

　　　I was also reminded that there are factors other than radiation that are serious enough to compel people to turn their backs on their homes. A man who used to run a company in the town of Namie, aware that he would not be able to go back home anytime soon, said he opened a new office in Minami Soma, his current domicile, to restart his old business, and that he was absolutely stunned when he got in touch with his old employees.

Putting the Cart Before the Horse

　　　“One after another, my old employees refused to return on the grounds they earn more by not working. For instance, there is a former employee in his late thirties who has a wife and two children -€ a middle schooler and a high schooler. I used to pay him about 300,000 (approximately US$3,750) a month, but he told me he is not interested in working for me again because he now makes nearly three times more than that. He explained that in addition to 300,000 (US$3,750), which he gets from TEPCO as compensation for his monthly salary, he receives 400,000 (US$5,000) for a family of four as consolation money for the psychological trauma they are subjected to, plus 180,000 (US$2,250) as unemployment compensation. He refused to rejoin my firm on the grounds that he would lose all of these benefits and his monthly income will be reduced to a mere 300,000 (US$3,750), which is what I was paying him when he was with me.”

　　　The former president cited another case involving a single mother in her thirties who was raising two elementary school children in Futaba County, earning 140,000 (US$1,750) a month working part-time. She now lives with her children in Iwaki City as a refugee. TEPCO pays her 300,000 (US$3,750) in monthly consolation payment for a family of three in addition to the equivalent of the monthly salary she used to earn. She further gets paid an additional 80,000 (US$1,000) in unemployment allowance, plus a 60,000 (US$750) allowance for a fatherless family. In total, she now earns 580,000 (US$7,250) a month -€ more than four times as much as before.

　　　“As you know, unemployment payments will stop after a certain period of time,” he continues. “But payment from TEPCO will be virtually forever.”

　　　Ms Yumiko Nishimoto, HRN’s Representative Director, rightfully appeals for more creative efforts on the part of the government to motivate the refugees to start earning their living in their respective hometown. Says Ms Nishimoto:

　　　“I do believe it natural for the government to come to the aid of those who badly need assistance. However, under the present circumstances, not working is linked with earning a much higher income. Therefore, many companies are failing to restart operations because their former employees refused to come back to work because they are far better off now, at least financially.

　　　“Life is truly tough on those who genuinely desire to go back home and rebuild their hometowns and their own businesses no matter how difficult it may be. The chances are very slim for a bright future unless one puts in an honest day’s work, really. To allow them access to more than reasonable living expenses for the time being , thereby discouraging them from wanting to work in earnest, I really believe, is putting the cart before the horse.”

　　　I sincerely believe the DPJ should stop pandering to public opinion as regards its measures pertaining to radiation and economic support for the refugees, and instead make every effort to fundamentally rectify its policies in a direction where the real power of the people of Japan -€ and especially of Fukushima -€ can truly be brought out.

(Translated from “Renaissance Japan” column no. 515 in the June 28, 2012 issue of The Shukan Shincho)