Monday, April 8, 2013

Excellent Editorial in Japan Times About Fukushima Fatalities


Majia here: The link for the Fukushima Symposium referenced in the editorial is here: http://www.nuclearfreeplanet.org/symposium-update--online-archive-now-available-at-live-stream-link.html


Excepts from the EXCEPTIONAL editorial that should be read in full at the link provided: 


‘Rosy Fukushima health report faulted by experts,’ Japan Times, by Brian A. Victoria (Apr 9, 2013) Japan Times, http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/04/09/voices/rosy-fukushima-health-report-faulted-by-experts/#.UWN-ecqQN-Q

Dear Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,

[Excerpted]...Prime Minister, I know many of your advisors claim that the amount of radiation released at Fukushima No. 1 was far less than at Chernobyl. However, a report released by the U.K.-based nonprofit Institute of Science in Society in November 2012 said: “Analysis based on the most inclusive data sets available reveals that radioactive fallout from the Fukushima meltdown is at least as big as Chernobyl and more global in reach.” That conclusion was reached based on work with state-of-the-art atmospheric dispersion models by an international team led by Andreas Stohl at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research. 


Further, nuclear researcher Hiroaki Koide of Kyoto University told the conference: “The cesium-137 that was released into the atmosphere by Units 1 through 3 was 168 times that of the Hiroshima bomb, according to the Japanese government report to the IAEA, an international organization which promotes nuclear power. 

“However, I myself believe this is probably an underestimate, and two or three times that amount, that is, 400 to 500 times the amount of cesium-137 of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, has already been dispersed into the atmosphere. I believe almost the same amount of radioactive material released into the air has probably flowed into the ocean.”

... Koide’s conclusion: “The contamination areas were as large as 20,000 sq. km, which meant a vast zone in the Tohoku and Kanto regions would have to be evacuated. Faced with such a reality, the Japanese government decided it would never be able to help the people in these contaminated areas, and that the people would be abandoned and left there. As of today, about 10 million people have been left in areas that should have been designated radiation-controlled areas, and they are exposed to continual radiation every day.”

...It is still not too late to act, Prime Minister. For example, will your government provide financial support for residents in contaminated areas who wish to move to safe areas, most especially women of childbearing age and those with children?



 

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