Captured in Fukushima

Since March, we've making a series of DVDs interviewing experts like researchers, doctors, who'd been actively opposing Nuclear power plants. It is to deliver the truth, which the government and TEPCO are hiding, to people. We did screening tour to Fukushima twice. I thought its more important right now to reach them and help them evacuate from Fukushima than making films about them.

People in Fukushima are like captured in Fukushima.

More than 40 thousands evacuated but most of 2 millions population are sitill in Fukushima, being abandoned, being deceived by government and trying to find a hope to live in highly contaminated places.

Life in Fukushima seems quite normal except the level of radiation. People are living, eating, drinking working as usual and growing rice and vegetables.

Fukushima is such a big agriculture place and because nobody is buying their products, big consumer is people in Fukushima themselves. People living in the most contaminated area are eating the most contaminated food including school lunch in many schools.

Because the government does nothing, parents themselves are doing radioactive decontamination of schools. It reduces the level of radiation like 2 micro Sv/h to 0.4, but its still high enough to radiate school children by 3.5 mSv/year, and it is impossible to decontaminate forests, mountains, rice fields anyway. And the storage for the radioactive by-products is not available in anywhere.

Because of the government and NHK's "safe campaign", social pressure is so big towards those who raise objections. Those who worry are treated as if they are peculiar persons and in many cases they are forced to keep silence.

It looks as if there is an invisible wall to divide outside and inside Fukushima.
They are captured inside and made invisible from outside.

I do not know what will happen, but I know the worst is yet to come.

massacre by Japanese government

It has become my daily habit to check radiation level of where I am.
In my town, Sapporo, now its around 0.030 μSv/h.
It was around 0.02 before March and it rises as it rains,
It is also my daily procedure to check German weather forecast because it shows the simulation of radiation flows in 2-3days, which Japanese weather forecast never tells us.

The Japanese government never released simulation of radiation flows in time. They released simulation data only after the cloud of radiation passed over us. (What's the use of weather forecast of the past days?)

Sv.
After 2 months from the day of tsunami earthquake and nuclear disaster, now we've got very familiar with this unit, Sv, Sievert. It is the unit of radiation absorption.

1mSv/year
Under Japanese laws, people are not supposed to exposed to radiation over 1mSv/Year.
Because radiation is harmful to the living things.

20mSv/year
The ministry of education and science announced schools were safe enough for children if expected amount of radiation was less than 20 mSv/year (=3.8μSv/hour).

Even a nuclear power plant worker is not normally exposed to this amount of radiation.

ICRP, International Commission on Radiological Protection, says 1 in 20,000 people will die with cancer with 1mSv.

Many scientists criticize this estimate is too optimistic and state that radiation is 8 times more risky; 1 in 2500 people will die with cancer with 1 mSv/year.
For the risk will increase linearly, 1 in 125 will die with 20 mSv/year.
And the children are 5 times more sensitive to radiation, 20 mSv/year means 1 in 25 will die with cancer. 

European Committee on Radiation Risk, ECRR, has estimated 400,000 people will become cancer if they are not evacuated.

Population of Fukushima prefecture is 2 millions, and whole area of Fukushima is surely exceed the contamination level of 1 mSv/year, plus internal exposure to radiation due to what you eat, drink and inhale.

Because the government think of no place for evacuation, because they mind the amount of compensation, now they are campaigning "Fukushima is safe".

Doctors hired by authorities are saying "if it is under 100mSv, it's safe."
Big media like NHK is covering only such doctors talks and ignores the voices of parents and scientists who worry.

TV coverage is mainly on possible shortage of electricity in summer, issue of Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant (in Shizuoka pref.) which was stopped by government, good efforts by Tsunami victims to recover, and speculation  over who is responsible for failure of cooling of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant as if the nuclear disaster is over. Since more than a month ago, we haven't seen the up-to-date view of the Fukushima Nuclear power plants.

Why Hamaoka?
It should be Nuclear power pants in Fukushima to be shut down first.
There are 10 of them in Fukushima.
It is because if accident happens at Hamaoka, it will cause catastrophic damage to Tokyo.

They are not sopping the construction of new ones like Oma.

They are not shutting down the old ones in Wakasa bay.

They still believe the Nuclear things makes good money and perhaps useful for national defense..

Within a week from the earth quake, the government adopted temporary standards of radioactive contamination for food materials. The new standard is 100 times higher than the previous standards.

It was a very quick action of the government. 

It shows they knew exactly what would happen, though they were so reluctant to evacuate people. 

It was only a few weeks ago that they banned entering within 20km area. And evacuation from around 30km area is still not done. Housing, living, jobs, cattle....nothing settled.

The Japanese government are not protecting people and children.
They are so keen to protect Tokyo Electric Power Company and their benefit.

TEPCO does not seem to be collapsing. 

Huge budget for compensation will come from the government, which is tax money from people.

They are talking about raising electricity charges, they are charging us.

The banks supporting TEPCO are not giving up credita claims.

Radiation is not painful, it does not smell and it's invisible.

It is quite exhausting to try to stay sane in such crazy situations.
Everyday, the government and the media like NHK deliver the message, "Japan is safe, Fukushima is safe except areas 30km from the site", "The Tsunami was horrible, but now its time for reconstruction".

Because the truth is too bitter and hopeless, many people are trying to believe the government and turning their faces away from the truth.

Of course, there are many parents and citizens who are worrying and angry, and take actions to protect children. But as I was afraid of, it is now becoming unpatriotic thing to oppose the authorities and government and it divide families and communities. A mother wants to evacuate her child far enough, but the child's grandfather thinks the mother is crazy for he believes what the doctors and the authorities say on TV. Many school teachers obey what ministry of education say and treat or ignore the parents who worry about their children as troublesome persons.

The Japanese government is a big lier.
Fukushima and neighboring places are all contaminated including Tokyo.
The contamination level of radiation is higher in several parts of Tokyo than Basra, Southern Iraq, that heavily bombed with DU ammunitions..They also banned public institutions like schools to release any house radiation measurement data. So, the official data only comes from the Ministry of education.

Official radiation measurement is considered lower than actual level, for all measured at very high building, like 10 m from ground level.
The radiation level at 10m might be important for the birds, but most of us, humans are living on the ground. And after 2 months, most of the radiation comes from the fall-outs on the ground. And again, children are most vulnerable.

Soon the rainy season comes.
While the accident is unsettled, more contaminants will fall with rain.
Then typhoon season will come.
We'll never know what damages and contamination might be caused to where...
Due to the very lose standards, contaminated food will be circulated all over Japan.
Even this lose standards, agricultural products like spinach, tea, forage grass already exceeded the level in Fukushima, Iwate, Staitama, Gunma, Tochigi, Chiba, Kanagawa(more than 200 km away from the site).

We cannot avoid the radiation.
And the most vulnerable are people in Fukushima and surrounding area, especially the children.

live view measurement of radiation inside a house in Fukushima City (60－70km away from the Fukushima daiichi)


Streaming Video by Ustream.TV

I will write about people's protest & action, our film-making project and screening in Fukushima tomorrow.

on 4th April ~ I miss Japan I used to live

The first day of the earthquake, I was worrying about the people living in the region hit by Tsunami. Since the 2nd day, I’ve been crying realizing that the “safe” and “peaceful” country in which I’ve been living would no longer be existing, knowing that country once suffered from A-bombs is becoming the country letting people and all the living things of the earth exposed to the radiation. ..

The first 3 nights, I was sleepless worrying some bad things might happen while I was asleep.

About the day 4 forward, I hate to wake up for I know for sure the situations would be worse than the day before

At this critical moment of human history, it is another historical tragedy of us to have this ignorant, stupid and immoral government, media and incapable electric companies ruling this country.

Another electric company is still trying to construct new nuclear power plants. The government and media never tell us proper radiation data, they hide proper weather report with simulation of how the wind blows, they lack any proper standard of contamination of food and water, they do not monitor radiations of dangerous particles like plutonium or uranium. They leave residents living near the power plants uninformed without proper attention. How cold blooded and irresponsible to the vulnerable people.

They keep us telling “it does not cause health problem immediately”. It just mean you won’t die instantly. It sounds as if it is not a massacre if you kill thousands slowly.

Except regular news, TV do not broadcast what is happening at Fukushima nuclear power plants any more, it was until last week they were telling us lies like “contaminated vegetables are edible after washed with water and boiled”, “certain amount of radiation will be good for your health”. This week, even such lies are not on TV. TV programs are now quite as usual showing dramas, cinemas, talking about cosmetics, travels, arts, cuisines and sometimes about stories of Tsunami survivors and good people trying to help them.

It looks as if nothing is going wrong, getting better, there are no nuclear accidents expanding.

If we do not have twitter and face book, there are literally no media telling us the truth.Though we are all in danger of being victimized in one way or another, not many people are aware of the threat yet, or trying not to think of.

The atmosphere is like during the last war, 66 years ago.

People are deceived by own government, trying to believe what media say, trying to behave themselves, being mobilized to win the losing war expecting the Kamikaze to blow. Those who have objection and questions may soon be treated as betrayers or unpatriotic.

Today, Tokyo electric company started to through highly radioactive water directly to ocean. It's a crime, but again, the media and government made no critical comments.

It’s been like living night mere.

I feel terribly sorry for people of the world, and for the future generations and all the living things of the earth.

My hope is to survive together as many people as possible.

Since the earthquake, we made one film (a newsreel) already.

As a filmmaker, I will fight with my film to convey the truth and to make people awake. The truth is not sweet, but without the truth, we can not prepare for the future.

Many people are now moving into Hokkaido, the northern Island I live, from Fukushima and areas hit by Tsunami. (Together with my friends, I am also being a part of a group helping those people.)

Hokkaido is still a calm and peaceful place, and I am just hoping such peaceful days last as long as possible.

I am prepared to fight, but at the same time feeling like a refugee.

Am I going to live in Chernobyl?

Am I going to be a refugee ? (but to where?)

I miss Japan I used to live...

What the best nuclear researcher said in this morning...

Just now on TV, Prof. KOIDE (the best expert of nuclear reactor/ Kyoto Univ.) said the fire on #4 plant at Fukushima was the event he never thought of. The fire was due to the used fuel stored in the water pool, that lost electric suppy to cool down. He also said other plants lacking electric suppy shared the same conditions. This means not only the plants in Fukushima but also the others like Higashidori, Onagawa share the same situations. Reactors, used-fuel pools... multiple sources for radiation and possible melt-down/ melt-through...I am so afraid to write this in Japanese language. This disaster may develop into the nuclear catastroph that human being never experienced far beyond the level of Chernobyl unless any means to pour water works.

Dear Friends, please keep on praying. Not only for Japanese people but for all the living things on the earth.

on 13th March

Dear friend,
Thank you for e-mail and thinking of us.
We are all fine in Hokkaido.

But things are not getting better.
The earth quakes and the Tsunami were bad enough, or more than enough, and more people will be effected/killed by the nuclear power plants affected by the earth quake. Already hundreds civilians (at least) were reported to be exposed to radiation and the workers are dying.

Besides Japanese police, troops and special teams, many rescue teams from abroad are coming to Japan. US troops were also sent to Japan to support rescue, but they only stay away on the sea to look for the missing people drifted with Tsunami.

It must be the universal phenomena that the government never tells the truth.
Even some countries notify their nationals staying in Tokyo area to escape, but Japanese government has kept on saying "the level of radiation is low enough not to hurt human", "prepare to cover faces just in case", "Its not beyond the expected level"etc...

They are insane.
They are the ones who have been promoting nuclear policy.

What the government told us tonight was to turn off the lights to save energy, help the victims and to unite to endure. What they have to tell is up-to-date info on the nuclear power plant, the truth.

They need to tell who are/will be in danger and who needs to escape and to where. People need to be prepared, otherwise it will be too late if the worst happens.

And they need to order all the nuclear power plants to stop, because we have 58 of them.
If the worst happens, the victims will be victimized again.
If the worst of the worst happens, like Chernobyl, a half of the land will be highly contaminated (we are such a small country) and we will lose our future.

It is fine, peaceful and getting warm in Sapporo, that's where I live.
Spring is soon coming to this northern island of Hokkaido.

I am just wishing tomorrow will be the same as today.
Please keep on praying to your god

Love,

Asako