Apology:
Firstly, I would like to apologize my this
delayed letter. I needed to grasp a whole picture of government’s basic
policies and and scholars’ attitudes towards these disasters, while I myself saw
the realities and heard directly from various people who were affected especially by radioactive
substances .
In
the following, I would like to apologize in three aspects.
1) For
release of radioactive substances to air and ocean
The most unforgiving
conducts what the Japan’s Prime Minister had done were these fivedecisions:
1) The wrong immediate action in emergency e
time to deal with TEPCO Fukushima Diichi Nuclear Power Plant
Complex ( No.1-4),
2) No immediate action to protect children
and youth not only in Fukushima’s larger area but also in Tokyo’s larger areas,
3) No immediate measures to protect drinking
water, agricultural products, living creatures and others,
4) No honest, correct and just information
regarding radioactive substances’ total amount, distribution ratio to the air
and the ocean, and regarding radiation risks to human health and living
creatures,
5) No
sincere notice to other surrounding countries when the first release of
radioactive contaminated water to ocean in April 4-5.
After April 5, radioactive contaminated water’s leaking to the
ocean have done often. As of Nov.11, it is very difficult to have that correct
data and information.
These are reliable data in the following:
*
"Altogether, we
estimate that 6.4 TBq of 137Cs, or 19% of the total fallout until 20
April, were deposited over Japanese land areas, while most of the rest fell
over the North Pacific Ocean. Only 0.7 TBq, or 2% of the total fallout were
deposited on land areas other than Japan.” ( http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/11/28319/2011/acpd-11-28319-2011.html
)
* "76 trillion becquerels
of Plutonium-239 released from Fukushima ― 23,000 times higher than previously
announced”,
August 29th, 2011 (http://enenews.com/report-76-trillion-becquerels-plutonium-239-released-fukushima-23000-times-higher-previously-announced
)
* 72,000 times worse than Hiroshima., “Independent,
August 29, 2011: (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/why-the-fukushima-disaster-is-worse-than-chernobyl-2345542.html
)* Fukushima
Radiation Map - Clouds Stream, from 11 March - 5 April. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXSaxcJJ6eU&feature=fvwrel
)
If these estimation
numbers ( 72,000 times worse than
Hiroshima. and only 2% of total fallout on land areas and 98% to the
ocean ) are correct,
unprecedented effects to human health and living creatures not only in
Fukushima and Japan but also other areas of the earth could be occurred.
The Japan’s nuclear promotion complex (
legislators, bureaucrats, scholars, companies, labor unions, major medias and
international group) could not be forgiven. But as Japanese citizens, we feel
responsibility to allow them to be arrogant and irreponsble.
2) For no more Japan’s substantial
contribution to climate change and biodiversity issues
I
would like to apologize this fact that Japan could not continue to involve in
contributing to climate change and biodiversity issues because the TEPCO
Fukusihima Diichi Nuclear Power Plant’s crippling conditions are unstable, and
radioactive substances are still discharging everyday to the air and ocean. We
have no capacity and qualification to work for these global environmental
issues anymore.
○
Climate Change Issue
In
Sept.2009, at the United Nations Speech, Hatoyama former Prime Minister
announced the 25% reduction of CO2 and surprised us (Japanese citizens ). The
truth is that a plan to build new nuclear power plants and to export that to
Asian countries was the set with the 25
%. Furthermore, “the Kyoto Protocol “ seemed to be meaningless after this
recent news .
“In 2010, total
global CO2 emissions reached 33.0 billion tonnes, a 30 percent
increase from 2000 and 45 percent more than 1990, the base year of
the Kyoto Protocol. In turn 1990 global emissions were 22.7 billion tonnes, an
increase of 45 percent on the 1970 level of 15.5 billion tonnes. “
(http://www.pbl.nl/en/publications/2011/long-term-trend-in-global-co2-emissions-2011-report
)
Furthermore, more than
one trillion yen every year has been spent by the Japanese government (tax)
under the name of climate change measures and most of them seems to be used for
various activities of nuclear energy promotions. Dr. Y.Fukai points out that
" the exclusive global warming complex "was built, just like
"the exclusive nuclear promotion complex" in Japan.
( Since 1999, I did
not take any income regarding climate change issue .)
Unfortunately, climate
change issue was used for other purposes by certain bureaucrats, scholars,
NGOs, medias, etc in Japan.
Therefore, If you believe
in the fact that a CO2 emission reduction is a major measures of climate
change, I would like to ask a first major step could be taken from USA as the
largest total CO2 emission country.
(TIME,April9,2001,p30-31,WorldResources2000-2001p282-285
)
○
Biodiversity Issue
Last
year, the Biodiversity Convention COP10 was held in Nagoya, Aichi . The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing and The
Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets
are major results. The United
Nations Decade on Biodiversity
2011-2020 is also agreed.
However, less than five
months later, Japan scattered radioactive substances as” 72,000 times worse than Hiroshima.” to the air and ocean from TEPCO Fukushima Diichi Nuclear Power Plant (
No.1-4). And as of No.11, it is said
that quire large amount radioactive substances are still
leaked.
3) For Japan ‘s back to “the Eco-Outlaw”
again after 22 years efforts
In
May 1989, the article ,"The World's
Eco-Outlaw? –Critics takes aim at Japan" was appeared
in NewsWeek (May 1,1989). Then,
the article
"Putting the Heart on Japan- Accused of
ravaging the world's forests and seas, Tokyo starts to clean up its act!
"(by Eugene Linden) was appeared in Time (July
10,1989). In this article, my comment
was referred as follows.
{ ,,,,,,,,,,, ,Perhaps indicative of modern Japanese attitudes is a question
posed by a member of the Japanese contingent to a Sumithonian Institution
symposium on the ethics
of whaling. Their representative asked how a whale differed from a mosquito, not to argue that both
should receive protection but that both are expendable. "The Japanese don't seem to accept the
concept of sustainable development," contends conservationist McManus,
"[the
idea] that there can be a middle ground between total exploitation or total
protection." Still,
there are many heartening signs of changes in Japan. Miwako
Kurosaka, a longtime
environmental activist, says with some awe that she has been invited to address
a prestigious Keizaikai study group for senior executives
that ordinarily devotes
its sessions to business and politics. Diet member, Kosugi points out that meetings of his environmental
subcommittee, which used to draw five or six legislators to a small room, now draw 40 or
more, forcing a move to larger quarters.,,,,,,,,,,,,, , If Japan decides to guard the environment
around the world with this kind of care, then the island nation might turn its
critics into admires.}
It was just before the
Arche Summit (July14-16),
the first Summit that global environmental issues were included as one major
agenda.
By then, Japan overtook
the USA as No.1 donor to ODA ( Official Development Assistance).
Since the Tokyo
Conference on the Global Environment and Human Response Towards Sustainable
Development, held jointly by the Japanese government and UNEP in Sept.1989,
Japanese companies officially started taking actions to deal with global
environmental issues.
Since then, as Mr. Speth’s WRI ( World Resources Institute) staff,
my task to improve and promote Japan’s polices and measures for global
environmental problems began officially in ways of issue and institutional
approaches. Through this role, I learned and experienced a lot of not only Japan’s issues but
also others ones.
Since the beginning of 2010, after I helped key officials of the
government quietly to prepare the Biodiversity COP10, I started to review about
Japan ‘s past efforts for global environmental issues for a Rio+20 (and
Stockholm +40 ) reparation process.
For
this purpose, I needed to be back to and to confirm my basic standing point.
Such my confirmation work was to retranslate Edith Cobb’s book ,The Ecology of Imagination in
Childhood (Columbia University
Press 1977). My first Japanese translation of this book was published in
Sept.1986. ( http://bloge.miwako-kurosaka.com/?cid=38962
) Just after I assisted Prof. Stephen Kellert’s
research on “Japan ‘s concept of nature and wildlife”, and met with Ms. Jo
Steward-Smith, BBC film producer and author of In the Shadow of
Fujisan-Japan and its Wildlife ( 1987 ) and with Mr. Alan Miller, Fulbright
scholar.
At
the 2:46pm, March 11, 2011, I was just working for finalizing my retranslation
of Edith Cobb’s book. Before this day, we had experienced several small
scale shaking, so at the first moment, I ignored. Instantly ,I felt the
differences from the past, so I switched off my PC. I embraced my two cats at
the door where I could see the outside. I became a kind of seasickness. Even I
could perceived this strong shaking never experienced before.
By the end of April, I
had to accept the fact that Japan is back to the real ” Eco-Outlaw”, even more
worse than that of 1989.
As I
briefly mentioned above, Japanese establishments could not accept this reality
as the result of own policies and actions and take just measures to protect
children and own constituencies. However, Japanese ordinary citizens have
raised profound questions about human values .
The gap between the
establishments and ordinary citizens has been widening.
After I heard various voices from Fukushima,
Tohoku area and others, I came realize this thought: this “3.11” pushes
Japanese people to be a real front of industrial material pursuing civilization
of line.
Therefore, I change my purpose to produce Japan Report for a
sustainable future from toward a Rio+20 to the 3.11, 2012.
If the Japan’s Nuclear
Safety Agency and Commission exist for nuclear promotion, and Environmental
Ministry, Education Ministry, Health Ministry, and Agriculture, Forestry &
Fishery Ministry are weaker than the nuclear promotion group, we, Japanese
citizens, must have an independent safety committee for children, living
creatures and ecosystems.
And in order to envision
a sustainable future, we need to review Japan ‘s past 150 years mistakes &
failures and also accomplishments from ordinary citizen’s point of view. We may
need to go back to 1300 years or more for our review work.
“being strongly
historical, i.e.in often substituting historical inference for experimental
analysis, ecology. “ (p 20 Edith Cobb)
"the value of what an ecologist described as
“mental prolepsis”- a casting back into history in order to go forward in
time.“ (p.80 Edith Cobb )
This
kind of my work seems to be back to my basic standing point and question about
Japan’s purpose of economic growth after I heard the book, “Japan as Number One” by
Ezra Feivel Vogel in1979. I did not trust this kind of expression because my
family was the repatriate from Manchuria. It took 43 days from Tanton ( Anto) ,
run through Korea peninsula by small boats, walk, train and ship, via Pusan to
Hakara, Japan. I was in my mother’s womb.
The day when my family landed on Japan was Dec.8 ( US time-Dec.7) . I
was given my life just by chance.
Since the “ 3.11” happened, it seems to verify about Japan’s history
about what I heard from my parents and I learned from various references on the
War.
I
came to the point that if Japanese citizens accept this 3.11’s precious message
humbly, we could be forgiven the past sin and fault, and we could transcend our
limitations for a sustainable future.
One junior high school
girl’s essay shows a hope.
" The nuclear power
plant exists based on various human
victims of radioactive exposures,
when the uranium as a raw
material is mined out,
when the plant is
operating, and
when that accident is
happened.. “
This kind of perception
and intelligence is a hope.
***
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