March 8, 2012

One year of the Nuclear Disaster: Messages from Fukushima

福島の原発事故は、人類と核は共存できないことを証明しました。
地震や津波など、自然災害は決して人の手では防げませんし、
人間は必ずミスを犯すもの、そして機械は必ず劣化するのです。
原発事故は、必ず、いつかは起こります。
「原発は絶対に事故を起こさない」
と主張し続けてきた東電や日本政府は、
いざ、福島第一の原子炉がメルトダウン、メルトスルーしたとき、
福島県民を、速やかに避難させることができませんでした。
「事故は起きるはずがない」という過信や思いあがりが、
とっさの判断を鈍らせたのだと思います。
今、私たち福島県民は、「放射線管理区域」並みの高線量の中で、
不安と混乱に包まれて暮らしています。
どこまで危険で、どこまでなら安全なのか、
逃げるか逃げないか、食べるか食べないか、
錯綜する情報に踊らされ、毎日、さまざまな選択に迫られています。
何が正解なのかわからない状態で、
家族で、地域で、学校で、職場で、さまざまな場所で分断が起きています。
人々の心に怒りと対立が生まれました。これが一番悲しいことです。
インドのみなさん。
原発をたくさん作るという計画が、一刻も早く止まることを祈ります。
原発を自国に作ることは、自国に時限爆弾を仕掛けるのと同じことです。
いつか必ず起こる原発事故に向かって、怯えながら生きるより、
「足るを知る」生活の中で、笑いあい、支えあって生きることの方が、
どれだけ幸せなことか、どれだけ豊かなことか、
事故が起きてから思い知った私たちのようにならないでください。

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
原発いらない福島の女たち　世話人’サイト担当
人見やよい　onna100nin@yahoo.co.jp

Yayoi Hitomi
(Goodbye Nukes Fukushima Women’s Network)

People of India,

I pray that, as soon as possible, you will stop plans to build so many nuclear reactors. Building nuclear reactors in your country is like setting time bombs. Rather than living in fear of the destruction that will one day occur, it is so much better to live a simple life, without greed, where people smile at each other and support each other. Don’t wait, like we did, till after the accident occurs, to realize how much happier and richer this life would have been.

The Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant disaster has proved that human kind cannot live with the atom.

People cannot prevent natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunami, and people are not perfect, they make mistakes. And machines always wear out.

Accidents at nuclear power stations are inevitable. They will occur sooner or later.

“Dangerous accidents will never occur at nuclear power stations”
is what TEPCO, the Fukushima Daiichi operator, and the Japanese government have continuously told us.

But when the meltdown, the melt-through, came at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors, neither of them were able to speedily evacuate the people of Fukushima. They so believed their much-repeated phrase “There is no way a nuclear accident can happen,” perhaps it blunted their judgment.

Right now, the people of Fukushima who are living in the so-called “radiation monitored area” are being exposed to high levels of radiation and are living in fear and confusion.
What is a dangerous level? What is safe?

Should we evacuate or should we stay? Should we eat food that is possibly radiated or should we not? We feel lost in the confusion of information as we are forced daily to make these decisions.

Without knowing what is right, families, communities, schools and workplaces are being torn apart.

Anger and conflict are growing in people’s hearts. This is the saddest thing.

Message from Nakate-san,
(Leader of the Network to protect children of Fukushima from Radiation)

Now that time has passed since the accident at Fukushima Daiichi,

we are finally finding out some of the truth which was hidden and manipulated by the government.

We have lived in Fukushima all our lives, but we are now seriously wondering if this is the right place to stay, to bring up our children.

We are calling for evacuation for the children of Fukushima and their parents. The Japanese government is not making any effort to evacuate the children. To force them to take concrete measures, the support of local governments in Japan and people from overseas is indispensable. Please send messages of support to Japan, please help the children of Fukushima to live in safety.

「9.19さようなら原発5万人集会」＊でスピーチをさせていただいたあと、たくさんの方々が「涙がこぼれれた」「泣いてしまった」とおっしゃいます。みんな溢れそうになる涙をこらえて暮らしてきたのだなとつくづく思います。もしかしたら3.11以前からそうだったのかもしれません。この国の不誠実、誰かを犠牲にした危うい便利さ、あまりにも自然から乖離してしまった人類・・・・・・。生き物としての深いところでみんな傷つき、罪悪感を持ち、どこかへ帰りたいと感じていたのかもしれません。この原発震災は、もしかしたら人類が地球に回帰し、新しい世界を創造するチャンスかもしれません。赤ちゃんは、未知の世界への怖れをふるい落とすように大きな声で泣きながら生まれてきます。私たちも泣きながらも新しい世界への最初の呼吸をしなければなりませんね。『福島からあなたへ』武藤類子

Ruiko Muto,
Hairo Action Fukushima (from her book: To You from Fukushima)

After the ‘Goodbye Nukes Rally’ on 19th September, many people told me that my speech had made them cry. It made me think that we are all living each day bottling up our emotions and making sure our tears don’t escape. I think it’s been like this ever since 3.11. The dishonesty of this government, the dangerous convenience which makes a victim of somebody else, human beings that are totally out of touch with nature…As living beings, we are all deeply hurt, we feel guilty and we want to go back to somewhere that we can call home. Maybe this nuclear disaster is a chance for humankind to return to Earth and create a new world.

Babies come into this world, unknown as it is to them, by throwing off their fear, with a loud cry. Maybe we must also come into the new world crying as we take our first breath.