8/7/2019 News 24.04 Discrimination Has No Role in Overcoming Japan Disaster

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(Discrimination has no role in overcoming Japan disaster)

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Discrimination has no role in overcoming Japan disaster

Volunteers prepare to give out food to people in a school gymnasium acting as a shelter for those whosehomes were damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture,Japan, Sunday, March 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

The calm and modest behavior of many evacuees from quake- and tsunami-ravaged areas hasimpressed people in Japan and overseas, but regrettably, unjustifiable discrimination and bullying hasalso emerged.

In one case, the driver of a car with a Fukushima license plate was told by a passer-by to leave the area,while graffiti was drawn on another vehicle from the same prefecture, where a crisis continues at thetsunami-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.

Some hotels also refused to accommodate people from the prefecture, while children from the prefecture who took shelter in other areas were falsely accused of "having radioactivity."

The victims of such harassment and discrimination may be few, but such groundless prejudice must beeliminated.

"Radioactivity" refers to radioactive substances' ability to emit radiation. It is wrong to assume that people's health has been put in danger simply because they were living near the crippled Fukushima

nuclear plant. Even if the surface of someone's clothes was tainted with a small amount of radiation asa result of remaining outside near the plant for a long time, there would be no problem if they werecleaned with water. Furthermore, it is scientifically impossible for people to "catch" radiation fromothers, just as people never get infected with radiation from those who have undergone X-rayexaminations or computerized tomography scans.

Radiation is invisible and odorless, and prior to the current crisis, Japan had never had to deal with amassive nuclear power plant radiation leak. It is understandable that people have tended to be overlynervous out of anxiety about a lack of progress in the restoration of disaster-ravaged areas. However,the best way to protect oneself from such "unknown risks" is to have correct knowledge.

Evacuees rest at the main floor of a high school gymnasium that has turned into an evacuation center in

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Watari, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan Tuesday, March 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

The Tsukuba Municipal Government in Ibaraki Prefecture initially decided to require evacuees fromFukushima Prefecture to be screened for radiation before entering evacuation shelters there, butscrapped the plan after protests erupted. We would like to point out once again that a fundamental task of local governments and schools is to disseminate correct knowledge.

Some critics have pointed out that the public feels insecure because the way the government has provided information on radiation risks has been inappropriate. Specifically, they refer to repeatedstatements by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano to the effect that radiation leaking from theFukushima plant "poses no immediate threat" to people's health. It would be much better if thegovernment could clearly show whether the situation at the crippled nuclear plant is safe or not.

There are various views on the long-term risks posed by exposure to low levels of radiation. In pastcases not related to radiation, potential risks from pollution and side-effects of pharmaceutical productsdeveloped into serious health hazards many years later. The government should therefore release asmuch accurate and detailed data as possible without delay, and state the grounds for its conclusion thatthe situation "poses no immediate threat."

Groundless rumors about the risks of radiation contamination spread over the Internet shortly after thedisaster, but many pieces of accurate information that dismissed such rumors subsequently appearedonline. Moves are spreading in many areas to buy agricultural products from Fukushima Prefecture in a

bid to support local farmers hit hard by harmful rumors. Fruit juice and tomatoes from Fukushima have proven quite popular and are selling well over the Internet.

People whose lives have been threatened by the unprecedented triple crisis of a deadly quake, tsunamiand nuclear power station accident are seeking both level-headed communication and social bonds. Our efforts to overcome the disaster, which are expected to be prolonged, are heading into a crucial stage.

Click here for the original Japanese story

(Mainichi Japan) April 23, 2011