Nursery School Rejected, Die Japan!!!

One anonymous blog post shook Shinzo Abe administration. Supposedly a mother who had a little child dropped in entrance judgment of a nursery school submitted her frustration with harsh words in February. While Abe tried to ignore the voice, many mothers in the same situation gathered around the National Diet Building and started demonstration. They demonstrated how Abe’s policy for women sounded empty.

The blog post was uploaded in mid-February by a business woman in her thirties living in Tokyo. “What the hell, Japan. Isn’t it a society of one hundred million dynamic engagement? My kid was clearly dropped in entrance judgment of a nursery school yesterday. Whatcha gonna do? I can’t be engaged,” described the mother.

She seemed to have accurate knowledge on Abe’s policies. She urged Japanese government to settle more nursery schools, criticizing woman scandal of former lawmaker who declared to have kid-raising recess, money scandal of former Minister in charge of Trans-Pacific Partnership or accumulating cost for constructing new Olympic stadium and guarantee to famous architecture. She requested monthly ¥200,000 of subsidy for each mother with child, if the government would not increase nursery schools.

When a female lawmaker, Shiori Yamao, Democratic Party of Japan, introduced this blog in her discussion in Budget Committee of House of Representatives last month, Abe answered that he could not reconfirm whether it is true or not. Lawmakers with Liberal Democratic Party yelled that Yamao’s argument based on anonymous blog post was empty.

But, it was not empty. This attitude of Abe and LDP ignited anger of mothers. Responding to a woman who demanded a society in which mothers could safely leave her child, over twenty thousands of signature was submitted to a website. Mothers gathered in front of the Diet building, raising banner reading “It’s me who was rejected.” The message was straightforward answer to Abe, who questioned miserable situation of working mothers.

As one of new three arrows of Abenomics, Abe raised a goal to increase nursery schools for up to 500 thousands of kids. But with swelling expectation for policy, the number of applicants for nursery school increased, resulting in greater number of waiting kids. Most of those mothers are benefitted by Abenomics, which have mainly been targeted to major corporations. This is an effusion of social frustration with uneven policy of Abe administration.

Reconstruction Goes On

On 2:46 p.m., the Royal Couple, national leaders including Prime Minister and around a thousand of families offered silent prayer for the victims in Great East Japan Earthquake five years ago at a theater in Tokyo on Friday. According to the survey of National Police Agency, 15,894 people died in the disaster, 2,561 are still missing, and 3,410 has died these five years caused by the impact of the earthquake. Reconstruction is still ongoing.

In the ceremony, Emperor Akihito made a memorial remark. “It’s five years since then. Everyone went through many hardships together and kept on making efforts toward reconstruction. However, in the suffered place and homes in evacuation, a number of people are spending hard times,” said Akihito. “For each person in hardship not to be left behind and get back to normal life as soon as possible, it is necessary for the people to be united in heart,” encouraged him.

The speech of Shinzo Abe was as political as usual. “Many people in suffered place still spending days with restrictive situation. There are people who cannot get back home after the nuclear accident. Even in this situation, though in a step-by-step manner, reconstruction is stably making progress,” appealed Abe. Abe insisted on building a country defensive against natural disaster. But, many people realized that his disaster-proof nation meant building infrastructure, such as great walls along the coast, blinding people to ocean view.

For the families of victims, the disaster is not someone’s unhappiness. Hisato Yamamoto had the last conversation with her father in the morning of March 11^th five years ago. She is proud of him to have gone to the port to shut seawall for saving his town. “Embracing a lot of words gifted by families and friends, I’m working hard to be a nurse and spend every precious day for my father, grandfather and the people in the world who gave us warm supports,” said Yamamoto.

Kuniyuki Sakuma, who had evacuated his hometown, Okuma, revealed his uneasiness with no actual hope to get back home contaminated with radiation. “What I can do is sending messages to our descendents and the world for not repeating such a tragic event and not fade our memory away,” told Sakuma.

The government of Japan will finish “concentrated reconstruction period” at the end of this month. Insisting on legal coherence or principle of equality, the government of Japan still cannot have tailored policy to the suffered area and keeps on applying reconstruction measures in all-or-nothing manner. It is just pretending to be looking at the suffered people.

What Have We Done?

So, this is March 11^th, what have we done? That is the question every Japanese have to embrace today. Although the people have been trying to connect to the devastated places, there is a growing feeling of isolation in Tohoku. Separation between hisaisha, or suffered people, and the others has not been eliminated even five years have passed. It is not the government or bureaucrats but the ordinary people who need to make every effort to reconstruct the nation.

There still are 174 thousands of people who lost their houses by tsunami and live in alternative cabins, or evacuated their hometown escaping from biologically negative impact of radiation emitted from broken First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. The number has dropped by 400 thousands from the level five years ago. However, this is the country that has scattered quasi-refugees.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has monthly been visiting Tohoku area to encourage the people there. But, his performance has not settle the problem of the displaced people who were looking for their permanent sweet home. Bureaucrats are delivering reconstruction policies, which is not necessarily be useful for the recipients, or local governments, in need of freehand for the budget.

Fukushima, possessing 55 thousands of evacuees in its prefectural area, lost 115 thousands of residents these five years. There are some parts of towns or villages where evacuation order was lifted. But, the people are mostly reluctant to get back home with skepticism on announced level of radiation. One typical tragedy is that the people prefer to live in a shabby small temporary houses rather than getting back their own home.

National government looks to be interested in building huge walls along the coastline to block next great tsunami or long roads to rebuild transportation network. While major general constructors are accumulating profit in reconstruction project, the suffered people are shivering in the coldness of winter. Stock of plastic bags, containing contaminated soil, keep on growing in the backyard of each house.

Sincere hope of the sufferers is “Don’t forget us.” A bunch of journalists visit Tohoku on March 11^th every year. During anniversary reports are fulfilling time and space of news media, Japanese people remember the tragedy and are interested in the situation of the people there. But, after they left, news reports on devastated land would obviously be disappeared and the people got back to their ordinary life.

It is necessary for every citizen to visit Tohoku again and watch what is going on there. They will see the empty land along the coast or ghost towns with high radiation. To make those places return to normal is the responsibility of the Japanese.

Resumed Reactors Stops Again

The judicial branch of Japanese government for the first time released a decision to stop an operating nuclear power reactor on Wednesday. Receiving request from the residents in its district, Otsu Regional Court issued temporary injunction, which ordered halting operation of the third and fourth reactors of Takahama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui. Those reactors will immediately stop its operation on Thursday. The court cast deep skepticism on new security regulation for nuclear power plant made in the executive branch even after tragic accident in Fukushima.

The decision determined that the power company, which was Kansai Electric Power Company in this case, is responsible for proving safety. Considering the fact that investigation over how the accident in Fukushima happened had still not been concluded, Otsu Regional Court expressed strong uneasiness on new security regulation determined by Nuclear Regulation Authority, newly established as an outer body of Ministry of Environment. “I cannot help hesitate recognizing new security regulation as basis of public peace,” told Chief Justice, Yoshihiko Yamamoto.

The decision realized that the assumption of the plant for possible impact of a great earthquake was insufficient. It questioned that calculation on the length of active faults underground of the site was not accurate, presenting historical fact that Takahama area had suffered from great tsunami in Tensyo Great Earthquake in 1586. Solidness of pool for used nuclear fuels was assessed as insufficient, too.

The plaintiffs are not living in Fukui Prefecture, where the plant is located, but in Shiga Prefecture adjacent to Fukui. The decision also required national government a concrete evacuation plan in contingency as soon as possible. “National government has moral obligation to determine broad and thorough security standard including a concrete evacuating plan,” said the court.

After passing examination of NRA, both reactors resumed its operation earlier this year. The judicial decision dismissed that governmental policy as inappropriate. The courts in Japan had been reluctant in making a clear decision on the cases for stopping nuclear power plant, because of technical difficulty for decision. But, the decision of Otsu Regional Court was based on the viewpoint of people’s right to live safely, rather than on importance of energy policy.

KEPCO is going to request nullification of Otsu’s decision. But, the decision reminded power companies of high cost of nuclear power generation that might be stopped by every judicial decision, even it had endorsement from national government.

TPP Discussion Starts

The Cabinet led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided eleven bills related to Trans-Pacific Partnership and submitted them to the Diet on Monday. They included supportive measures for farmers or ranchers, who will be exposed to international competition brought by the free trade pact. It is inevitable for Abe administration to be criticized over not implementing the requirement of the Diet, which required maintenance of national interest.

The package of bills, also including approval of TPP agreement, will be discussed in special committee of each House starting in April. Abe administration expects the bills to pass the Diet in May, at least before Group 7 Summit in Ise-Shima, and to avoid being a major issue in the election of House of Councillors this summer.

The main talking point should be financial support for stockbreeders. With TPP agreement, tariff on beef will eventually be lowered from current 38.5% to 9% sixteen years later. Tariff on pork meat will be reduced from ¥482 per kilograms to ¥50 ten years later. Ranchers are deeply worried about the future of their business.

The bill of revised Stockbreeding Products Price Stabilization Act includes wider subsidy for the breeders. The national government will compensate 90% of deficit of stockbreeding business and it will be applied permanently. With Geographical Indications Act, the government will work for protecting the value of regional products, cooperating with other TPP members.

Revised Copyright Act will protect authors of novels for seventy years from the decease, extending the limit of current rule by twenty years. Violation will be punished with decision of law enforcement authority, not requiring voluntary indictment of the stakeholders. The government also protects the right for trademark, when it is damaged by falsely copied products. When a company promises correction of violation of Anti-trust Act, it can escape surcharge.

Nevertheless, farmers are skeptical on efficiency of those measures. Tariffs will be abolished on 30% in five crucial products: beef/pork, rice, wheat, dairy and sugarcane. To an explanation of the government that there would be no negative influence on rice, farmers argues that the calculation is baseless. TPP negotiation with high secrecy left them consistent frustration.

The government predicts ¥13 trillion of surplus in gross domestic products of Japan or 800 thousands of new jobs with new TPP rule for business in foreign countries. However, no persuasive evidence was give to the public. The way Japanese government in promoting policies is like demanding blank check to the people.

Thyroid Cancer of Fukushima Kids

It must be fair to say that the greatest risk of nuclear accident is negative impact of radiation on human body. With request of national government, the prefectural government of Fukushima has been exercising health survey of the residents. For children, the government has accumulated data of thyroid cancer. Strangely enough, a committee for evaluation drops the possibility that radiation affected their health, even though patient of thyroid cancer was found with apparently higher ratio than children in other places.

Starting from June, 2011, three months after severe accident in First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Fukushima government has been exercising health survey for every resident. Basic survey is to research activities of every individual for four months from the accident to determine how much he/she was exposed to radiation. Based on the data, the government has made four detailed surveys: thyroid examination for children, research of mental stress of the evacuees, research for pregnant women about innate deformity and health check for the evacuees.

Thyroid examination is for children who were 18 years old or younger at the time of the accident. In two rounds of survey, one was between October 2011 and April 2015 and another was between April 2014 and March 2016, they found 166 patients of thyroid cancer among the all recipients amounting to 300 thousands. The frequency of finding thyroid cancer was 30 times greater than in other places in Japan.

One study team argues that the high ratio was brought by thoroughness of the research. When the research was exercised to all children, even harmless thyroid cancer would be detected. There is a data that detailed survey for thyroid cancer in South Korea found greater number of patient than ever, while its fatality was not changed. The researchers concluded that radiation level in Fukushima prefecture, which had been about tens of mSv, had nothing to do with the phenomenon. Fukushima government endorsed the study.

But, another team indicated possibility of influence of radiation. The team detected higher ratio of thyroid cancer in close area to the nuclear power plant. It also found metastasis of cancer cell to other tissue like lymph node in 92% of the patients. The fact that the second round of the survey found 51 new patients does not explain non-relation theory.

Both national and Fukushima government are reluctant to recognize relationship between cancer and nuclear accident. However, the accident in Chernobyl proved that radiation caused thyroid cancer. All the people in Japan are watching how public authority will determine the relationship. Even how they are worried about great amount of compensation, it is too early to call.

Inability in Finding New House

After five years from devastation of tsunami and the severe nuclear accident, temporary houses for sufferers and evacuees are still scattered around Tohoku area of Japan. Although the residents have been hoping to find permanent houses, one tenth of all have not determined where to go after temporary houses will be dismantled. Passed years spoiled their independence.

There are 54 thousands of temporary houses in the three prefectures of Tohoku region, Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. Although Disaster Relief Law determines that such temporary houses, that are simple and fragile, must be dismantled within two years, many of them still remain with consecutive two-year extensions of the limit, because the devastation was exceptionally severe.

To encourage independent life, local governments were making effort to urge them find permanent houses. Prefectural government of Iwate and Miyagi categorized some residents to leave their temporary houses by the end of this month, while others in severely devastated area can stay one more year. The evacuated people from radioactive damage in Fukushima can live in temporary houses longer. But, support for voluntary evacuees will be finished in March next year.

According to the research by Asahi Shimbun, 670 families in temporary houses in Iwate out of all 8650 have not decided where to go after the time limit. In Miyagi, 2030 families out of 19,800 are still looking for alternative place to live. While public houses have been built for the people who lost their houses by tsunami, some have not registered for moving in.

The main reason is poverty. Residents of temporary houses do not have to pay for their rent. Once they leave them, they have to pay that from their wallet. Some residents are too dependent on their life without paying for house to be independent. Even new public houses for suffered people requires small amount of rent. They are basically reluctant to pay for their house.

Another reason should be health. A number of people have illness, cancer or depression for example, in their uneasy life in small and shabby temporary houses. They will be supported in the community of temporary residents by local government. But, once they leave the community, they may be out of public support. Worrying their health or difficulty of finding new doctor, the residents cannot find new house.

The same kind of problem was seen in Hanshin Great Earthquake in 1995. With consistent effort of local government, temporary houses were eliminated within five years. Local governments in Tohoku will have to continue their efforts for consultation for new houses, maintaining communities or support for moving as Kobe did two decades ago.