Japan Press Weekly

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2012 June 6 - 12 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Environment ministry blocks radiation damage photo display

The Environment Ministry did not allow the entry of a photo exhibition showing nuclear damage at its annual event to raise public awareness of environmental conservation measures.

The event, “Eco Life Fair 2012,” took place on June 2 and 3 in Tokyo. According to the ministry’s website, the goal of the event is to “give people an opportunity to understand the importance of environmental conservation and take a step to achieve this.”

The World Hibakusha Exhibition, hosted by NPO “No More Hibakusha,” shows radiation damage on the environment and human bodies worldwide caused by nuclear plant accidents, uranium mining, and nuclear tests.

On May 9, the Environment Ministry turned down the NPO’s application for joining the event, claiming that the exhibition does not match the event’s basic concept.

The NPO on May 10 again submitted the request to the ministry, arguing that radiation contamination has a great impact on biodiversity and that the message that one way to tackle global warming is without depending on nuclear power generation must be presented. The ministry, however, rejected the request.

In a statement published on May 24, the NPO criticized the ministry for disallowing the dissemination of politically sensitive information so that the government can restart offline nuclear reactors. This leads to infringement of the people’s right to know, it stressed.