Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2016 June 1 - 7 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Fukushima N-crisis sufferers negotiate with state and TEPCO for full compensation

Sufferers of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident on June 1 negotiated with the central government and TEPCO, calling for full compensation and the target of restoration of the status quo ante. About 200 residents, including those from Fukushima and evacuees from outside Fukushima, visited Tokyo to enter into the negotiations held in the Diet building.

Prior to the talks, the sufferers marched in demonstration through the administrative district with other pollution victims, calling for the eradication of pollution. The demonstration took place as part of an annual anti-pollution event. This year, a total of 2,000 people, including Minamata disease patients, air-pollution victims and asbestos victims as well as the Fukushima sufferers, participated in rallies, demonstrations, and negotiations with the state authorities throughout the day.

The central government intends to lift in stages the evacuation order issued to Fukushima’s radiation-affected areas and to terminate compensation payments and housing assistance.

Regarding this policy, the residents demanded that the pushing of the evacuees to return to their homes at any cost and the termination of housing assistance to voluntary evacuees who lived outside evacuation-designated districts be cancelled. They also demanded that the government commit to a thorough decontamination process, the restoration of land and the livelihoods of evacuees and returnees, the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant, and safety assurance for the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant workers.

A 43-year-old woman who fled to Osaka with her child from Fukushima’s Koriyama City said, “I still can’t feel safe to go home at all.” A 68-year-old man whose house is in the off limits district in Namie Town said, “Five years ago, we had to leave our town with only the barest necessities. Not even a plan to decontaminate the forest in our living area is set. I want my hometown to be back the way it was. About TEPCO’s compensation payments for the business loss, a 53-year-old pear farmer said, “The decontamination of our district was completed but many farmers are worried about possible health damages caused by low-level radiation exposure. I want a plan in place so that we can keep farming a viable option for future farmers.”

Past related articles:
> Minamisoma residents feel uneasy about high radiation levels [May 26, 2016]
> 2011 disaster victims call on state to keep covering all costs for reconstruction work [June 13, 2015]
> Pollution victims stage joint action seeking relief measures [June 4, 2015]