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MIYAKOJI, Japan — Ever since they were forced to evacuate during the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant three years ago, Kim Eunja and her husband have refused to return to their hilltop home amid the majestic mountains of this rural village for fear of radiation.
But now they say they may have no choice. After a nearly $250 million radiation cleanup here, the central government this month declared Miyakoji the first community within a 12-mile evacuation zone around the plant to be reopened to residents. The decision will bring an end to the monthly stipends from the plant’s operator that have allowed Ms. Kim to relocate to an apartment in a city an hour away.
“The
government and the media say the radiation has been cleaned up, but
it’s all lies,” said Ms. Kim, 55, who is from South Korea, and who with
her Japanese husband runs a small Korean restaurant outside Miyakoji. “I
want to run away, but I cannot. We have no more money.”
She
is not the only one. While the central government and national news
media have trumpeted the reopening of Miyakoji as a happy milestone in
Japan’s recovery from the devastating March 2011 accident, many
residents tell a darker story. They insist their homes remain too
dangerous or too damaged to inhabit and that they have not received
enough financial compensation to allow them to start anew somewhere
else.
They
criticize the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, for
failing to reimburse them for the value of their homes, usually their
family’s largest financial asset. Depending on where they lived, they
say they have received amounts from half the preaccident value to just
$3,000, a tiny fraction of the original value of their homes.
.....
Japan’s government deceives evacuees to return before radiation readings disclosed
Radiation study on evacuation zones kept undisclosed for 6 months http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/140416/radiation-study-evacuation-zones-kept-undisclosed-6-mo The
government kept undisclosed for six months a report on an individual
radiation dose study in areas around the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear power plant, including a district recently released from an
evacuation order.
The
study, covering the city of Tamura and the villages of Kawauchi and
Iitate, showed that the radiation level in many areas is still beyond 1
millisievert per year — a level the government is seeking to achieve at
contaminated lands in the long term.
The
government lifted an evacuation order imposed on the Miyakoji district
in Tamura on April 1, but the content of the interim report, compiled in
October, was not conveyed to the citizens or the local governments
before the action was taken.
The
government explained the content to local governments later, while the
report was posted on the website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry on Monday. It also plans to release a final report on Friday. A
government team tasked with supporting people affected by the crisis
said it did not initially plan to release the interim report but decided
to make it public because of the “high attention among residents.”
.....
Fukushima radiation report secret for six months
Dose study kept from returnees
Kyodo
The
government kept a report about a study of individual radiation doses
around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant — including an area recently
released from an evacuation order — under wraps for six months.
The study, which covered the city of Tamura and the villages of Kawauchi and Iitate, showed that the radiation in many areas is still over 1 millisievert per year — a level the government is looking to achieve in the long term.
The government lifted an evacuation order on the Miyakoji district in Tamura on April 1, but the content of the interim report, compiled in October, was not conveyed to its citizens or local governments before the action was taken.
Skepticism about the government’s disclosure habits concerning radiation levels from the Fukushima crisis has been growing, and the latest incident is likely to amplify public health concerns.
The government explained the content to local governments later, and the report was posted on the website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Monday. It also plans to release a final report on Friday.
A government team tasked with supporting people affected by the crisis said it did not initially plan to release the interim report but decided to make it public because of the “high attention among residents.”
Read More Here
The study, which covered the city of Tamura and the villages of Kawauchi and Iitate, showed that the radiation in many areas is still over 1 millisievert per year — a level the government is looking to achieve in the long term.
The government lifted an evacuation order on the Miyakoji district in Tamura on April 1, but the content of the interim report, compiled in October, was not conveyed to its citizens or local governments before the action was taken.
Skepticism about the government’s disclosure habits concerning radiation levels from the Fukushima crisis has been growing, and the latest incident is likely to amplify public health concerns.
The government explained the content to local governments later, and the report was posted on the website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Monday. It also plans to release a final report on Friday.
A government team tasked with supporting people affected by the crisis said it did not initially plan to release the interim report but decided to make it public because of the “high attention among residents.”
Read More Here
.....
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