Rotary International 2530district community service committee
The Earthquake, NuclearAccident, and the Women of Fukushima
Return to Menu| Looking Back the Great Earthquake from Fukushima Maki Akimoto (Tamura City) |
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At 2:46pm on the 11th, the day of the earthquake, I had been working at home. My home is located in Tamura city, and though there was a shaking like I had never experienced before, it was not damaged. However, the explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, just 40 km away completely changed our day-to-day lives. For nearly two weeks, people disappeared from the streets, due to the information about the radiation leak. There were long lines of cars waiting for fuel at gas stations, and there were shortages of food and supplies at supermarkets which had been damaged by the disaster. Two months after the earthquake, the commodities available at supermarkets have increased. One year later, many shops run as usual. While shops may be returning to their usual vitality, the people who need mental support are increasing. Before the earthquake, I was a suicide prevention counselor; after the earthquake occurred, the number of counseling cases increased. Families had been scattered, and some families had fallen apart. I felt that the disaster had caused huge changes in each person. One year passed, and many people have returned to their usual lives, but some have had serious problems caused by their reactions to the radioactive contamination. The number of people on medication has increased, and some cannot sleep without the aid of sleep medication. My grandchildren had been 1 and almost 3 years old at the time of the earthquake. They have turned five and seven years old, and they still live with me. They go to kindergarten and elementary school; they are well, and without sickness. Last year, my third grandchild was born, and has grown up healthy. I have not heard of any woman in the area who was worried about having a baby because of the radiation. Two years have passed since the accident. For the purpose of radioactive decontamination, workers have started to come to Fukushima from all over Japan; decontamination work which continues even now. It seemed that they have finished in Tamura City, and have moved to the area around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. It has already cost billions of yen to decontaminate, but has there really been any effect? I doubt that they will decontaminate the areas where it is not absolutely necessary. Now, it is five years since the earthquake, and more than 110,000 people still live in evacuation areas. There is only one year left for the temporary housing time limit. A story aired on television about the people who had lived in inconvenient area before the earthquake. Now that they have experienced the convenience of living in a city, they hesitate to return to their inconvenient hometowns. After the earthquake, there are some three generation families who are unable to live together. Families are increasingly falling apart, and family ties are weakening. When considering the future of Fukushima, we need to get rid of the stigma caused by misinformation. Out of the fear of invisible radioactivity, a campaign against nuclear power spreads across Japan. Currently, the power plant has not started back up, and Japan must rely on coal and oil imports. Because of this, the price increase in electricity has been damaging for small and medium-sized companies. As for myself, I am well aware that the citizens of Fukushima are fearful of nuclear power. But how will Fukushima recover just with objections to nuclear power? As a first step towards making my Fukushima safe and comfortable, I started a new company in May this year. I want to decrease the damage done to Fukushima by rumors, improve businesses, and create employment opportunities. This summer, we have plans to ship out new products. |