fukushima

As previously posted on GR, I made several trips to the northern countryside of Japan in the days and weeks following the disaster of 3/11. And, though the intent of these ragtag “missions,” was primarily humanitarian, I took many photos along the way, posting them with my reports on these pages.

I recently culled the most evocative of those shots for display at the 12th incarnation of the always delightful Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival, held last week in Frankfurt. Going through these images was difficult and, needless to say, brought back some very sad memories. What a year.

GR readers will have seen many of these images before, but here they are (again) as collected for their recent showing at the festival. I know many among you are probably experiencing disaster burnout, but I think it’s worth having another look, and pausing to contemplate the awesome power of nature and, indeed, the transience of our own existence.

From Tokyo,

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All photos copyright © 2012 Michael Arias. All rights reserved.

Shittake mushrooms aren’t quite delicacies, but they do absorb radiation. Shinichi Sakuma basically says he’s screwed and although received money for compensation by the government, it’s running out. As the stories grow older, we soon forget. (CBS – mushrooms)

The best quote from Mikuni Fumitaka:

What can we learn from this disaster?
The most important thing is the connections and bonds between people.

It’s also interesting that not having a TV kept him more calm.

(Huffington Post – Survivor Story)

Sometimes you have to hang it up. If your business got ruined by a tsunami, is it worth reopening? Will you have the same amount of business or will it be a struggle? Is there a need remaining from the affected people? (Dispatch – 22%)

Also check out this video out. It’s about Japanese homeless who can’t go home.

This is new and is a haunting film that’s leading up to 3.11, one year later.

Watch Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Imagine 30 million people needing to evacuate Tokyo at once. This new report explains that the government weren’t ready. Of course it was kept secret. People who now? Much of the public is already having a hard time to believing the government. TEPCO (the owners of the plant) officials were ordered to stay and work on the reactor rather than abandon it which possibly saved Tokyo. (PRI – Fukushima)

A book released has the huge title of Yakuza and The Nuclear Industry: Diary of An Undercover Reporter Working at the Fukushima Plant (ヤクザと原発-福島第一潜入記-鈴木-智彦). With that title you can figure out that it’s a tell all.

Yet today, theatlanticwire published an article that is frightening. It tells of the corruption that takes place in a company (TEPCO) that’s partially responsible for the nuclear meltdown. Yes you can’t prevent a giant tsunami wave that crashed your buildings and caused three meltdowns, but you can come clean about what’s going on and who you’re hiring – which then translates into where the donation money is going. Yet, it’s been going on for years, and only now that this problem occurred is it something we care about. Who are these yakuza members? Supposedly 3 of the Fukushima 50 are Yakuza members and their relationship with nuclear companies is nothing new. The reconstruction efforts are all joint with Yakuza based construction companies. (Atlanticwire – TEPCO Yakuza)

Will it ever be clean? Also once it’s clean, what will go here? Apartments? In 100 years or even 200 years, many will forget, many will say the area is totally clean and yes lofty ocean front apartments will get made just as they do on top of toxic landfills. 40 years sounds like a good timetable but why make something when it takes decades to remove it? (CBS – 40 Years)

This article has been staring at people for the last couple days. The study ranges from March 20, just 9 days after the disaster through June 20th. 14 weeks. Does this mean that the US population got infected and died from the disaster? Did it speed up already ill people? Surely there will be some effects elsewhere in perhaps minor or even major ways, but this number seems off. You’d think the numbers would be 10 times worse just in Japan alone but it’s not.Who is this researcher?! (Medpagetoday – Fukushima 14000)

Wild Monkeys are going to measure radiation? At first it sounded like some kind of training involved but all it is, is a meter reading strapped on. Yes there are plenty of wild monkeys in the region near the stricken areas near Fukushima. How will they react? Do they know something is wrong? Again, poor animals. They’re always getting taken advantage of. (TelegraphUK – monkeys)

Katsunobu Sakurai the mayor of Minamisoma who was named top 100 influential persons thanks to his YouTube video which got the word out that his town needed financial support is now under fire. Some say that the fame has gone to his head. The town is 15 miles from Fukushima and it’s been reported that 8% of the land in Japan has too much Cesium (we’re not quite sure how bad it is), it’s obvious that his town of Minamisoma has to be part of the 8%. He’s still pushing for people to come back and live there, so he’s facing scrutiny. Either way, it’s another great way for him to get in the news to renew some interest in his town, which he’s fighting to rebuild. (LA Times – Minamisoma)

Japan’s Science Ministry reports that 8% of the country’s surface is contaminated. Surely, it’s possible, but really? The report looks thin but who knows. (ABCau – 8%)

This is supposed to be a robot suit that’ll help clean up the Fukushima disaster. It’s supposed to lighten the load of the 132 pound nuclear suit and relieve pressure in general. But will it really? Supposedly so. There is video of people walking with the bottom portion of the outfit on, but really, all they do is walk. Surely it’s easier to walk without it. The weird thing is the company who makes this suit is called Cyberdyne, ironically the same as the evil company in Terminator! In case you didn’t notice, the suit is called HAL. The irony and fun of cleaning up a 30 year mess. (Atlanticwire – Hal)

Why? To prove that the water is ok to drink. The irony is that the water was never intended for  human consumption and it was gathered from pools inside the Fukushima Plant. It’s a publicity stunt to help the public insure that the water is clean and safe, but would a politician do this to “save face”? In Japan, yes. (Telegraph UK – Yasuhiro Sonoda)

Fisherman who trawl for “stuff” at the bottom of the ocean found a bag containing $145,000 US worth of Yen. It was 11,000,000 Yen and it belongs to who knows… there was no info identifying the owner, who could have easily been swept out to see along with the money. If there are no rightful claims the fisherman keep the money. This brings up the honesty issue of some Japanese people. There is a question of how much doesn’t get reported. (Mainichi – Yen)

That’s more than a billion dollars. “The amount will cover compensation for mental sufferings of victims as a result of evacuation and to pay for the losses incurred by small businesses following the nuclear disaster.”

Is this even enough? A billion sounds like it’ll go down in a second. (Tokyotimes – Billion)

Radium was found in two bottles. It’s not Fukushima, but perhaps this is worse. Radium is commonly used in medical fields, but the 90 year old who once lived there moved in February. She and her daughter have no idea where it came from or how it got under the floor boards. This is a mystery. This brings up issues of public safety. Who’s to say this hasn’t been a problem for her or her neighbors for weeks, months or years. How safe is your neighborhood from something like this? (Businessweek – Radium)

“We Celebrate Japan Earthquake” This was photographed at Asian Football Confederation game. A Korea team vs a Japan team. Keep it classy folks. This isn’t ok. Apologies have been made by the team. But… C’mon!

Also in a similar note, as some of you may recall, Belgian fans taunted Japanese goalie Eiji Kawashima by chanting, “Fukushima Fukushima.”

It’s just more Japan bashing. That’s about it.

It is easy to admit that we’re about to exploit about a month of diary entries from a brave man’s life in order to get you to read this piece, and the other things we publish here on Giant Robot. Because, well, it’s partly true. But the majority of the truth about what we are presenting to you is that it gives detailed (one might even call some of it dry and mundane) insight into the thoughts and processes one Japanese man experienced before, during and after participating in the cleanup of radioactive debris at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan.

He isn’t one of the Fukushima 50. The diary entries he made available online start on May 26^th and end on July 3^rd, 2011, well after the day of March 15^th when the 50 stayed behind to control the damage and fire at Fukushima Unit 4. No, the man who wrote these diary entries is (if he still has his job) a robot operator, of a robotic system called “Warrior”. From the diary entries it is apparent that he was assigned to Fukushima to prepare and operate specialized remote-controlled robotic equipment for the purpose of assessing damage and clearing debris within Fukushima Unit 3. 

We’re presenting only about half of the robot operator’s diaries here, the entries which cover June 11^th through July 3^rd, 2011. These entries detail the operator’s thoughts during the days right before preparing for and performing the dangerous task assigned to him in the debris and radiation of Fukushima Unit 3. Some of his thoughts are humorous, but most are very business-like and even grave. We have pulled some of the more interesting, insightful and inspiring quotes from the diary entries and printed them below. 

(more…)

Sad times when an epic disaster that’s somewhat on par with 9/11 gets used in a chant against someone else in sports. Imagine if it were a 9/11 pun, would anyone in America stand for it? The soccer match was actually halted which is a miracle, but the damage was done. To be helpful in understanding, isn’t Van Damme from Belgium? Ah, that makes sense!

(Washington Post – Belgian Soccer)