Remembering Fukushima in London: TEN years on and far from over. Our hearts are heavy for those who are still suffering as a result of the catastrophe unleashed at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on 11 March 2011.

The situation is still dire: tens of thousands of people are still evacuated, the ocean continues to be polluted with radioactivity, large areas of land are still contaminated with radioactive fallout – including beyond Fukushima prefecture and despite the massive cleaning/soil clearing efforts it’s impossible to permanently remove all radioactive contamination. Yet the Tokyo Olympics are still proceeding – with some events in Fukushima prefecture and the torch relay passing through areas which areas which are still heavily contaminated.

“Fukushima’s Hot Particles in Japan: Their Meaning for the Olympics and Beyond“

“Health officials in Japan continually fail to act and stop ongoing radioactive exposures. This lack of governmental action puts all residents of Japan at risk, and also any athletes, spectators and visitors that participate in the Olympics.” Cindy Folkers of Beyond Nuclear: https://nuclear-news.net/2020/01/21/fukushimas-hot-particles-in-japan-their-meaning-for-the-olympics-and-beyond/

“Ten Years Living With Fukushima”

Organised by IPPNW Germany, this scientific symposium took place 27 February 2021, and included presentations by the following: epidemiologists, biological scientist, paediatrician, psychiatrist, biomathematician, marine chemist & geochemist, senior nuclear specialist at Greenpeace Japan & head of nuclear & energy policy FoE Germany:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8qIprmSk4aovpgpyM53SgLQt68oT6Ejf

“10 years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster – Insights from a Fukushima evacuee“

To commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the ongoing Fukushima nuclear disaster a powerful video is now available which combines the evocative words in English of a Fukushima evacuee, accompanied telling images and a soundscape. All the music involves people living in Fukushima at the time of the disaster, including an amazing children’s taiko drumming group.

The video gives a real sense of what it feels like to experience a nuclear disaster. It is the inside and under-reported story on the response of the Japanese government, and their suppression of data about contamination levels and medical consequences. The health and social effects of living with radiation for nuclear workers, local families and children are brought home; legal efforts by civil society to make TEPCO and the government take responsibility are described; and the implications for countries planning to build further nuclear power stations are explored.

Released by Japanese Against Nuclear UK (JAN UK), the video shows clearly why nuclear power is a redundant, dangerous and hugely expensive technology which creates an unsolvable legacy for future generations; a technology which has been left behind by clean renewables providing safe energy at a fraction of the price.

“Making the invisible visible, 10 years Fukushima, 35 years Chernobyl: Still a long way from becoming history“

Organised by the Heinrich Boll Foundation – think tank of the German Green Party this online event took place on 9 March 2021, with panel contributions, group discussions and performance art. Among the panellists was our friend Ms Sonoda, who spoke at the the last two Remember Fukushima Parliamentary public meetings in London. Topics covered were Chernobyl, Fukushima and the aftermath; Tokyo 2021 Olympics; Nuclear phase-out and the Climate Debate; and most importantly: How to succeed in the energy transition? More info. about this event will be added here as it becomes available.

“10 Years On: Digging Behind the Headlines About the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster” 

It’s been 10 years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster started. It may now seem that “reconstruction” efforts are ongoing, but what about the lives of those who’ve lost their homes and/or livelihoods and those who’ve been faced with health risks? In this video, Oshidori Mako & Ken, an independent journalist team who’ve worked tirelessly ever since the disaster, explain some of the spin and cover-ups that they’ve seen in all these years.

The video includes subtitles in 6 languages: English / Catalan / French / German / Japanese / Spanish

Oshidori Mako & Ken
Japanese stand-up comedy duo married to each other. Ever since the Fukushima nuclear disaster, they have worked as a freelance journalist team doing investigative reporting. Mako has the highest attendance record of all the journalists at the press conferences held by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the wrecked nuclear power plant, and is known for asking sharp and detailed questions. Holder of the 2016 runners-up award of the Peace and Cooperative Journalist Fund of Japan.

*You can donate to support their investigative reporting.
Click for more details in Japanese: http://oshidori-makoken.com/?page_id=126