How stupid we are !

When I was around nine years old, I watched a documentary at school. It was about the atomic bomb that dropped in Hiroshima in 1945. I was so shocked that I still remember some of the scenes. I also remember that a classmate fainted from shock, and then a teacher picked her up and carried her away. Now that I think about it, the movie affected me and my basic attitude toward wars and nuclear weapons. I believe that things should be solved without the use of force and nuclear weapons should never be used.

As for nuclear weapons, I think that a lot of Japanese people are still opposed to them not only because of the atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but also because of Daigo Fukuryū Maru accident caused by Operation Castle, which was nuclear tests carried out by the U.S. at Bikini Atoll in the 1950s. However, there was a significant change a few years ago. With the change in world power relationships, we have become more serious about our security affairs. Relating to them, the issue of whether or not Japan should own nuclear weapons to protect Japan and to let them act as a deterrent --which had been a sort of taboo until a few years ago--also started to be discussed openly ( I don't intend to discuss this issue here).

Anyway, in 1953, U.S. President Eisenhower delivered a speech titled "Atoms for Peace". At the time, Japan was suffering from a chronic energy deficiency due to the rapid economic growth and struggled to discover a solution. Under these circumstances, the Japanese government, some Japanese media and the American government started a powerful propaganda campaign for the peaceful use of nuclear power in Japan. Then, they successfully convinced the public who was opposed to atomic power. In the 1960s, the generation of electricity by nuclear power started.  Electricity generated by nuclear power helped enable Japan to maintain economic development.

Since then, nuclear reactors have increased under the slogan "nuclear power plants in Japan are safe". A lot of people have become less interested in nuclear power plants. I think that the indifference partly allowed TEPCO and the government to let it all go to their heads and underestimate the risk.

How stupid we are. The current crisis has made us realize many things.

It's been 65 years since Japan lost the Second World War. However, there are still lawsuits against the Japanese government over compensation for exposure to radiation caused by the atomic bombs in 1945. Although our government has approved people who can meet conditions required by law as victims and compensated them, the conditions have been controversial because it's very difficult to identify victims who suffer from secondary or internal exposure to radiation.

When I was a child, my mother would always say to me, "Don't let yourself be exposed to the rain. The rain could be harmful ". At the time, nuclear tests were frequently carried out by some countries like the Soviet Union and America. Japanese people understood that nuclear tests were carried out so far away from Japan that the radiation levels in the rain were low and the rain was not likely to be detrimental to their health. Still, they were worried about secondary exposure to radiation through the rain since it was very well-known in Japan that a lot of people had been exposed to radiation in the black rain that fell right after the atomic bombs were dropped. As a matter of fact, when China carried out nuclear tests, radiation levels in Tokyo were higher than usual. Recently, I learned that radiation levels in Tokyo right after the nuclear tests in China were higher than the levels in Tokyo after radiation started leaking from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Anyway, I think that these experiences have been almost forgotten in the past two decades. On top of that, although Japan depends greatly on nuclear power, I suppose that many of us underestimated the risk of it.

Actually, the current crisis has made us realize many things. We've finally realized what it means to live in an eco-friendly way. We've realized how much we used to waste. We've realized how comforting simple phrases like "hello" and "Are you OK?" can be. We've realized how many people support us. Thank you very much!