Wisdom from my Grandmother: Pick up That Mess!

Wherever you live in Japan, everyone agrees:  there’s plenty to be angry about, and plenty to be

Fukushima children lined up for thyroid checks on October 10th (Mainichi Shinbun)

anxious about. Plenty of reasons to feel (at best) confused, and (at worst) betrayed. The past two weeks have flown by, featuring news stories such as FUKUSHIMA BEGINS CHILD THYROID CHECKS ,  STRONTIUM FOUND IN YOKOHAMA ,   CESIUM FOUND IN TOKYO ,  MINAMI-SANRIKU IN DANGER OF FISCAL COLLAPSE (NHK evening news), and RADIOACTIVE CLEANUP TO BE COVERED BY STATE . Each of these stories touched nerves, fanned anxiety, and evoked a mixture of sympathy and frustration in readers of morning papers and watchers of nightly news programs.  Bloggers report and opine, and comments fly fast and furious at the bottom of blog entries. There are those, of course, who don’t read the papers and adhere to strictly- entertainment TV….but even so, the news seeps in.  There’s really no avoiding it. Personally, I welcome it: compared to the vague reports following the March 11th disaster, there is now a wealth of information flowing from both home and abroad, translated into multiple languages, and folks are able to see the situation more objectively from a variety of different points of view.

Inevitably, among the constant barrage of stories and statistics, a single story will leap into my consciousness and stay with me all week, begging to be written about. I generally torment my co-workers and family for the next few days, demanding to know what they think about it, and if they think nothing at all, WHY? Then on the weekend, I’ll attempt to gather my thoughts together and make sense of it here.  This week’s troubling article was from Wednesday’s International Herald Tribune, a compilation of NY Times articles for overseas readers.

In “Japan looks overseas for future of its nuclear trade “,  Hiroko Tabuchi writes about Japan’s plans to continue selling nuclear power technology to developing countries, namely Vietnam and Turkey. “The effort is being made,” she writes, “despite criticism within Japan by environmental groups and opposition politicians. ” But here’s the paragraph that caused myself, and my friend Kimiko, to groan aloud: “It may seem a stretch for Japan to acclaim its nuclear technology overseas while struggling at home to contain the nuclear meltdowns that displaced more than 100,000 people. But Japan argues that its latest technology includes safeguards not present at the decades-old reactors at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant, which continues to leak radiation….Japanese officials argue, their nation has learned valuable lessons and has a good nuclear track record for withstanding earlier earthquakes.”

My father-in-law would scoff at the flawed logic of pompous politicians.

Oh, well,  I’ll love to turn the ghost of my dead grandmother, along with my still-living father-in-law, loose in the Japanese Parliament to hear them shoot THAT statement down. “Pick up one mess before you start another!” my grandmother would say, and shame them with her look of moral indignation.  “It’s no use saying you’ve learned a lesson,” my father-in-law would say in disgust. “You have to prove it with action.” He would snort dismissively at pompous lawmakers, reducing them to babbling fools…..but that’s in my dreams. The reality is that it’s not just the central government involved here. Tabuchi’s article reveals that Japan’s top three companies-Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba, are all involved in some aspect of nuclear engineering, and are “more eager than ever to look overseas.” Well, simply put, that represents the husbands of some of my co-workers (Hitachi is one of the biggest employers in Hadano), and many other friends as well.  If you count guilt by association. Which I hate to do. In any case, I broached the subject with a friend whose husband works for the Hadano branch of Hitachi.

“Of course we know that Hitachi is involved,” she said. “Everyone does. But what can we do

Hitachi doesn’t just mean wide-screen TVs….

about it?”  Well, EVERYONE didn’t know, because I was still thinking of Hitachi in terms of vacuum cleaners and wide-screen TVs. What a mess. To what degree are ordinary citizens implicated in the corruption of the nuclear industry?  Should Hitachi employees quit their jobs, trade their briefcases for surfboards, and throw their retirement benefits to the wind? One former high-ranking TEPCO employee has done just that (see the video if you’re interested) , but that guy is definitely an exception.  I love my friends. Their husbands are great fathers, great spouses, and hard workers.  They’re not the real bad guys.  Just like the city officials who agreed to host nuclear power plants decades ago are not the real bad guys. Nor are the workers at the power plants, the majority of whom have been assigned their jobs by temporary employment agencies.  And yet, as Haruki Murakami said in his Barcelona speech, if we have remained silent in the face of corruption, we are implicated. It’s not a pretty picture.

In Tabuchi’s article, opposition party lawmaker Itsunori Onodera is quoted as asking, “Why is Japan trying to export something it rejected at home?” Well, obviously because the commitment to nuclear power has not been clearly rejected at home. It’s being “considered”, and that is quite a different thing.  Former Prime Minister Kan stubbornly attempted to commit the nation to a fast-track renewable-energy program, and was widely rebuffed for his hastiness.  Citizens interviewed on TV admit to having doubts about the safety of nuclear power plants, but think they are still a necessary part of the immediate future. Currently only one out of five of Japan’s  nuclear plants is still in service, due to safety checks and damage repairs since the quake; these reactors are technically “in limbo” rather than “out of service”.  The possibility/probability of their re-starting has not been rejected by the current government (they change so quickly), which now announces its intention to export its new and improved technology, complete with “lessons learned.”

With full de-comissioning of the  Daiichi damaged reactors still , according to anyone’s accounts, decades down the road, I would like to know what lessons have been learned. At the end of the summer, I read an article in the Mainichi Shinbun about the complications and costs of de-commissioning, and came away both humbled and appalled. Here’s what I learned:  In simple terms, the process involves cleaning (removing spent fuel rods and decontaminating pipes and containers), waiting (for the level of radiation to go down with time), and dismantling (the final stage, where the facility itself is taken down, and the site reverted to

Cheery-looking entrance to the no-longer-active Tokai Nuclear Power Plant

a vacant lot). Worldwide, only 15 nuclear power plants have actually been de-commissioned.  Japan has only had experience with de-comissioning one, and has not finished the process. That one is the Tokai Power Plant in Ibaragi, where the process of removing spent fuel began in 1998.  Dismantling of the facilities began in 2001, and workers have not yet begun to take apart the reactor itself. Projected cost upon completion?  88.5 billion yen.  Manpower involved?  563,000 people.  The next plant to be de-commissioned will likely be Hamaoka, the aging and controversial plant in Shizuoka Prefecture.  Experts from Hitachi predict the process will take thirty years to complete.

The point is that both Tokai and Hamaoka are “normal” de-comissioning projects, whereas Fukushima is anything but normal. Experts are divided on how long the process will take, how much it will cost, what measures will be most effective, and even whether or not the spent fuel rods can be removed at all. If they can, re-processing will be complicated, and storage sites will be equally problematic.  According to the three step de-comissioning process, work has barely begun, as TEPCO cannot begin to think of removing spent fuel while contaminated water must be constantly cooled and treated, and radiation levels are are so dangerously high that workers are only allowed to work short shifts in rotation. Meiji University expert in reactor engineering and policy Tadahiro Katsuta predicts, “…at least ten years just to determine whether it is possible to remove the fuel,” and a possible fifty years before the de-comissioning is complete. Best to not even attempt full de-comissioning.  Instead, entomb the entire site in concrete, he advises, and others in the field agree. Experts abroad  (as well as those at home, namely Kyoto University Professor Koide ) continue to ask, “Where is the corium?”,  fearing that the core of the reactor (a mixture of melted fuel and other elements) has breached the floor of the containment vessel and is sinking steadily toward the level of the water table, with possible deadly consequences.

As the Mainichi Shinbun article proclaimed, “…what we face is a great unknown to all of

The Fukushima Daiichi clean-up will be measured in decades, not years.

mankind”, and until the Fukushima Daiichi plant has been safely dismantled (or safely entombed) , the lessons have not yet been learned. Even then, environmental research must be continued to learn how the surroundings have changed (they can never return to what they once were) and adapted as a result of widespread contamination.  Of course, the thyroid checks of Fukushima’s children are just part of the medical and sociological research that must continue for decades as well.  It’s incredible to me that the former Prime Minister was condemned for “hastiness” in ordering the shutdown of the Hamaoka plant and in pushing his renewable energy program, while the current government is literally jumping at the chance to re-start negotiations for building new reactors abroad when their own very public disaster is still in a dangerously volatile state. “You haven’t cleaned up your mess!” says my Grandmother, glowering, “and here you go starting a new one!”  “Don’t TELL me you’ve learned a lesson,” frowns my father-in-law. “Show me the proof!” As for me, I mourn for the terrible waste of time and resources involved–time that could be spend in invention and creation, rather than tearing down and decontaminating. How on earth did we manage to become dependent on technology so deadly that it takes nearly half a lifetime to render it harmless after it’s shut down?

Yet because Japan has not clearly rejected nuclear technology, there is actually very little contradiction in its determination to export.  As long as the great majority of citizens remain uncommitted or silent, the government will move ahead with its own agenda. This is the burning question that I think about all the time now: Will enough ordinary citizens finally break their silence and take charge of their own future? It’s hard to know at this point.

Roger Pulvers thinks a volcano of anger could erupt….

It is a hopeful sign that many Japanese young people formally described as “..meek, mild and manageable”  have found  ” ..a renewed awareness in themselves and a belief that they should be doing something to redress the pain and ills their country is experiencing.” (Japan Times, Roger Pulvers, Oct. 8).  Pulvers, an author, playwright, theatre director and professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology believes that the country is ready for an eruption of major proportions.  “Conditions are Ripe for the Volcano of Japan’s Betrayed to Erupt Again” read the heading of his article, which traces a bit of the history of discontent and protest in Japan. Pulvers compares the current state of Japan to a volcano, appearing “..smooth, peaceful, uneventful and unchanging on the surface, while underneath growls the rough heat of anger…..The Japanese people may be placid and obsessed with decorum on the surface, but the cycle of generational change and the build-up of national anger-especially in those sections of society that feel betrayed-is never something to be taken lightly.”  He sees hope in the nation’s young people, who are skilled in social networking and bursting with potential energy.

It’s certainly long past time for college-age students in Japan to begin thinking independently and taking risks. I sent my own son back to the US for college (not that he wasn’t champing at the bit to be gone himself) precisely because I did not want him to living at home in his twenties and spending his part-time job money on electronic toys,

Handbag ad showing sweet and well-accesorized Japanese college girls.

cigarettes, or beer. I know that not all Japanese students do this when they hit the age of twenty, but plenty do.  I will send my daughter abroad as well, as she will be happier wearing jeans and t-shirts to school every day, rather than doing “oshare” with make-up and accessories, as Japanese college girls do. I want them both to live independently, make their own decisions, and bail themselves out of tricky situations rather than calling home.  Japanese college students might risk missing the last train home if they drink too much and forget the time, but otherwise they have fairly cushy lives, requiring very little in the way of sacrifice. This is because ( their parents will tell you)  they suffered terribly in high school studying day and night, and are now taking the reward they deserve. Whatever–it’s not the life I wanted for my own children, and I’m relieved that they made no fuss about studying abroad after living in small-town Japan since their Nursery School days.

Hopefully, Professor Pulvers is right, and the self-absorbtion and limited world view of the college-age students I see around me is morphing into something better and stronger.  It has been refreshing to read the blogs of college students who have volunteered in Tohoku since the quake; many of them have been deeply affected by the people they came in contact with and have returned again and again to continue helping. Most refreshing, of course, and most impressive, has been coming in contact with the hunger strikers–the four young people (plus one who joined halfway through) who camped outside of the METI offices in Kasumigaski for ten days, taking nothing but water and salt. They weren’t concerned with their dress or appearance, or worried that this time away from college might affect their future careers. They were angry, yes, but their anger was under control, and constructively channelled.  My daughter and I took a day to visit them, and I still marvel at their maturity, communication skills, and powers of determination. So I’ll end tonight’s post with a very well-made video clip of the four young people who represent hope for the country. Do take a look, and imagine things from their perspective. They do not want their generation involved in cleaning up a mess it did not make, but they will have no choice. The most they can do is attempt to make that burden lighter for their own children by fighting to bring the era of dependence on nuclear power to a close.

All Hail the Brave and Restrained !

The four anti-nuclear hunger strikers sitting outside the office of Ministry of Economy,

Left to Right: Kin-chan, Masaaki, Kanta, and Shiori .

Trade and Industry (METI) don’t look even a bit extreme. Although she probably would give them a wide berth and avert her eyes, my mother-in-law would probably not be afraid of them. Take a look at the sweet smiles pictured here and tell me, would you? The leader, Naoya Okamoto (known as Kin-chan) is from the southern prefecture of Yamaguchi, where he’s already had experience as a protester and hunger striker (more about that later). He has a thin frame, an easy and unaffected smile, and a sparkle in his eye. Masaaki, a university student in Tokyo, is the oldest at 22. He has what Japanese girls would consider a cute hairstyle, and often smooths unruly strands into place on camera. Kanta Yonehara, 21, describes himself as a “Tabi-bito”, or traveller, and he looks the part, with his broad-brimmed straw hat and deep tan. Shiori Sekiguchi, the only girl, is a nineteen-year old college freshman from Tokyo. She’s never separated from her hot pink towel-blanket and white bill cap, and speaks slow but reliable unaccented English.

So how do I know these details? Well, it’s the age of the live webcam, and I’ve been checking in on them daily to make sure they’re taking care of themselves properly and holding up under the strain. After all, I’m a mother, and I can’t help imagining what on earth I would do or say if either of my own kids ( eighteen and twenty) announced their intention to sit outside and starve themselves voluntarily during a week of predicted record-breaking heat. Well, the four strikers have finished day seven, and after following them off and on all week, I believe I’d be okay with my kids doing exactly the same thing. Mind you, I will not encourage it, but if the situation should one day arise, they’d have my blessing.

First, let me qualify the hows and whys of this particular strike. Kin-chan and his friends have pre-determined the length of their strike (ten days), and are taking water and salt throughout the day to keep up their strength. They are hunger-striking as a form of non-violent protest against the use of nuclear power. Their official statement reads, “We are launching a 10 day-hunger strike in order to petition the Japanese government to reflect [on] the importance of lives and nature–which is the bread of life–within their policies. These are our prayers as the young generation, residents on the earth who will be forced to inherit the legacy of such responsibilities from you.” As Kin-san says, “It’s a poor legacy to be left with. We don’t want to live with these plants, we don’t want to live with the

Shiori Sekiguchi wants to respect her own life as well.

contamination they leave behind, and we don’t want to live with risks.” Shiori adds, “I want to respect everyone’s life and graduate from nuclear power, so I’ll also respect my life. I will take care of myself so not to be sent in the hospital.” They are practical, they are calm, they are determined. None of the four speak angrily, and I have never heard even a hint of foul language while watching on the 24 hour camera. Here is Kin-chan’s kick-off speech, recorded in a park in Tokyo, explaining their intentions and stating their convictions. Although (I repeat) his speech would not be branded as “extreme” in Japan, he’s devoted to his cause and he knows what he’s talking about. I like the fact that I don’t catch even a whiff of cynicism in his words, his voice, or his manner. While watching, please be understanding about the English translation. I consider it nothing short of miraculous to have found any translated version at all. It’s not perfect, but try to focus on the young man , rather than any strange spellings or grammatical errors.

…….and now that you’ve had an introduction to the four strikers, here’s a bit more about the history of their particular protest. It’s a continuation of an on-going protest taking place in a tiny island in Japan’s southern prefecture of Yamaguchi, called Iwaishima. An article about this very island and its troubled history was featured in the NY Times this August, thanks to the excellent reporting work of Hiroko Tabuchi, a Kobe native now based in Tokyo (you can follow her on Twitter…she’s always got something interesting and juicy to tweet about). Tabuchi recounted how residents had been fighting a proposed nuclear power plant on their island for three decades, getting older and creakier but not losing

Protestors in Iwaishima…still going strong after thirty years.

their sense of purpose. “It’s getting hard to keep fighting when everyone’s got a cane,” admitted one 70 year old grandmother, but that wasn’t stopping her. Another 68 year old grandmother became famous for tying herself to the dock on the day that ships sailed in to start the construction work. Since March 11th, the Iwaishima residents have finally begun to make progress, as the nation’s mindset has undergone a radical change and prefectoral officials have come down on the side of the island folks. Still, Chugoku Electric is determined to begin construction (despite the prefectoral government’s refusal to renew their license), and the issue is not yet resolved. And that’s where Kin-chan has been: in Yamaguchi Prefecture, lending his support to the old folks of Iwaishima. It was there that he endured his first ten-day hunger strike, eventually deciding to take his protest to Tokyo to seek a wider audience and extend his protest from one specific place to the broader spectrum of nuclear power plants throughout the country.

Now let’s talk about the strategy of the four young people. How successful have they been after a week of fasting in the public eye? Well, that depends entirely on how you judge success. I was terribly disappointed in the Tokyo Time Out review of the event. Time Out is a well-written magazine for hip young English-speakers living in Japan (borderline-geezers like myself love it, too) featuring current trends, popular products, concert and restaurant reviews, and human interest articles about life in the big city. I had hoped they might give

Our hunger strikers do not fit this stereotype. Disappointing? Or refreshing?

the protesters some positive publicity that would boost their cause; instead, I found a lukewarm description of a “small sit-in” led by a man who was younger, nicer, and less impressive than the Time Out reporter had expected. Describing the meeting with Kin-san as “anti-climactic”, the reporter admitted that perhaps Okamoto-san would perhaps be someone “to watch in years to come” [but nothing special now, was the implication]. “These are not men chained to trees or holding out in foxholes beneath partially built runways” was the consensus. Well, no, they’re not! And this is not a forest in the Amazon or a war zone in a third world country, either–it’s a main street in Tokyo, and they were behaving appropriately.

According to the hip Tokyo magazine, then, the hunger strike has had little to no effect. The final paragraph of the article reads, “….by pre-scheduling the end of the hunger strike, he [Okamoto] has removed the necessary do-or-die drama that would catch the headlines he hopes for……what is taking place outside Kasumigaseki Station feels brave but restrained. Maybe that’s why the last six months of anti-nuclear protests have, at times, felt like little more than a sideshow.” …..Ouch! Sorry, but that hurt. After reading the review, I decided to see what Wikipedia had to say about hunger strikes, and what constituted a “successful” protest. Here’s what I came up with: “A hunger strike cannot be effective if the fact that it is being undertaken is not publicized so as to be known by the people who are to be impressed, concerned or embarrassed by it.” Hmmm…..that didn’t make me feel much better. Though the group’s website and facebook page have a steadily-growing group of followers and supporters and the live camera shows visitors and interested folks stopping all day long as they sit in the blazing sun, they’ve received no press coverage from major Japanese newspapers at all. Nothing on the nightly news. So how do the four young people remain so positive? Going into their eighth day, they still retain their even tempers and cheerful outlook, describing the day’s events for the watchers on the camera every evening, and thanking (by name) those that stopped to talk with and encourage them.

Taking a hint from Shiori-san, who mentioned the influence of Ghandi, it seems clear that

The well-beloved Master hunger-striker.

the group themselves have a very different definition of “success”, and are probably less concerned than I about the Time Out article. Here’s what Shiori says in an interview with a foreign reporter: “I know this hunger strike won’t change a really big thing but I hope and I will be happy if more people will think about this problem….and I really want everyone to know that there are kind of young person that are thinking, really really seriously thinking about our future….I hope you feel something.” Again, her English is not perfect, but watching her using the language so unhesitatingly–making no excuses and focusing intently on the questions rather than her own linguistic struggle–I feel a great respect for her. So many Japanese young people are unable to leave their own insecurities behind and strive to attain English fluency, but Shiori is not one of them. She’s serious, and she’ll be happy if she can influence the people she comes in contact with to think more seriously, and to feel something for her cause. Her goal is to change the hearts of individuals. Ghandi, whose ideals she admires, said, “All true change comes from within. Any change brought about by pressure, is worthless.”

The Tokyo Time Out reporter was looking for drama, but he got a very quiet, respectable protest, focused on individuals…..Again, here’s what the master hunger-striker Mahatma Ghandi said in 1924: “Civil disobedience has to be civil in more senses than one. There can be no bravado, no impetuousness about it. It has to be an ordered, well-thought out, humble offering.” Kin-san and his friends certainly fit this description…. Or how about this? From Ghandi’s later writings: “Inner culture must be reflected in your speech, the way in

Kanta never loses his cool. I love his winning smile.

which you treat visitors and guests, and behave towards one another and your teachers and elders.” The gentle, unthreatening manner of the four friends has been a delight to watch on camera, and I’ve marvelled at the steady stream of people from all walks of life who have stopped to talk, brought instruments to play, or just stayed to sit with the young people in solidarity. They four young people are unfailingly polite to all, and remember to thank each one by name at the end of the day. My guess is that they have made a lasting impression on those who took the time to stop. They impressed me, and I tell you that is not such an easy thing to do. I am usually far more impressed by the accomplishments of age than those of youth.

By their own standard, then, they have already achieved something. Countless people (well, they’ve been counted, actually, since there’s a counter on the website) have followed them on live camera, many have made special trips to Tokyo specifically to meet and support them, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the guys in suits who commute to the METI building every morning are intensely aware of their presence. Is that not enough? No blood shed, no confrontations, and no internal injuries from extended fasting (you’d better believe that I researched THAT as well. I was rather dumbfounded to realize the length of time the human body can survive without solid sustenance, and reassured that ten days would entail no lasting effects for Kin-chan and his friends. Still, it’s a humbling thing to even consider. Could I myself do it??) ….this is my kind of protest.

In the end, these four young people are beginning to master themselves, and to take control of their own future. Ghandi (again) says that, “Fearlessness is the first thing indispensable before we can achieve anything permanent and real.” And in my mind, Kin-san, Masaaki, Kanta, and Shiori are fearless in more ways than one. Of course, all four can already claim to have achieved a victory of the will that most of us can only dream of. Ghandi says, “To have no control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock.” These four will not break to pieces. They can sit in the hot sun for hours, allowing themselves only water and mouthfuls of salt crystals, AND STILL RETAIN THEIR GOOD TEMPERS. The last is (as you guess by my use of capitals) most impressive. How many reality shows have we watched, where people are simply unable to remain civil on live camera for extended periods of time? These kids put most of us to shame. They have left childhood behind, and are moving toward a future of their own choosing.

……and this is so not-Japanese. Some friends of mine (Japanese) have commented that these young people should be looking out for their futures in a more “traditional” sense. Shiori and Masaaki are college students, and will presumably return to some sort of “normal” life once the strike is over. I wonder. But Kin-chan and Kanta (the wanderer) are

Ordinary kids?? Well, I call them heros!

in what would be a “Gap Year” for some societies…there’s no such positive terminology in Japanese. My women friends here in Hadano would be concerned that 1. They will never find a job, 2. They will never find a wife, and 3. They will never become respected members of society because they haven’t achieved either 1. or 2. Hmmmm….it looks like Kin-chan and Kanta are unconcerned, to say the least (I wonder about their parents, though), and certainly by international standards, they are nothing unusual. I want to make it clear to friends abroad, however, that they are very unusual. And that the choices they have made require a great deal of courage, because Japan is still a society where the pattern comes already decided, the choices are limited, and the window of opportunity exists for only a limited time. Because of that, I consider these young people to be especially brave.

So let’s hear it for the Brave and Restrained! If weather permits, and if my family are all healthy and no-one at home needs me for the day, I am off to Tokyo tomorrow to meet Kin-chan and his friends. There will be a demonstration at the Meiji Jingu park as well; perhaps (if I don’t get lost. I am not a Tokyo native) I can do both. I will take my excellent camera and share whatever pictures I get. Good night. It is always late in the evening when I finish a post, and I wonder if I’ll think twice about what I wrote in the morning, but this time, I think I will not. As always, thank you for reading. Take some time to think about the future of our young people and the kind of legacy they deserve. Check them out on their live web cam as well!   Find them at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/将来を想うハンガーストライキ-hunger-strike-for-the-future-in-tokyo