Published: February 27th, 2012 at 10:41 am ET
|
Title: 3 Fukushima mayors boycott meeting with gov’t ministers
Source: Kyodo
Date: February 27, 2012
A meeting between the government and municipalities located near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was cancelled Sunday after three mayors boycotted it protesting that the government had informed the media of the specifics of the meeting’s agenda prior to informing them.
Futaba Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa, who absented himself, told a press conference, “I strongly mistrust the government…So I have made a momentous decision not to attend the meeting” with Environment Minister Goshi Hosono and Tatsuo Hirano [...]
The mayors of the towns of Hirono and Namie followed Idogawa. [...]
[They] were expected to discuss how to eliminate radioactive materials leaked by the plant and explore ways to construct temporary storage facilities for contaminated soil. [...]
Read the report here
Title: Mayor skips meeting on Fukushima storage facility
Source: Asahi
Date: February 27, 2012
Saying he distrusted the government, a mayor skipped a key meeting with Cabinet ministers on Feb. 26 on hosting a temporary storage facility for radioactive soil, further frustrating decontamination efforts in Fukushima Prefecture.The absence of Katsutaka Idogawa, mayor of Futaba town near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, resulted in the cancellation of the meeting between the mayors of eight municipalities and nuclear accident minister Goshi Hosono and rebuilding minister Tatsuo Hirano. [...]
“I felt a great deal of fear about the government making decisions behind our back,” Idogawa told a news conference in Kazo, Saitama Prefecture, where many town officials and residents now live. “I have a high level of distrust in the government.” [...]
“It was extremely regrettable (that the meeting was canceled),” Hosono told reporters. [...]
Read the report here
Published: February 27th, 2012 at 10:41 am ET
|
sending...
Not wanting to take part in the charade perhaps?
Report Comment
"A year after Fukushima, an energized civil society pushes for solar power and accountability
While the campaigns have struggled to gain a critical mass, the groups have managed to meet the legal metrics required to hold a referendum. Organizers have collected 55,000 signatures in Osaka and 250,000 in Tokyo from local voters, exceeding the numbers required by law to ask its respective governments to hold a (non-binding) referendum. A separate group led by Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe has also collected more than 4 million signatures in a campaign to abolish all 54 nuclear reactors in Japan."
http://www.salon.com/2012/02/27/activists_challenge_japans_nuclear_village/
Report Comment
Great to hear they are organizing. Was very concerned for a long time the Japanese would be paralyzed by culture & tradition. They are mobilizing. Good! There is at least hope.
Etwas, does your name mean somewhat lively & bizarre? Tried to get a translation from the German. Good moniker!
Report Comment
I agree!
A ray of hope for LESS INSTEAD OF MORE Nuclear Baloney (NB)
Report Comment
etwas seltsam = somewhat strange
Report Comment
Does anyone here know whether this is political gamesmanship? Are these mayors from a different part of the political spectrum than the current government? If not… if they are neutral or normally side with the government, then this really is momentous.
Report Comment
@aigeezer: I agree, this really could be momentous.
The trust of the people has been irreparably damaged by a TEPCO-controlled government. It's finally sinking in that the people of Japan are on their own; all due to Japanese and American advisers who have miscalculated the extent of citizen's social compliance.
I hate to say it, but it's now only a matter of time before the situation spins totally out of control and the people start physically attacking those who created this situation and those who sanctioned this coverup. Eventually, the military and police will realize (if they haven't already) that it's – their – families lives that are at stake too.
Hard as it is to believe, it's going to get a lot more uglier than it already is. We may yet see a rise of peasant power…
Report Comment
I highly doubt gamesmanship. They are all alone in the dead zone.
Other than this site, the world media is mute, like all the jap officials. With politics there is a certain banter of bullshit. Ain't good, when it goes silent.
Hard to believe we got this far. The denial is unprecedented.
Report Comment
Are the three Mayors insulted or feel they lost face because the Media got the agenda before them?
Is it something to do with the upcoming land purchase decisions for storing contaminated soil based on pre-disaster land prices?
In other words, are these three Mayors from what were higher-priced areas, and now, knowing from the Media the proposed plan, thinking their areas might be cut out of any land-purchase deals by the Gov't?
Report Comment
Sounds about right to me. A least something pertaining to political power was probably the reason they cancelled. He said nothing about the farce the government has been concerning the lies it told the public to put them in danger. These people were sacrificed to save Japan's economy and political power. Simple as that and these mayors didn't really do their job during the beginning of the crisis.
It's a nuclear meltdown. What do you think you should tell your people living near it? Stay home or get the hell out of there? I see no reason to applaud these people as it wasn't done for the benefit of the citizens. A momentous decision would be to tell the national media just how severe the "accident" was and still is. Do something right for once. Are they too domesticated and cowardly by their power and wealth?
Report Comment
Three Stooges, then.
Report Comment
Useless fools. The disaster continues unabated and uncontrolled. This discussion of land and disposal is useless in the face of the cores and sfps gone and still at risk. The hubris of the Japanese government and TEPCO is as uncontrollable as the reactors they built.
Report Comment
They are calling the Spade a Spade.
They are refusing to be played through the media beforehand. If they play along they have no input and have to follow the script… no matter what.
They are putting the charade in the spotlight on purpose.
They are fighting for their lives.
When the Govt leapfrogged them with the media it was like lambs to the slaughterhouse.
They are balking at the door…..
Report Comment
I agree, smart move by them!
Report Comment
Remember the Mayor early on pleading for the government to come help his people.
Perhaps it's not accurate, but I got the impression from that situation that the mayors were having to balance between duty to their citizens and duty to their community, and they were having a very hard time of it – especially since the national government was simply denying everything.
There is always politics, but It wouldn't surprise me if this wasn't a situation where these mayors truly are trying to get some attention to the right things.
Report Comment
I feel they are re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
Report Comment
Very possible, but on the Titanic (forget the movie) very few of the folks onboard knew the ship was going to sink until all the lifeboats were safely out of range of the rest of the passengers. Even those on the boats were told it was precautionary.
This is true of major disasters, and appears to be the plan in Japan. There is not enough resource to save everyone, so everyone is told 'it's all OK, no problems" until all the resources are given to the "chosen ones" and the rest are left to fend for themselves.
Report Comment
Most likely.
Report Comment
@James2: I agree with your intuition. Painting the species as irredeemable plays into the hands of the self-serving. When you're talking politicians who are living on the same level as the people, there's greater sympathy for those who are being effected by this catastrophe. They're there day-to-day. They're seeing the immediate economic effects. They're seeing those whom they've know – perhaps – all their lives, being effected by sickness.
I have a feeling the corks about to pop in Japan…
Report Comment
It's so potentially complicated!
One or more of the three Mayors may be pro or anti local debris-burning, and so, may be using the land-purchase possibility as a bargaining chip to either back local debris-burning (if they get land purchase) or to continue (or switch to) opposing it – (if they don't).
Report Comment
The mayors of these towns and their families are subject to the same contamination as the people in the towns that they represent. Maybe they have just had enough of the BS.
When you get farther down the government pyramid, you are more likely to see normal reactions from normal people. Politicians at the local level are more accountable than those at higher level. Any change has to come from the bottom.
Report Comment
Great news. 3 anti-govmt mayors means possibly x-thousand anti-govmt citizens.
I don't know really much about the Japanese mindset, but I could imagine it to be a big deal that a mayor refuses to meet members of the government and criticises them publicly….
*bravo!
Report Comment
Yes, it's a very big deal!
Report Comment
I think this is a HUGE MOVE for them. For Us.
It is a type of Anarchy I am sure to some.
Report Comment
@Anthony: if taking control of an out-of-control situation is "Anarchy", then I guess anarchy is the wave of the future…
Report Comment
In Japan an action like this is huge. I've often thought the Japanese don't stand up for themselves enough, even before this disaster. It seems like the social misstep on the government's part was the last straw and now people in Japan are finally starting to question the government's motivations. It's about time! I personally think widespread health problems will show up before they succeed in getting those areas decontaminated, and I wish they would concentrate more on Fukushima Daiichi.
Report Comment
Tanuki San, are you from Japan? Would appreciate knowing, as it's good to hear the point of view of a Japanese person on these events.
Report Comment
Ohayo! O genki desu ka?
Report Comment
Report Comment
Tanuki San, thanks for your input. It's a encouragement for the citizens that some mayors show backbone. Maybe it makes it easier for people to speak their minds and act – you know: "well if the mayor does it, we "are allowed", too….", without fearing to be alienated by society.
I hope others will follow.
Report Comment
Amen to all that.
Report Comment
This is a start!
We are now are being ruled by those in Nuclear Denial*; instead of by Leaders that demand an end to the Trillion Dollar Eco-Disaster RISK that Nuclear poses to mankind! Remember Nature does not follow design basis calculations or even engineering RISK formulas… The nuclear industry is fighting tooth and nail to maintain it's market share; yet NOW Solar (of all flavors) is far less costly to construct, faster to construct and carries with it N☢ Nuclear radioactive baggage that can kill a Countries economy and or those living nearby!
*Nuclear Denial
http://is.gd/XPjMd0
The illogical belief that Nature cannot destroy any land based nuclear reactor, any place anytime 24/7/365!
Report Comment
Just tired of the white wash and lies, they have figured out it can't be cleaned up while it's still puking nukes and will be long after their lives before the soil is workable for growing !
Report Comment
Me too Doc,…but let's remind ourselves that we've come a LONG ass'd way from last April/May,…remember we couldn't even claim that black goo made it over here to the west coast? I feel that 'we' have already done nearly all of the 'heavy lifting', in terms of breaking down their sky high piles of of lies! That is not to say 'we' should rest on our laurels,…BUT,….I think the results of 'our work' is now coming in,…..and I plan on ENJOYING IT,…macabre as it will be. Tough love is very hard to administer,…even for the lesson teacher! Holding people's feet to the fires is the damned hardest job I've ever been called upon to do,…but I'm getting pretty damned good at it!
And,…I've acquired a taste for it too!
Report Comment
@StillJill: you got it! It's all about change; change that's not going to be easy for any of us, but change that's inevitable and necessary.
I told you awhile back, many revelations are coming. This is one situation that elite power brokers cannot sweep under the rug or murder their way out of. If they weren't sooo set in their ways, they'd have declared this catastrophe to be what it was and moved on to whatever practical solutions were possible. They're loosing what little credibility they may have amassed.
Looks as though the goddess has other plans for her creation…
Report Comment
Indeed she does!
Report Comment
StillJill,
I was speaking into the minds of these men whom decided not to go to these meetings, I an sure they are aware of the dire situation and all being offered is to keep them busy with no fruit !
Report Comment
Its about time and I think we all have to wake up!
We are all of us and I mean everybody ..on our own.
Report Comment
What Really Happened At Fukushima Reactor And Spent Fuel Pool #3? http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/3117672
via A Green Road Blog
http://www.agreenroadblog.com
Report Comment
So you are one of them that wants to change history and say the explosion of #3 was from the SFP Green?
There is only one reason to claim that, and it's not to get the truth out.
Report Comment