The delivery of debris left by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan for trial incineration by Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, was blocked Tuesday by residents of the western Japan city, who apparently fear radiation.
Six trucks with debris arrived outside a collection space for waste in the city from the disaster-hit coastal city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, at around 9 a.m., but some 30 people prevented the trucks from entering by surrounding them or staging a sit-in.
Around 80 tons of debris, which comprises mainly woodchips with radioactive cesium levels below 100 becquerels per kilogram, left Ishinomaki in 28 trucks on Saturday.
Continue reading at: Delivery of quake-tsunami debris to Kitakyushu blocked
See also Kyushu protest briefly blocks debris in The Japan Times.
The photo caption in the Japan Times version says “Not in my backyard.” Is that appropriate for this action? Opposition to debris acceptance is no doubt in part about not wanting radioactive substances for incineration (a dubious solution) in one’s backyard, but it’s more than self-interest: transporting the debris around the country involves exposing many more people, not to mention soil, water, and air. It isn’t about lack of sympathy for people in Fukushima.