Japan and Tepco ordered to pay Fukushima residents who fled to Hokkaido via Japan Times

Posted on 2020/03/10 by nfield

SAPPORO – A court ordered the government and the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant Tuesday to pay a combined ¥52.9 million ($513,000) in damages to 89 people who evacuated from their hometowns to Hokkaido after the 2011 nuclear disaster.

The Sapporo District Court ruling marked the seventh case where both the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. were ordered to pay damages, out of 11 cases brought against the two parties. In the four other cases, only Tepco was ordered to pay damages.

It was also the 15th decision handed down among around 30 similar damages suits filed across Japan over one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters, which were triggered by the massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

A total of 257 plaintiffs, 90 percent of whom at the time were living in the city of Fukushima and other locations outside of areas where evacuation orders were issued, had sought a combined ¥4.24 billion from the utility and the state.

“While (the ruling) is a sign of recognition of the government’s responsibility, it doesn’t reflect the actual lives that those who evacuated to Hokkaido have led,” a lawyer representing the plaintiffs told reporters after the court decision.

[…]

At the court, the operator said it had already paid damages to some of the plaintiffs and that the amount was adequate as it was based on government guidelines. The utility also said it was not obliged to compensate the others as they had voluntarily evacuated.

The government has denied responsibility for the disaster, saying it could not have foreseen the flooding of the nuclear plant due to a tsunami.

The plaintiffs argued that Tepco neglected to take preventive measures although it could have predicted earthquake and tsunami risks at the plant, and that the government did not enforce adequate safety measures despite approving power generation at the complex.

They also said that the psychological distress they suffered due to fears that radiation exposure had damaged their health, among other concerns, had impacted their ability to lead normal lives following the evacuations.

Read more.

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Fukushima plaintiffs exhausted after settlements urged but rejected by Tepco via Japan Times

Posted on 2020/03/10 by nfield

[…]

The suits have been prolonged chiefly by the difficulty of establishing evidence for damages claims linked to the triple core meltdown on Fukushima Prefecture’s coastline after the March 2011 mega-quake and tsunami.

Plant manager Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. says it is willing to settle out of court through the alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

But Tepco has rejected many settlement proposals made through ADR, confusing the plaintiffs.

In a lawsuit filed with the Fukushima District Court in April 2016 by 54 residents of the Nakadori region, plaintiffs proposed a settlement in hopes of ending the suit early. Tepco declined.

The utility even appealed the court’s ruling last month that ordered it to pay damages, taking the suit to the Sendai High Court.

“We are disappointed by Tepco’s selfish stance,” said Ritsuko Ueki, a 73-year-old plaintiff.

After working as a teacher in Tokyo, she moved to the city of Fukushima in 2007 with her husband and retired.

Gardening was one of their hobbies, but after the nuclear crisis struck, they had to decontaminate their garden as fears mounted over radioactive fallout ejected by the stricken plant.

“We always think about the lawsuit. We’ve conveyed all our sorrows and suffering to Tepco,” she said. “There is nothing more we can do.”

In a collective ADR action initiated in 2013 by some 15,000 residents from the town of Namie, Tepco refused their proposals six times. The process was terminated in April 2018. A total of 864 plaintiffs had already died by then.

Tepco claimed that it could not accept unified compensation payments higher than the standards listed in the state-set interim guidelines for damages related to the crisis, which were released in August 2011.

A suit against Tepco filed after the termination of the 2018 case drew participation from only around 630 Namie residents.

The Namie Municipal Government is recommending that residents shift to individually launched alternative dispute resolution procedures, because Tepco tends to accept settlement proposals through that mechanism more than through collective procedures. But only around 1,000 residents have agreed to do this.

“Our residents are exhausted both physically and mentally. The termination of the collective (alternative dispute resolution) process has added to the uncertainty arising from their prolonged lives as evacuees,” said a Namie official in charge of compensation issues.

“Tepco should have accepted a settlement through the collective (ADR) process,” the official said.

The number of settlement proposals through collective alternative dispute resolutions that were rejected by Tepco started rising significantly in 2018. A total of 24 processes had been terminated by the end of the year.

[…]

Read more.

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福島第一原発の汚染処理水の海洋放出の知られざるリスク「サンデーモーニング」が指摘した“不都合な真実”　via Yahoo!Japan ニュース

Posted on 2020/03/09 by nfield

[…]

タンクに貯蔵された処理水の汚染度には「大きなバラつき」がある

　1000基のタンクのうち「Ｊ１−Ｄ」と呼ばれる9基のタンク群の中にある処理水は、ストロンチウムなどが排水基準を1万4000倍も超過しているというのだ。人体の骨などに残りやすい有害がストロンチウムなどがフィルターの不具合で残ったためだという。

　断片的な新聞記事や日々のテレビニュースではたまにストロンチウムが処理できないことまでは報道しても、それが「フィルターの不具合」によるものだったということはこの「サンデーモーニング」の報道で初めて知った。

　東京電力の担当者は番組の取材に以下のように答えている。

（東京電力　廃炉コミュニカーションセンター・木元崇宏副所長）

「最初の頃、ALPSを稼働させていろいろトラブルがありましたけど、トラブルがあった頃の水もたまっているのできれいになりきれなかった水がたまっているものもあります」

規制基準を上回る汚染処理水は今も全体の7割　

　番組では処理された汚染水が規制基準の内にあるかどうかをグラフ化して示した。すると処理後も基準の１００倍以上というものもあり、全体で7割が規制基準を超えていることがわかった。

　これに対して、国や東京電力の説明は以下の通りだ。

（国・東京電力）

「ALPSではトリチウム以外の放射性物質は除去できる」

「トリチウムは生物への影響も小さく、国内外の原子力発電所でも海洋放出はしている」

　こうして説明されてきたので、筆者の認識もそうした程度にとどまっていた。トリチウム以外は問題はないのだろうと。

　ところが番組では「（汚染処理水に）トリチウム以外の物質が含まれていることが明かになったのは一昨年になってからでした」と説明して、2018年8月に東京で行われた専門家会議の公聴会のVTRを映し出した。

（公聴会で発言した女性）

「トリチウムだと思ったら、トリチウムじゃない水だった。そういうことでもう･･･この公聴会、前提がおかしいです。やり直してください。以上です」

　この発言の後で「そうだ！」という同意する声と拍手が聞こえたのでそう考えたのは彼女だけではないのだろう。

　VTRのナレーションは「こうした事態は国の専門家会議でも問題になりました」と説明し、専門家会議での発言も紹介された。

森田貴巳氏（水産研究・教育機構　中央水産研究所）記事録より

「国民をだまそうとしているんじゃないかと一般の人に思わせてしまった」

　東京電力の廃炉責任者は番組の取材に対して、説明不足を謝罪したものの処理水を再浄化することはできると話す。

（東京電力　福島第一廃炉推進カンパニー・小野明プレジデント）

「そういうこと（海洋放出）を国の方向性として出てくるなら、それがそれで我々は環境に出すための基準を満足するやり方をとる必要があると思っていますし、それは十分、これまでのALPSの実力からしても十分できることだと思っています」

　この後、VTRは風評被害の打撃を受けている漁業関係者の不安な声を紹介して終わっていた。

ALPSが除去する実力がなかったことでたまってしまった、基準以上の危険が残ったままの汚染処理水

それでもALPSは基準を満たす除去の実力があるとする東電・国

　海洋に流してしまう前にもっと検証して議論すべきことがあると、この日の「サンデーモーニング」の特集は教えてくれた。

　日本人にはどうも「細かい話」に目をつぶってしまう癖がある。

　スタジオに出演した鈴木達治郎氏（長崎大学教授・元原子力委員会委員長代理）が以下のようにコメントしていた。この言葉は肝に銘じたい。

「透明性と信頼性ということを言いたい。データが本当は処理されているはずだったのが処理されていないことが後でわかった。これが信頼をなくしている。だから常に第三者機関をつくって監視するシステムをつくってほしいと私も言ってきたが、それが実現していない」

全文

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A message from Sumio Konno・今野寿美雄, a former nuclear engineer, on the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster via the Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World・核の無い世界を目指すマンハッタンプロジェクト

Posted on 2020/03/09 by nfield

Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World

SUBSCRIBE[ Voices from Japan: 9 years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster ] 2020 March video project by Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World English subtitle by John Baldwin, Karen Rogers, Mari Inoue, Rachel Clark, Stephan Ready, Tarak Kauff, Tony Sahara, Yoko Chase The e-book edition of “Citizens’ Radiation Data Map of Japan” is available at: https://minna-no-datasite.stores.jp If you have any questions about “Citizens’ Radiation Data Map of Japan”, or interested in obtaining a physical copy of the booklet, please contact: mdsbookorder@mp-nuclear-free.com

「核のない世界を目指すマンハッタンプロジェクト」は、本日、2020年3月プロジェクトを開始しました。

全部で10作ほどリリースいたします。
今後とも、どうぞ宜しくお願いいたします。

「核の無い世界を目指すマンハッタンプロジェクト」一同

これは、2011年3月11日に起きてから現在も進行中の東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の放射能被害に関する意識を高めるためのプロジェクトです。

この重大な問題に取り組んでいるさまざまな立場の方々から集められたビデオメッセージが、本日より英語字幕付きで発信されます。

これらのビデオをご覧になり、どうぞ広く共有してください。

Posted in *English, *日本語 | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

「緊張を解く話をした」via 東京新聞

Posted on 2020/03/09 by nfield

山下氏福島の原発関連訴訟出廷

[…]

よどみなく過去の発言を正当化した山下氏に対し、原告側はある疑惑について質問を投げかけた。「本当は深刻な見立てをしていたのではないか」という点だ。これは昨年一月の「こちら特捜部」の報道に基づく。「ニコニコ発言」と同じ日、県庁内のオフサイトセンター（OFC）で山下氏と会った放射線医学総合研究所の職員が「山下先生は小児の甲状腺被ばくは深刻なレベルに達する可能性があるとの見解」と記録していたことを報じた分だ。

「二枚舌」で市民を惑わせたのか焦点になったが、紙面の写しを差し出された山下氏は「深刻な可能性と述べた記憶はあるか」という問いに「ありません」と述べ、OFCに行ったのも自分の意志ではなく「要請を受けた」と語った。

[…]

全文

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Radioactivity on the move 2020: Recontamination and weather-related effects in Fukushima via Greenpeace International

Posted on 2020/03/09 by nfield

Tokyo, Japan – Greenpeace Japan’s latest extensive radiation survey has found evidence of recontamination caused by 2019’s Typhoon 19 (Hagibis) and Typhoon 21 (Bualoi), which released radioactive caesium from the forested mountains of Fukushima Prefecture. 

The survey, which was conducted over three weeks in October and November of 2019, observed concentrated radiation levels throughout Fukushima Prefecture. These localised areas were where radioactivity was observed at higher levels than in previous years, as well as a reduction in levels in some areas, and recontamination elsewhere. 

[…]

“The results of our 2019 radiation survey demonstrate the complex and persistent nature of radionuclide mobilization and recontamination in areas of Fukushima Prefecture. The mountainous forest regions of Fukushima prefecture, which have never been decontaminated, will continue to be long-term sources of recontamination. The findings from our recent radiation survey definitively disprove the myth of a ‘return to normal’ in parts of Fukushima.” said Kazue Suzuki, Energy Campaigner of Greenpeace Japan.

The main findings of the Greenpeace Japan investigation include:

  • Hotspots measured in all areas surveyed; including Okuma, Naraha (J-Village), as well in Fukushima City.
  • Significant variations in radiation levels from previous years in certain zones that cannot be explained by radioactive decay. 
  • Likely remobilization of radioactivity in the soil and weather-related effects resulting from heavy rainfall was also identified in the reopened area of Iitate, with significant changes in radiation levels comparing across the five year period for which we have data.
  • Along the Takase river in the newly reopened area of Namie, and where the government claims it is safe to live, 99% of radiation levels averaged 0.8 μSv/h with a maximum of 1.7 μSv/h, with 99% exceeded the government’s long-term decontamination target of 0.23 μSv/h measured at 1 meter and were twenty (20) times higher than pre-2011 levels.
  • In a period of four hours, the survey team identified forty-six (46) hot spots in the around Fukushima City central station, eleven of which equaled or exceeded the Japanese government decontamination long term target of 0.23 μSv/h measured at 1 meter; including observed levels of radiation that 137 times higher than the background radiation levels measured in the Fukushima environment prior to the 2011 nuclear disaster. 
  • In an area close to a former school and kindergarten in the reopened area of Namie, annual dose rates would be between 10-20 mSv based on the Japanese government methodology and between 17-33 mSv based on sustained exposure over a full year; which are between 10 and 33 times above the international recommended maximum exposure for the public.
  • Near the new town hall in the newly reopened area of Okuma, and within a few hundred meters of the planned Olympic torch route, radiation hotspots were measured to be of 1.5 µSv/h at 1 meter and 2.5 µSv/h at 10cm (62 times above the background levels of 0.04 µSv/h before the nuclear accident in March 2011).
  • The evidence from earlier typhoons and resulting data strongly suggest that there was a substantial increase in downstream contamination from October 2019. Greenpeace intends to return later this year to further investigate and substantiate the hypothesis of major weathering effects in Fukushima.

“The radiation hotspots we found in public areas along the pavements and streets of central Fukushima City, including tens of meters from the entrance to the Shinkansen train line to Tokyo, highlight the ongoing scale of the nuclear disaster in 2011. The hotspots we found are at a level that they would require a special license to be transported and in the category of Dangerous Goods. The government is using the Olympics as a platform to communicate the myth that everything has returned to normal in Fukushima. They falsely claim that radiation has either been decontaminated or is under control. Our radiation survey clearly shows that the government propaganda is not true.” said Shaun Burnie, Senior Nuclear Specialist of Greenpeace Germany.

Mizue Kanno, a resident of Namie who cooperated on the Greenpeace radiation survey said, “I hope the world knows the real situation in Fukushima. Radioactivity is washing down from the mountains due to heavy rain and flowing into the decontaminated areas. The radiation levels found around my house are higher than ever before. Once a nuclear accident happens, it looks like this, and soon we are going to have the Olympics and pretend that everything is okay. It’s not. ”

ENDS

Notes:

Full report in English, here
Photos and videos, here

Posted in *English | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Abe visits Futaba just days before anniversary of nuclear disaster via The Asahi Shimbun

Posted on 2020/03/09 by nfield

By Naoki Mitsuyama

FUTABA, Fukushima Prefecture–Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on March 7 visited the virtual ghost town of Futaba, a once bustling community until the 2011 nuclear disaster hit and forced all the residents to evacuate.

His visit came four days before the ninth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami disaster that triggered the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, and just a few days after an evacuation order was lifted for a small portion of the town.

Futaba is one of two towns whose jurisdictions cover the crippled facility.

Speaking with reporters, Abe was upbeat about the prospects of Futaba eventually recovering its former self, saying, “The lifting of the evacuation order for part of Futaba is a major step forward toward full-scale reconstruction.”

He pledged that the government would continue with efforts to allow evacuees to return to the Hamadori district of Fukushima Prefecture facing the Pacific Ocean and which covers Futaba.

It was Abe’s 20th visit to Fukushima Prefecture and his first since April 2019.

[…]

[…]While much of Futaba is still classified as a “difficult-to-return zone” because of high radiation levels, the area around the station has been designated as a core component of special reconstruction work to allow residents to return.

Plans are afoot to lift the evacuation order for the entire special reconstruction work zone by spring 2022 so residents can begin returning.

Abe took a test run on the Joban Line and met with Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa at the station platform, where Izawa explained what his town is doing to rebuild.

Read more.

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Nine years on, Fukushima nuclear plant lawsuits await high court rulings via Japan Times

Posted on 2020/03/09 by nfield

High courts in Japan have been hearing a number of damages claims filed by those who evacuated due to the unprecedented nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture nine years ago.

Attention is on how the courts will assess the liability of the government, which has flatly denied responsibility over the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

The plant suffered meltdowns in three of its reactors after being hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, forcing many residents to evacuate.

So far, six of 10 district courts have found the government responsible for the nuclear accident, while the other four did not recognize government liability.

The key issues are whether the government was able to predict the huge tsunami and was able to avert the catastrophe by taking preventive measures.

The plaintiffs claim that the government could have prevented the accident if it had urged Tepco to take measures by exercising its regulatory power, based on its long-term earthquake prediction issued in 2002.

All of the 10 district courts recognized Tepco’s responsibility to pay damages to the plaintiffs based on a law obliging a plant operator to pay damages over a nuclear accident, regardless of whether it was negligent or not.

The Maebashi District Court and five others found that the long-term earthquake assessment was reliable, saying it was a reasonable prediction that should have been taken into account when considering tsunami countermeasures.

The courts thus recognized the government’s responsibility, finding that it acted illegally by neglecting to order Tepco to take preventive measures — such as relocating power sources to a higher location at the plant.

By contrast, two separate rulings issued by the Chiba District Court did not support the claim of government responsibility, reaching verdicts that the nuclear accident could not have been avoided even if preventive measures had been taken.

Still, all district court rulings found that the government had been able to foresee the possibility of a huge tsunami hitting the plant.

“Based on the premise that a nuclear plant should be protected at any cost, the government should exercise its regulatory power soon after it predicts a tsunami,” said Izutaro Managi, a lawyer involved in a case filed with the Fukushima District Court.

The Fukushima case involves some 3,800 plaintiffs — the largest number among suits filed against Tepco and the government over the nuclear accident.

[…]

Specifically, he called on the government to review its compensation guidelines, which include measures such as monthly payments of ¥100,000 to each resident in evacuation zones.

Read more.

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Manila mulls nuclear power, bishop point to Fukushima and too many risks　via AsiaNews.it

Posted on 2020/03/06 by nfield

To meet energy needs, the government is considering nuclear power. The dossier awaits Duterte’s signature. Archbishop Alminaza: nuclear disasters “powerful and painful reminder” of the dangers related to technology. Focusing on renewables as a “cheaper and safer” source requires a green commitment “for the care of our common home”.

Manila (AsiaNews / Cbcp) – After the hard confrontations of the past on the fight against drugs and the campaign against extremist groups in Mindanao, there is a risk of a new rift between the Filipino bishops and the government of President Rodrigo Duterte over energy concerns. The governemnt seems to be considering nuclear to meet the needs and fuel the industrial development of the country

The atomic disasters of Chernobyl, Fukushima and Three Mile Island show that nuclear power “carries risks” which, to put it simply, “is not worth taking”. This was stated by Msgr. Gerardo Alminaza, bishop of the diocese of San Carlos, in the province of Negros Occidental, in the west of the archipelago. The prelate, who has long been at the forefront of the fight for clean energy and renewables, stresses that “the three accidents occurred in countries with far more advanced technology, infrastructure and experience than the Philippines”.

[…]

An executive meeting was held on March 2, in which the Minister of Energy Alfonso Cusi illustrated the nuclear plan for the nation. Commenting on reports, the bishop of San Carlos hopes that the president will not turn his back on his appeal, which calls for the development of renewable energies which represent a “cheaper and safer” source than a possible nuclear “holocaust”.

On several public occasions, Duterte criticized members of the Church with violent and often vulgar tones, inviting also to “kill” them because they are “useless”. Since his election, bishops and priests have censored some of the government’s policies. These included the bloody war on drugs, which caused around 5,000 deaths and the imposition of martial law on Mindanao.

This time Msgr. Alminaza hopes that the response from the head of state will be different and that he will not sign the executive order, strengthening his commitment to “green” and renewable energies. “This – concludes the prelate – would be truly beneficial for our people and a concrete act for the care of our common home”

Read more.

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「復興五輪」開催が福島の復興作業を遅らせる　via Newsweek

Posted on 2020/03/06 by nfield

[…]

白い防護服に長靴姿の大沼勇治さん（43）は、傷んで雑草がはびこる自宅の前に立ち、あたりを見回しながら、つぶやいた。「住居の墓場に来たみたい」

2011年の東日本大震災と東京電力福島第1原子力発電所からの放射能流出により、壊滅的な被害を受けた福島県双葉町。同町では夏の東京五輪の聖火リレーを想定し、駅前の道路の補修や町中の除染が急ピッチで続いている。

しかし、大沼さんは、その作業を指さし、「ここで（東京五輪の）聖火リレーをやって欲しくない」と話した。原発事故で7000人を超す双葉町民が失ったものを伝えるには、荒廃し、廃墟となった地域も聖火リレーの通過点として含めるべきだ、との思いが大沼さんにはある。

[…]

歴史を塗り消そうとしている

日本政府にとって、今夏の五輪は被災地域の再建が順調に進んでいる姿を内外に誇示する機会となる

その演出として、今月26日から予定されている東京五輪の聖火リレーは、同原発事故の対応拠点だった福島県沿岸のスポーツ施設「Jヴィレッジ」からスタートする。

東京五輪・パラリンピックの大会組織委員会は2月13日、双葉町を聖火リレーの初日の通過点にすると発表した。新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大への懸念から、同委員会は聖火リレー計画の修正を検討しているが、双葉町は通過点として残る見通しだ。

しかし、聖火リレーのスタートが秒読み段階に入った今もなお、「復興五輪」開催への熱気がすべての被災者に共有されているわけではない。双葉町を福島復興の象徴にしようと、その形作りを最優先する政府の姿勢に批判的な見方も少なからずある。

[…]

思い起こせば12歳の時、福島原発PRのキャッチフレーズを競う地元のコンテストで優勝した事があった。「原子力　明るい未来のエネルギー」という大沼少年の作品は、双葉町が訪れる人々を歓迎するアーチ広告に大きく描かれた。

その広告板は福島事故の数年後に撤去された。町の歴史を正しく見つめるべきだ、として広告板の存続と一般への展示を主張した大沼さんの訴えは通らなかった。

「この町の歴史がすべて消されているような気がします。修正液で塗った感じがする」と大沼さんは語る。大沼さんは現在、太陽光パネル事業で生計を立てている。

[…]

復興作業は後回しに

福島復興を前面に掲げている政府の姿勢とは裏腹に、東京五輪の開催が本当に地域の再建に役立っているのか、という疑問も被災者や住民たちにはある。

福島原発に近い浪江町で飲食店を経営する新妻泰さん（60）は、五輪開催によって工事の人件費や資材コストが上がり、地域の再建プロジェクトは大きく遅れていると指摘する。

「家ひとつ立てるにしても、職人がいないから2年も3年も待たされる」と新妻さんは言う。「こちらは後回しにされているんです」

県の農業や水産業に関与する人々も、政府の対応には批判的だ。

「『アンダー・コントロール』って、何を言ってるんだと思いました」と、同原発から南に50キロ離れたいわき市の漁業協同組合の柳内孝之理事は話す。「復興をネタにオリンピックを勝ち取ったみたいな印象はありますよ」

地元漁業再生への支援を願う柳内さんの思いとは反対に、経済産業省は2月初旬、福島第1原発の汚染水の処理について、海洋放出と水蒸気放出を「現実的な選択肢」とした小委員会の報告を公表した。

同省は今後、地元自治体や漁業関係者などの意見を踏まえて具体的な対策に動く方針だが、柳内さんは風評被害がさらに広がり、地元漁業再生の可能性はさらに打撃を受けると懸念する。

被災者らからのこうした批判に対し、田中和徳復興相は記者会見でロイター通信の質問に答え、東京五輪を念頭に「地域住民に前向きな見方を持ってもらえるよう、関係各県、市町村、各種団体と力を合わせていきたい」と語った。

また、双葉町の伊澤史朗町長は「チェルノブイリと違って、私たちは住民の帰還が目的だ」とし、3月4日の双葉町の避難指示一部解除を「大きな進歩」と述べた。

怒りよりも、あきらめがあるだけ

しかし、解除の対象となるのはわずかな面積にとどまっており、困難区域の大半では帰還のめどが立たない状況が続く。

養蜂業を営んでいた双葉町からいわき市に転居し、レストランを開いている小川貴永さん（49）がかつて住んでいた場所は、コンクリートの瓦礫で覆われ、野生のイノシシなどの汚物も散らばる。昔の名残をとどめているのは庭にある小さなカエルの置物程度だ。

昔の友人や近所の人たちがこの町に戻ってくることはないだろうと小川さんは思っている。妻や子供たちを説得できず、ついに住居の取り壊しに踏み切った。

「もう怒りを感じる段階は過ぎました。ひたすら、あきらめがあるだけです」と小川さんは言った。

（編集：北松克朗）

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