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On April 5, representatives of local municipalities in the Futaba area directly surrounding Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant travelled to Tokyo to meet with Prime Minister Naoto Kan and to hand him an urgent petition.
The Chair of the town and village assembly in the Futaba area, Yuko Endo, said, “We want you to ensure that the situation at the reactors is stabilized as soon as possible. Under current conditions we cannot even search for the missing or lay the dead to rest, and moreover we cannot foresee what our lives will be like from now on and what the future holds. We continue to live our lives in evacuation centres with no ray of hope.” He urged the Prime Minister to provide compensation for the damage suffered by local farmers and fishermen, and for the government to provide backup for livestock farmers, in particular those who are now forced to contemplate slaughtering their cattle, as well as to enable evacuees from the 20 kilometre zone around the reactor to return temporarily to their homes.
In response, Kan said, “The suffering you are being asked to bear is unimaginable, but Tokyo Electric Power Company, along with the government, SDF troops and fire fighters are sparing no effort in working ceaselessly to bring the reactors into a stable condition. It is unfortunate that I am unable to tell you now when and how that will be achieved, but I would first like to create as soon as possible a situation where we can say that we have “conquered the first obstacle”. I think that your comment that you have “no ray of hope” carries a great deal of weight. With regard to compensation for this huge accident, of course Tokyo Electric Power Company will be asked to do as much as they possibly can, but I would like to take this opportunity to promise you that the government will ultimately take full responsibility. With regard to the temporary return of evacuees to their homes, we are currently focusing on considering how we can fulfil everyone’s requests while ensuring their safety.” Kan went on to reiterate, “I am truly sorry for the suffering you are being asked to bear, including that which is the responsibility of the government. Ultimately, the government will take full responsibility in dealing with this situation.”
The main points of the petition submitted by the Futaba municipalities are as follows. (1) Make every effort to bring the accident at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to an end as soon as possible. (2) Government should take responsibility for enacting a special measures law to provide full compensation to those producers suffering damage as a result of the nuclear power disaster. (3) As local residents as expected to face a long period of evacuation, take prompt measures to guarantee provision of lump sum payments as well as food, clothing and shelter. (4) Take prompt measures to provide assistance to business owners both inside and outside the evacuation zone, as well as employment measures for workers. (5) Work to guarantee places at educational establishments for children etc from the affected areas. (6) Work to ensure that elderly evacuees receive medical and nursing care services at their place of evacuation. (7) Work to strengthen crime prevention measures as anxiety over public safety increases in the affected areas. (8) Implement prompt searches for those missing after the tsunami and measures to enable the dead to be put to rest. (9) Provide government compensation for all those suffering from the effects of radiation whether direct or indirect (including those suffered from unfounded rumours). (10) Enable residents from the 20 km exclusion zone to return temporarily to their homes. (11) Endeavour to eliminate areas where telephone communication (whether via land-line or mobile phone) is not possible. (12) Engage in prompt repair of infrastructure.
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