Called "Garbage Island"... Apr 4 at 12:16

"There is no going back to normal in my lifetime" One

of the largest illegal dumping cases of industrial waste in Japan, which was discovered on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea more than 30 years ago. One of the islanders affirms so.

This problem, known as the Teshima Incident, had a major impact on the subsequent mass consumer society.

Last month, a long-standing treatment project to restore the environment of the contaminated island was terminated after the deadline of the national special measures law.

However, a final solution has not yet been reached.

Those who know the incident for the first time

"I thought it was a really terrible history, and there is no way that such a thing should be transported to an island where people live,"

said celebrity Sakura Inoue when she visited Teshima in Kagawa Prefecture in late February.

It was my first visit. We looked around the museum built by the residents to inform them of the history of the industrial waste incident, and the land where the industrial waste was actually buried, which is now without a trace.

When Shozo Aki of the Teshima Residents' Council told him that more than 30 years had passed since the problem was discovered, and that many of the islanders involved had already died, Inoue's usually cheerful expression became even more grim.

Mr. Inoue walks around the island as if stepping on each step. He paused slowly and spoke in a choked voice.

Sakura Inoue:
"It's a terrible story, it was shocking, because I think there is really little I can do about it because I have made such a bloody effort that you can not even imagine, and I am still fighting for a long time, but I will send it out on SNS as something that stands in front of people. I thought it was important for everyone to know that something like this had happened and to engrave it."

As a person with the ability to communicate, Mr. Inoue wants to seriously think about what he can do. This incident, which had a strong impact on first-time visitors, made them realize that there are still many scars left behind.

Anyway, why did you decide to visit the island now?

In fact, this visit was organized by an apparel company unrelated to the incident. A series of treatment projects in Teshima, including the removal of waste, ended in March. Before the end of the event, he decided to enlist Inoue's help in order to tell him about the incident again.

What is the Teshima Incident?

Teshima is located in Tonosho Town, Kagawa Prefecture. It has a population of less than 800 and is mainly agricultural and tourism.

It is also the setting for the Setouchi Triennale, a contemporary art festival held once every three years, and is becoming known as an island of art.

On this scenic island rich in nature, something unusual happened in the Showa 50s.

A company called Teshima General Tourism Development, which received a project license from the prefecture, brought in a large amount of industrial waste, mainly from urban areas such as the Kansai region, and finally removed more than 91,<> tons.

It also contained scrap car shredder dust, sludge and waste oil.

Naturally, the stench was terrible. Open burning was also carried out, and the smoke that rose high could be seen from Takamatsu City, about 15 kilometers away. According to residents, many children developed asthma.

"Something terrible is happening on the island,"

residents repeatedly complained at the time, but few people were interested.

After more than 10 years of illegal dumping, the Hyogo Prefectural Police caught the vendor in Heisei 2.

But the problem started here. The vendors went out of business, leaving a huge amount of industrial waste on the island. The residents applied for national pollution mediation to make the prefecture accept responsibility and restore it to its original state.

Starting with 150 days of protests in front of the prefectural government, they continued to fight.

Then, in Heisei 12, the prefecture finally agreed to remove the waste, clean up contaminated soil and groundwater, and return the land to the residents.

Return of unforeseen land

After receiving a final agreement with the residents, the prefecture has been promoting treatment projects such as the removal of waste and the purification of contaminated groundwater.

The Act on Special Measures, in which the government provides financial support for these projects, expired at the end of March.

Aki of the Teshima Residents' Council, who has been fighting for a long time with lawyers, says:

Mr
. Shozo Aki of the Teshima Residents' Council: "It has been 48 years since I was involved in this case, and there was a pollution mediation and the direction of waste disposal was decided, and we did exactly that, but it didn't go well. So, after removing waste, cleaning up groundwater, and clearing the land, I feel like we've finally come this far."

But even now, the land has not returned to the people.

The reason for this was that the conditions for contaminated groundwater had not yet been achieved.

Groundwater contaminated with harmful substances from a large amount of industrial waste.

The state of contamination was severe, and the prefecture proceeded with cleanup, such as by introducing chemicals with pinpoint accuracy.

Although the "wastewater standard" that can be released into the sea has been achieved, what the residents demanded when returning the land was "restoration to its original state." He also called for the purification of contaminated groundwater to the extent that it would not affect health if it continued to be drunk as drinking water.

For this, it is necessary to further dilute harmful substances by one tenth.

However, it is extremely difficult to further reduce the concentration of harmful substances that have dropped to a certain level. Conventional measures have their limitations, and we have had to rely on natural purification through rainwater infiltration.

Professor Emeritus Katsuya Nagata of Waseda University, who has been involved in the processing business for a long time, reveals:

Katsuya Nagata, Professor
Emeritus of Waseda University, said, "Groundwater treatment can be quite a difficult task if it continues to be contaminated so much. It's a frustrating thought, isn't it? I wanted to get rid of it in my generation, but it didn't happen."

Initially, groundwater purification was expected to be completed in about 10 years, but it is no longer known how fast the purification will proceed by natural forces.

For that reason, it is not possible to predict when it will be returned.

Connecting thoughts

Mr. Aki, a resident of Teshima, seemed determined that he would never be able to see the disposal site with his own eyes again, and that he would never be able to see the scenery of the island like I used to see when I was a child in his lifetime.

"Is it okay if we don't have to wait until the final solution?"

muttered Aki in response to a question he had been asking for a long time as a reporter.

Mr
. Shozo Aki of the Teshima Residents' Council: "Even so, the way to solve this case is to take responsibility for the people who are alive now, or rather, to do what I have to do, and to pass on better things to the next generation."

And one of the companies that supported this was an apparel company that planned Sakura Inoue's visit to the island.

Donation boxes have been set up at all stores in Japan, and environmental conservation activities have been carried out in Teshima and other places for many years.

Eiko Shcherba, who has been involved in social contribution activities since she joined the company, reveals that the company's involvement in Teshima began more than 20 years ago when Chairman and President Tadashi Yanai visited the island.

Eiko Shcherba, General Manager
of Fast Retailing's Corporate Public Relations Department, said, "With the fleece boom, it was a time when we had a strong awareness that we had to contribute to society in order for the company to grow as a global company in the future. I heard that Yanai genuinely felt that we had to convey these problems."

Business and environmental protection Conflict too

The apparel industry generates a lot of waste in the process of production and distribution.

Shcherba believes that as a person who promotes projects that have an impact on the environment, he must know about the Teshima incident, and has been involved in training on the island four times a year.

Over the past 4 years, 20,1500 people have participated in the event, learning about the history of the incident and planting trees.

The manager of a store in Tokyo, who participated in the training in Teshima, said, "After I went to the island, I honestly came to think that there are so many packaging materials available in stores."

These efforts have led to a change in awareness, and the large amount of packaging materials generated in stores has been reused and sorted.

Today, the recycling rate of corrugated cardboard has reached 100%. Recently, they have also started a service to collect used products and repair clothes, aiming to establish clothes that can be used for a long time.

However, he also revealed that there is a conflict with the business of selling clothing at affordable prices based on the philosophy of "the ultimate everyday wear that everyone can wear comfortably in their own style."

Eiko
Shcherba: "I sometimes wonder what the significance of our existence is, and while I think about the Teshima incident, there are times when it is contradictory in a sense that business has to be carried out by business. I think it's quite a challenge to figure out how to achieve customer satisfaction while achieving that."

"For a society that leaves no money behind"

In addition to other companies such as machine manufacturing, beauty, and confectionery manufacturing, various people are involved in the succession of the Teshima incident, including research institutes and children on the island. Last year, 1 people from four companies and organizations visited for training.

In addition to training on the island, we also printed Teshima on take-home bags and planted trees to restore vegetation. The presence that inherits the incident has also become a reassuring presence for Mr. Aki, a resident.

Shozo
Aki: "It's a beacon of hope. The best thing is to know Teshima. It's not about participating, it's about what this incident was. I think everyone will share their wisdom and various people will take action to take over a society that leaves no traces of damage."

I finally felt like I understood Aki's words.

I feel that the topic of the incident, which has passed decades, has been forgotten even here in Takamatsu.

But in the end, we have to start by knowing.

I myself was like that. And I'm going to keep telling them.

Nagoya Broadcasting Station Reporter
Hiroko
Suzuki Joined the station in 29 Until
March, he was in charge of administration at the Takamatsu station, and now the Nagoya station