Japan: ten years after the nuclear accident, Fukushima is still struggling to recover
A Japanese couple pray for the victims of the Fukushima tragedy on March 11, 2011. AP
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4 min
In Fukushima, in northern Japan, the earthquake and then the tsunami that followed had partially or totally demolished more than 100,000 homes on March 11, 2011. Ten years later, nine out of ten public reconstruction projects were carried out. good.
However, the relaunch of the region is long overdue.
And concern is growing in the Fukushima region, as the government is in the process of authorizing the discharge into the Pacific Ocean of a million tonnes of water from the nuclear power plant.
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With our correspondent in Tokyo,
Bruno Duval
The governor of Fukushima, Masao Uchibori, is satisfied with the progress made in ten years in the reconstruction of his region.
“
Only 2% of our territory is still uninhabitable because of the excessively high radiation rate, six times less than in 2011. Everywhere else, the radiation rate has returned to normal
,” he says.
Despite everything, a quarter of the 160,000 inhabitants who had to flee the region after the disaster have still not returned.
Globally, our population is declining year after year.
Making people want to live in Fukushima: this is really our major challenge
”.
Many former residents do not return because they do not believe in the low radiation rate welcomed by the authorities.
This mistrust also harms farmers in the region, which irritates the Minister of Reconstruction, Katsuei Hirasawa, who affirms: “
Fifteen countries still limit or ban the importation of agricultural products from Fukushima for fear that they are contaminated.
This unfounded discrimination is unbearable.
I said this very firmly to the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs when he last came to Tokyo
”.
South Korea, like China, is on guard.
Seoul has also criticized the fact that, this summer, at the Tokyo Olympics, agricultural products from Fukushima will be served to athletes staying at the Olympic Village.
Concern for the project to discharge water from the power station into the ocean
In addition, concern is growing in the Fukushima region, as
the government is in the process of authorizing the discharge into the Pacific Ocean of one million tonnes of water
, the equivalent of 500 Olympic swimming pools, coming from the nuclear power plant that was devastated by the tsunami ten years ago.
These waters have been treated, but still contain tritium and carbon 14.
Therefore, according to Yumiko Hata, of the Ministry of Energy, their rejection at sea would not pose the slightest problem.
"
The level of tritium would only increase in an area of 2 kilometers around the plant, but it would remain fully in line with international standards
," she explains.
Everywhere else, it would only reach 10
becquerels, the tritium content that the World Health Organization allows in mineral water
”.
But according to all the polls, the Japanese are very hostile to this project.
"
The authorities tell us that it will be safe for the environment or health
," said a Tokyoite.
But can we really believe them?
In 2011, they had minimized the severity of the nuclear accident
”.
“
Two years ago,
Japan shocked the whole world by allowing whales to be hunted for commercial purposes
,” adds a woman.
Now it is about to pollute the ocean.
This lack of respect for the marine ecosystem is absolutely appalling
”.
The fishermen of Fukushima categorically refuse to dump these waters from the nuclear power plant into the sea.
Because they have no doubts: it would make their fish absolutely unsaleable.
Consumers won't want to risk ending up with tritium or carbon-14 on their plate.
► To read also: Japan: the difficult decontamination of the soil around the Fukushima plant
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