The Implications of Removing the “Sun Child” Statue in Fukushima

By Sae Ochi

At the end of August, a decision was made to remove a statue—named “Sun Child”—that had been erected in Fukushima after the tsunami-caused nuclear accident of March 11, 2011. The statue depicts a boy who wears a yellow protective suit but no helmet. Looking up at the sky, he has a monitor on his chest with the counter set at "000." Six meters tall, the statue has provoked strong reactions among those who have seen it.

The reason for its removal seems to be criticism from local residents. One person said, “It gives the impression that children used to wear protective suits back then.” Another resident commented, “It stokes fear that Fukushima has high levels of radiation.” Meanwhile, someone else remarked, “It would be impossible for the display to read ‘000’ since there is always some natural background radiation.” It is not clear if any of those views represent a majority of public opinion. Indeed, many people in the prefecture, while voicing their understanding of the feelings of the statue’s critics, personally wanted the piece to remain. In the end, the decision was that it had to go as long as it hurt some residents’ feelings. The issue inherent in this episode is not, I believe, whether Sun ...more

22 February, 2018

We All Live Inside the “Boundary” of Fukushima

Since the disaster in March 2011, Fukushima University has carried out its Fukushima Ambassador Program (FAP) twice yearly, for two weeks each, providing foreign exchange students with opportunities to visit affected areas in Fukushima Prefecture. Through homestays, the students are supposed to see the actual conditions in the area and how people are coping.

Sae Ochi, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. Lecturer, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine Attending Physician, Soma Central Hospital The first FAP took place in May 2012, a little more than a year after the earthquake, tsunamis and accident happened in March 2011, and a time when even many Japanese were reluctant to enter the region. “During the first program,” said William McMichael, “a pair of gloves painted red was sent from the U.S. to the university president with the message, ‘Are you trying to kill our students? Their blood will be on your hands.’” Despite that, McMichael—a Japanese-Canadian who serves as FAP’s sponsor—has never ceased working to act as a “bridge” between other countries and Fukushima, traveling abroad and steadily carrying out pub...more
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