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
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NRA Chairman Worried that Tritium Water Storage Would Complicate Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning
At a regular press briefing on September 5, Toyoshi Fuketa, chairman of Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), said that his opinion about the handling of tritium water stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants was to “wait and see,” following two days of public hearings on the subject at the end of August. “Given that a precise process is proceeding,” he said, “we are waiting to make a judgment.”
Incidentally, the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)—the multi-nuclide removal equipment that purifies and treats contaminated water generated at the Fukushima Daiichi NPPs—cannot remove the tritium in the water, requiring another method.
The public hearings on the handling of the tritium water were conducted by a task force of experts from Japan’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) on August 30 in Tomioka Town (Fukushima Prefecture), and on August 31 in Koriyama City (Fukushima Prefecture) and Tokyo.
A total of 44 people, including those in local fisheries, voiced their opinions at the hearings. Some were concerned about the damage caused by unfounded fears and rumors concerning the effects of the offshore disposal of tritium water. Meanwhile, many others thought t...more
