#Radioactive High School Baseball Games in Fukushima

I still remember the bizarre photograph of residents of Tokyo listening to the speech by a candidate during the local elections back in April. With radioactive fallout falling on them with rain, they were listening to the candidate with masks on. The determination of the authorities to carry on what had been planned before the Fukushima I's reactor buildings blew up, and the citizens' willingness to go along with it, as if nothing had happened. Extend and pretend.

Here's the most recent example of "Extend and Pretend", in the annual high school baseball summer tournament. I saw the news when that happened, but was too appalled to post. I am still appalled, but here it is:

This is the measurement of radiation before the ballgame in Fukushima Prefecture on July 13.

Batter box: 0.3 microsievert/hour
Center field: 2.2 microsieverts/hour
3rd base dugout: 0.7 microsievert/hour
3rd base stand: 0.8 microsievert/hour
Back net stand: 0.2 microsievert/hour

NHK, who broadcast the game live, showed this during the game.

Since the highest was less than the "safety" limit of 3.8 microsieverts/hour that the Ministry of Education decided, the game was on. None of the games anywhere has been canceled due to the radiation concern. In fact, the final game to decide the Fukushima representative to the national tournament was played in the rain on July 28. A Christian school located in the high radiation Date City won, and will represent Fukushima Prefecture in the national tournament held in Osaka.

The Japanese did the spring tournament also, right after the Fukushima accident. They didn't even measure the radiation back then.

Big money at stake in the high school baseball. Many top players come from outside the prefecture to play for the schools with strong baseball programs. Radiation be damned.

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