#Fukushima "Special District for Medical Research" Planned by Japanese Government

From Nikkei Shinbun (full article is for subscribers only; 8/12/2011):

政府と福島県で検討を進めている医療特区制度の概要が明らかになった。薬事法の規制を県内に限って緩和し、医療機器の製造・販売への新規参入を促す。県内の病院に症例を集めたデータセンターや、再発ガンの研究所を設置し、医薬品や医療機器のメーカー、研究者などを誘致する。政府は2011年度第３次補正予算案で約100億円を計上する見通しだ。

Creation of the "Special District" system for medical research has been in discussion between the national government and the Fukushima prefectural government, and the outline of the system has been revealed. It includes: loosening the regulations of the Japanese Pharmaceutical Affairs Law only in Fukushima Prefecture and thus encouraging new entrants to the medical equipment manufacturing and sales; setting up data centers for medical cases and research centers for recurrent cancer at hospitals in Fukushima, which will attract pharmaceutical companies, medical equipment companies and medical researchers to Fukushima. The government is expected to allocate 10 billion yen (US$130 million) in the 3rd supplementary budget for the fiscal 2011.

10 billion yen to set up pharmaceutical research and data collection centers so that pharmaceutical and medical equipment industries flock to Fukushima. The government is clearly looking forward to a thriving medical industry in Fukushima with abundant (slightly over 2 million) research subjects of all ages.

From the above short description, it doesn't seem to be about treating people who will come down with radiation sickness. It is about collecting data and experimentation.

Since the national government is fiscally broke, the money will eventually come from the Japanese taxpayers, who will be made accomplice to this human experiment in Fukushima. Dr. Shunichi "Damashita (who conned, lied, tricked, duped, take your pick)" Yamashita must be so thrilled.

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