Tokyo Metropolitan Government Employees Tell Citizens Who Protest Against Disaster Debris: "There's Nothing You Can Do About It, Ha-ha"

or worse. One of them said to the caller, "It is a fate for children to accept radiation contamination."

Here are three tweets by the citizens who called the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Environment to protest against the disaster (and radioactive) debris from Iwate Prefecture, which is now being burned in that TEPCO's subsidiary on the landfill in Tokyo Bay. I present them as I found them on Twitter; I don't have reasons to suspect they are fake, but use your own judgment. From what I've heard directly from people who have called the Bureau or the national government's Ministry of the Environment in the past, this kind of response is all too typical.

It does seem that the bureaucrats are very well trained under the governor who scolded the protesting Tokyo residents and told them to "shut up".

First,

『【東京都環境局 高橋さん】03-5388-3436 超ケンカ口調 ｢どんなに電話かかってきても瓦礫受け入れはやめない｣｢子供が放射能汚染受け入れるのも運命の１つ｣｢クレームの電話にしか思えない｣｢仕事だからあなたと話してる｣自分の立場を忘れて暴言吐きまくり〜』

Mr. Takahashi at Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Environment: Extremely combative. "We will continue to accept the debris no matter how many [protest] phone calls we receive." "It is a fate for children to accept radiation contamination." "You are just calling to file a claim." "I am talking to you only because it is [unfortunately] my job to do so." Abusive words, forgetting his position [as a public servant].

Then,

『環境局のネモトさん(男性)も凄かったです。「瓦礫を燃やしても灰なんか出ないよ。灰ってなあに？言ってみろ」。高圧的な物言いを指摘すると、「ハーイ！ごめんなさーい！ハーイ！いいお返事でしょ！謝ってまーす！」と。レベル低すぎて悲しくなりました。』

Mr. Nemoto of the Bureau of Environment was also terrible. He said, "There will be no ashes after burning the debris, you idiot. What are ashes, please? Tell me that." When I pointed out to him his overbearing manners, he replied, "Oh yeesss, I am sooo sorry. Yessir! I am answering very politely, aren't I? I am apologizing nooowww." I felt very sad at this depravity.

Then,

『東京都環境局のイワナガさんという女性も酷かったです。放射性物質が飛散するけど安全。都民の代表の都議会で賛成を得ているから受け入れても問題無し。民意を問う仕組みはない。おまけに電話切られました。』

Ms. Iwanaga of Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Environment was also bad. [She said] "Radioactive materials would disperse [by burning the debris] but it would be safe; there was no problem at all because it had been agreed and approved in the Metropolitan Assembly which represents the residents of Tokyo; there was no system whereby the residents have a direct say in the matter." To top it off, she hung up on me.

I just couldn't do enough justice to the sheer rudeness of the second message, in translation.

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