#Radioactive Debris: New Osaka Governor to Citizens - "Don't Interrupt!"

47-year-old Ichiro Matsui is the newly elected governor of Osaka Prefecture who is all for accepting the disaster (and radioactive) debris from Tohoku. He convened the first meeting of experts to decide on the guidelines for accepting the debris, but the meeting was "rudely", according to him, interrupted by the citizens who don't want any radioactive debris to be burned and buried in Osaka. The meeting was canceled after one hour.

The governor was so incensed at this inappropriate behavior by the citizens who were supposed to just observe the meeting that he decided to keep the citizens in a separate room next time and make them watch the live feed of the meeting so that they don't interrupt the meeting with their silly questions about radiation.

The ex-governor of Osaka, 42-year-old Toru Hashimoto, is also very eager to accept debris. Now that he has become the new mayor of Osaka City, he and Matsui (they are of the same party called Osaka Restoration Association) want to push hard for the radioactive debris brought to Osaka. Pesky citizens be damned.

Will Osaka people put up with this? (Well, enough people voted for this guy, so maybe they will.)

(Here's the picture of the powerful duo. Governor Matsui is on the left, ex-Governor Hashimoto is on the right. He looks so youthful that I've started to think he hasn't graduated from the middle school yet.)

From Sankei Shinbun Western Japan edition (12/7/2011):

東日本大震災で発生した災害廃棄物の受け入れをめぐり、７日に開かれた大阪府内で処理する際の指針を検討する府の専門家会議が、放射性物質の影響を懸念して反対する傍聴者からの発言が相次いだため紛糾し、開始から約１時間で中止を余儀なくされた。同日、受け入れを前向きに検討する意向を示した松井一郎知事は「科学的知見を検討する会議の進行を妨げるのはいかがなものか」と不快感を示し、次回から別室でのモニター傍聴に切り替える方針を示した。

Regarding the acceptance of disaster debris from the March 11 earthquake/tsunami, the Osaka prefectural government held a meeting on December 7 of experts to decide on the guidelines of debris disposal within the prefecture. But the meeting was disrupted from the citizens who were observing the meeting and spoke up against the acceptance due to the concern for the effect of radioactive materials, and it had to be abandoned after about one hour. Governor Ichiro Matsui, who has already expressed willingness to accept the debris, was very displeased, and said "I don't think it was appropriate for [these people] to interrupt the meeting that discussed scientific knowledge. He plans to have the citizens observe the meeting in a different room via the [live] monitor.

　府によると、会議では受け入れに反対する傍聴者の市民らから「本当に健康被害が出ないのか」などと本来認められていない発言が相次いだ。座長の山本孝夫・大阪大大学院教授らは議事の進行が困難と判断し、打ち切りを決めたという。

According to the prefectural government, citizens who were against accepting the debris spoke up one after another, asking to know whether there would really be no damage to health. Remarks from the observers are not allowed. Professor Takao Yamamoto of Osaka University, who was the chairman of the meeting, and others decided that the meeting couldn't proceed in an orderly way, and canceled the meeting.

　府でのがれきの受け入れは、前知事の橋下徹・次期大阪市長が５月府議会で表明。松井知事も「安全性が確認されれば、困っている被災者のためにも受け入れるべきだ」としている。

Acceptance of disaster debris in Osaka was first expressed in May in the prefectural assemby by the then-governor and soon-to-be mayor of Osaka City Toru Hashimoto. Governor Matsui also says, "If the safety is confirmed, we should accept the debris to help the victims of the disaster."

　同会議で議論されている処理指針の骨子では、放射性セシウムの濃度が１キロ当たり２００ベクレルのがれきの山を被災地で選別し、破砕した上でコンテナに密閉し、船で大阪まで輸送。陸揚げ後、放射性物質が外部へ飛散しない設備を整えた民間業者の施設でさらに選別・破砕し、市町村や民間の焼却施設へ運搬、焼却灰の埋め立てに際してはセシウム濃度が国の基準の４分の１以下であることを確認する案が示されている。

According to the guidelines for processing the debris that are to be discussed in the meeting, the debris with the density of radioactive cesium of 200 becquerels/kg will be first sorted and crushed in the disaster areas, then it will be put in sealed containers and brought to Osaka by ship. After landing in Osaka, the debris will be further sorted and crushed by private companies that has the facilities to prevent the escape of radioactive materials. Then it will be transported to municipal and private waste processing plants and burned. Before burying the ashes, the density of radioactive cesium is to be measured and it should be less than one-quarter of the national safety limit.

　府は、年内に処理指針を策定し、被災県や焼却施設を持つ府内の市町村と、受け入れに向けた調整を始める予定だった。しかし、府にこれまで寄せられた意見１万件超のほとんどは反対意見で、７日の会議中止と合わせ、年内の指針策定は難しい情勢だという。

The Osaka government had planned to decide on the guidelines before the end of this year, and to start negotiation with the disaster-hit prefectures and with the municipalities in Osaka that have incineration plants. However, almost all of 10,000 messages received at the government are against accepting the debris. Coupled with the cancellation of the meeting on December 7, it looks difficult to decide on the guidelines before the end of this year.

Just like Tokyo. Osaka will burn the radioactive debris in the municipal incineration plants all over Osaka. These criminal people are duly elected. Viva democracy.

Debris with 200 becquerels/kg of cesium will burn to produce ashes that may have 6600 becquerels/kg of cesium (33 times concentration). I don't know what national standard they are talking about, but assuming it is 8000 becquerels/kg that is decreed "safe" for burying in the landfill by the Ministry of [Destruction of] the Environment, Osaka's ashes will be too radioactive to bury with abandon. Well I suppose they can simply mix and match and burn to lower the radioactivity.

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