Mayor of Shimada City on Burning Disaster Debris in His City: "I'll Do It Anyway Even If Local Residents Oppose"

Yomiuri Shinbun Shizuoka local version (3/1/2012):

震災がれきの受け入れ問題で、試験溶融を行った島田市の桜井勝郎市長は２９日、「３月中にも（本格的な）受け入れを表明したい」との意向を明らかにした。ただ、溶融の開始時期については「輸送の問題もあり、国や県と相談する」と述べるにとどまった。

Mayor of Shimada City in Shizuoka Prefecture Katsuro Sakurai revealed his plan on February 29 to formally declare the city's acceptance of disaster debris. The city conducted the test burning the debris in the melting furnace. As to the start date of the burning/melting, he only said that he would consult with the national and prefectural governments as the issue of transporting the debris remains.

　同日の定例記者会見で明らかにした。桜井市長は、試験溶融での排ガスの放射能濃度など詳細な測定値が３月１２～１３日頃に判明するとの見通しを示し、「（溶融施設や最終処分場がある）地元や議会にデータを報告したい」と語った。だが、本格受け入れを決定する際、「地元に了解は求めない」との考えを示した。

During the regular press conference on February 29, Mayor Sakurai said the detailed test results from the test burning/melting including the radioactivity of the exhaust gas would be known on March 12 or 13, and that the results would be shared with the local district (where the melting furnace and the final disposal site are located) and with the City Assembly. However, he made it clear that he would not ask for permission from the local district [residents] when he decides to accept the debris.

　市は、震災がれきの溶融で生じた飛灰について、市内の最終処分場に埋め立て処理する方針。国の指針では、１キロ・グラムあたり８０００ベクレル以下であれば最終処分場に埋め立て処理できると定めているが、桜井市長は「（一般ゴミと震災がれきの）混合溶融で生じた飛灰が５００ベクレルを超える場合は最終処分場に捨てない」と述べ、独自の判断基準を示した。

The city plans to bury the fly ashes from the melting furnace in the city's final disposal site. The national government's guideline allows burying materials in the final disposal sites if the radioactivity is 8000 becquerels/kg or less. Mayor Sakurai said the city would have its own standard of 500 becquerels/kg for the fly ashes from the burning/melting of the mix (household garbage mixed with disaster debris). "If the radioactivity of the fly ashes exceeds 500 becquerels/kg, the ashes won't be buried in the final disposal site", the mayor said.

　２８日に静岡市が試験焼却の実施を表明したことについて、桜井市長は「島田市では一部しか受け入れができず、他の市町の動きが出たことは大変うれしい。そのための一端を果たせたことは満足している」と、感想を述べた。

Mayor Sakurai referred to the announcement on February 28 by Shizuoka City that it would conduct test burning, and said, "Shimada City could accept only a small portion of the disaster debris. I am very happy that other municipalities are moving toward accepting it. I am satisfied that I was able to get the ball rolling."

When I tweeted this Yomiuri article yesterday to my Japanese twitter followers, they were incredulous that this mayor would say things like this in a "democracy". Many people were saying "This cannot be allowed in a democracy!" Then, one person started to muse, "Maybe the definition of 'democracy' has changed..."

When governors and mayors like Mr. Sakurai says "local residents or district", they most certainly do not mean each individual resident in the district. They simply mean the heads of the self-governing neighborhood associations. As long as those heads agree, that's all that matters. Often, these heads of the neighborhood associations are prominent residents with ties with the politicians and officials and business interests that would be greatly promoted with such close ties.

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