The imperial family has the 252-hectare Imperial Stock Farm managed by the Imperial Household Agency. It is located in Takanezawa-machi in Tochigi Prefecture, and it produces organic vegetables, eggs, meat, and milk for use in the imperial household.
Part of northan Kanto - Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma - has had elevated levels of radiation since the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident last year. Vegetables, mushrooms, teas, and beef from the area have been found with levels of radioactive cesium exceeding the old provisional safety limit of 500 becquerels/kg. But the Imperial Household Agency has kept sending the produce from the Farm to the Imperial Household with young children as if nothing has happened.
The photo below is an ad banner of the magazine you see inside the trains in Japan. The first headline (the right most one) says Prince Hisahito is very fond of the milk from the Imperial Stock Farm, and that milk has been found with 16 becquerels/kg of cesium, even when the commercial milk has no cesium.
Prince Hisahito is 5 years old. Crown Prince and Princess have the young daughter, Princess Aiko (age 11). The emperor himself is still recovering from his heart surgery.
Many on Twitter are saying "They finally talk about it, now? After more than 1 year?"
The imperial family is lost too
ReplyDeleteYes, a bit late but at least someone disclosed this. Here is the thing, nothing is going to change for years. The newly established limits would dictate so.
ReplyDeleteI find it surreal that even the Imperial Family, is disrespected in this utter debacle. We know it affects children. We know TEPCO concealed facts. Here is our result, even the Imperial Agencies are not protecting the Imperial Family.
ReplyDeleteThe situation and the mismanagement of the cleanup / waste containment is so severe that the emperor cannot remain silent.
ReplyDeleteThe situation in Japan is beyond politics. If the government does not stop its debris-spreading policies, ALL of Japan and ALL that is Japanese will be lost.
First, the radioactive damage must be contained. Materials (food, used cars, wood, stone, etc) must be stopped from leaving the contaminated area. Disaster debris with low dose radiation must not be shipped around Japan. Materials of all kinds already shipped out must be returned to the contaminated area. Food should be imported rather than force people in one of the richest economies of the world to support farmers who raise contaminated crops and livestock on contaminated land. The farmers must be relocated to places where they can farm safely.
Second, the entire resources of the government should be made available to secure the Fukushima site. TEPCO should be removed from decision making. Only the government can spend the amounts of money needed to fix this site.
This issue involves the very survival of Japanese culture, the beautiful Japanese land, the health of the Japanese people, the children, the viability of Japan's economy, and it's national security. As the ultimate protector and promoter of Japanese culture, the emperor is obligated to step in now. He has been relatively silent too long.
Japan's government has been stealthily taken over by the nuclear power industry. We should all recognize this now. Those in power must be made to renounce nuclear power and demonstrate by their actions. The emperor's clear speaking can make this happen.
It is time for the emperor to speak up. It is time for him to call on the government to take different steps, and call on the Japanese people to act.