#Fukushima Governor Requested TEPCO to Say "No Health Worries" After Reactor 3 Explosion

(Ah, but you don't need to believe it, because that's what TEPCO recorded in the video. "TEPCO lies", remember? They must have fabricated the scene.)

From Jiji Tsushin (8/24/2012):

「健康心配ない」広報要請か＝３号機爆発、福島県が東電に

Fukushima Prefecture requested TEPCO for "No health worries" PR after Reactor 3 explosion?

　東京電力は２４日、昨年３月１４日に福島第１原発３号機の原子炉建屋が水素爆発した際、福島県職員から「健康被害の心配はない」と広報するよう要請された可能性が高いと発表した。県は「具体的な情報がなく、調査は困難」としている。

TEPCO announced on August 24 that it was highly likely that officials of the Fukushima prefectural government requested [TEPCO] to make the public announcement that "there are no worries on health" when the Reactor 3 building had a hydrogen explosion on March 14 last year. The Fukushima prefectural government says, "There is no concrete information, and the investigation is difficult."

　東電が公開したテレビ会議映像には、「観測された放射線量から、健康に被害が出る心配はないという文言を報道文に入れてほしいと県知事から話があった」という社員の発言が記録されている。この場面が報じられると、佐藤雄平知事が発言を否定、１０日に東電に調査を求めた。

In the video footage of the teleconferences that TEPCO has made public, a TEPCO employee is heard saying "There has been a request from the governor of Fukushima to insert the words in our press release to say there will be no worries of damage to health judging by the radiation levels that have been measured." When this particular scene was reported in the media, Governor Yuhei Sato denied he had ever said it, and asked TEPCO to investigate the matter on August 10.

I think it's more likely that it was not TEPCO who didn't want the free and open access to all the video recording.

Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato once said he was the most famous governor in the whole world thanks to the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Tweet

US Ambassador to Japan in #Fukushima: "Presence of US Citizens in Fukushima Will Appeal to the World That Fukushima Is Safe"

Mr. John Roos, US Ambassador to Japan, is visiting Fukushima with officials from 30 US companies in decontamination business, promising full cooperation in Fukushima's effort to have the residents come back to their homes in the areas contaminated with radioactive materials from the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident.

He also put in a word that the presence of the US citizens, working on the decontamination projects in Fukushima, will be beneficial as it will appeal to the world that Fukushima is now safe.

It was Mr. Roos who recommended the US citizens in Japan to leave the 50-mile (or 80-kilometer) radius from the plant, right after the accident started on March 11, 2011. But now, the US businessmen can be "safely" in Fukushima. After all, US college kids and high school kids have already been in Fukushima, doing cultural exchange and volunteer cleanup work.

So of course it is safe for adults...

From Fukushima Minpo (6/28/2012; emphasis is mine):

除染業務　米国が全面協力　ルース駐日大使が佐藤知事に約束

US will cooperate in all aspects of decontamination work, US Ambassador to Japan Roos promises Fukushima Governor Sato

　米国のルース駐日大使は２７日、県庁で佐藤雄平知事と懇談し、米国の技術を生かし、除染事業に全面協力する考えを示した。米国の除染関係企業３０社の関係者が一緒に訪れた。

US Ambassador to Japan Roos met with Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato on June 27 at the Fukushima prefectural government office, and told him that the US will cooperate in all aspects of decontamination work utilizing the US technologies. Officials from 30 US companies in decontamination businesses accompanied Ambassador Roos.

　ルース大使は「米国は除染分野で最先端の技術を有しており、福島が抱える問題を解決するパートナーになれる。ここにいる人たちも福島のために何かできないか考えている」と述べた。さらに「米国民が福島に居ることで、全世界に（福島が）安全な場所であることをアピールできる」と語った。

Ambassador Roos said, "The US possesses the cutting-edge technologies in decontamination, and can be a good partner to solve problems that Fukushima faces. All these people here [probably referring to the businessmen who accompanied him] are also thinking of what they can do to help Fukushima." He further said, "By having the US citizens in Fukushima, we can appeal to the entire world that [Fukushima] is safe."

　佐藤知事は東日本大震災後の米国からの支援に感謝した上で「県民の帰還を進める上で除染は大きな課題。今回の来県を通して技術を高めてほしい」と期待を寄せた。

Governor Sato thanked the ambassador for the help from the US after the March 11, 2011 earthquake/tsunami, and said "Decontamination is a huge task as we proceed on having the residents return home. I hope the visit to Fukushima this time will [further?] enhance your [decontamination] technologies."

　一行は、福島市の杉妻会館で県と福島市の担当者から県内の除染の現状や進捗（しんちょく）状況の説明を受けた。
　引き続き、福島市の南向台、大波両地区と伊達市の除染現場を視察した。

The group was briefed on the progress of decontamination work in the prefecture by the officials from the prefectural government and the Fukushima City government in Sugitsuma Kaikan [conference center and lodge run by the Fukushima prefectural government] in Fukushima City. Afterwards, they visited the decontamination sites in Nankodai and Onami Districts in Fukushima City and in Date City.

Ambassador Roos visited Fukushima in January this year, and spent more than one hour talking to residents from Okuma-machi in their temporary housing in Iwaki City. That's much more than most Japanese government politicians have done.

Tweet

#Fukushima Governor May Do "Free Healthcare For Fukushima Children" Using the Fund Set Aside for Decon and Health Surveys

After rejection by the national government of the scheme that Fukushima Prefecture has been pushing - free medical care for children under 18 who live in Fukushima Prefecture, the governor of Fukushima says he may do that on his own, using the fund given to Fukushima for decontamination and health survey of the residents.

That begs an obvious question, as asked by Professor Hayakawa, among others:

"If Fukushima Prefecture is so dangerous that they have to provide free medical care, shouldn't the children in Fukushima evacuate from Fukushima, instead of remaining there?"

From NHK News (1/28/2012):

福島県の佐藤知事は、２８日、平野復興担当大臣と会談し、福島県が要望していた１８歳以下の医療費の無料化について実施が困難だと伝えられたのに対し、「県も自治体も期待していたため、極めて残念だ」と不快感を示したうえで「それでも子どもを生み育てやすい福島県をつくらないといけないので県として前向きに検討したい」と述べ、県が独自に１８歳以下の医療費の無料化を実施したい考えを示しました。佐藤知事は、会談のあとで取材に応じ、無料化のための財源には、これまでに除染や健康調査のための費用として国が７８０億円を拠出した「福島県民健康管理基金」を利用したいという考えを示しました。

Governor Sato of Fukushima Prefecture met on January 28 with Minister in charge of recovery Hirano. On being informed that the request from Fukushima Prefecture to make medical care for children under 18 free would be very difficult to accept, Governor Sato expressed his dissatisfaction by saying "That is highly regrettable because both the prefectural government and municipalities in Fukushima were looking forward to the scheme". He further commented that the Fukushima prefectural government would work toward launching the scheme on its own to make Fukushima a place where people raise their children at ease. Governor Sato talked to the press after the meeting, and indicated that the likely source of the free medical care scheme would be the "fund for the health management of Fukushima residents" which has 78 billion yen [US$1 billion] that the national government contributed for decontamination and the health surveys in Fukushima.

The cost of the free medical care for children in Fukushima was estimated to be 10 billion yen when the idea was first floated by the governor.

Tweet

Governor of Fukushima: "Look, I'm Now World-Famous Thanks to Fukushima Disaster!"

Who needs these governors (like the one in Tokyo)?

Surrounded by the young beauties from Asian countries, Yuhei Sato, governor of Fukushima Prefecture, apparently said the following, according to Nikkan Gendai magazine (11/1/2011):

日本や韓国、シンガポールなどアジアンビューティー１２人を前に佐藤知事は終始ニッコニコ。原発事故で「ＦＵＫＵＳＨＩＭＡ」が世界的に有名になったことを強調し、「福島で（ショーを）やったということは、みなさんが世界で有名なモデルになる前提になると思いますよ」とまず一発。さらに「私は（大震災発生の）３月１１日から毎日のようにテレビ、メディアに出させていただいております。おかげさまで今、世界中で最も有名な首長、知事は私かもわかりません」とやらかした。

Governor Sato was all smiles in front of 12 Asian beauties from Japan, Korea, Singapore, etc. He emphasized that "Fukushima" became world-famous because of the nuclear accident, and said, "To have done [the show] in Fukushima, I think, will launch your career as world-famous fashion models." He went further, saying "I've been appearing on TV and covered by other media almost every day since March 11. Thanks to this media coverage, I think I may now be the most famous head of the state, or governor, in the world."

The occasion was the modeling contest held in the outskirts of Fukushima City (of all place); this year's winner was Ms. Tan Yin Yin from Singapore.

Fukushima City is now prepping itself for the 27th Annual Ekiden Race featuring women runners from all over eastern Japan, most of them in their mid to late teens, some of them as young as 13. The race will be on November 13 in over 1 microsievert/hour radiation.

Tweet