Showing posts with label Osaka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Osaka. Show all posts

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Arrest Over Disaster Debris Disposal Protest in Osaka Was Made by Security Police


It is as if the act of protesting against burning the disaster debris from Iwate in Osaka City were an act of terrorism.

Security Police is the direct descendant of the Special Political Police - a secret police - that had existed until it was finally disbanded by the General Headquarters (GHQ, US occupation force) in 1945.

Something does not add up. Masaki Shimoji, associate professor (public finance) at Hannan University in Osaka who was arrested by this police on December 9 for his October "offense" of disturbing the operation of JR Osaka station, has been detained in jail since his arrest. The first judge denied the prosecutor's request for detention, then the judge was swiftly replaced and the second judge granted the request.

His supposed offense of disturbing the JR Osaka station's operation was to cross the hallway from one exit to another.

Some said the offense was this protest that took place outside one of JR Osaka's exits. (Threatening, isn't it?) But then others quickly pointed out that the place where he and his small group were standing is a public sidewalk, not the JR Osaka station's property.

(Photo from Kingo999 blog, 12/9/2012)


On December 22, Professor Shimoji's colleagues and other university researchers including Constitutional scholars held a press conference, and protested the unfair detention of Shimoji and other activists and demanded the immediate release. In that press conference, it was revealed by one of the professors at Hannai University where Shimoji teaches that the police who arrested him was from the Security Police, and the university officials were complicit and fully cooperative, even without asking to see the search warrant. From this togetter, by someone (a nuclear physicist) watching the press conference video:

流通学部の島教授: 逮捕の事は9日夜知った。下地君とは頻繁に会う間柄ではなかったが10日朝、奥さんと朴さんが説明に行きたいという事だったので取り次いだ。経済学部長、学長、副学長に案内した。

Professor Shima, Faculty of Business [at Hannan University]: I learned about the arrest at night on December 9. I wasn't that close with Shimoji, but his wife and Mr. Park [fellow professor at Hannan] wanted to explain the situation to the school administrators in the morning of December 10, so I introduced them to the head of the Faculty of Economics, University President and Vice President.

その時に全くのカンだが、事前に知っていたのでは?と感じた。驚くでもなく、落ち着いて受け止めていた。

It was then just a hunch, but I felt they had known [about the arrest]. They weren't surprised, and received the information quite calmly.

19日水曜日に私他支援する会の者2名で学長、副学長に面会を申し込んだ。対策本部の事を訪ねたところ『6日に公安3課2名の刑事、松原警察署の刑事がやってきて8日に逮捕、10日には研究室を捜索すると通告された』と。対応したのは松原署と関連のある機関だった、と。

On Wednesday December 19, I asked to meet with the president and vice president, with two others from the support group [for Shimoji]. We asked them about the response group [that I heard the university had set up, regarding the arrest]. They said, "On December 6, two detectives from the Security Police Section 3, and a detective from Matsubara Police Station came, and notified us that the arrest would be made on December 8, and his office would be searched on December 10." The one in charge was an organization related to Matsubara Police.

で、5時にその報告が学長に上がり危機対策管理本部を立ち上げた、と普通に言いました。私どもは大変なショックを受けた。何故事前に伝えたかは判らないが、逮捕が9日に延びた事は電話連絡で、ああ、そうですか、と

Then, that information was relayed to the university president at 5PM, and the crisis response management group was set up, they said as a matter of fact. We were tremendously shocked. We don't know why the police had forewarned the university, but the university received a call from them that the arrest would be made on 9th instead. They said "OK".

令状は読み上げもしないし、大学側で対応した者も提示を求めもしなかったし、令状を見てもない。年末に入るので年明けには大学側に働きかけたい。大学のWebでは第三者的な文言だが実際は違う。下地さんの問題とは離れるが大学の自治がここまで劣化している事に深く失望している

[When the police came to the university to search Shimoji's office,] they didn't even read the search warrant. The university officials didn't ask for one, didn't even see one. Since it is the year-end, we will press the university in the beginning of January. On the university's website, the message is that of a neutral third party but in reality they are not. Aside from the issue of Shimoji, I am deeply disappointed that the self-governance of the university has deteriorated this much.


Nonetheless, some influential persons on Twitter say it's all Professor Shimoji's fault for "breaking the law". When asked "what law?", they say "Everyone breaks law here and there, to a varying degree, everyday."

This tweet is from Professor Yukio Hayakawa, who has no problem spreading and burning the disaster debris from Tohoku, as long as fear of radioactivity is the reason for opposition:

街頭演説は、言論の自由あるいは表現の自由として守られるべき性質のものだろうか。意見表明の仕方を国民が自由に選ぶことができるのだろうか。意見表明しようといくらでも思えばできるのに、許されているのに、特定のやり方にこだわる自由は保護されるべきか。

I wonder if making speeches on the street corners should be protected as freedom of speech and expression. I wonder if the citizens should be allowed to freely choose how to express their opinions. I wonder if the freedom to insist on a particular way of expressing an opinion when there are a variety of other ways should be allowed for the citizens.


I asked the professor, "Then who should decide what type of expression is allowed for the citizens? Government? Police?"

His answer was, "Obey the law."

So, as long as one obeys the law, there's nothing to fear. A recent US court case where the judge threw out the prosecution's case because the law was unjust would totally befuddle the professor.

George Orwell must have based his novels on 2012 post-Fukushima Japan.

(Information gathered from these togetters with links to videos, news articles: http://togetter.com/li/421069, http://togetter.com/li/427008#c892876, http://togetter.com/li/426913)

Monday, November 19, 2012

#Radioactive Japan: A Small Victory in Osaka City? Disaster Debris Test Burn on November 24 Halted?


The boy-wonder mayor of Osaka City, having absorbed Shintaro Ishihara's Taiyo (Sun) Party and no doubt absorbed the subsidy money for the political parties in Japan (it's a generous subsidy from the national government, funded by taxpayers, 250 yen per citizen every year), was just going to declare the end of the City Assembly session today (November 20, 2012) so that he can focus on the national election.

But on the last day of the session, a meeting of the Public Welfare and Health Committee was held, and an assemblywoman from Liberal Democratic Party submitted a motion to suspend the test burn of disaster debris from Iwate and continue to study the health effect from the debris burning. The motion passed, quite unexpectedly.

So, people who have tirelessly been campaigning on-and off-line against the debris burn in their city (for that matter, they've been against any city, calling the bureaucrats and officials everywhere and visiting them to talk in person) and have almost given up because of the boy-wonder just does what he wants, are stunned.

It's still unclear what will happen next. It seems LDP of Osaka City is saying the burn will be stopped, but Komei Party is not so sure and says if the mayor wants to do it he will just do it. As far as they know, and I can gather, the test burn may be put on hold until January at least.

I wonder what will happen to the container ship on route from Iwate to Osaka.

By the way, the boy-wonder mayor, after having a haircut that shows his forehead to fit in with the Ishihara's group, now looks like just a tired middle-aged man. He's campaigning for his party, while remaining as the mayor of Osaka City.


He looked like this, until very recently:


According to Hokkaido Shinbun (11/20/2012), he apparently said to the crowd in Osaka (rumors have it that his crowd is well-paid):

「僕らに日本国家の運営を一度任せてください」

"Try us once, to run this nation of Japan."


Once is more than enough.



Sunday, September 2, 2012

Osaka City Police Forcibly Removing Citizens from Townhall Meeting on Disaster Debris Burning in Osaka City


You don't see this in any of the mainstream media.

The occasion was when the boy-wonder of Osaka City Toru Hashimoto held the one and only townhall meeting to explain things about disaster debris acceptance in Osaka City on August 30 (see my previous post).

This happened after the meeting, after the boy-wonder hastily departed, guarded by plain-clothes policemen. Many citizens remained in the hall, wanting to have the answers to their questions from the officials at the city's bureau of environment. Instead of engaging the citizens, they started to remove them out of the hall, according to this blog who had the link to the IWJ video below.



Video streaming by Ustream

People in Osaka City are trapped in Hashimoto's psychosis.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Boy-Wonder Mayor of Osaka City Tells Citizens: "I Don't Need to Listen to You!" on Disaster Debris Burning in the City



He (the right one in the photo) will make an excellent successor to Prime Minister Noda, I can tell right now.

(The man on the left is the boy-wonder's sidekick, governor of Osaka.)

The same boy-wonder said he would like to have the younger generation to experience rolling blackout, right before he flipped (yet again) to pro-nuclear and pro-restart of Ooi Nuclear Power Plant.

Now that Ooi has restarted, he is flipped (again) to "anti-nuclear" because that's what will get him and his party the votes in the coming national election.

The dictatorial boy-wonder mayor of Osaka held the first and the last (or so he intends) meeting to explain things to unruly residents of Osaka City that they will have to accept potential radiation contamination from the disaster debris burning because... because... he says so. I don't think Osaka residents take this meekly.

From Mainichi Shinbun (8/31/2012):

大阪市は30日、東日本大震災で発生した災害廃棄物(がれき)の受け入れに関して、市中央公会堂(同市北区)で市民向けの説明会を開いた。反対する市民らの怒号で会場が騒然とする中、橋下徹市長が安全性を強調し、受け入れへの理解を求めた。

Osaka City held a townhall meeting for the city's residents on August 30 at the central city hall (in Kita-ku, Osaka) to explain about the acceptance of disaster debris from the March 11, 2011 disaster. In the contentious meeting with angry residents opposing the plan shouting, Mayor Toru Hashimoto emphasized the safety and asked for understanding.

市は6〜7月、がれきを埋め立てる此花区で区民限定の説明会を3回開いたが、全市民対象は初めて。約420人が出席した。

The city held three meetings in June and July only for residents in Konohana-ku, where the disaster debris will be [burned and] buried. But the August 30 meeting was the first for all residents in the city. About 420 residents attended the meeting.

市の担当者らが「日常で浴びる放射線量より低い」と強調したが、会場の内外で反対派の市民らが「放射能はいらない」「橋下やめろ」などと叫び、緊迫した雰囲気に包まれた。橋下市長はいらだちを隠せない様子で「皆さんの意見で市の方針を決めるのではない」「あなたたちの何倍もの市民が賛成している」などと述べた。数人の男性が壇上に詰め寄り、警察官らに制止される場面もあった。

In the meeting, city officials emphasized that the radiation exposure [from burning disaster debris] would be lower than that of background radiation exposure, but people opposing the acceptance of the debris inside and outside the hall shouted "We don't want radiation", "Hashimoto, resign", in a tense exchange. Mayor Hashimoto, unable to hide his irritation, said, "The city policy is not decided by your opinions", "Citizens several times more than you here are in favor". At one point, several men rushed toward the mayor on the podium, and were stopped by the policemen.

同市中央区の主婦(59)は「納得できる説明はなかった。結論ありきで、なぜ説明会を開いたか分からない」と興奮気味に話した。

A housewife (age 59) from Chuo-ku in Osaka City said excitedly, "They didn't explain to my satisfaction. It's a foregone conclusion, and I don't know why they bothered to hold a meeting."

市は11月に試験焼却し、来年2月に岩手県から受け入れを始める計画。今年度は約6100トン、来年度は約3万トンを処理する予定。

The city plans to conduct the test burn in November, and start accepting the debris from Iwate Prefecture in February next year. In the current fiscal year [that ends in March 31, 2013], about 6,100 tonnes will be disposed [burned and buried], and 30,000 tonnes will be disposed in the fiscal 2013.


I hear from Osaka City residents that umbrellas and bottled water were banned from the meeting.

Mayor Hashimoto scurried off from the stage after the incident, according to the media reports. Osaka residents on Twitter say they are not surprised at the mayor's behavior.

The prefectural government in Iwate freely admits that they can totally take care of the debris within Iwate, but since Osaka City insists, they cannot say no. I don't quite understand why not.

Konohana-ku has a landfill that features a huge incineration plant designed by a famous Austrian anti-nuclear architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. If he were alive, I wonder what he would think; whether he'd be happy with the prospect of disaster debris that has been contaminated with radioactive materials out of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant being burned at the plant he designed.

I still remember the angry residents of Kyoto City in front of the JR Kyoto Station, shouting down Goshi Hosono, "Go back! Go Back to where you belong!", when Mr. Hosono and his entourage tried to convince what a wonderful thing it would be to help Tohoku people if only Kyoto residents allowed the burning of the debris in their midst.

I hope Osaka people will outdo the Kyoto residents.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

(For German Readers) Online Petition Against Burning Disaster Debris in Osaka


Here.

From AVAAZ:

Die Müllverbrennungsanlage in Maishima (Osaka/Japan) ist ein Kunstwerk vom österreichischen Künstler Friedensreich Hundertwasser, der zu seinen Lebzeiten ein heftiger Gegner der Kernenergie war. Die Stadt Osaka plant, ab diesem Herbst dort Tsunami-Trümmer aus Iwate, die radioaktiv verstrahlt sind, zu verbrennen. Durch das Verbrennen radioaktiv verstrahlter Trümmer wird dieses Kunstwerk zu einem Atomofen degradiert. Davon ganz zu schweigen, man darf verstrahlte Trümmer auf keinen Fall verbrennen.


The incineration plant where they are proposing to burn the debris contaminated with radioactive materials from the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a Austrian architect famous for his anti-nuclear stance. It's built on a landfill on Osaka Bay.

Osaka Maishima incineration plant. Not my taste, but unique:


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Osaka's "Third Way" to Conserve Electricity in Summer: Citizen Informants

The boy-wonder mayor of Osaka City, who wants to teach "the next generation" a lesson on electricity conservation by having them experience rolling blackouts, proposes his "third way" to combat electricity consumption during the peak hours in the hot summer days.

(As a reminder, the first way is to restart Ooi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture, and the second way is to have the rolling blackouts.)

What's his third way? Mainichi Shinbun says it is to turn the residents into the informants for the local government who will rat out businesses that look like using too much electricity.

From Mainichi Shinbun evening paper for Osaka (part; 5/15/2012):

一方、大阪府市エネルギー戦略会議は15日、独自の節電策を提示した。照明が明るすぎるオフィスや店舗を住民が見つけて通報し、中小事業者に節電を促す「節電通報窓口」の設置や、真夏の午後に役所を閉めて節電するなど、家庭や事業者、官公庁などを対象に計約110万キロワットの節電を目指す。

On the other hand, the energy strategy conference of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City proposed its own plan to save electricity on May 15. It includes setting up the "electricity saving informing counter" where the residents report offices and stores whose lighting is too bright, encouraging electricity saving among medium- and small-size businesses. The plan also calls for shutting down the government offices in the afternoon during the middle of summer. Overall, 1.1 million kilowatt saving is being targeted from households, businesses, and government offices.


I don't see why it should stop at reporting the seemingly wasteful businesses. Everybody against everybody else, like the life under the Stasi, except the Japanese are probably better at it than East Germans. After all, 250 years of peace during the Edo era (until the Black Ships appeared) were partly maintained by the "group of 5 households" in which people watched their 4 other neighboring households for suspicious behaviors, for mutual assistance, and for collective responsibility. That system was resurrected as the "neighborhood group" in the Showa era before the World War II, and it continues today as "voluntary" neighborhood association all over Japan, though without collective responsibility or mutual watch for suspicious behaviors.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

#Radioactive Disaster Debris Talk in Osaka: Officials Didn't Know Anything About Radiation

A bullet-point summary at Kouta Kinoshita's blog on the meeting between the Osaka prefectural government official and three citizens about Osaka's guideline in preparation for accepting and burning the debris from Miyagi and Iwate.

The citizens are against it, fearing the secondary radiation contamination from burning and burying the debris in Osaka which has largely escaped the contamination from the nuke plant accident.

12月28日、大阪府 資源循環課 小西裕絵主査(検討会議の事務局)市民3名との会談での発言

Meeting on December 28 between Hiroe Konishi of the resource recycling division of the Osaka prefectural government (serving as the secretariat of the committee to discuss debris acceptance) and 3 citizens

(1)指針は安全基準ではない
(2)作業者や市民が被ばくする可能性を否定しない
(3)内部被ばくのことは検討会議でもほとんど検討されていない
(4)指針には法的拘束力はない 
(5)組織が決定したら、市民の側に立つのでなく、組織の決定に従う→10万人にひとりを無作為に抽出して殺すということを組織が決定したら、あなたはその決定に従うのかという質問に対しては、無言。
(6)22日の市民との会談で、直属上司の磯田課長が「内部ひばくのことは知らなかった」「専門家の意見を聞く」と発言したことについては、とぼける。
(7)ECRR 2010年勧告、2005年のNAS BEIR-VIIの報告書、2009年 NYASの論文集のことは、まったく「知らなかった」(従って、低線量内部被ばくがどんな障害を引き起こすかについては、知識はほとんどななかった)。

(1) The guideline is not the safety standard.

(2) [Konishi] didn't deny the possibility that the workers and Osaka residents would be exposed to radiation.

(3) In the committee discussing the debris acceptance, there's hardly any discussion of internal radiation exposure.

(4) The guideline isn't legally binding.

(5) [Konishi said] Once it's decided by the organization [like the Osaka government] she would follow the decision by the organization, instead of siding with the citizens. To the question [from a citizen] whether she would follow the order if the organization decides to pick out one person for every 100,000 people at random and kill him/her, she was silent.

(6) When asked about her direct supervisor Isoda who had said during the meeting with the citizens on December 22 that he didn't know about internal radiation and that he would consult experts, [Konishi] pretended she didn't know about it.

(7) She didn't know anything at all about 2010 ECRR recommendation, 2005 NAS BEIR-VII report, or 2009 NYAS papers (in other words, hardly any knowledge as to the damage that may be caused by low-dose internal radiation).

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

#Radiation in Japan: Osaka Decided on the Standard to Accept Disaster (Radioactive) Debris (Goodbye Kansai)

I have written about the dynamic duo of Osaka who are very eager to help those poor people in Tohoku buried under the mountains of disaster debris which happens to be radioactive.

Now, apparently without further interference from pesky citizens who try to stop them from bring the debris all the way to Osaka to be burned and buried, the committee of select experts have agreed on the safety standard to be used in accepting and processing the debris throughout Osaka, and the governor is to come up with the detailed guidelines by the year-end.

From Yomiuri Shinbun Kansai Version (12/15/2011):

震災がれき受け入れ安全基準まとめる…大阪府専門家会議

Osaka Prefecture Expert Committee decided on the safety standard to accept disaster debris

東日本大震災で発生したがれきや廃棄物について、大阪府の専門家会議は14日、受け入れを前提とした安全基準をまとめた。松井一郎知事は「安全性が確保されれば、被災地復興に国を挙げて協力するべきだ」と前向きで、年内にも基準を踏まえ府の処理指針を定める考え。今後、府内市町村に理解を求めていくとみられる。

The expert committee of Osaka Prefecture decided on the safety standard to accept the disaster debris and waste from the March 11 earthquake/tsunami. Governor Ichiro Matsui is positive about accepting the debris, saying "As long as it is safe, the entire nation should cooperate so that the disaster-affected area will recover." The governor plans to establish the prefectural guidelines for processing the debris based on the safety standard [decided upon on December 14]. It is expected that the municipalities in Osaka will be asked to cooperate.

 放射線の専門家らによるこの日の会議では、受け入れ安全基準について、1キロあたりの放射性セシウムの測定値は100ベクレル以下、埋め立て可能な焼却灰は国基準(同8000ベクレル以下)より厳しい同2000ベクレル以下が妥当とした。

The expert committee made up of radiation expert agreed as appropriate on the level of radioactive cesium in the debris at 100 becquerels/kg and less to accept the debris, and the level of radioactive cesium in the ashes after the debris is burned at 2000 becquerels/kg and less, stricter than the national standard of 8000 becquerels/kg and less.

 ただ、府が受け入れを決めても、焼却施設などを所有する市町村側が応じるかどうかは不透明。府には、受け入れに反対する府民らから約1万2000件の意見が寄せられており、実現には曲折も予想される。

However, even if Osaka Prefecture decides to accept the debris, it is not clear whether the municipalities with incineration facilities will cooperate. The Osaka prefectural government has so far received about 12,000 messages from Osaka residents who are against accepting the debris, and it is possible that the debris acceptance may encounter complications.

Complications? I don't think so. There's nothing that these politicians cannot overcome with patience, when they see either fame or money. Just listen to the mayor of Daisen City in Akita Prefecture, who has decided to accept disaster radioactive debris. He said,

(住民が)『仕方がない』と言うところまで話し合う。

I will persuade the residents until they give up and say "OK, no other choice".

There you have it. They will keep at it until the residents become so weary that they simply give up. Worked every time in the past.

And never mind that their math is wrong; debris with 100 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium in the debris will become ashes with 3300 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium, exceeding the just-established Osaka limit of 2000 becquerels/kg. I guess they are not too worried about details.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

#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.