On the fifth anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan, contaminated water continues to leak from the destroyed plant, and radioactive waste is accumulating without any robust solution, say Friends of the Earth Japan. Around 100,000 people remain displaced following the nuclear disaster, with almost a fifth still in temporary housing units. Many evacuees will be left with an uncertain future when assistance is suspended in 2017, and more than 100 children have had surgery for thyroid cancer.
Ayumi Fukakusa, anti-nuclear campaigner for Friends of the Earth Japan said: “Five-years on and the Fukushima hangover continues. Contaminated water leaks from the destroyed plant, nuclear waste is piling up, and tens of thousands have yet to return home. The Japanese government needs to provide sufficient aid for victims and evacuees, and ensure a thorough decontamination of the surrounding prefecture. We need a future free from dirty and dangerous forms of energy like nuclear.”
Friends of the Earth Europe continues to stand in solidarity with the victims of all nuclear disasters, and those who suffered, or live in fear, from nuclear military aggression. Along with Friends of the Earth Japan, our sympathies lay with the victims and evacuees of the catastrophic earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster on March 11th and 12th 2011, and we call for a world free from all forms of nuclear threat.
The Japanese government continues to push for the reopening of nuclear power plants shut down after the disaster – ignoring public opinion. Friends of the Earth Japan works closely with victims of nuclear disasters, including those from Chernobyl and Fukushima, to ensure their rights are respected.
The anniversary was marked with a demonstration, and symposium including speeches from three residents from Fukushima prefecture, and Friends of the Earth Germany chair, Hubert Weiger.
