The Yomiuri Shimbun
Six months have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11.
Recovery and reconstruction efforts have been continuing in disaster-hit areas. But the scars left by the massive earthquake and tsunami are so profound that many affected municipalities have yet to draw up blueprints to rebuild their areas.
In areas around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, where evacuation orders have been issued, municipal government offices and residents were uprooted en masse. No prospect is in sight for their return home.
In his first news conference after taking office, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said recovery and reconstruction of the disaster-stricken areas and measures to end the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant are at the top of his administration's agenda. After inspecting the crippled plant Thursday, Noda pledged to Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato his government's commitment to swiftly decontaminate areas affected by radioactive material released by the nuclear power plant.
People in disaster-hit areas became increasingly impatient with the slow response to the disaster by the previous Kan administration. The current administration must provide swift, strong and visible support for recovery and reconstruction of the devastated areas.
===
Debris disposal key issue
Nearly 4,000 residents died or went missing in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, which had a pre-disaster population of 160,000.
With debris removal completed in the city center, shops have resumed business there. Residential streets and principal roads have also been cleared of debris.
But in suburban areas, debris lies scattered on farmland and elsewhere and has been piled up in temporary storage locations. Painstaking efforts were reportedly made to eradicate the swarms of flies infesting the garbage.
The dismantling of wrecked houses and office buildings will add to the heaps of debris, overwhelming the capacity of temporary storage places. Through consultations with the prefectural government, the municipal government is accelerating efforts to build a new incinerator and select a final debris disposal center.
Disposal of the huge amount of debris hampers reconstruction. The central government must do everything it can to reduce the financial burdens of local governments.
The reconstruction of Fukushima Prefecture cannot be completed without ending the nuclear crisis. Stable cooling of the reactors is under way and almost no new radioactive substances are reportedly being released. By January without fail, the reactors must be cooled so their inner temperatures are stabilized at less than 100 C.
Decontamination is indispensable to bring about the day when evacuated residents can return home. Even in areas not subject to evacuation, there are places where radioactive contamination is high enough to cause health concerns among residents.
Soil improvement must be carried out immediately at school grounds and on agricultural land. Removing the surface soil up to a depth of five centimeters will reduce radioactive cesium levels to just one-tenth, experts say. By replacing this soil with untainted earth, radioactive cesium contamination will be reduced to one-hundredth, they say.
The government should take the lead in promoting decontamination work without farming it out to local governments.
===
Disaster victims need jobs
Although production at factories and related facilities has begun to recover, the employment situation in the disaster-hit areas remains severe. More than 70,000 people are estimated to have lost their jobs in the three disaster-hit Tohoku prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima.
Job offers have been on the rise as workers are being sought for reconstruction projects. Many people, however, cannot find work to suit the job skills they acquired before the disaster. As unemployment benefit payments for many of them will expire soon, it is vital to create new full-fledged jobs through a wide variety of reconstruction projects.
Hospitals and nursing care facilities sustained tremendous damage in the disaster. Even before the disaster, the affected regions have long suffered a serious shortage of doctors, and the region's residents have continued to age.
Although a number of medical and nursing care professionals have provided emergency support over the past six months, this cannot continue for much longer.
Making the best possible use of such information technologies as electronic patient files and deploying medical personnel efficiently would make medical and nursing care services more effective.
The government should take speedy legislative steps and extend financial assistance to set up a medical and nursing service special zone to provide advanced services by an adequate number of medical professionals.
Construction of temporary housing has made considerable progress, allowing many disaster victims to move out of evacuation centers. However, it is important to provide the victims with a proper range of care after they move into temporary housing or other publicly operated housing facilities.
After the Great Hanshin Earthquake, many elderly persons died after being left unattended in temporary housing. This should never be repeated.
===
Preparedness essential
As of Friday, the number of deaths in the Great East Japan Earthquake stood at 15,780, while 4,122 remain missing.
We sincerely pray for the souls of those who perished in the disaster and hope that those still missing will be found as soon as possible.
In Japan, which can be called a "disaster archipelago," Typhoon No. 12 left more than 100 people dead or missing earlier this month. We are sure many people in the past six months have felt anew the horror of natural disasters and the importance of preparing such calamities.
On Sept. 1, Disaster Prevention Day, about 510,000 people took part in disaster drills in 35 prefectures, including Tokyo and Hokkaido.
Some companies and public organizations carried out such practical exercises as confirming the safety of all personnel, as well as drills conducted on the assumption that many of their personnel were unable to return home in the aftermath of a massive disaster.
In its most recent opinion survey, The Yomiuri Shimbun asked people what measures they had taken after the March 11 disaster. Allowed multiple answers, many respondents cited "stockpiling of drinking water and food" and "confirmation of how family members can keep in touch with each other" in the event of a disaster.
Asked what they wanted the central and local governments to do in the event of a disaster, more than 50 percent of the respondents replied--again allowed multiple answers--they wanted "safety measures taken at nuclear power plants" and "ensuring safe evacuation routes and evacuation facilities."
We believe the lessons learned from the March 11 disaster should better prepare people in the future to swiftly and safely evacuate in the event of a disaster and to cooperate more closely with each other to deal with any hardships they might encounter.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 10, 2011)
(Sep. 11, 2011)
Sunday, September 11, 2011
11/09 78% of people worry about future big quake
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Nearly 80 percent of Japanese worry that a major earthquake could occur in the area they live--the highest figure since 2002--and only 3 percent believe the Diet has done a good job handling the March 11 disaster, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they are concerned radioactive substances that leaked from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant could harm the health of themselves and their families, according to the survey, which was conducted Sept. 3 and 4.
The proportion of people worried about radioactive materials harming their health was highest in the Tohoku and Kanto regions at 76 percent. The figure was 51 percent in the Chugoku region and Shikoku, and 59 percent in Kyushu.
Although 82 percent of respondents said the Self-Defense Forces had performed well in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, just 6 percent felt the government had done a good job--and only 3 percent said the Diet had done so.
This suggests the public was unhappy with the confrontation between ruling and opposition parties that hindered government efforts to provide assistance and start rebuilding after the disaster.
Seventy-three percent were impressed with the efforts of volunteers, 52 percent with firefighters, 42 percent with local governments in devastated areas, and 40 percent with the police. Multiple answers were allowed to this question.
When asked what worried them most about the earthquake and the nuclear accident, 68 percent of respondents said "the spread of radioactive material," followed by "a downturn in the economy" at 51 percent, "the deteriorating employment situation" at 34 percent and "electricity shortages" at 33 percent.
The survey also revealed that many people have reaffirmed the importance of ties with close relatives and friends since the disaster. This tendency was especially evident among women.
Fifty-six percent of respondents said they increasingly valued their relationships with their families. The figure was 61 percent for women and 50 percent for men.
The survey was conducted on 3,000 eligible voters randomly chosen nationwide, with 1,673, or 56 percent, giving valid responses.
(Sep. 11, 2011)
Nearly 80 percent of Japanese worry that a major earthquake could occur in the area they live--the highest figure since 2002--and only 3 percent believe the Diet has done a good job handling the March 11 disaster, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they are concerned radioactive substances that leaked from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant could harm the health of themselves and their families, according to the survey, which was conducted Sept. 3 and 4.
The proportion of people worried about radioactive materials harming their health was highest in the Tohoku and Kanto regions at 76 percent. The figure was 51 percent in the Chugoku region and Shikoku, and 59 percent in Kyushu.
Although 82 percent of respondents said the Self-Defense Forces had performed well in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, just 6 percent felt the government had done a good job--and only 3 percent said the Diet had done so.
This suggests the public was unhappy with the confrontation between ruling and opposition parties that hindered government efforts to provide assistance and start rebuilding after the disaster.
Seventy-three percent were impressed with the efforts of volunteers, 52 percent with firefighters, 42 percent with local governments in devastated areas, and 40 percent with the police. Multiple answers were allowed to this question.
When asked what worried them most about the earthquake and the nuclear accident, 68 percent of respondents said "the spread of radioactive material," followed by "a downturn in the economy" at 51 percent, "the deteriorating employment situation" at 34 percent and "electricity shortages" at 33 percent.
The survey also revealed that many people have reaffirmed the importance of ties with close relatives and friends since the disaster. This tendency was especially evident among women.
Fifty-six percent of respondents said they increasingly valued their relationships with their families. The figure was 61 percent for women and 50 percent for men.
The survey was conducted on 3,000 eligible voters randomly chosen nationwide, with 1,673, or 56 percent, giving valid responses.
(Sep. 11, 2011)
11/09 6 MONTHS ON FROM MARCH 11 DISASTER / Onagawacho fighting for existence / After losing most buildings, hundreds of lives, town quickly maps out reconstruction
ONAGAWACHO, Miyagi--Hard hit by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, Onagawacho, Miyagi Prefecture, is fighting for its existence.
The disaster destroyed 80 percent of the town's buildings and left 829 of its residents dead or missing.
The fisheries industry of the town, which had been one of the nation's largest saury landing sites in terms of volume, was devastated by the disaster.
Onagawacho has lost little time in mapping out a recovery plan--it launched a reconstruction planning committee only 1-1/2 months after the disaster.
The municipal government submitted a reconstruction plan to the town assembly on Sept. 5, less than six months after the earthquake and tsunami and before most disaster-hit municipalities had completed their plans.
The town's busiest area faced Onagawa Bay. In areas where debris has been removed, buildings with only their walls remaining dot the landscape.
The Onagawa police box, a two-story ferroconcrete building, remains on its side after being ripped from its foundation.
The tsunami reached about 1.5 kilometers inland, and 5,374 or 82 percent, of the buildings in the town were destroyed or badly damaged.
After the disaster, 5,720 people--more than half the town's residents--moved to 23 evacuation shelters set up in the town. And about 2,600 residents temporarily evacuated to areas outside the town.
"Unless we present a plan for the future quickly, town residents will begin wondering whether they want to continue living here," said Onagawa Mayor Nobutaka Azumi, 66.
This sense of urgency led the mayor to establish the town's reconstruction promotion office on April 15.
In the town government office set up in borrowed space of the Onagawa No. 2 Primary School, Azumi encouraged officials, saying, "We'll send out a message on [restoration] to town residents by the Bon holiday period."
Since March 11, many of the officials have been extremely busy distributing goods to the shelters.
Residents, too, are taking an active role in their town's reconstruction.
One resident said: "The administrative authorities were short of staff. The private sector should also work to rebuild our town."
People in commercial, industrial, fisheries and tourism sectors living in the shelters held a meeting in late March. On April 19, they established the Onagawacho Fukko Renraku Kyogikai (the Onagawacho reconstruction liaison council).
Like other disaster-hit municipalities, Onagawacho has been worried about depopulation for some time.
Even before the disaster, the town's population had been declining sharply, from 14,018 in 1990 to 10,059 last year. After the earthquake, it stood at 8,686.
Masanori Takahashi, 61, the head of the town chamber of commerce and industry and also head of the reconstruction council, said, "I thought our town would never be able to revive unless we acted quickly."
Takahashi's home was destroyed by the tsunami, and the production lines of a fish-processing company he ran were damaged.
But he shared with the town government officials the view a continued outflow of town residents could threaten the town's existence.
The town's committee for reconstruction planning comprises three members of the reconstruction council and 14 local representatives, academics and others.
The committee has held five meetings since May 1 and compiled the final draft of the reconstruction plan on Aug. 10.
Under the plan, the town will be divided into eight zones depending on use--including residential areas and facilities for processing marine products.
The time line of the plan calls for repair and redevelopment of residential areas through fiscal 2012, improvement of infrastructure such as fishing ports from fiscal 2013 through fiscal 2015 and full-fledged reconstruction of fish-processing plants and commercial facilities from fiscal 2016 through fiscal 2018.
(Sep. 11, 2011)
11/09 6 MONTHS ON FROM MARCH 11 DISASTER / Town wants to turn popular athletics park into residential area
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A tug-of-war erupted over whether an Onagawacho athletics park that survived the March 11 disaster should be used as a site for desperately needed land for housing, or retained as one of the town's few remaining "assets."
"Our top priority is to help local residents live with a sense of assurance as soon as possible," said Noriyuki Suzuki, head of the Onagawacho tourism association. He was speaking at the first meeting of a disaster reconstruction committee consisting of local representatives, academics and others.
Suzuki, 60, proposed the town's athletics park, 33 meters above sea level and one of the few facilities spared by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, be used as a site for housing for residents displaced by the disaster.
"[Residential areas] should be established in locations where preparatory development can be completed quickly," he said at the meeting, which was held May 1 at Onagawa No. 2 Primary School.
However, in an initial draft reconstruction plan submitted at the meeting by the Onagawacho government, the park was listed as part of the "education and sports facility area," and therefore not to be used for relocating displaced residents.
Instead, the town government planned to establish residential land by clearing nearby hilly areas.
"As local residents, we felt slightly awkward [about the plan]. It would be quicker to use land already available," said Suzuki, whose house was swept away by the tsunami.
At a second meeting on May 9, it was agreed to turn the athletics park, which covers 24.5 hectares and accounts for about 13 percent of the town's available land for housing, into an area for residential development.
However, town residents voiced objections at a public hearing session in late July. Some insisted the land remain an athletics park because it was one of the few assets remaining in the town.
The athletics park had a number of popular facilities and attracted about 230,000 people annually. By 1998, about 3.6 billion yen had been injected into facilities in the park, including a baseball stadium and an athletics field. The town government used the park as part of a "sports tourism" initiative and held softball games there during the 2001 National Sports Festival hosted by the prefecture.
Repairing the park is expected to cost about 1 billion yen for the athletics field alone, which was damaged by the earthquake.
Onagawacho government officials also said land for houses for displaced residents could be prepared a year earlier by using the park instead of developing new land.
After the public hearing, committee members agreed to consider keeping some of the park's facilities, but did not entirely retract their initial decision to use it for residential purposes.
===
Safer commercial center
Eighty-two percent of land in Onagawacho is hilly or forested, and less than 3 percent is residential, meaning the town will proceed with redevelopment plans in areas hit by the tsunami.
The envisaged new commerce and tourism zone for the town is planned for the Onagawa Station vicinity, an area swamped by the tsunami.
"The area is convenient in terms of transport systems [connecting the town with the city of] Ishinomaki. There's no choice but to rebuild here," said Masanori Takahashi, chairman of the Onagawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Reconstruction plans for the town have been devised from the standpoint of minimizing potential natural disaster damage.
Specific measures include raising the ground level of the commercial zone; raising a national highway running along the coast so it also functions as a dike; and constructing tall buildings 500 meters apart so people could evacuate to them easily in a tsunami.
===
Fishing communities affected
Fifteen fishing communities in Onagawacho were almost entirely wiped out by the March disaster. The town government proposed in its draft reconstruction plan that the communities be consolidated into two locations on higher ground and that fisheries ports also be consolidated.
Some local fishermen opposed the plan.
"We agree with plans to relocate [our communities] to higher ground, but it's difficult to consolidate them," said Shoki Abe, 61, a senior official of the Onagawacho branch of the Miyagi prefectural fisheries cooperatives association and a member of the committee.
Abe, who cultivates silver salmon, was speaking at the disaster reconstruction committee's second meeting.
"Different coastal areas have different cultures and styles of festive shishimai lion dances," he said. "We fishermen are empowered by fishing in these places, which we inherited from our ancestors."
At a public hearing in late May, a number of fishermen said they would not accept relocation to areas where they could not keep their eyes on their boats. Some fishermen repeatedly visited the town government to request each community could be relocated as a whole.
The disaster reconstruction committee has put off a decision on the relocation of fishing communities.
However, younger members of these communities have expressed different views to the town government. Some said they could not expect women to come to marry local fishermen if their communities were small, while others said young residents would move away unless people are relocated to form large communities.
Town officials said there is still room for talks with residents on the matter.
(Sep. 11, 2011)
A tug-of-war erupted over whether an Onagawacho athletics park that survived the March 11 disaster should be used as a site for desperately needed land for housing, or retained as one of the town's few remaining "assets."
"Our top priority is to help local residents live with a sense of assurance as soon as possible," said Noriyuki Suzuki, head of the Onagawacho tourism association. He was speaking at the first meeting of a disaster reconstruction committee consisting of local representatives, academics and others.
Suzuki, 60, proposed the town's athletics park, 33 meters above sea level and one of the few facilities spared by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, be used as a site for housing for residents displaced by the disaster.
"[Residential areas] should be established in locations where preparatory development can be completed quickly," he said at the meeting, which was held May 1 at Onagawa No. 2 Primary School.
However, in an initial draft reconstruction plan submitted at the meeting by the Onagawacho government, the park was listed as part of the "education and sports facility area," and therefore not to be used for relocating displaced residents.
Instead, the town government planned to establish residential land by clearing nearby hilly areas.
"As local residents, we felt slightly awkward [about the plan]. It would be quicker to use land already available," said Suzuki, whose house was swept away by the tsunami.
At a second meeting on May 9, it was agreed to turn the athletics park, which covers 24.5 hectares and accounts for about 13 percent of the town's available land for housing, into an area for residential development.
However, town residents voiced objections at a public hearing session in late July. Some insisted the land remain an athletics park because it was one of the few assets remaining in the town.
The athletics park had a number of popular facilities and attracted about 230,000 people annually. By 1998, about 3.6 billion yen had been injected into facilities in the park, including a baseball stadium and an athletics field. The town government used the park as part of a "sports tourism" initiative and held softball games there during the 2001 National Sports Festival hosted by the prefecture.
Repairing the park is expected to cost about 1 billion yen for the athletics field alone, which was damaged by the earthquake.
Onagawacho government officials also said land for houses for displaced residents could be prepared a year earlier by using the park instead of developing new land.
After the public hearing, committee members agreed to consider keeping some of the park's facilities, but did not entirely retract their initial decision to use it for residential purposes.
===
Safer commercial center
Eighty-two percent of land in Onagawacho is hilly or forested, and less than 3 percent is residential, meaning the town will proceed with redevelopment plans in areas hit by the tsunami.
The envisaged new commerce and tourism zone for the town is planned for the Onagawa Station vicinity, an area swamped by the tsunami.
"The area is convenient in terms of transport systems [connecting the town with the city of] Ishinomaki. There's no choice but to rebuild here," said Masanori Takahashi, chairman of the Onagawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Reconstruction plans for the town have been devised from the standpoint of minimizing potential natural disaster damage.
Specific measures include raising the ground level of the commercial zone; raising a national highway running along the coast so it also functions as a dike; and constructing tall buildings 500 meters apart so people could evacuate to them easily in a tsunami.
===
Fishing communities affected
Fifteen fishing communities in Onagawacho were almost entirely wiped out by the March disaster. The town government proposed in its draft reconstruction plan that the communities be consolidated into two locations on higher ground and that fisheries ports also be consolidated.
Some local fishermen opposed the plan.
"We agree with plans to relocate [our communities] to higher ground, but it's difficult to consolidate them," said Shoki Abe, 61, a senior official of the Onagawacho branch of the Miyagi prefectural fisheries cooperatives association and a member of the committee.
Abe, who cultivates silver salmon, was speaking at the disaster reconstruction committee's second meeting.
"Different coastal areas have different cultures and styles of festive shishimai lion dances," he said. "We fishermen are empowered by fishing in these places, which we inherited from our ancestors."
At a public hearing in late May, a number of fishermen said they would not accept relocation to areas where they could not keep their eyes on their boats. Some fishermen repeatedly visited the town government to request each community could be relocated as a whole.
The disaster reconstruction committee has put off a decision on the relocation of fishing communities.
However, younger members of these communities have expressed different views to the town government. Some said they could not expect women to come to marry local fishermen if their communities were small, while others said young residents would move away unless people are relocated to form large communities.
Town officials said there is still room for talks with residents on the matter.
(Sep. 11, 2011)
11/09 6 MONTHS ON FROM MARCH 11 DISASTER / Consideration given to how to preserve bldgs
A two-story police box in Onagawacho, made of reinforced concrete, that was knocked over by the tsunami.
Onagawacho's reconstruction plan calls for the preservation of four tsunami-hit buildings, including a toppled police box and an office building owned by dietary supplement maker Onagawa Supplement. Surrounding areas will be turned into a memorial park.
"We want there to be two major aspects to the preservation: passing on a record of the damage caused by the disaster to future generations and promoting tourism," Takuro Kimura, 62, managing director of the Glocal Empowerment, Support and Aid Institute, said at the third meeting of the reconstruction committee.
Yet a committee member chosen from among local residents said, "I couldn't object when a scholar talked about the 'academic value' [of preserving damaged structures]."
Some building owners have turned down proposals to preserve the structures and some residents at a public hearing on the subject said it was painful to see them.
"We'll think carefully about how to preserve them," Kimura said.
"I hope the plan doesn't end up as a pipe dream," Takanobu Takahashi, 67, head of a buyers' cooperative association at the Onagawa fish market, said at his prefab office late last month.
Despite the many blueprints for post-disaster reconstruction, Onagawacho currently has no prospects of securing the necessary funds.
Regarding the procurement and development of plots of land for communities to relocate their houses en masse, there is a plan whereby the central government bears 94 percent of the cost through subsidies and other means.
However, there is a upper limit on subsidies, making it highly likely local municipalities will bear a heavy financial burden.
The Miyagi prefectural government did a tentative calculation in June of a post-disaster reconstruction project, including the relocation of residents' homes. It envisioned a municipality on essentially the same scale as Onagawacho, with about 10,000 people and an initial budget of about 6 billion yen in fiscal 2010.
The prefecture estimated such a project would cost 210.7 billion yen to implement, of which the local government would have to shoulder 116.5 billion yen.
According to these figures, Onagawacho would have to pay about 20 times its actual annual budget for the reconstruction project.
Many local municipalities are drawing up their post-disaster plans based on the steps to be taken by the central government, but Onagawacho drafted its plan fairly quickly.
"I wanted to show the will of our residents early, rather than taking a wait-and-see approach," Mayor Nobutaka Azumi said.
"With the existing framework, the town's finances will collapse. We want the central government to respond to our wishes through such measures as creating a new system whereby local municipalities have a small [financial] burden," he said.
(Sep. 11, 2011)
11/09 Hachiro's radioactive gaffe / Mock contamination leads to calls for resignation or dismissal
Yoshio Hachiro
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoshio Hachiro's infelicitous remark and gesture about radiation have sparked calls for his resignation among the ruling and opposition parties.
"Here's some radiation," Hachiro allegedly said Thursday evening, gesturing as if to press the sleeve of his jacket against a reporter after returning from his inspection tour to areas around the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
His remark and gesture have sparked a controversy within the ruling Democratic Party of Japan over whether he should stay in Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Cabinet.
According to members of the ruling coalition parties, such behavior is inappropriate for a Cabinet minister in charge of nuclear power plants, and is bound to spark calls for his resignation.
About the incident, Hachiro explained to the press Friday evening, "Actually, I wanted to talk about the disaster-hit areas, as there were many reporters whom I know well."
"I don't think I said anything like that [such as contaminating someone with radiation]," he added.
Prior to the latest trouble, Hachiro said at a press conference Friday morning: "I saw not a single person [in areas around the nuclear plant]. They were literally towns of death."
He withdrew the remark and apologized at a press conference in the afternoon.
"It was an expression that might lead to misunderstanding among the disaster victims," Hachiro said. "I sincerely regret it, withdraw the comment and deeply apologize for that."
While an increasing number of DPJ members have been discussing the possibility of Hachiro's resignation, senior officials of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party have begun calling on Noda to dismiss him outright.
"I know of the news report [about Hachiro]," Noda told reporters Saturday while on a visit to inspect the tsunami-hit city of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture. "Since I want to know his real intention, I'll meet him as soon as possible."
Noda was to return to Tokyo later Saturday, while Hachiro was scheduled to visit a plant in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the afternoon. Thus, a meeting between them may not occur until Saturday evening at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Hachiro apologized over the remark and gesture on Saturday afternoon in a dormitory building for House of Representatives members in Tokyo's Akasaka district.
"If I upset people in Fukushima Prefecture [who are victims of the nuclear disaster] and made them lose faith in the government, I want to apologize," Hachiro said.
However, Hachiro also said: "I want to work hard as far as I can. I'll consult [the prime minister on whether to resign]."
About his remark and gesture Thursday evening, Hachiro said, "I just made a little feint [toward a reporter], and I did never catch his arm. I might have done something like that."
Criticism against Hachiro was mounting in the DPJ.
Seiji Maehara, chairman of the DPJ Policy Research Committee, told reporters in Tokyo on Saturday morning: "If it's true, it's a very serious problem. It's important to explain his real intention by the end of today."
Former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama said on a TBS program Saturday: "The remark was improper. There may be various debates from now on." He suggested the problem may develop into a controversy over whether Hachiro can stay in the post.
Shigeru Ishiba, chairman of the LDP Policy Research Council, told reporters in Tokyo on Saturday, "Unless he resigns or Prime Minister Noda dismisses him, nothing can move [in the next extraordinary Diet session]."
(Sep. 11, 2011)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)