In one case, the driver of a car with a Fukushima license plate was told by a passer-by to leave the area, while graffiti was drawn on another vehicle from the same prefecture, where a crisis continues at the tsunami-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.
Some hotels also refused to accommodate people from the prefecture, while children from the prefecture who took shelter in other areas were falsely accused of "having radioactivity."
The victims of such harassment and discrimination may be few, but such groundless prejudice must be eliminated.
"Radioactivity" refers to radioactive substances' ability to emit radiation. It is wrong to assume that people's health has been put in danger simply because they were living near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. Even if the surface of someone's clothes was tainted with a small amount of radiation as a result of remaining outside near the plant for a long time, there would be no problem if they were cleaned with water. Furthermore, it is scientifically impossible for people to "catch" radiation from others, just as people never get infected with radiation from those who have undergone X-ray examinations or computerized tomography scans.
Radiation is invisible and odorless, and prior to the current crisis, Japan had never had to deal with a massive nuclear power plant radiation leak. It is understandable that people have tended to be overly nervous out of anxiety about a lack of progress in the restoration of disaster-ravaged areas. However, the best way to protect oneself from such "unknown risks" is to have correct knowledge.
The Tsukuba Municipal Government in Ibaraki Prefecture initially decided to require evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture to be screened for radiation before entering evacuation shelters there, but scrapped the plan after protests erupted. We would like to point out once again that a fundamental task of local governments and schools is to disseminate correct knowledge.
Some critics have pointed out that the public feels insecure because the way the government has provided information on radiation risks has been inappropriate. Specifically, they refer to repeated statements by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano to the effect that radiation leaking from the Fukushima plant "poses no immediate threat" to people's health. It would be much better if the government could clearly show whether the situation at the crippled nuclear plant is safe or not.
There are various views on the long-term risks posed by exposure to low levels of radiation. In past cases not related to radiation, potential risks from pollution and side-effects of pharmaceutical products developed into serious health hazards many years later. The government should therefore release as much accurate and detailed data as possible without delay, and state the grounds for its conclusion that the situation "poses no immediate threat."
Groundless rumors about the risks of radiation contamination spread over the Internet shortly after the disaster, but many pieces of accurate information that dismissed such rumors subsequently appeared online. Moves are spreading in many areas to buy agricultural products from Fukushima Prefecture in a bid to support local farmers hit hard by harmful rumors. Fruit juice and tomatoes from Fukushima have proven quite popular and are selling well over the Internet.
People whose lives have been threatened by the unprecedented triple crisis of a deadly quake, tsunami and nuclear power station accident are seeking both level-headed communication and social bonds. Our efforts to overcome the disaster, which are expected to be prolonged, are heading into a crucial stage.
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) April 23, 2011
社説：被災者への差別 誤解と偏見をなくせ
悲劇の渦中にありながらつつましやかな被災者の姿が国内外の人々の心を打つ一方、心ない差別やいじめに苦しむ被災者がいる。福島ナンバーの車が落書きされたり、「どけ」と言われる。ホテルへの宿泊を拒否される。避難している子どもが「放射能がついている」といじめられる。全体から見れば少数かもしれないが、根拠のない差別は厳に戒めなくてはならない。
そもそも放射能とは放射性物質の持つ放射線を出す能力のことである。福島第１原発の近隣地域に住んでいたからといって現在健康に影響が出るほど放射線にさらされたわけではない。屋外に長い時間いて服や車に微量の放射性物質が付着したとしても洗い流せば問題はない。まして人から人へ「放射能が感染する」ことは科学的に起こり得ない。レントゲン検診やＣＴスキャンを受けた人から放射性物質がうつることがないのと同じだ。
放射線は目に見えず、においもない。原発から大量の放射性物質が漏れるという危機も国内では経験がなかった。復旧が進まないことへいらだちが募り神経過敏になるのはわかるが、「未知のリスク」から身を守るためには何よりもまず正しい知識を持つことだ。茨城県つくば市は福島県からの転入者に対して放射線量検査を求める措置を決めたものの、抗議を受けて撤回した。自治体や学校などは率先して正確な知識の普及に努めるべき立場であることを改めて指摘しておきたい。
国民が安心感を得られないのは政府の情報提供に問題があるからだとの意見もある。「ただちには影響がない」と枝野幸男官房長官が会見で繰り返すことなどを指す。危険か安全かはっきり示せるのであればそれに越したことはない。ただ、低レベルの放射線を浴びた場合の長期的なリスクについてはさまざまな意見がある。「未知のリスク」という点では、長い年月がたってから深刻な被害が顕在化した公害や薬害も数多い。それぞれの時点で可能な限り正確かつ詳細なデータを示し、「ただちには影響がない」としか言えない根拠をわかりやすく説明していくしかない。
一方、被災直後にネットでデマが広がったりもしたが、それを打ち消す正確な情報も次々に流された。打撃を受けている福島県産の野菜などを支援する動きも各地に広がっている。果汁飲料やトマトはネットで大人気だ。
大地震、津波、原発事故という人類が経験したことのない危機にさらされながら、私たちは情報発信の成熟化や社会連帯を何とか見いだそうとしているようにも思う。長期化するこれからが踏ん張りどころだ。
英訳毎日新聞 2011年4月22日 2時30分
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