Around 350 Fukushima Prefecture farmers and other people gathered in front of the headquarters of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) in Tokyo on April 26, demanding apologies and compensation for the ongoing nuclear crisis. Amongst them was a woman clutching a picture of her dead husband, who took his own life last month after the nuclear crisis hit.
"Stop the nuclear power plants. That's what my husband wanted," the woman, 61-year-old Mitsuyo Tarukawa, pleaded amongst tears.
"I believe his death was a protest against TEPCO. He had worked so hard to till his land" said Mitsuyo as she and around 20 farmer representatives met with a TEPCO official in charge of compensation payments in a separate building during the demonstration.
Mitsuyo's husband Kiyoshi Tarukawa, 64 at the time of his death, had kept chemical use to a minimum in raising his crops and had supplied cabbages for school lunches. He also had experienced visiting elementary schools for food education.
However, that was all changed by the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant. Mitsuyo remembers her husband staring at the news as the hydrogen explosions in the reactor buildings were reported and muttering, "Fukushima's farmers are finished."
On March 23, the national government announced a halt on market shipments of some types of Fukushima-grown vegetables. The next morning, Kiyoshi hanged himself next to his home. He left no suicide note.
The April 26 protest was primarily organized by Tokyo-based Nouminren, the Japan Farmers Movement. In addition to the Fukushima farmers, farmers from Chiba, Ibaraki, and other areas in the Kanto region who have suffered losses because of radiation worries participated in the protest, bringing two cows with them by truck. Shouts of "Bring the company president out here!" and "Give us back our towns!" could be heard at the protest.
When asked by protestors how much compensation money they could expect, the TEPCO official only repeated, "We still need to deliberate on that."
As she prepared to leave, Mitsuyo said, "I conveyed by husband's feelings. Now what I want is a sincere response."
(Mainichi Japan) April 27, 2011
福島第１原発：福島の農民ら３５０人 東電へ抗議
もう犠牲者を増やさないで－－。福島第１原発事故で避難や出荷停止に追い込まれた福島県の農家ら約３５０人が２６日、東京都千代田区の東京電力本店前で、謝罪と賠償を求めて抗議活動をした。原発災害を苦に先月、自ら命を絶った福島県須賀川市の専業農家、樽川清志さん（当時６４歳）の妻美津代さん（６１）も遺影を胸に参加。「原発を止めて。それが夫の願い」と涙ながらに訴えた。
「東電への抗議の死だったと思うんです。土作りに人一倍力を入れていたから……」。デモの途中、別棟で農家代表ら約２０人と面会した東電の補償担当社員に、美津代さんは言った。
清志さんは減農薬農業を手がけ、丹精込めて栽培したキャベツを学校給食用に納めていた。小学校で食育の出前授業をしたこともあった。だが、原発事故がすべてを変えた。原子炉建屋の水素爆発を報じるニュースを食い入るように見つめ、「福島の農業はもうおしまいだ」とつぶやく夫の姿を、美津代さんは覚えている。
３月２３日、政府は福島県産野菜の出荷停止を発表。翌朝、清志さんは自宅そばで首をつった。遺書はなかった。
抗議活動は「農民運動全国連合会」（東京）が主催し、千葉や茨城など、風評被害に悩む関東地方の農家も牛２頭をトラックに乗せて参加した。「社長を出せ」「古里を返せ」。損害賠償の見通しを尋ねる参加者に、東電側は「持ち帰り検討させていただく」と繰り返した。美津代さんは「夫の思いは伝えた。誠意ある答えがほしい」と、オフィス街を後にした。【阿部周一】
英訳毎日新聞 2011年4月26日 19時16分（最終更新 4月26日 19時51分）
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