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DESCRIPTION:11/11/15  Rally Speak Out At Japanese Consulate-Stop Restarting Japan Nuke 
 Plants and Defend Fukushima Children and Families\nSpeak Out-Press 
 Conference\nWednesday November 11, 2015 3:00 PM\nSan Francisco Japanese 
 Consulate\n275 Battery St. off California St.\nSan Francisco, 
 California\n\nThe Abe government continues to push to restart more nuclear 
 plants in Japan at the same time that they have been unable to stop the 
 continued release of radiation from Fukushima. Even former prime minsters 
 Koizumi and Kan are opposing the restarting. They like most people in Japan 
 understand that another Fukushima could destroy the entire country. Despite 
 this the reactionary Abe government continues to demand that families and 
 children return to Fukushima and that Japan become a militarized power. 
 They recently welcomed the nuclear carrier Ronald Reagan to land in 
 Japan.\nThis is not just an issue for Japan but the entire world. The 
 militarization and new war constitution that Abe has pushed through against 
 the opposition of the majority of people is a threat to the world. They are 
 also pushing ahead with a new US base in Okinawa that is opposed by the 
 most of the people of Okinawa and the governor. The Abe government is now 
 opposed by more and more people and it is time to join together against 
 these policies.\nWe urge to come and speak out and for your organization to 
 join us to stand up against nukes and against militarization and 
 war.\n\nSponsored by\nNo Nukes Action 
 Committee\nhttp://nonukesaction.wordpress.com/\nFor information call (510) 
 495-5952\n\nFukushima: the First Cancers 
 Emerge\nhttp://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/23/fukushima-the-first-cancers-emerge/\nOCTOBER 
 23, 2015\nFukushima: the First Cancers Emerge\nby OLIVER 
 TICKELL\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Japanese government  has made its first admission 
 that a worker at the Fukushima nuclear plant developed cancer as a 
 following decontamination work after the 2011 disaster.\n\nThe man worked 
 at the damaged plant for over a year, during which he was exposed to 19.8 
 millisieverts of radiation, four times the Japanese exposure limit. He is 
 suffering from leukemia.\n\nThe former Fukushima manager Masao Yoshida also 
 contracted cancer of the oesophagus after the disaster and died in 2013 – 
 but the owner and operator of the nuclear plant, Tepco, refused to accept 
 responsibility, insisting that the cancer developed too quickly.\n\nThree 
 other Fukushima workers have also contracted cancer but have yet to have 
 their cases assessed.\n\nThe Fukushima nudear disaster followed the tsunami 
 of 11 March 2011. Three out of four reactors on the site melted down, 
 clouds of deadly radiation were released following a hydrogen explosion, 
 and the nuclear fuel appears to have melted through the steel reactor 
 vessels and sunk into, or through, the concrete foundations.\n\nThe tip of 
 an iceberg\n\nBut that single ‘official’ cancer case is just the 
 beginning. New scientific research indicates that hundreds more cancers 
 have been and will be contracted in the local population.\n\nA 30-fold 
 excess of thyroid cancer has been detected among over 400,000 young people 
 below the age of 18 from the Fukushima area.\n\nAccording to the 
 scientists, “The highest incidence rate ratio, using a latency period of 
 4 years, was observed in the central middle district of the prefecture 
 compared with the Japanese annual incidence.”\n\nIn a first screening for 
 thyroid cancer among 298,577 young people four years after the disaster, 
 thyroid cancer occurred 50 times more among those in the most heavily 
 irradiated areas, than in the general population, at a rate of 605 per 
 million examinees.\n\nIn a second screening round of 106,068 young people 
 conducted in April 2014 in less irradiated parts of the prefecture, the 
 cancer was 12 times more common than for the main population.\n\nThyroid 
 cancer is commonly developed as a result of acute exposure to radioactive 
 iodine 131, a product of nuclear fission. Because iodine concentrates in 
 the thyroid gland, thyroid damage including cancer is a characteristic 
 marker of exposure to nuclear fallout.\n\nExposure to iodine-131 presents a 
 high risk in the immediate aftermath of a nuclear accident owing to its 
 short half life of 8 days, making it intensely radioactive. It is estimated 
 to have made up about 9.1% of the radioactive material released at 
 Fukushima.\n\nThere’s many more cases on the way!\n\nThe paper’s 
 authors note that the incidence of thyroid cancer is high by comparison 
 with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 at the same time following 
 exposure – and warn that many more cases are likely to emerge:\n\n“In 
 conclusion, among those ages 18 years and younger in 2011 in Fukushima 
 Prefecture, approximately 30-fold excesses in external comparisons and 
 variability in internal comparisons on thyroid cancer detection were 
 observed in Fukushima Prefecture within as few as 4 years after the 
 Fukushima power plant accident. The result was unlikely to be fully 
 explained by the screening effect.\n\n“In Chernobyl, excesses of thyroid 
 cancer became more remarkable 4 or 5 years after the accident in Belarus 
 and Ukraine, so the observed excess alerts us to prepare for more potential 
 cases within a few years.”\n\nScientific studies of Chernobyl victims 
 have also found that the risk of developing thyroid cancer has a long, fat 
 tail – in other words, there is no significant fall in risk over time 
 among people exposed to iodine-131.\n\nAccording the the US’s National 
 Cancer Institute, summarising the findings in 2011,\n\n“The researchers 
 found no evidence, during the study time period, to indicate that the 
 increased cancer risk to those who lived in the area at the time of the 
 accident is decreasing over time.\n\n“However, a separate, previous 
 analysis of atomic bomb survivors and medically irradiated individuals 
 found cancer risk began to decline about 30 years after exposure, but was 
 still elevated 40 years later. The researchers believe that continued 
 follow-up of the participants in the current study will be necessary to 
 determine when an eventual decline in risk is likely to occur.”\n\nDid 
 WHO underestimate the Fukushima radiation release?\n\nThe authors of the 
 Fukushima study also suggest that the amount of radiation released may, in 
 fact, have been more that the World Health Organisation’s and other 
 official estimates:\n\n“Furthermore, we could infer a possibility that 
 exposure doses for residents were higher than the official report or the 
 dose estimation by the World Health Organization, because the number of 
 thyroid cancer cases grew faster than predicted in the World Health 
 Organization’s health assessment report.”\n\nAnother consideration – 
 which the authors do not enter into – is the effect of the other 
 radioactive species emitted in the accident including 17.5% Caesium-137 and 
 38.5% Caesium 134. These longer-lived beta-emitters (30 years and two years 
 respectively) present a major long term hazard as the element is closely 
 related to potassium and readily absorbed into biomass and food 
 crops.\n\nYet another radiation hazard arises from long lived alpha 
 emitters like plutonium 239 (half life 24,100 years) which is hard to 
 detect. Even tiny nano-scale specks of inhaled plutonium entering the lungs 
 and lymphatic system can cause cancer decades after the event by 
 continuously ‘burning’ surrounding tissues and cells.\n\nThe paper: 
 ‘Thyroid cancer detection by ultrasound among residents aged 18 years and 
 under in Fukushima, Japan: 2011 to 2014‘ is published in 
 Epidemiology.\n\nOliver Tickell edits The Ecologist, where this article 
 originally appeared.\n\nJapan Ehime governor urges Ikata nuke plant 
 operator to enhance safety 
 measures\nhttp://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20151026p2a00m0na022000c.html\n\n\nEhime 
 Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura explains safety measures after giving consent to the 
 reactivation of the No. 3 reactor at the Ikata nuclear power plant, at the 
 Ehime Prefectural Government office in Matsuyama on Oct. 26, 2015. 
 (Mainichi)\nClick to enlarge\nMATSUYAMA, Ehime -- Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura 
 handed a nine-point request to Shikoku Electric Power Co. President Hayato 
 Saeki at the former's office on Oct. 26, urging the utility to enhance 
 safety measures in restarting the No. 3 reactor at the Ikata nuclear power 
 plant.\n\nThe governor announced his approval for the reactivation of the 
 No. 3 reactor at the Ikata plant in Ikata, Ehime Prefecture, the same day, 
 amid angry protests by anti-nuclear groups near the prefectural government 
 office, who said that procedures by local authorities were carried forward 
 on the premise that the reactor would be restarted regardless.\n\nPresident 
 Saeki was seen standing still as he waited for the governor at the 
 reception room of the prefectural government office. When the governor 
 entered the room at around 9:30 a.m., a strained Saeki bowed twice, and the 
 two sat down amid camera flashes.\n\n"Today, as governor of Ehime 
 Prefecture, I decided to accept advance consultations (over the 
 reactivation) after making a comprehensive judgment based on the national 
 government's views, Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s approach, and discussions 
 among locals," Gov. Nakamura said.\n\n\nCitizens stage protests ahead of 
 the Ehime governor's announcement approving the reactivation of the Ikata 
 nuclear plant, in front of the Ehime Prefectural Government office in 
 Matsuyama on Oct. 26, 2015. (Mainichi)\nClick to enlarge\nIn response, 
 President Saeki said, "I express my sincere gratitude for your acceptance 
 of advance consultations over the No. 3 reactor at the Ikata plant today. I 
 will make sure that all staff in our nuclear power division and myself will 
 firmly take the nine-point request to heart and observe and implement the 
 measures with absolute certainty."\n\nThe meeting ended in around 10 
 minutes.\n\nAt a press conference following the meeting, Gov. Nakamura 
 explained the process leading up to his approval of the reactor's restart. 
 Using panels, the governor said, "I managed to make every request 
 imaginable to the national government and Shikoku Electric Power Co." Asked 
 if he would stake his own post in the event a severe nuclear accident 
 occurs, Nakamura replied, "Of course."\n\nIn front of the prefectural 
 government building, about 40 people staged a protest against the 
 reactivation for about 1 1/2 hours from around 8 a.m., urging Gov. Nakamura 
 not to accept the reactor's restart.\n\n"The governor had kept saying he 
 was undecided over a decision on reactivation, but in fact he considered no 
 alternatives," said Tsukasa Wada, 63, deputy secretary-general of the 
 citizens group "Ikata genpatsu o tomeru kai" (Association to stop Ikata 
 nuclear plant) based in Matsuyama.\n\n\nClick to enlarge\n"Even if the 
 governor gives consent to reactor restarts, I want to continue my protest 
 and see the decision overturned," said Yuri Gekyo, 66, a member of Green 
 Citizens Network Kochi, who joined the protest after leaving her home in 
 the city of Kochi in neighboring Kochi Prefecture at 5 a.m.\n\nMeanwhile, 
 Ikata Mayor Kazuhiko Yamashita met Shikoku Electric Power Co. Executive 
 Vice President and Nuclear Power Division Manager Kazutaka Kakinoki at the 
 Ikata Municipal Office, and handed him written approval after demanding 
 thorough implementation of measures to prevent nuclear accidents. "We will 
 continue tireless efforts to ensure safety," Kakinoki said.\n\nFollowing 
 the meeting, Mayor Yamashita told reporters, "It was a tough decision. I 
 will give instructions to Shikoku Electric Power Co. so that there will be 
 no accident like the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant disaster."\n\nIn the 
 town of Ikata, residents showed mixed reactions to the governor's approval 
 of reactivation. "There are no jobs available in this town, and the 
 approval for reactivation is good news especially for young people. I want 
 the nuclear plant to be operated carefully so that there will be no 
 accidents," said a 72-year-old proprietress of a private inn.\n\nMitsuko 
 Isozaki, a 70-year-old housewife, said, "There's no guarantee a serious 
 accident like the Fukushima disaster won't happen. It is regrettable that 
 the governor has given consent to reactivation."\n\nClick here for Japanese 
 article\nOctober 26, 2015 (Mainichi 
 Japan)\n\n【毎日新聞ニュースサイトのトップページへ】\n\nJapan 
 Says Fukushima Nuclear Plant Worker Diagnosed With Cancer \nConstruction 
 worker’s leukemia could have been caused by radiation 
 exposure\nhttp://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-says-fukushima-nuclear-plant-worker-diagnosed-with-cancer-1445333714\nStorage 
 tanks of contaminated water are seen at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power 
 plant on Oct. 9. PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY\nBy MITSURU OBE\nUpdated 
 Oct. 20, 2015 11:44 a.m. ET\n\nTOKYO—A construction worker at the 
 crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has cancer that could have been 
 caused by radiation exposure, the government said Tuesday in announcing the 
 first compensation award to be granted in such a case.\n\nThe man, who 
 wasn’t identified, was diagnosed while in his late 30s with leukemia, the 
 Health and Labor Ministry said. His current age and condition weren’t 
 disclosed, but the ministry said he is receiving outpatient 
 treatment.\n\nThe man worked at the Fukushima plant for 18 months from 2011 
 to 2013, starting after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which 
 triggered three nuclear meltdowns. He is the first worker at the plant to 
 receive compensation after developing cancer, although the ministry said a 
 definitive connection hasn’t been established.\n\nSeven other workers at 
 the site who have been diagnosed with cancer had applied for compensation. 
 Three were denied and three applications are pending. One worker withdrew 
 an application. An expert panel under the ministry reviews the 
 applications.\n\nA spokeswoman for Tokyo Electric Power Co., which owns and 
 operates the plant, declined to comment “on an action taken by the 
 government.” There wasn’t any comment from Prime Minister Shinzo 
 Abe’s office. \n\nNews of his diagnosis comes just weeks after the 
 restarting of a second nuclear reactor in Japan, even as court battles 
 continue between plant operators and opponents of restarts. The first was 
 restarted in August. \n\nAll of the country’s reactors were taken offline 
 in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, the country’s worst, as the 
 government developed more stringent safety standards.\n\nMore than 44,000 
 people have been employed at the Fukushima plant since the disaster, in 
 capacities ranging from construction worker to engineer, as part of a 
 cleanup and decommissioning effort that is expected to take decades, 
 according to Tepco. \n\nOf them, 15,408 have been exposed to radiation 
 exceeding 10 millisieverts, Tepco says. Most of the exposure has occurred 
 near the damaged reactor buildings, the official said, where workers have 
 been removing spent nuclear fuel stored at the top of these buildings. 
 \n\nOn average, people are exposed to 2.4 millisieverts of radiation a year 
 during daily life, according to the U.N. The ministry said it is difficult 
 to prove a link between cancer and radiation exposure of less than 100 
 millisieverts a year.\n\nThe man awarded compensation was exposed to a 
 total of 15.7 millisieverts of radiation through his work at the plant, the 
 ministry said. He also worked at other nuclear plants, bringing his total 
 exposure to 19.8 millisieverts, it said.\n\nHe did construction work at 
 Fukushima, including building covers for damaged reactor buildings and an 
 incinerator for low-level radioactive waste, the ministry said. \n\nThe 
 government and Tepco also face lawsuits from Fukushima residents demanding 
 compensation for losses caused by the meltdown at the plant. About 71,000 
 residents of Fukushima prefecture are still unable to return to their homes 
 because of high levels of radiation. \n\nResearchers have found high rates 
 of thyroid cancer among childrenand adolescents in Fukushima prefecture, 
 but disagree about whether that is the result of radiation exposure or more 
 rigorous testing. Some people with thyroid cancer don’t have symptoms. 
 \n\nA total of 104 young people have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, 
 according to the Fukushima prefectural government. \n\nWrite to Mitsuru Obe 
 at mitsuru.obe@wsj.com\n\n\nFukushima Watch: Early Data on Thyroid Cancer 
 Released 
 \nhttp://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/08/25/fukushima-watch-early-data-on-thyroid-cancer-released/\n5:47 
 pm JST\nAug 25, 2014 FUKUSHIMA WATCH\nFukushima Watch: Early Data on 
 Thyroid Cancer Released \n\n	• By \n \n	• JUN HONGO\n \n\nChildren in 
 Fukushima prefecture are being checked for thyroid cancer.  Agence 
 France-Presse/Getty Images\nA study by researchers in Fukushima prefecture 
 found 57 minors in the prefecture have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer 
 so far and another 46 are showing symptoms that suggest they may also have 
 the disease.\n\nThyroid cancer can be caused by exposure to radiation, but 
 it’s unclear whether the number is linked to the Fukushima Daiichi 
 nuclear accident in March 2011 because the rate of thyroid cancer in the 
 general population isn’t fully known.\n\n“There is a possibility that 
 early-stage cancer and small tumors were discovered because experienced 
 doctors conducted thorough checkups using the newest machinery,” Chief 
 Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday at a regular news conference. 
 The cabinet’s top spokesman said the government would keep a close eye on 
 developments.\n\nFukushima prefecture has been conducting regular checkups 
 of 367,707 people who were in Fukushima in March 2011 and were age 18 or 
 under when the nuclear crisis struck. Approximately 296,000 have already 
 been tested for thyroid cancer.\n\nOf those, the prefecture said that 104 
 showed signs of thyroid cancer, of whom 36 were males and 68 were females. 
 As of June, 58 of them had undergone surgery and all but one received a 
 definite diagnosis of thyroid gland cancer. The size of tumors varied from 
 5.1 millimeters to 40.5 millimeters, according to the prefecture. All of 
 those who underwent surgery are recovering smoothly, the prefecture 
 said.\n\nAccording to the American Thyroid Association, thyroid cancer is 
 “usually very treatable and is often cured with surgery and, if 
 indicated, radioactive iodine.”\n\nThe research found there was no 
 regional difference between areas close to the nuclear power plant and 
 those farther away. The percentage of those found to have thyroid cancer in 
 the town of Okuma near the plant and the town of Inawashiro, located 
 approximately 100 kilometers to the west, was 0.05% in each case.\n\nIt is 
 difficult to determine whether that percentage is unusually high, since 
 detailed research on this scale hasn’t taken place elsewhere. It is 
 possible that a similar rate of thyroid cancer would be found in children 
 who don’t live near a nuclear-power plant if all those children were 
 examined.\n\nSome medical experts have said that cases of thyroid cancer 
 started to increase in Chernobyl only several years after the nuclear 
 disaster there in 1986, suggesting it may be too soon to reach conclusions 
 about Fukushima.\n\nFor the latest news and analysis, \n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/11/05/18779681.php
SUMMARY:Rally Speak Out At Japanese Consulate-Stop Restarting Japan Nuke Plants and Defe
LOCATION:San Francisco Japanese Consulate\n275 Battery St. off California St.\nSan 
 Francisco, California\n
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/11/05/18779681.php
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DTEND:20151112T000000Z
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