Voice Of FUKUSHIMA

There was a big anti-NUKE gathering in September in Tokyo. A speech given by a woman from Fukushima moved people deeply. I tried to translate it for foreigers. I'm not sure if I could translate it successfuly, but could you guess what she said in her speech and forgive my mistakes?

Ruiko Muto's speech at the gathering on Sep.19th in Tokyo　

People from Fukushima, would you all stand up, please.

Hello, everyone,we came from Fukushima. Today, we came together in a line of buses , from Fukushima Prefecture, from refugee camps.Among us, there are many who are joining these gatherings or demonstrations for the first time. We talked and decided to come, to tell the sorrow caused by the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant. We are the ones to demand "No Nukes"

First of all, I 'd like to say, I deeply respect each of you all who have worked to save lives during these hard days since March 11th. And, I am so grateful to the people who gave us their helping hands, cooperated with us, and supported us in many ways. Thank you very much. And, as the generation that have had this happen to them, I have to apologize sincerely to the children and the young people whom we made carry this heavy burden.

Everyone, Fukushima is a very beautiful place. In the east we view the blue Pacific Ocean, and in the central area, we have rich orchards of peaches, pears, and apples. Around the Inawashiro Lake and Mt.Bandai,we have Aizu Plain with golden rice fields. Beyond them, we see deep rows of mountains. The mountains are green and the waters are clear, our homeland. But after the accident at the nuclear plant on March 11th, invisible radiation fell on us, and we are now nuclear victims.

In the state of confusion, many things happened among us. People were split between uneasiness and the quick advertisement which declear "It's safe." So many people felt anxious and sad in the community, in the work place, at school, and at home. Day after day, we had to choose and decide; refuge or not, eat or not, make the children wear masks or not, dry the laundry outside or not, plow the farm or not, and say something or keep our mouths shut. We had to make many difficult decisions.

Now a half a year has passed, and things are becoming clear: like "The truth is hidden." "The nation never protects its people." "The accident is not over yet." "The people of Fukushima will be the nuclear test subjects." "A huge amount of nuclear waste remains." "There are people that insist on pushing the nuclear power plants even though we have these victims already." " We were thrown away." We sigh deeply tired and desperate.

But we dare say, "Don't fool us." and " Don't kill us." We, the people of Fukushima, now begin to stand up quietly in the anger and sorrow. Fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers to save the childen, young people not to be deprived their future, working people to save the nucler plant workers who are treating the troubled plant suffering from the terrible amount of radiation, farmers in the desperation whose farms were polluted, disabled people to stop the new kind of discrimination and separation, each of these citizens are inquiring after the responsibility of the government and Tokyo Denryoku. And we are saying, " We don't need nuclear power stations any more."

We are the demons of Tohoku(North-eastern Japan) who keep the flame of anger under our skin quietly. We, the people of Fukushima, both those who leave the hometown and those who stay and llve there, want to share our anguish, responsibility, and hope, and live togethr helping each other.

Connect with us. Pay attention to our action; negotiation with the government, evacuation, lawsuit, refuge, employment, cleaning of the radiation, measurement of the radiation, learning about the nuclear power station and radiation, and so on. We will go anywhere and will talk about Fukushima. One of us is now making a speech far in New York today. We are doing everything we can do now. Help us. Never forget Fukushima, please.

I would like to tell you one more thing. It's about our way of life, our style of living. We have to imagine what is beyond the outlet we plug casually. We should thimk over the fact that convenience and development is dependent on discrimination and sacrifice. Nuclear power stations are over there.

Human being is just one of the creatures living on the Earth. No other creatures destroy their own future. I want to live a right life that is harmonious with this beautiful planet as the creature on it. I want to live a life which is not luxurious, but energy-saving, resourceful, and creative.

No one exactly knows how to make the new world that is opposite from the nuclear power stations The only thing we can do is not to obey some other's decisions, but think deeply with seriousness ourselves, open our eyes wide, decide what we can do, and act. Remember that everyone of us has the power to do so. We have courage to change. Take our self-confidence back, which has been deprived of.

When we liken the power to promote nukes to a wall standing vertically, our strength is to join and widen levely. Take a hand of your neighbor standing next to you now. Let' s listen to the pain of the others. Let the tears and anger allow. Let's extend the warmth of our joined hands all over Japan, and all over the world. Even if our burden is incredibly heavy, and our journey is so harsh, we shall survive lightly and pleasanly supporting each other.

Thank you. .

WHY A NEW BASE IN OKINAWA?

I was thinking of closing my blog, but my husband tells me I should write about Okinawa for the foreign people in Japan, especially American. I know my blog has only a few readers,　and so I wonder if it's useful. But anyway I'll try.
We visited Okinawa with some other members of '9 jou no kai' (Movement to protect Article 9)on January 31. We have been very concerned about Okinawa especially since last year. We can't let the matter with Okinawa pass without a protest. Peace of Japan and our future are deeply related to Okinawa. So we wanted to watch Okinawa with our own eyes and to know what we can do. We have a good guide who lives in Okinawa and keeps acting about the matter of the U.S. army bases and protecting nature. His name is Mr. Kim and he was once in Saku.
First, we went to the southern part of the island. It was the battlefield sixty-five years ago. Many people tried to flee from the attack of the U.S. army and strayed and died there. About 230000 people including American soldiers and Korean people were killed in the battle. We visited the stone monuments on which all the names of them were curved. They were rows and rows of the stones with names....
On the second day, we went to the places from where we could see the U.S. bases well. The bases are huge and surrounded with fences with signs that is saying,"No entry without permission. If you do, you will be punished by the Japanese law." What!!? About 20 percent of the land of Okinawa is occupied as the U.S.bases. Do you know it's not only land, but also sky and sea! Why does a nation have a right to occupy another independent nation and expel citizens? I can't understand.
The third day was the most important day. We went to the northern area of the island, where is the rich forest with many rare species. The U.S. army is using the area as training places with many facilities such as helicopters pads. They want more heli pad near a small village called Takae, and so the government of Japan is making it. The villagers who want safe and quiet life and want to save the forest have been against the plan for some years. But the village is small and far from the big cities, and little media have informed the matter. Since this January the Defense Bureau has sent many people to force the constructions work. On the other hand, the government brought the villagers to a trial for 'disturbing traffic'!!! When we visit there, the people who were protesting looked cheerful, but sitting down and protesting more than two years can't be easy or fun. When I check their blog these days, it often says, "They are coming. Come and help us." "A big construction machine is moving inside the fence."
The situation is the same at Henoko, Nago City, whose beautiful sea is going to be a new army base of the U.S. The people of the city said "No" through the votes twice (election for the mayor and the members of the city assembly). They had to accept the bases in exchange for money from the government. But now they realized that they can't be happy or safe with army bases. The U.S. has demanded the new and empowered base, and the governments of Japan, that can't say "No" to America, is kicking its own people out and obey its boss. We, Japanese people are already paying 500,000,000en a day for the U.S. bases, and of course, we are going to pay all the money to make the new base. Why do we have to pay from our tax money? If you like wars, please make army bases in your own country, and train your soldiers with your money.
We also met some people and talked with them. A eighty-two-year-old woman who was burned with a flamethrower during the war said, "And so, I hate everything related wars. I can't accept the army bases, where people learn how to kill."
Yes, we have learned that armed forces can't make peace. Look at Iraq. Look at Israel. Whose benefit was it? Someone must get money. Someone must get power. We are just citizens. Wars bring us no benefit, let’s stop supporting wars. And so, we don't need any army bases. It's time to find another way to make peace, I think.
Forgive me I'm too excited. I'm dreaming the day when all the people can live in peace and all the children feel no fear. I hope we can share the dream. Thank you for reading my long essay.