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“Cultivating
Life: What We Can Do For the Future”
Yamada Sei （ peace/environmental activist ）
World March in Tokyo: October 19ｔｈ, 2009
Q: When did you begin getting involved with activism?
A: I’m 71 years old this year, and I started doing activist work in fields
relating
to food and agriculture when I was in my mid 30’s. This then led to my
work
with school lunches, nuclear power, construction in the ocean on the
Okinawan
island of Ishigaki, and other issues related to the environment.
Q: Why did you first become an activist?
A: I grew up in a beautiful lush, green area on the island of Kyushu, but
when I
married and began raising children I was living in Tokyo metropolis where
there
is far less access to nature, which forced me to come face to face with
environmental issues. As one example: the sudsy chemical-based dishwashing
detergent that people were using led to a sudsy surface of nearby rivers.
When
I started thinking about the situation from the point of view of the
fishes and other creatures living there, it was clear that I had to
stop using such materials. I have
used the same philosophy with regard to my activism in ocean-related issues:
always considering the situation from the standpoint of other living creatures.
We did have some success in stopping the concrete from being poured to
build
an airport above the coral reef in Ishigaki, but now?some 20 years later?the
government is now busy trying again to do the same thing. They certainly
don’t
give up easily.
Q: What other issues have you been involved with, both domestically and overseas?
A: Oh, many! Internationally speaking, I have worked with Iraqis in Jordan,
with
Palestinians in Gaza, and with North Koreans fleeing over the border
into China
to escape repression and starvation. The country that I have the deepest
relationship with is the Philippines, although I won’t have time to discuss
that
tonight.
Domestically, I have worked with the victims of the 1995 Kobe earthquake
and
with homeless people. However, what I would like to discuss in the greatest
detail tonight with you, the World March participants, is the issue
of Japanese policy
in the area of nuclear fuel recycling. Japanhas 56 nuclear power plants
in
operation, which are all situated along the Japan Sea and the Pacific
Ocean
coastlines. It also has plants capable of enriching uranium, although
it periodically
threatens to apply sanctions to countries like Iran and North Korea for
possessing
the same thing.
Japan also has more than 40 tons of plutonium, which clearly have no other
possible uses than for nuclear weapons. Although the government is trying
to
convince people that nuclear power is necessary, and for reducing CO2
emissions, which is clearly nonsense.
In the village of Rokkasho in Aomori prefecture, there has been built a
nuclear
fuel reprocessing plant for extracting plutonium and uranium from spent
nuclear
fuel. This is an extremely dangerous facility. It is capable of churning
out about
the same amount of radiation in only one day that is normally released
in about
100 days?that gives you some idea of the immense dangers that it poses.
This facility is presently stopped because of the dangers posed by the
glass
substances that are produced when the nuclear fuel rods are enlarged
to 160
times their normal size and converted into high level nuclear fluid that
is then
heated to over 1200 degrees Celsius.
Unless they are properly cooled, there is an extreme danger that these
nuclear
glass substances could cause an explosion. And we are talking about something
thousands of times stronger than what we saw in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
If the glass balls are not able to be made, then we are stuck with all
of this spent
nuclear fuel. And because there is nowhere left to store it, the only
alternative is
to stop the facility.
Because government and business officials do not want this to happen,
however,
they are now scrambling to enlarge existing facilities.
Can you imagine the burden that this will place upon future generations?
Most people do not think about these kinds of consequences.
Q: What should we do now, then?
A: The government is now spending billions more yen to make the glass balls
safe
and pass the required testing. Although we just had a change in administration,
the new Democratic Party of Japan made no move to reduce this budget.
Because they are tied to the nuclear power industry, unfortunately I
really don’t
think we can expect very much from them.
The people who can make a difference, however, are us as individual citizens.
Since you have all just visited Hiroshima, I am sure you came away with
an
understanding of the horrors visited upon the people there, as well as
the fact
that radiation does not go away.
Let me also repeat that nuclear power plants have a direct connection
to nuclear
weapons. Even though they may not be used for this reason at present,
this
could change at any time. It is crucial that we be aware of this. If
we do not
acknowledge this possibility, it could mean the end of us as a civilization.
Q: Do you have any final words to share?
A: Historically speaking, we have tried to make things faster, better, brighter,
more
convenient, etc. While this may be true, we must also begin to understand
the
fact that incredible amounts of radiation have accompanied this lifestyle.
In our everyday lives, we truly are swimming in chemicals.
We are now losing our beautiful green forests at a rate equaling one
soccer
court-sized area per day. In several decades, the Amazon jungles will
likely no
longer even exist. This is absolutely mind-boggling to comprehend.
Ｉn Japan as well, we have sacrificed our natural surroundings to economic
development. This must stop. And we are the ones…you young people, especially,
together with others around the world such as the World Marchers…to make
this happen.
Thank you, and here is hoping to our positive future!
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October 19, 2009
Yamada Sei (author, activist)
Translated into English by Kimberly Hughes of Kyoto Journal
Event support: Peace Not War Japan, Japonicus
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