Ordinary Days In Japan

Tokyo Olympic games is a large barrier to library access

2021-07-01T23:27:00.000+09:00

Yesterday the Tokyo metropolitan reported 714 new daily coronavirus cases. When the state of emergency since April was ended on June 20, Tokyo had 376 new cases. In about 10 days, it has grown about twice.

I am living in the Tokyo suburb area, and I am a freelance journalist who covering science, technology, and social issues. Since 2011, the year of the Great East Japan Earthquakes, I have been well known as a journalist who has specialized in poverty issues. In addition, I started my doctoral study on social welfare policy making in Japan in 2014. Now I am writing the dissertation, and planning to finish it in this September.

Also, I have disabilities. I use a wheelchair every time I will go out. When I get on buses or trains, drivers or station staffs help me. It means I have opportunities to contact other persons without enough social distances. In about these 5 years, station staffs have been reduced and support for persons with needs have been outsourced for security companies. But the workers from those companies are not employed and trained to work in stations and help people with disabilities. I should brace for discriminations and inadequate treat against me. Of course, I can raise my voice to change those situations, but no one is responsible for these situations.

At a station in Tokyo metropolitan area, an aged male worker of a security company worked for several years to support passengers in wheelchairs, but the person liked to touch female passenger's body. I think it was sexual harassment, but in the Japanese context, he will never be punished. I know some women in wheelchairs hated him and avoided to use the station. "Fortunately", many aged workers left their jobs because of Covid-19. Since 2020, I didn't see him.

Anyway, the problem for me is the rising risk of infection. I don't agree to have Olympics in this summer, but Japanese government will never give up. I think I should avoid to be in Tokyo metropolitan area till this September, the Paralympic games will end up. I have 2 cats. I receive visits by care helpers twice a week. I should not infect to save my cats and the care helpers.

There is a large problem. To avoid being in metropolitan area means that I can't access the National Diet Library. I am attending the graduate school in Kyoto, and it is difficult to access the university library in the same reason. I should finish my assertion with resources that I can access.

Of course, my work as a journalist have been restricted by Covid-19 in the same reason. With minimum face-to-face coverage, with minimum use of transportation, with restricted resources, I have been continuing my job. I think I loved sports, but now I wonder my love for sports was real or not. Now for me, Tokyo Olympics are severe threat and large barriers. As a result, many Japanese who like to play or watch sports allowed to have Olympics in this summer amid Covid-19, and there is no measure to stop it.

Japanese public assistance is going to be killed

2013-05-17T14:19:00.000+09:00

Today, The bill to amend The Public Assistance Act is sent to the lower house of the Diet.

The bill may defeat the public assistance in Japan, because it will make difficult to apply for public assistance. If a person will apply, the welfare office will investigate the assets and the work of he/she and his/her relatives by the law. After that, the relatives will be required to maintain the person by the law too. And this bill contains many contents to make severely difficult to ask public assistance.

The bill will make many poors or domestic violence victims to commit suicide, to be killed by hunger (Japan have thousands of people who killed by hunger per year) or to be killed by disease without treatment.I wish the fact around The Public Assistance Act in Japan will be broadcasted in foreign media, especially the media in the US. Because establishments in Japan tend to afraid that if they can be favored or not by the people in the US.

Especially, to whom working for foreign media:
I'm a writer,. I don't have enough skill in writing English, but I can brief the facts, the problems, the contexts and the frame.
Please feel free to contact me.
Yoshiko MiwaE-mail miwa(at-mark)miwachan.info

FYI:
One of my articles about the bill (In Japanese)
"The public assistance will be killed in real senseIncredible contents of the bill to amend The Public Assistance Act"
http://diamond.jp/articles/-/36055
x

“Every child should attend good schools” About 30 years of trial and effort in a poor neighborhood in the City of Boston

2013-03-17T09:47:00.000+09:00

At Mar.15 2013, I wrote an article in my running story "The truth of social aid（生活保護のリアル）"about Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative(DSNI) for "Diamond Online", one of very popular media among business persons in Japan.

貧困層の子どもたちを“悪い学校”に行かせない！
アメリカ・ボストン郊外で続く約30年間の試み
http://diamond.jp/articles/-/33342

But the medium doesn't have English site, so I release the translation into English here. Thank you Mr. Jose M. Barros and his daughter that they helped me to make this translation.

“Every child should attend good schools”
About 30 years of trial and effort in a poor neighborhood in the City of Boston

Most of social security systems in Japan were constructed after the defeat in 1945, and they were based on the mission of Occupation. Of course, social aid system is one of them.
We Japanese tend to learn things from other developed countries and how are the situation in these countries?
This time, I described efforts for children in poverty of a NPO in the City of Boston. The NPO has been contributed in established the local community for about 30 years.

A NPO which fought against the poverty problem in the society “Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative”

　On the afternoon of Feb.19, 2013, I was taking a bus ride from the center of Boston City to an urban area. I wished to visit a NPO “Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI)”, which is well known as initiative against the poverty problem in the area. Before that, I had contacted DSNI to make appointment but I didn't receive an answer yet. I thought I should visit there and see the building and the area.

I could read about DSNI, but I wouldn't have known how about the area and the building just by written materials. I went to a bus station “Dudley Square”, and I took another bus ride. The landscape from the window of the bus changed to more and more desert. I could see some real estate shops and food shops, but about half of these shops were not doing business. There buildings were also filled with graffiti. In the area, there were many houses with post-colonial taste. These houses would be considered as luxurious houses in Japan, but some of them had “For Sale” signs or were deserted as so no one could live in it.

I got off the bus at the destination, and I found the building of DSNI. I crossed the street and moved to the front door. I had just wished to go inside the building and get some written materials, and I introduced myself to a staff at the counter. I said, “I am a writer from Japan and I am interested in your activities.” So I got a courtesy to have an interview.

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative(DSNI), the center of Dudley area's reconstruction for about 30 years.

I interviewed Mr. Jose M. Barros. He came from the Republic of Cabo Verde as an immigrant in 1977 when he was 24 years old. He became a staff of DSNI in 1996 after working as a Public Relation Liaison for the Cape Verdean Consulate in Boston. As resident and member of DSNI, he is now working as a Community Organizer and Planner on education, civic engagement, parent organization and outreaching.

DSNI's web site. Their history, their activities and their vision are described.

What can we do for children and parents in poverty?

At first, Mr. Barros emphasized that

“We (DSNI) don't provide services. We work with people who come with different needs. We plan and organize. Most of the time, we refer them to other community service organizations. Because of language issues, I tend to help parents by making a call translating letters for them. As I said, DSNI does not provide services”.

In Japan, the relationship between supporters and people with needs tend to become “service provider” and “service recipient”. And we may consider DSNI's activities as none other than services. But DSNI seemed to be in another ground.

What are DSNI's activities for children in poverty?

“We work with parents with children 0-5 years old and we help them access services for their children that usually they cannot get for their kids to be able to succeed before they go to school. We work with them and their children”.

What kind of children?

“We don’t discriminate. We work with all parents and their kids”　

I wanted to know about the activities for children with disabilities, because I have disability. At that time, they didn't have children with disabilities, but Mr. Barros said that “If a child comes with disabilities, they will be served the same way”.

And Parents without problems don't visit DSNI. Many poor minority parents visit and need helps from DSNI. What kind of the problems do they have?

“Parents often don't have enough English skills. So they have many difficulties in getting necessary information and making progress at administrative institutions. We bring resources and information to them that otherwise they cannot get”

The children don’t get enough intellectual stimulation at their home.

“Normally, children in the rich neighborhood, when they get to 3rd grade they have about 6000 vocabularies versus our children with only a 1000.”

That is a very serious difference. It may not be only the number of vocabulary, but also it affects them in many aspects, like getting more knowledge, learning and using higher concepts.

“At 6th grade, the difference becomes larger. Children in the early age have abilities to absorb words like sponges and use them later”

Especially for the children before school, it is important to make their parents more conscious and to back up home environments for children.

“So we are working with the parents and making an effort to know what we can do to cooperate. We are working with the parents whose children are 0 to 5 to give them tools they need for the success of their children”.

But the parents don't have enough time.

“Parents in our communities often have 2 or 3 jobs, full time and part time. They are working on Saturday or Sunday. They don't have enough money. Some children stay at home without adult supervision and care. Many of the parents can't speak English as well, so they don't have a voice. I’m working with a single father who has 5 children, and they go to 3 different schools. The mother is still in Cape Verde. This type of separation does not benefit families.”

I don't know the school system in the US very well. I know a little about it because the Internet. In Japan, each area has only one elementary school /junior high school zone. But in the US, the situation is different from Japan. Boston has many different schools. There are many choices for parents. If there are many kids in a family, it is possible that parents will need to advocate, making sure their children go to the same school. And I think parents without skills in English can't negotiate.

“So we have an education committee. The committee works with parents and schools. We work to empower them before the system. In the US children with special needs have the same right to education. The committee brings that information to parents with special need children. We encourage them to visit their children's school and meet the teacher. Most of the time a parent with a special needs child needs to advocate to get those services.”

Mr. Jose M. Barros, The Community Organizer and Planner of DSNI. He came from Republic of Cabo Verde and became a staff of DSNI in 1996 after working as a Public Relation Liaison for the Cape Verdean Consulate in Boston. He is also a resident of Dudley area.

The efforts of DSNI in about 30 years to construct the local community

I'd like to introduce DSNI. What kind of NPO is it?

DSNI's mission is not only to help the children in poverty. DSNI was founded in 1984 to reconstruct the Dudley area, which is in most serious poverty among the Boston city. According to DSNI's web site, Dudley was a desolate neighborhood with arson at that time. After that, for about 30 years, DSNI has been making actions with patience to re-establish the area. Also DSNI has been constructed good relations with the government and other organizations and a strong financial bedrock.

Now DSNI has 3 big agendas, “Sustainable and Economic Development”, ”Community Empowerment” and “Youth Opportunity and Development”. The actions with parents and children are included in the last one.

According to DSNI, the neighborhood is 37% African‐American, 29% Latino, 25% Cape Verdean, and 9% White and other. The average annual income is $12,332. The poverty line in the US is $17,029, so it may not be an exaggeration to say that almost all of the Dudley area is in poverty. The jobless rate of the area is 13.6%. According to www.census.gov, of 2010 the population of the Dudley area in 2007 was about 11,000. The year of these date are not clear in the site, and this poverty line is 1999's. These date may be on several years ago, but the situation in the Dudley area doesn't improved so much, I think.

Does DSNI give weight to the growth of children? Of course, it is important to educate the children well to solve poverty problems and to guarantee the children's rights. But moreover, I think the Dudley area has many children. According to DSNI, about 1/3 of the people in the area are under 19 years old. About half of all families in this area have children under 18 years old. This is double to the Boston city area.
Of course, we Japanese don't have reason to neglect our responsibility to grow up children, however our society is facing to decline in the number of children.

The area nearby DSNI is a deserted residental zone. There are shops that they are not doing business and buildings with graffiti.

In a book "American Community" by Yasushi Watanabe, a cultural anthropologist, DSNI's history and their challenge until around 2005 are described.

One of the big tasks, “That children will continue to have a dream”

Statistics tell that the situation of the Dudley area is very tough. Under the situation, how can children dream their future and make efforts to make sure their dreams will come true?

“That is what we are trying to do”

I think it is difficult. It is very difficult for the children not only to dream something for just a moment, but to continue that dream for years and to continue to make efforts.

“Every kid wants to be someone but you’ve got to help them continue their dream.

We have to tell them that they can do it a lot of times.”

But it is not easy to continue their dream without role models. For children, the appearance is a very big problem.

“We have a lot of minority children in schools, but the teachers come from the white communities. We don't have a lot of teachers that are minorities that look like the children.”

I think the effect is not only that the children can't find the role model that looks like them, but they may tell the children how few their opportunities are to get higher education and future job.

“We tell children that 'you can do anything', but the curriculum of the school is made by someone who is not living in this area. They don't know the situation around the children in this area. Sometimes the children have single parent or don't have parents. Sometimes they do not have enough food. Sometimes they are living with many brothers and sisters in a room. All are different the from children of rich family”

The children may react sharply to the school and teachers because teachers only say proper words.

”We have to tell the kids: “Dream Big! Anything is possible; you can be whatever you want”. But also we hope that teachers can believe in them. A lot of teachers don't believe that. Actually, every kid is intellectual and has ability to succeed”

Sometimes teachers from the white community offend the children, and the teachers return to the white community.

“Some teachers look down on the kids and they offend them, but the teachers are protected by union.”

All schools must be good schools

In 2012, DSNI founded a new charter school. Now the school is small and has only K1, K2 and 1st grade children. Boston Teacher Residency in collaboration with DSNI and is responsible for opening this school. For this year, BTR has been preparing teachers for Boston Public Schools. Now they are using this new school as a “Teaching Academy” to train new teachers and help the new school. In the future, there is a plan to extend to 5th grade.

If all of the children in poverty go to such a school, will the problem with education for children be solved?

“No. We are going to make all school good schools. In Boston, many children of minorities unfortunately go to bad schools or to schools that are not performing well. For some children to attend a good school, the parents send them to schools in suburbs, which come with long bus ride and hours away from their family and their community. If all schools were good schools, every child would be going to their local school”

To Mr. Barros, what is the equal opportunity in education?

“If I cannot put my child in a school because the school is bad, then I shouldn’t force your child to go there either. Now if it’s not good me, it’s not good for you. If your child goes to a good school, my child needs to go to a good school also. Doesn’t matter how much I make.”

There are many things to realize.

“We are putting pressure on the school. We are putting pressure on the city not to cut the budget. Or organizing parents to go and talk to the Mayor of the City or the City Councils. We have to organize parents and change the teachers’ mentality”.

Near the entrance of DSNI, many brochures about the basis of human lives like emergency call, English education or health education are distributed.

Inside of the building of DSNI., there is moss green themed very calm and comfortable space.

I think DSNI's challenges and efforts in the past have been achieved now. But yet, there are many problems to be solved. Especially, with the children in the infant stage now, if it is too late the problem will be solved in 3 or 5 years.

With the long-term vision, DSNI is working to solve urgent issues. I will take notice of DSNI in the future.

A Great Science Communicator Prof. Yamanaka, With or Without Novel Prize　（ノーベル賞と無関係に偉大なサイエンスコミュニケータ、山中教授）

2012-10-09T12:09:00.000+09:00

Yesterday, Prof. Shinya Yamanaka (Kyoto Univ.) won the Nobel Prize for work on iPS cells. As a Japanese, I'd like to celebrate Prof. Yamanaka.

And I'd like to notify about how he has been struggling to raise research fund. After the Japanese government's budget screening process in 2009, it is too difficult to get research fund from government for top-lever researcher like Prof. Yamanaka. Of course, Prof Yamanaka can raise donations from companies. A research center named "CiRA", which now he is working for, has been raising and allocating donations from companies or individuals.

CiRA's page about funding
http://www.cira.kyoto-u.ac.jp/j/about/fund.html

From 2011, Prof Yamanaka has been acting as an advertising tower in a cloud funding system to protect jobs of research technicians. He runs in marathon events for civilians for advertising. This makes easy to understand for general public that scientific researches need many kind of people including research technicians, and it is too difficult to hold their life and career formation at government expense.

JustGiving Japan
http://justgiving.jp/c/7882

I'd like to admire Prof. Yamanaka as an excellent science communicator.

Congratulations!

I want to see in the future more actively science communication as a Nobel prize winner.

昨日、山中伸弥教授（京都大学）がiPS細胞に関する研究でノーベル賞を獲得されました。一人の日本人として、祝福を申し上げます。

さらに私は、山中教授がどのようにして研究費を獲得しているかについて知ってほしいと思います。2009年の「事業仕分け」以後、日本では、山中氏のようなトップレベルの研究者でも、国費（科研費）の利用が難しくなっています。もちろん、山中氏はさまざまな企業から寄付を得ることが必要な立場にあります。企業からの寄付は、山中氏の所属する研究所が集め、配分しています。

CiRA　「ご支援のお願い」
http://www.cira.kyoto-u.ac.jp/j/about/fund.html

昨年から、山中氏は自らクラウドファンディングを行い、テクニシャンの雇用を守っています。クラウドファンディングのPRのために、自ら市民マラソンに出走しています。このことにより、山中氏は、研究にはテクニシャンを含めた多様な人々が不可欠なこと、その人々の安定した生活とキャリア形成が国費では難しいことを、日本の一般の人々に訴えています。

JustGiving Japan
http://justgiving.jp/c/7882

私は、素晴らしいサイエンスコミュニケータとして、山中伸弥教授を讃えます。
山中先生、おめでとうございます。
今後、ノーベル賞受賞者として、さらに積極的にサイエンスコミュニケーションを展開されますことに、期待しています。

I'm proud of you, Reiko!

2012-06-11T20:19:00.000+09:00

On June 6th, a 11 years old girl passed away, because of brain stem glioma, after struggle with the disease for about 1 year. Her name was Reiko.

I knew her because her father was one of my friends. He is a librarian, and I'm a heavy user of libraries. We knew each other at some informal meetings of librarians.

After Reiko's glioma was found, her parents shared Reiko and family's struggling with the disease on their blogs. Her mother was working for day care center for children at that time, but she had been a librarian. Both her father and mother knew well about the importance of information and collaboration, so they shared the struggling positively on blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.

Reiko's father's blog　(in Japanese )
http://karatekalibrarian.blogspot.jp/

Reiko's mother's blog (in Japanese )
http://arikoyuko.seesaa.net/

At first, I was afraid about that if Reiko would be known exactly about her disease. Her parents said her "The disease in your brain will be killed by treatment". They didn't said for Reiko that was fatal. But people who shared about Reiko's struggle helped her, her older brother Shu-ichiro, and her parents. Now Reiko's parents are considering that Reiko might be aware of she was dying for several reasons. I think that the merit of sharing superior than the demerit of that ( Reiko might have noticed about her disease ).

I have no human family living with me, but during the year, I was feeling that I was a member of large family or "Team Reiko" that are helping Reiko, Shu-ichiro, and their parents. I became happy, angry or sadly when I read Reiko was well, sad or bad.

Reiko was so clever, serious girl with kind heart.
I'm sorry that I can't see Reiko in teenage, adolescence and adult life.
But I'm happy because I could live with her.

Reiko, I'm proud of you!

Reiko and I (March 2012)

The Japanese government crushed hope on measure with disabled peoople 障害者政策の改善への希望、日本政府によって断たれる

2012-03-18T15:29:00.004+09:00

I reported on an article in this blog

"Crisis in measures for persons with disability 日本の障害者政策が危機に"

http://ordinarydaysinjapan.blogspot.jp/2012/02/crisis-in-measures-for-persons-with.html

that the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry and the Democratic Party of Japan(DPJ) were rushing to enact a new bill on welfare for the disabled against a recommendation by the task force to discuss new act for disabled people.
It is regrettable that the new bill were decided by the cabinet on Mar. 13, 2012 and will pass into law in the Diet.

以前、本ブログの記事
「Crisis in measures for persons with disability 日本の障害者政策が危機に」
http://ordinarydaysinjapan.blogspot.jp/2012/02/crisis-in-measures-for-persons-with.html
で、厚生労働省と民主党が、総合福祉部会による障がい者総合福祉法案を成立させないよう、別の新法案の成立を図っていることを述べた。
残念ながら、厚生労働省と民主党による案は2012年3月13日に閣議決定され、国会で可決されることとなった。

・The pointless argument by Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry

the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry said that "It is necessary to hold continuity between the old act and the new act, so we can't terminate the old Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act”.
The recommendation by the task force intended to enact new act that will prepare the ratification of the disability convention of the UN. So it will radically change current law. Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry refusing the change, it means they have no plan to ratify the disability convention of the UN and to guarantee the basic human rights of disabled people in Japan.

厚生労働省の新法案阻止のための屁理屈

厚生労働省は「新旧の法律の継続性を考慮する場合は廃止が出来ない」という理由で、障害者自立支援法廃止を拒んだ。
総合福祉部会による提言の目的は、国連障害者権利条約を批准する前提となる新法案を成立させることにあった。したがって、障害者自立支援法の根本的な改革となることは必然である。それを拒む厚生労働省は、国連障害者権利条約を批准するつもりも、日本の障害者に人権を保証するつもりもないのである。

・Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act will be maintained in effect

The new bill by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is actually the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act. The act has 105 sections, and the new bill made minor change on the act. Only 7 sections are changed. It should not be called the new bill.

障害者自立支援法が維持される結果に

厚生労働省による新法案は、障害者自立支援法の105条文のうち、7条文にマイナーチェンジを施したものである。これを新法案と呼ぶべきではない。

・The new bill by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said no to disabled people's initiative to right

The draft raw and recommendation by the task force could help disabled people's independent life in local communities and could make prior condition to ratify the disability convention of the UN. But the new bill by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry have no section to credit disabled people's initiative to right.

障害者を権利の主体とすることを拒んだ厚生労働省

総合福祉部会による提言と法案は、障害者が地域で自立した生活を営む基本的権利の保障規定を設け、国連障害者権利条約批准の前提を整備するものであった。しかし厚生労働省による新法案には、障害者を権利の主体とする記述が全くない。

・Disabled people will be forced to pay to assistance for live

Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act forced disabled people to pay for services that were necessary to live. It pushed disabled people and their family in poverty more increasing poverty. Several families with disabled person commit suicide, because their hope to live in peace were crushed.
In Dec. 2010, the act slightly changed to pay according to income, but it is not solved the problem that disabled people in Japan have to pay to live. The new bill by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry maintains this problem. They are saying that the disabled person is responsible for the difficulties from the disabilities. That is conflicting to attitude adopted by the disability convention of the UN, because the convention is saying that the society is responsible to make disabled people to live with no difficulties from the disabilities.

障害福祉サービスは利用者負担のまま

障害者自立支援法は、障害福祉サービスの費用を利用者が支払うことを「自立支援」と呼ぶ意味不明な法案で、一般的に貧困な障害者をさらに貧困にし、生きる権利を奪うものであった。障害者自立支援法の施行前後、数組の障害者家族が、先行きを悲観して心中を図っている。
2010年12月、障害者自立支援法のマイナーチェンジが行われた。それまでの、サービス利用量に応じて費用を支払う「応益負担」から、家計能力に応じて支払う「応能負担」となった。しかし、障害者から生きることそのものに対するコストを徴収しているという問題は解決されていない。厚生労働省による新法案は、この「障害者は生きているだけでコストを支払わなくてはならない」という問題点をそのまま維持するものである。これは、障害の個人モデルに基づいた考え方であり、国連障害者権利条約が採用している障害の社会モデルと相反している。

At last of this article, I'd like to quote a line from a novel "Exodus for the nation of the hope" by Ryu Murakami that fits my dispair.
"In this nation, there are everything. There are various items. But there is no hope."

最後に、日本のある小説から、今の私の感情を言い表してくれているかのようなセリフを一つ引用して、結びとする。
「この国には何でもある。本当にいろいろなものがある。だが希望だけがない」（「村上龍・希望の国のエクソダス」）

References( in Japanese ):

参考資料：

・障害者自立支援法違憲訴訟原告団・弁護団「厚生労働省案ではなぜダメなのか」
http://www.kyosaren.or.jp/news/2012/120229sosyoudanpress.pdf

・障害者総合支援法案に対する見解
http://www.kyosaren.or.jp/news/2012/0313_1.htm

On 1 year after the quake

2012-03-11T15:37:00.002+09:00

Today is just 1 year after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

In last autumn, one of my friend Sandra Katzman collaborated with me and wrote a brief article in dialogue about our experiences after the quake.
Today, I would like to post the article in memoriam of the quake.

Thank you, Sandra.

Brief bios:

Sandra Katzman, a U.S. citizen living in Japan since 1996, reports for Platts energy industry news and has written for Reuters Health and for various American Chemical Society journals.

Yoshiko Miwa, a Japanese national, is a doctoral candidate at University of Tsukuba, majoring in the computational simulation of semiconductor nanoprocess. Miwa is a Journalist in Residence of the Mathematical Society of Japan. She has collaborated on books such as A first guide of hardware for software engineers (published by Gijyutsuhyouronsya) and reports for online engineering magazines.
Email miwa@miwachan.info

3.11--Japan’s 9.11
by Sandra Katzman and Miwa Yoshiko

“Cities of death” and “credible threats” describe persistent disaster in Japan and in the United States. The trade minister lost his job for saying the first; U.S. security forces gained respect for announcing the second. At this month’s anniversaries of unkind explosions, Japan lures foreign tourists with sales, and the President says the U.S. is stronger.    It’s business as usual.

A Japanese graduate science student who is also a science/technical writer and an American science writer talk about living in Japan after the meltdown in March at Fukushima nuclear power plant. Although each lives with compromised health --the former has been motion impaired since 2004 in a wheelchair due to unknown causes, and the latter has terminal lung cancer—both are upbeat yet skeptical about safety in newly radioactive Japan.

Sandra: I saw on your blog a photo of a bakery in Tokyo selling bread with some purported anti-radiation effect. Can you tell me about that bakery?

Yoshiko: On September 12, I visited the bakery again, and it had closed. The bakery had been under a court-guided rehabilitation process for companies that failed in business, but did not revive and is now awaiting bankruptcy proceedings.

I think the bakery unsuccessfully tried to profit from the Fukushima nuke power plant accidents. And I’m angry that the bakery used the victim of the quake for promotion. It employed a baker who had been a bakery owner at Fukushima before the quake and now that baker lost his job again.

Sandra: My cousin, an American boy, married a Japanese. The girl's father is a gynecologist, and not worried about his grandchild due in May in Tokyo.

Yoshiko: I think the young couple chose well. Slight radioactive pollution of air and water may not damage newborns. Tokyoites can buy unpolluted food and water, and superior employment eases education of children. Wherever we live in Japan, we are not safe from a little radioactive pollution. So it is wise to hold the freedom of choice and take a little risk. Are you well informed about disasters? The media in Japan are not informative enough. We depend on CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera.

Sandra: I can read Japanese English-language media: The Japan Times, and English translations of the other newspapers.   I also subscribe to websites such as news from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and from the federation of trade unions, Keidanren.

Yoshiko: I have been a member of LinuxChix (the world’s largest female Linux user group) for twelve years. I heard about friends of members in Tokyo who couldn’t get information about daily life, like when the electric power cut would occur, or where water could be bought. So I notified the group about radio broadcasts for foreigners and provided my cell number. It was very odd: People living in Tokyo got help from their friends in the U.S., and the people in the U.S. asked me to help the people in Tokyo. The Japanese government and neighbors were not effective.

Sandra: A few weeks after the disaster, U.S. national newspapers stopped carrying daily coverage about Fukushima; but the Japanese dailies kept running stories.

Yoshiko: I didn't know that. I thought U.S. national newspapers covered Fukushima and its problems thoroughly.

Sandra: I worried about information lack when a U.S. friend told me about the claims of anti-nuclear activist Helen Caldicott, M.D. that the Japanese government was hiding information, and that the situation was much more dangerous than the Japanese government and other official sources let on. So-called “low-level” radiation, Caldicott warned, causes “medical problems of very large dimensions.”

Yoshiko: Familiar with government attitudes, we Japanese guess the truth through very uncertain information. Some Japanese are sponsoring independent journalists.

Sandra: I was on spring vacation skiing in California with my brother and my cousin. Email alerted “EQ Tokyo.” I was reminded of the 9.11email, “terror.”   Skiing was very good on March 11. Fun on frozen water was the opposite of the terror of a seismic wave. My cousin’s son sent photos of the newlyweds smiling and swaying in hardhats on the 30th floor of a Tokyo office building.

Yoshiko: On 3.11, I was going to file my taxes when the quake occurred. I told my cats, “Calm down, calm down!" By Internet, I learned about the disaster. I joined the housewives talking in the street. They were worrying about their husbands and children who were working or studying in the heart of Tokyo. I called my aunt in a faraway place to tell that I was OK. By phone, I ordered rice and water before the buyout started. In the evening, I heard that the Fukushima nuke power plant had exploded. I joined the project "Payforwarding" where engineers developed applications to help disaster victims.   My role was a document engineer.

Sandra: A friend from the U.S. will visit Kyoto. She changed plans last April, not wanting to celebrate cherry blossoms when Japan mourned. Now she thinks meat and fish are dangerous.

Yoshiko: I thank your friend for her kind attention to us Japanese. The maple leaves will beautiful in October and November, and delicious autumn fishes around Japan can be eaten without danger. We consumers are nervous about food radiation, and distributors are more nervous. Eat only commercially distributed products.

Sandra: A Japanese friend believes konbu, or kelp, will help prevent bad effects from radioactivity.

Yoshiko: Konbu contains a lot of iodine, but how the human body will absorb it is not certain. Take iodine under a doctor’s supervision to prevent uptake of radioactive iodine. I'm afraid that the konbu itself may be radioactively polluted after 3.11. And now, the problem is cesium 137 rather than iodine. Konbu may not be effective for cesium.

Sandra: Before flying back to Japan, I sought advice. “There is no reason to postpone your return to Japan,” my oncologist told me.   “There is no influence in west Japan for the present. The nuclear power plant in Fukushima is far from Kyoto, and the leaking radiation level is still low.” Tokyo is 150 miles from Fukushima; Kyoto is about 324 miles from Fukushima.

Yoshiko: I think your doctor made good suggestion. Wherever we live, we are not safe from various threats like terror, accident and natural disaster. So we have to deal with threats, not escape.

Crisis in measures for persons with disability in Japan 日本の障害者政策が危機に

2012-02-27T19:43:00.000+09:00

1. Problems about Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act (enforced 2007)

This act requires people with disabilities to pay for welfare service in principle.
Many disabled people and their family are in poverty (or on welfare) because of lack of welfare for the disabled. A statistics says that annual salary of working disabled in Japan is about 1.6 million Yen (about 1/2 of all working Japanese).
This act demands payment to live such poverty people. After the enfocement of this act, some family with disabled commited or attempted joint suicide.

障害者自立支援法（2007年施行）の問題点

介護サービス等の応益負担が原則。

日本の障害者・障害者家族は、貧弱な障害者施策により、貧困であったり生活保護を受けていたりすることが多い。ある統計によれば、職業を持つ障害者の平均年収は約160万円である（日本全体の有職者の平均年収は約350万円）。

応益負担とは、貧困かつ生きるために介護を必要とする障害者から、その介護の費用を徴収するということである。

「生きていけない」と悲観した障害者家族が、障害者を道連れに自殺・自殺未遂した例が数件ある。

2.Constitutional complaint on Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act

Some disabled and lawyers submitted constitutional complaint on Oct.2008 with Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act which would drive disabled couldn't live. Their argument were that Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act was against constitution declaring the right to life. They reached the settlement in Apr. 2010.

障害者自立支援法訴訟

障害者の自立を支援するのではなく、障害者を生きてゆけなくする障害者自立支援法に対し、憲法の生存権保障に違反しているという視点から、2008年10月、障害者たち・支援する弁護士たちが違憲訴訟を開始した。2010年4月、和解成立。

3 .The Democratic Party of Japan （DPJ） and public promise to repeal Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act

In Sep. 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan （DPJ） voted into power. At that time, DPJ made public promise to repeal Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act.

民主党政権成立と障害者自立支援法廃止公約

2009年9月、民主党政権が成立した。この時、民主党は障害者自立支援法の廃止を公約していた。

4. Reviews to the new act for disabled people

After DPJ voted into power, Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry called a task force to discuss new act for disabled people. The member of the task force were disabled people, care workers, and people concerning with the welfare of disabled people. They had 18 meeting from Apr. 2010 to Aug. 2011, discussed about the new act and made recommendation.

障がい者総合福祉法の制定を目指した検討

民主党政権成立を受け、厚生労働相は「障がい者制度改革推進会議　総合福祉部会」を設けた。メンバーは障がい者・ケア労働者など、障がい者福祉にかかわる幅広い分野から集められていた。総合福祉部会は、障害者自立支援法に代わる新法「障がい者総合福祉法」の制定のため、2010年4月から2011年8月にかけて18回の会合をもち、提言を取りまとめた。

5.Draft law from Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry

In Jan. 2012, Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry introduced into the Diet a new draft law about disabled. The draft was minor changed Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act.

厚生労働省案の国会提出

2012年1月、厚生労働省による障害者新法案が国会に提出されることとなった。この新法案は、障害者自立支援法のマイナーチェンジである。

6.Action of DPJ

Most of assembly member in DPJ are agreeing with the new draft law. At 27 Feb. 2012, few in DPJ are resisting the draft, so the law are not enacting now.

民主党の対応

民主党議員の多くは、厚生労働省による障害者新法案を成立させることに概ね同意している。2012年2月27日現在、一部議員が必死の抵抗を続けているため、障害者新法案はまだ成立していない。

7.Reaction of mass media

Mass media are saying that the new draft law by Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry will enact. Some media (including NHK) are criticizing DPJ and the ministry.

大手メディアの反応

大手メディア報道は概ね、厚生労働省による障害者新法案の成立を規定路線としている。NHKを含む一部メディアが、厚生労働省と民主党を批判する報道を展開している。

8.　To ratify interregional expert group meeting on elaborating a disability convention of the UN

Japan have not ratified interregional expert group meeting on elaborating a disability convention of the UN. The recommendation from the task force will be the condition to ratification.

国連障害者権利条約批准との関連

国連障害者権利条約を、日本はまだ批准していない。障がい者総合福祉法の成立は、批准の前提条件でもある。

9. After new act by Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry will react

Disabled peoople in Japan will be in harsh condition with insufficient protection of human rights to live and right to work that equal to other people in Japan.

厚生労働省の障害者新法案が成立したらどうなるか

充分に生存・勤労などの人権を保障されていない日本の障害者が、将来にわたり、現在の劣悪な状況から脱することができなくなる。

We may change the future - 35 year effort of AAAS to promote for disabled people's participation into Science and Technology

2011-12-05T15:35:00.001+09:00

In Oct. 2011, one of my articles about AAAS's short history about supporting students and scientists with disabilities appeared in a Japanese magazine "Kagaku(=Science)" of Iwanami Bookstore.
For convenience of English speaking people, I translated the article into English.

I'd like to thank Ms. Virginia Stern and AAAS .
Virginia, thank you for your patience for my bad and insufficient English. And I'm very happy that I could introduce your precious witness of age to the readers of "Kagaku" with cultural accomplishment and interest in science.

We may change the future - 35 year effort of AAAS to promote for disabled people's　participation into Science and Technology
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Yoshiko　Miwa

AAAS is an American organization, but influencing for the world's progression on science and technology not only for inside the US. It's activities are very broad, from science and technology to education, politics, and all about human society. AAAS have been working passionately for students and scientists with disabilities to make them to participate into social activities. When we open their magazine "Science", always we can find a advertisement about "ENTRY POINT!" at a prominent position. "ENTRY POINT!" is an internship program by AAAS for students with disabilities, and it have been provided since 1996.
In 1990, a law named ADA 1990 ( Americans with Disabilities Act 1990) was enacted, and it made the US accessible. In any case, the accesibility in the US has not so long history. So, I had been interested in the actions of AAAS for disabilities, because I myself am mentally and physically disabled on wheelchair. In February 2011,I participated in the AAAS annual meeting at Washington DC, and get the cooperation of AAAS and Virginia Stern, who had been directing the AAAS's actions for disabilities. Now, Stern retired AAAS and suporting elder people in her residence and making them easier to live in their hometown and community that they have been living for long time.

"AAAS will change"

It is very important to attend academic conferences and meetings for young people who are desiring to build their professional career. But to disabled people, there were many barriers before attending. They might have no access to the place, no hotels to stay, or might be able to participate inefficiently because there's no access for information on Braille or sign language.
Since 1976, AAAS started an activity to make accesible hotels on every year's annual meeting. According to document of AAAS, William D. Caray, who was on responsible position in AAAS, decided "AAAS will change". The annual meetings have been held in different cities. Every year, It had been expected that cities with accessible hotels and that could hold conference of 5,000 people would be increased one by one, if AAAS could make a hotel accesible every year in the city the annual meeting would be held.
Stern told about that period:
"Development of laws about disabilities had been progressing little by little, but for hotels, there were nothing. So we had no doubt that we could change the society. Once a hotel was changed to be accesible and we held annual meeting with 5,000 participants there, the hotel would be able to expand their business."
At first, it was not easy to make hotels accesible. Stern faced to many difficulties. Sometimes it needs very tough negotiation. Once, She got there only 5 days before the annual meeting and had to charge of renovation with workmen that concerning with making some bedrooms, bathrooms, and ballrooms in which the conference would be held accesible.
In some years later, Some hotels had emerged that motivated to renovate their hotel buildings accesible. They learned from actions by AAAS that if they did that they would be get great benefit.

How they could change universities?

Change senior people and the top Change senior people and the top After that, Stern and her colleage started to work the universities accessible. Some universities had already started supporting for students with disabilities, for example, Vietnam War veteran disabled students. But it was so far from the situation that disabled students would study and research without difficulties. The problems were old and beautiful buildings in colleges and universities which are built in 19th or early 20th century. It was too difficult to renovate whole of such buildings with many stairs accessible. So, they recommended the universities to relocate laboratories on the first floor from above floors.
Relocation were very heavy load for laboratories, and autonomy of universities were very important, so universities were beyond control of laws for disabilities. But most of the universities accommodated the recommendation and relocated the laboratories to the first floor.
As a result, many disabled students became able to got higher education. The second task was to provide them opportunities to employment and career formation. So Stern started "ENTRY POINT!" program with colleage, and many students started a first step of their careers.
In the AAAS annual meeting, many meetings about various issues are held. When I attended the meetings about students and scientists with disabilities, they were discussing about how to make more disabled into science and technology field and motivate them to progress their career. Someone said that "It became easy to start carrier for disabled, but it is still difficult to make their career advanced. We must make the role model "stars" and show their success stories of disabled. Everyone likes success stories." I heard that and thought "Oh yeah, the US is the country of Hollywood movies." And I asked the situations of disabled in Japan. I told the fact in Japan with embarassment. In Japan, supporting for disabled university students is quite not enough. If they can graduate from universities, to find job is very difficult, very few of them can progress their career.

And the laws were developed

　In the meantime, laws about disabilities had been developed little by little. In 1975, "The Education for All Handicapped Children Act" was enacted, which guaranteed opportunities to elementary and secondary education for all children including children with disabilities. According to Stern, "Child Find" program was conducted in that period. Parents of children with disabilities had been rising up the children inside their home, and they didn't think that the children could attend schools. So educational officials visited the homes and told them "The school is open for your children" or "You can attend the school".
The opportunities for children with disabilities to attend college or universities was expanded by the struggle of AAAS.
After that, highly educated people with disabilities wanted to get job and form career, the physical barrier like stairs was a social barrier for them. So, in 1990, the ADA 1990 specified to make accessible buildings, transportation, information and so on.
The US did not made accessible on compulsion of laws, but consistent effort of many pioneers changed the society accessible partially, and people who experienced the change made change of society and law.
Stern told me about how to change society which resist change:
"It is most important to make people experienced the change. Once they experienced the change, they change theirselve because they think they must change."

Change seniors and the top

I asked Stern at the end of the interview that "What must we Japanese have to do at first to change the current situation about disabled in Japan?". It is a very long and difficult way to rise up a disabled child and about all of that are very heavy burden for the parents. For example, there is no official assistance for children with disabilities to commute to school, so it depends only on parents whether the child can be educated or not(in these several years, it is getting better for the parents. Some local goverment are independently providing the assistance). As a result, many children with disabilities are less educated, and hard to get job. The difficulties with rising up children with disabilities stress their parents, so the children are prone to abuse or neglect, and they will be shut away from work and social participation(Note for foreign people: Most of them, the disabled people without education become repeated offences, because they want to protected from society in jailhouses).
Stern said,
"It seems very structural problems, isn't it? To make change for such problem, it is very important to change seniors of tops who can make dicision to change, and change the political situation."
It is relatively easy to change ourselves, but to change others is very difficult. I think it is almost impossible to change seniors or tops. But if it is necessary to make change to situations around disabled, we should do it.
There is an actual example of AAAS.

Let's drink and enjoy to save 3.11 quake victims

2011-09-14T11:26:00.008+09:00

Yesterday I attended a meeting of science journalists and studied about nuclear power plant problem.
After the meeting ended up, we went to a drinking spot "Okada".
http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1301/A130103/13063781/

Vegetable salad and baked chicken livers.
This drinking spot bakes meat and fish on charcoal grill. They are very delicious.

Baked eggplant.

Yakitori, fried pasta and Japanese sake "Dai-shichi" from Fukushima prefecture.　

I'm considering that to consume products from damaged area by 3.11 large quake, tsunamis, and the nuclear plant problem makes the people in the area receive the payments for the product and their business. This will be most long-lasting "volunteer", I think.

Of course, "Dai-shichi" were very delicious. I selected the sake because I know they are producing excellent sake, not only they are in Fukushima prefecture. And the sake is not radioactively polluted because they are produced before 3.11.
But we, Japanese sake lover most consider about what makes that they will be able to produce their products this year and in future, because producing good sake depends on the climate and conditions at the place. Fine Sake is agricultural product, not industrial.

About the author

2011-08-23T23:58:00.002+09:00

I'm a freelance sci/tech writer and very bad doctoral student studying semiconductor nano processes.

-Books

I had written 3 books, and I describe about 1 book which is in print now.

"ABC of computer hardware for embedded software engineers"
（組込みソフトウェアエンジニアのためのハードウェア入門）

This book is written by 3 authors including me. We described about hardware construction, handling and treating of equipments, curcuit design on FPGA, measurement, how to use oscilloscope.
After 3.11 quake, I released free a part of this book about measurement "Can you be proud of that you are familiar to measurement equipments ?" for people who are anxious about radiation from Fukushima nuc plants.

"Linux 2.6 for Enterprise systems" (2005)

"How to construct a secure internet server on RedHat 8" (2003)

-Articles
I had written a lot of magazine artilcles.
From recently work, I will show some of them on the web.

"Cats may understand this the simplest ABC to be a microcomputer engineer" (in Japanese)

Part 1: A first electronic circuit
Part 2: A first assembler
Part 3: A first mechatronics

The below are written about the supportive engineers after the quake(in Japanese).

"Let's support the North Japan area damaged by the quake, on cloud
computing and Android"

"Let's think about what we can do just now, considering the difference of the damaged area and not damaged area"

"Although we finished some applications that support the damaged people, many propositions are remaining"

Spiritual strength will overcome radioactivity?

2011-08-22T10:23:00.005+09:00

Several days ago, I found posters by volunteer probation officers near from Nakano station, Nakano, Tokyo.

Top: "Movement to create a bright society"
Right; "We agree to society where everyone can start over"

Left: "Don't be scared by quakes, tsunamis and the danger of radioactivity, make this Japanese society bright"

I think it is impossible for human to survive against radioactivities even if we are spiritually very strong.

Scared, escaped and adjusted

2011-08-20T20:00:00.007+09:00

These are pictures at meat corners of a supermarket in Suginami, Tokyo, Jul.20, 2011.
Good domestic beef meet sold at the half of usual prices.

In Jul.09, it was broadcasted that radioactive cecium was detected from beaf meat produced in Fukushima prefecture. And in Jul.14, radioactive cecium wes detected from beef meet produced in wide area of Japan. Because radioactive polluted rice straw was diffused to about all areas of Japan, so beefs which ate them were polluted. People in Japan became to hate to buy and eat beef meat. So the supermarket forced to cut down the price of beef meet.
In Jul.23, I saw very few amount of beef meats. I couldn't take the picture, but racks of beef meats were empty. It seemed so cold.

And now, most of supermarkets are selling beef meat as useal. Looking closer, we can find the beaf meat corners are scale-downed, so it seems not empty. The supermarkets are saying all of meats were surveyed and they are not radioactive polluted. We have to believe that, because we, ordinary Japanese have no way to test that the meats are radioactively polluted or not.
Japanese eat not so large amount of beaf meat, and we were not so threaten by radioactive polluted beaf meat which were found early July. Now we are considering that there are no safe beef meet in Japan, and have adjusted ourselves to slightly radioactive polluted foods.

A self-described care worker made a fight with me in a train

2011-07-13T21:06:00.000+09:00

I'm wheelchaired, and sometimes (almost everyday) meet with unpleasant thing.

In this Feb., I was abused in a train runnning in Tokyo by a woman, a self-described care worker.

When I was on the train in that movie, I was going to Narita airport to flight for the U.S.
And in the U.S, I felt that if I will never go back to Japan, I will happy on one of aspects. In Japan, we disabled must fight with all around us, and that makes we too tired to do something make sense in real world.

Of course, I love Japan, Tokyo and Nishi-Ogikubo, but sometimes hope if I will live and work in countries and hope to be treated the same way as "well" people.

A farm in Tokyo 23 wards

2011-07-11T23:27:00.005+09:00

I'm living at the west edge of Suginami ward, Tokyo.
Suginami is one of Tokyo 23 wards, and they are recognized as city center of Tokyo.

Every day, I buy vegetables at a unattended service stand of a farm near from my home.

This is very little farm around 0.5 acres, and an old farmer (90 years old ) and his son are culturing it.

It was late afternoon, so most of vegetables were sold, but there were some fresh ones.

This farm's vegetables are fresh, cheap and very delicious.
The only problem is they are odd-shaped from standard of Japanese vegetables, but to eat, we cut or slice them to very far from their original shape.
So I don't mind the odd shape of the vegetables, but in Japan, ordinary people like "beautiful" vegetables ordered like industrial products.
So people go to supermarkets 5 minutes walk from this farm and buy "beautiful" but not delicious and expensive vegetables at there,

There are many farms like this in Tokyo. And in Nerima ward (one of Tokyo 23 ward, next to Suginami ), there is a pasture. Cows are farmed there and fresh milk is sold in Tokyo 23 wards!

Scars of 3.11 quake in Tokyo

2011-07-10T15:35:00.003+09:00

On 3.11 quake in Japan, Tokyo was not so severely damaged, but there still remains some scars of the quake.

This is a reconstructing shrine gate(torii), Kamiogi, Suginami, Tokyo. There was big shrine gate here, but it was collapsed by the quake.

Around here, All seems as usual as before the quake. Some houses were damaged ( And my house's gate also was collupsed ), and most of them were repaired.

But poor people can't repair their house's damage yet, but June is rainy season. In August and Septenber, some typhoon will hit Tokyo. They can't live in damaged house, so now, they are repairing their home.

If their houses were more damaged enough to be registered as collupsed or half collupsed by Suginami city office, they can repair their home with public support. But unfortunately, their houses were not damaged enough to public support but enough to them can't live in there.
Some old people sold their house and land, then moved to apartment in another area, because they have not enough monay to repair their house, so they had to throw away their familiar house and area.

Sweets to prevent heat stroke

2011-07-08T07:50:00.000+09:00

In these days, Tokyo is extremely hot.
Everyday, the temperature is going up to 37 or 38 centigrade degree.
We, people in Tokyo, must prevent heat stroke.
In June, about 400 people were taken to hospital because of heat stroke.

Today, I found a new display stand with strange sweets in a supermarket near from my home.

All of them are sweets with salt or sour and suger, and on the tags, I can read "To prevent heat stroke".

Japanese plum glaces

Japanese plum jellies

Sweet pickles of Japanese plums

Japanese plums are very acetic and contains plenty citric asid.

Azuki bean glaces with salt

Salty "konpeito" candies

I bought the last one and ate them.
I felt slightly salty taste from the face of each candy, and felt graceful sweetly taste.
A little salty taste made me to feel sweetly taste so deliciously.
It was a strange taste, but delicious for me, although I can't believe thats are effective to prevent heat stroke.

Motoko-san's little resistance

2011-07-07T11:24:00.008+09:00

I'm living in Nishi-Ogikubo area, Tokyo, for 21 years.
I live in and love Nishi-Ogikubo for many reasons, and one of the reason is there are many delicious eateries in this area.

Near from JR Nishi-Ogikubo Station, there is a sake bar "Shubou Takai(酒房高井）". One of best sake bars in Japan, I think.

In a bay window besides the entrance, there are many beckoning cats(招き猫）。Beconing cats are symbols of prosperous business in Japan.

"Shubou Takai" have been carried by Mr. and Mrs. Fukushima for 21 years. Motoko-san, Mrs. Fukushima, is one of my oldest friends. I started to live in Nishi-Ogikubo area about 21 years ago, and met Motoko-san and Mr.Fukushima when they just established their sake bar there.

24 June 2011, 4 days before shareholder meeting of Tokyo Electric Power, there is a poster written by Motoko-san in front of "Shubou Takai",

"This coming 28 June, the shareholder meeting of Tokyo Electric Power will be held.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government is one of big shareholder of Tokyo Electric Power.
So, we Tokyo residents have right to say opinion for Tokyo Electric Power.
Tomorrow, I will telephone Tokyo Metropolitan Government and will say that
'I wish breaking with nuclear power generation to Tokyo Electric Power through Tokyo governor.
Please report my opinion for the governer.'
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office:　03-5321-1111
Let's raise our voice !!
Or you can tell your opinion to to the governor with e-mail.

Motoko of 'Shubou Takai' "

Now, Tokyo Metropolitan governor is Shintaro Ishihara, who is hard right and supporter of nuclear power. Motoko-san knows well about that, of course.
And 28 June 2011, shareholders of Tokyo Electric Power decided that they will not stop nuclear plants.
But I believe Motoko-san will not give up, because I know she have been continuing no-nuke actions for 25 years after the accident at Chernobyl.
In Nishi-Ogikubo area, there have been many no-nuke citizen activist like Motoko-san.

The Bread for Radiation Protection

2011-07-06T17:06:00.006+09:00

I'm living in Nishi-Ogikubo area of Tokyo, known as "The battle field for eatery（食の激戦地）" in Japan.
There are many delicious restaurants, cafes, bars and bakeries.
This is a famous bakery, and they are selling many kinds of breads fresh from oven.

But last day, I found strange posters around this bakery telling about their new product.

"Fresh Bakery of Domestic Flours"
"Iodine-enriched Bread"

Iodine-enriched Bread ? What's that?

"How about a Bread with dried kelp powders for radiation protection?"

It was hard to hold back my laughter.
This area is about 200km from the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, but after the 3.11 quake and nuclear plant accidents very tiny quantity of radioactive substances were found, and people have been getting panics although radiocesium levels are beyond 150Bq and radioactive iodine had not detected after this June.
So, from now, it is not effective to eat Iodine-enriched Bread or dried kelp for protecting themselves from radiation, but the staffs of this bakery are not joking. They are believing this bread are effective to radiation protection.

And this bakery and this Iodine-enriched bread are loved by people of this area.