Tokyo Shimbun Article Regarding Confidentiality Clause in the IAEA/FMU Pact, Complete Translation


Foreword

On December 31, 2013, the morning edition of Tokyo Shimbun published an article revealing the existence of a “confidentiality clause” in agreements signed by IAEA and Fukushima Medical University (FMU) as well as Fukui Prefecture. 

For clarification, when the memorandum regarding the IAEA/FMU pact was released on December 15, 2012, the details including the confidentiality clause were noted by Oshidori Mako, who attended the press conference. Fukui Prefecture signed the agreement on October 7, 2013, and again, the confidentiality clause was already included in the publicized agreement. 

Tokyo Shimbun might have written up the article, citing potential implication of the confidential clause as preemption to the State Secrecy Protection Law, which was steamrollered in December amid strong opposition and controversy.

These are some links to the relevant documents:

Signing of "Memorandum of Cooperation between Fukushima Prefecture and the International Atomic Energy Agency following the Accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station"

(Fact sheet) IAEA cooperation projects in Fukushima Prefecture

Practical Arrangements between Fukushima Medical University and the International Atomic Energy Agency on Cooperation in the Area of Human Health [PDF] (signed on December 15, 2012)

Practical Arrangement between the Fukui Prefectural Government and the International Atomic Energy Agency on Cooperation in the Areas of Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Sciences and Applications [PDF] (signed on October 7, 2013)


******
Complete translation of the December 31, 2013 Tokyo Shimbun article
(Note: This is an unofficial translation, and Tokyo Shimbun is not responsible for the content).

Confidential clause in agreements between IAEA and Fukushima and Fukui Prefectures: shared information could be non-publicized

It was discovered that the memorandum of cooperation between the IAEA and Fukushima as well as Fukui Prefectures contain a confidentiality clause that will classify shared information if requested by either party. This clause was not discussed by the prefectural assembly, and critics say "it could be preempting the State Secrecy Protection Law."

The memorandum of cooperation with IAEA was signed in December 2012 by Fukushima prefecture as well as October 2013 by Fukui Prefecture.

In Fukushima Prefecture, it was the prefectural government that entered into an agreement with IAEA in the area of decontamination and radioactive waste management, whereas Fukushima Medical University entered into an agreement with IAEA in the area of the survey of radiological effect on human health. The memorandum includes detailed "Practical Agreements" which contained a clause stating, "The Parties will ensure the confidentiality of information classified by the other Party as restricted or confidential." 

Fukui Prefecture also entered into an agreement with IAEA in the area of development of human resources in the field of nuclear energy, and its memorandum also included a confidentiality clause.

Neither prefecture admits to any information having been classified confidential at this time, but if either the prefectures or IAEA decide to classify information for "they contribute to worsening of the residents' anxiety," there is a possibility that such information as the accident information, as well as radiation measurement data and thyroid cancer information may not be publicized.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who was involved in the making of the memorandum stated, upon interview, that "As this is an international agreement, I cannot reveal which party, Japan or IAEA, asked for the confidentiality clause."

However, officials of both prefectures stated that IAEA has a rule to include the confidentiality clause when signing the memorandum with the administrative body of each country.

IAEA has published reports, after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, stating "there were no health effects due to radiation exposure."

Ruiko Mutoh, representative of The Complainants for Criminal Prosecution of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, expressed her concern that "IAEA has a history of hiding information about health effects in Chernobyl. The same thing could happen to Fukushima."



Testimony by a Voluntary Evacuee from Fukushima: A Mother Reveals Health Issues She and Her Children Had

Anonymous testimony of a Fukushima single mother made during the December 4, 2013 press conference by the Fukushima Collective Evacuation Trial Team, and transcribed by Kiiko here. It was translated into English with permission of the woman, a voluntary evacuee to Yamanashi, who gave the testimony. She strongly feels stories like hers should be heard by others so that the severe reality faced by some Fukushima residents can be recognized.

*****

Testimony by a mother with two daughters and a grade-school age son who is the youngest.

I was born and raised in Fukushima Prefecture. I was living in Fukushima at the time of Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident. This summer, I decided to voluntarily evacuate to Yamanashi Prefecture due to health issues experienced by me as well as my children. I would like to describe how I came about deciding to evacuate and how things changed after the evacuation.

At the time of the earthquake and tsunami, the lifeline was disrupted. In order to obtain food and necessary goods, my family walked to a store we would normally drive to. We had to wait in line for hours to shop. The news of the nuclear accident came in the midst of it. I still remember how it was very hard for me and my children to breathe due to strange smell and difficulty taking a breath.

Every day the government and specialists said on TV, "There is no worry." and "There is no immediate health effect." Despite feeling anxious, I took those words as is, and we ate local vegetables and drank tap water.

My children had restrictions on outside activities at school. They could not play outside, and those were difficult days. We were just living a day-to-day life, and I was too busy with work and didn’t have time to  research radiation and radiation exposure. Time went by, and there was a thyroid ultrasound examination as part of Fukushima Health Management Survey one year after the accident. 

When the results came in mail. Two children who were examined both had nodules and were classified as "A2," and "No need for a follow-up until the examination in two years." I was in shock.

There were no ultrasound images, and I had no idea what kind of condition they were in. It was just a piece of paper, and I was full of mistrust.

I thought about evacuating from Fukushima then, but voluntary evacuation was not guaranteed to get financially compensated. As a single mother living with my parents, I had no courage or money to leave home to support my children, so I gave up.

I wanted to get thyroid ultrasound examinations on my own, but I had been told "No local hospital would conduct thyroid examinations." Time simply passed by while my worries continued.

When the new year came, I tried to get my children life insurance policy as I thought "anything could happen from now on." I reported the thyroid ultrasound examination results in the application form, and I was told later on that they were "unable to attach any special policy regarding cancer." I asked for reevaluation and managed to get policies, but this experience made me realize that "The fact that the insurance company came up with such a result is because they decided the (cancer) risk was that high." I was worried and tormented, and this made me begin to collect information regarding radiation and radiation exposure.

Later on I found a hospital that would conduct thyroid ultrasound examination. We all underwent the examination including the daughter who did not qualify for the thyroid examination by Fukushima Health Management Survey, and it turns out we all had thyroid cysts which were recommended to be followed up every 6 months.

I couldn't trust the whole body counter (WBC) examination conducted by Fukushima City or Fukushima Prefecture, we were tested by a non-profit organization. All of us had previous WBC test results below the detectable limit, but two of the children had cesium 137 six months later. I had no idea what to do. I cried every day, hiding from my children.

From that time on, I began to have dry coughs of unknown etiology. When I went to a hospital, I was told "An increasing number of people had the same symptom." As my cough would subside during a convalescent stay outside Fukushima Prefecture, I asked the doctor, "Do you think this is the effect of radiation?" I was simply told, "We have no such reports, so we don't know."

My son in grade school began to complain of bone pain in the sole of his feet. Furthermore, many others around us, at all ages, also complained of bone pain in the soles of their feet.

If we evacuate outside Fukushima Prefecture, can we make a living under such conditions? I was so worried about my children getting used to the new schools and a new life that I was not able to make a decision on evacuation. However, I finally decided when someone told me,"Your health and life take precedence over such little matters." I began to look for a place to evacuate to and eventually settle.

Most of the government-assisted evacuation arrangements had ended at the end of last year. The only option was to rely on a private group making evacuation arrangements. As I wanted to move to the west of Tokyo, we ended up evacuating to Yamanashi Prefecture.

Health of all the family members quickly deteriorated during the period awaiting evacuation. My work had necessitated me to walk around a high-radiation district a lot for several months. My dry cough got so bad to the point of nearly choking in the middle of the night.

Beginning with the soles of my feet, bone pain extended to arms and legs. Parts of arms and legs exposed to air had stingy pain and itchiness. Stuffy throat and phlegm gradually worsened.

There were occasions when a sudden episode of fatigue temporarily immobilized me in a car. The arm bone pain was so bad that I could barely open and close doors. I got so scared that I stopped walking the particular district, and soon the bone pain subsided.

My grade school age son continued to have nausea and headache upon awakening in the morning. When he went to the hospital, they found blood in his urine. His allergies had tripled what he already had. Doctors diagnosed allergies as the potential reason for not feeling well.

However, no medication relieved nausea and headache, and he often had diarrhea. I also began to have continuing nausea, headache and diarrhea.

When we went to a different hospital, we were told the symptoms were psychological, and the etiology remained unknown. At this point, my son's blood pressure had gone down to 82/50.

My son's health gradually deteriorated with the dark circles under his eyes expanding. He could barely go to school during the three months before evacuation.

Air dose level immediately outside the house was 0.8 μSv/h, but there were some spots with air dose level of 1.5-2.0 μSv/h inside the property boundaries. Even inside the house it was 0.3-0.5 μSv/h. That was the condition we lived in.

I discussed with the school principal the thyroid issues in my children and the anxiety I felt about my children walking to school through some areas with high radiation, but all I got back was an unbelievable answer, "I think even 5 mSv annually is fine. You can't live anywhere if you are worked about such matters.

When I checked the air dose levels at school on my own, there were multiple spots that were right around 1.5 μSv/h. However, the school would not release such data.

Then the school swimming pool reopened for swim classes after two years of closure. I was at a loss for word when the release form stated, "Any students who cannot participate in swim classes are required to turn in a medical certificate from a hospital."

My daughter already had a skin ailment of unknown etiology, which got much worse than ever. My son sensed abnormality of his ill health and sometimes would cry in bed asking, "Something like this never happened to me before. Why is it happening now?"

First week after we evacuated to Yamanashi, we had nausea, headaches, diarrhea and fatigue. We also had badly stuffed throat and phlegm. But gradually the frequency of theses symptoms decreased from every two days, every three days, and so on. I could tell the dark circles under my son's eye was gradually lightening up and  disappearing.

Soon after that, my children and I went to a hospital in Tokyo for thyroid examination. We were surprised to hear the results later, as all of us had results which were totally different from the results in Fukushima

My son continued to have blood in urine. We were told to "take him to a specialist as the blood test results are concerning." When I took him to a hospital in Yamanashi, he was diagnosed with "autonomic nervous system disorder."
However, the diagnosis was not convincing enough, considering his symptoms and my own ill health. I came to distrust hospitals, and we quit going to doctors.

About one month after evacuating, my children and I felt much better, and my son was able to go to school.

Although we don't feel well occasionally, we no longer have  abnormal symptoms we used to get in Fukushima. It was only when our health improved that we realized that "we were in a scary place," and recognized how scary radiation could be.

After we evacuated, we returned home to Fukushima twice. Each time our health worsened.

More people who remained in Fukushima are suffering from the same symptoms as mine. More people have died. There are more children who got leukemia, who began to have bloody noses and who have thyroid cancer. Children with thyroid cancer and their mothers are really suffering. Many parents want "at least children" to survive, but parents need to be healthy to be able to raise the children.

I wish both adults and children would be evacuated from high radiation areas as soon as possible.

Many evacuees, including me, are full of regrets that they didn't "evacuate sooner." I don't want any more people to feel the same way, regretting that they "could not fully protect the children."

I would like the government and TEPCO to reveal the truth and own up their responsibilities and do what they need to do.

In addition, they should get to know more about how we are burdened with double and triple suffering due to radiation even before our psychological damages are healed.
Thank you for listening.

*****
From the Q/A session:

Question: You said the thyroid examination results in Tokyo were different from those in Fukushima. How so?

Answer: In Fukushima, my son's thyroid ultrasound examination showed two cysts. When we went to another clinic, it still showed two cysts. When I took him to a hospital in Tokyo, he had not only cysts but also nodules; he was given a diagnosis of thyroid adenomatous goiter. In addition, he had lymphadenopathy with over 10 lymph nodes involved.



Thirteenth Prefectural Oversight Committee Meeting: Fukushima Thyroid Ultrasound Examination Results

The Proceedings of the Thirteenth Prefectural Oversight Committee Meeting for Fukushima Health Management Survey were released on November 12, 2013.  Below is the complete translation of the thyroid ultrasound examination.

Please refer to this post for the short summary.


Original Japanese document can be found here.

The official English translation is here.

Page 1

Implementation status of the "thyroid examination" in Fukushima Health Management Survey

1   Progress status and summary of the results

   (1) The primary examination
   The Fiscal Year 2013 examinations have been conducted, in approximately 158,000 participants from 34 municipalities, since April 22, 2013. In addition, participants from the previously targeted municipalities who have not been examined were encouraged to participate in the following ways: Letters have been sent to them, explaining the examination implementation outside Fukushima Prefecture or in other municipalities; and information about the examination has also been available on the website. As a result, more participants have been examined even after the end of the target year for their municipalities, and 82.4% of overall participants have been examined. ※1
   Moreover, thyroid examinations have been conducted in facilities outside Fukushima Prefecture since November 1, 2012. ※2
   Also, 94.5% of the 238,785 participants had their examination results confirmed and had them mailed. ※3,4

Progress status (as of September 30, 2013: Results have been confirmed for those examined up to August 23)


Number and proportion of nodules and cysts (as of September 30, 2013: Results have been confirmed for those examined up to August 23)
※1 Implementation status by municipality is shown in Supplement 1.
※2 Implementation status in prefectures other than Fukushima Prefecture is shown in Supplement 2.
※3 Results by municipality are shown in Supplement 3.
※4 Age and gender distribution of participants whose results have been confirmed is shown in Supplement 4.
● Proportions shown up to the first decimal point may not add up to 100% due to rounding up/down.

Page 2

   (2) The secondary examination
    Fukushima Medical University has been expanding the examination system, in an attempt to accelerate the implementation of the secondary examination. As a result, 73.6% of the 1,559 participants eligible for the secondary examination actually went through it, and 78.1% of them have completed it. ※5
    Also, in addition to Fukushima Medical University, two other medical facilities in Koriyama City and Iwaki City have been conducting the secondary examination since late July.
    Furthermore, out-of-prefecture facilities plan on conducting the secondary examination beginning in November 2013.

Progress status (as of September 30, 2013)

※5 Implementation status by municipalities is shown in Supplement 5.
● Priorities are given to those with urgent clinical needs.
● Regular follow-up examination, beginning April 2014, applies to those who were confirmed to be within the normal range (A1,A2) of the primary examination.
● Regular medical care applies to those who would need a close monitoring in about 6 months to 1 year (using national health insurance) and those who are confirmed to be beyond the normal range of A2.



Page 3
2  Summary of the fine-needle aspiration biopsy results
   (1) Results of biopsy (as of September 30, 2013)



Addendum dated November 14, found here, states, "As for one of the 26 papillary cancer cases, its histologic type is currently under close investigation."

   (2) Age and gender distribution of the 59 cases confirmed or suspected of malignancy by biopsy (as of September 30, 2013; including the case post-surgically confirmed to be benign).



Page 4

   (3) Results of the basic survey for the 59 cases confirmed or suspected of malignancy by biopsy, etc.
   21 (35.6%) of them submitted the basic survey questionnaire, and 12 (57.1%) of them were in the dose range below 1 mSv. The meaning and importance of the questionnaire will be explained to the rest of them in order to encourage them to turn it in.

Breakdown of the effective dose estimates by age and gender for those who submitted the basic survey


   (4) Blood tests and urinary iodine (as of September 30, 2013)

※1  FT4: A thyroid hormone with four iodine atoms; high in Basedow's (Graves') disease and low in Hashimoto's disease.
※2  FT3: A thyroid hormone with three iodine atoms; high in Basedow's (Graves') disease and low in Hashimoto's disease.
※3  TSH: A hormone secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain, which orders the thyroid gland to release thyroid hormones; high in Hashimoto's disease and low in Basedow's (Graves')  disease.
※4  Tg (thyroglobulin): A precursor to thyroid hormones.  Present in the thyroid gland in a large quantity.  High levels indicate destruction of the thyroid gland or production by tumor.
※5  TgAb (anti-thyroglobulin antibody): An autoantibody against thyroglobulin; high in Hashimoto's disease or Basedow's (Graves') disease.
※6  TPOAb: An autoantibody against an enzyme called peroxidase; high in Hashimoto's disease or Basedow's (Graves') disease.
※7 FT3 is corrected for age.

Page 5

   (5) Results of the secondary examination by municipality (as of September 30, 2013)

FY 2011 secondary examination results by municipality (13 municipalities nationally designated as the evacuation zones) 

※1 Does not include the case that was suspected of malignancy after biopsy but turned out to be benign after surgery.
※2 Includes subjects from outside the 13 municipalities nationally designated as the evacuation zones but underwent thyroid ultrasound examinations at schools and other locations.

FY 2012 secondary examination results by municipality (Iwaki City includes only some districts such as Hisanohama)


FY 2013 secondary examination results by municipality


Page 6
3   Implementation of the full-scale examination
   The thyroid examination conducted from October 2011 through March 2014, considered the "preliminary examination," will continue as the "full-scale examination" beginning April 2014.
   Summary of the current "preliminary examination" and the improved features in the "full-scale examination" are described below.
   From now on, in order to engage in the maintenance and promotion of participants' health, implementation plans will be established to ensure the smooth and reliable examination with cooperation from the examination facilities inside and outside Fukushima Prefecture, the concerned academic societies and the related organizations.

(1) Summary of the thyroid examination

A. Summary of the preliminary examination

Targeted subjects

Fukushima Prefecture residents who were generally 18 or under at the time of the Great East Earthquake, specifically including those who were born between April 2, 1982 and April 1, 2011.

The primary examination

The examination to assess the current status of thyroid gland (mainly the presence or absence as well as the size of cysts and nodules) using the ultrasound diagnostic equipment.

Assessment results

Assessment A: (A1) No nodules or cysts.
                          (A2) Nodules 5.0 mm or smaller or cysts 20.0 mm or smaller. 
Assessment B: Nodules 5.1 mm or larger or cysts 20.1 mm or larger.
                            Moreover, A2 will be upgraded to Assessment B if the condition of thyroid gland warrants the secondary examination.
Assessment C: The thyroid gland condition warranting the immediate secondary examination.

The secondary examination

The examination conducted on those in need of more detailed tests as a result of the primary examination. It consists of ultrasound examination, blood and urine tests, and fine-needle aspiration biopsy when needed.

(For information)

The regular follow-up examination
Beginning April 2014, the regular follow-up examination (full-scale examination) will continue every 2 years up to age 20 and every 5 years after age 20.
Regular medical care
・A re-examination is conducted, as close monitoring, generally in 6 months to 1 year.
・Consists of examinations and/or medical procedures (such as surgery).

B. Improved features for the full-scale examination

(a) Targeted subjects
   In addition to the targets subjects in the preliminary examination, those born between April 2, 2011 and April 1, 2012 are to be included, giving rise to a total targeted subjects of approximately 385,000.
(b) The implementation period
   All targeted subjects are to be examined in two years from April 2014 to March 2016.
After that, the examination is to be conducted, on a long term, every 2 years up to age 20 and every 5 years after age 20.
(c) The implementation facilities
   The primary and secondary examinations are to be conducted by the examination facilities inside and outside Fukushima Prefecture as well as Fukushima Medical University.
(d) The primary examination implementation system
   Non-school age children, college students and adults will be examined mostly at the examination facilities within Fukushima Prefecture (examinations at public facilities to be concurrently carried out until the examination system is fully established), and elementary, junior high and high school students will be examined at the traveling examinations at schools. Non-Fukushima residents are to be examined at the out-of-prefecture examination facilities.
(e) The secondary examination implementation system
   In order to facilitate the secondary examination and improve the convenience for the participants, efforts will be made towards appropriate examinations at the examination facilities within and outside Fukushima Prefecture as well as Fukushima Medical University.

Page 7 

(2) FY 2015 and FY 2016 examination schedule, proposed

4.   Simplification of the information disclosure procedure for detailed information about the thyroid examination

   In regards to the self request for information disclosure relating to the thyroid examination, 
an easier process has been established. From now on, it will be conducted as below.

   (1) For the identity confirmation, submission of an extract of the family register is no longer required. As a rule, a copy of the examination notification sent tom Fukushima Medical University or the examination result notification is to be used for identity confirmation.

   (2) Multiple steps previously carried out by the person requesting information disclosure will be, as a rule, completed in one step.
   (3) No fee will be charged for the information disclosed.

Details are to be posted on the home page of Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey at Fukushima Medical University , http://fukushima-mimamori.jp/.


Page 8

Supplement 1
Implementation status of the primary examination by municipality

FY 2011 target municipalities (The 13 municipalities nationally designated as evacuation zones) (as of September 30, 2013)


※1 The top row shows the number of examined participants, the middle row the progress rate in each age group, and the bottom row the proportion of the examined participants in each age group.
※2 The number of the out-of-prefecture residents who were examined during the in-prefecture examination, at the out-of-prefecture examination facilities or or the out-of-prefecture traveling examinations.
※3 The number of examinees who underwent thyroid examination at schools and other facilities outside the 13 municipalities nationally designated as evacuation zones.
● Proportions shown up to the first decimal point may not add up to 100% due to rounding up/down of individual number.
● Age shown is as of March 11, 2011.

Page 9

FY 2012 target municipalities (Iwaki City includes only some districts such as Hisanohama) (as of September 30, 2013)
● Participants examined at their current schools are categorized in municipalities where schools are located. At the completion of the preliminary examination, they will be recategorized in their municipalities of residence at the time of the accident.

FY2013 target municipalities (as of September 30, 2013)


Page 10

Supplement 2
Implementation status of the primary examination by prefecture
● The number of subjects examined includes those examined at out-of-prefecture examination facilities as well as the traveling examinations by Fukushima Medical University.
● The traveling examinations by Fukushima Medical University were conducted in Niigata Prefecture (twice), Yamagata Prefecture (twice) and Kanagawa Prefecture (once).

Page 11

Supplement 3
The results of the primary examination by municipality

FY 2011 target municipalities (The 13 municipalities nationally designated as evacuation zones) (as of September 30, 2013)

※1 The number of examinees who underwent the thyroid examination at schools and other facilities outside the 13 municipalities nationally designated as evacuation zones.
● Proportions shown up to the first decimal point may not add up to 100% due to rounding up/down of individual number.

Page 12

FY 2012 target municipalities (Iwaki City includes only some districts such as Hisanohama) (as of September 30, 2013)
● Participants examined at their current schools are categorized in municipalities where schools are located. At the completion of the preliminary examination, they will be recategorized in their municipalities of residence at the time of the accident.

Page 13

FY 2013 target municipalities (as of September 30, 2013)

Page 14

Supplement 4
1    Age and gender of participants whose examination results have been confirmed



● Proportions shown up to the first decimal point may not add up to 100% due to rounding up/down of individual number.
● Age shown is as of March 11, 2011.

Page 15

2   The presence/absence and the size of nodules

(as of September 30, 2013: Results have been confirmed for those examined up to August 23)






Page 16
3   The presence/absence and the size of cysts

(as of September 30, 2013: Results have been confirmed for those examined up to August 23)






Page 17
Supplement 5
Implementation status of the secondary examination by municipality

Progress rate (as of September 30, 2013)

FY 2011 target municipalities (The 13 municipalities nationally designated as evacuation zones)

FY 2012 target municipalities (Iwaki City includes only some districts such as Hisanohama)


FY 2013 target municipalities


※1 The number of examinees who underwent the thyroid examination at schools and other facilities outside the 13 municipalities nationally designated as evacuation zones.

● Proportions shown up to the first decimal point may not add up to 100% due to rounding up/down of individual number.
● Age shown is as of March 11, 2011.
● Participants examined at their current schools are categorized in the municipalities where schools are located. At the completion of the preliminary examination, they will be recategorized in their municipalities of residence at the time of the accident.

26 Thyroid Cancer Cases Confirmed in Fukushima Children: Preliminary Results of FY2011-2013 Thyroid Ultrasound Examination

Thirteenth Prefectural Oversight Committee convened on November 12, 2013, releasing the results of the latest thyroid examination as part of the prefectural health management survey.

Please refer to this post for complete translation of the full results.  

A summary of the results is provided below:


Total number of children examined as of September 30, 2013: 289,960

Total number of children whose initial examination results are confirmed: 225,537
(up to the August 23rd, 2013 examination)
     
     Assessment A1  121,525 (no nodules or cysts found)
     Assessment A2  102,453 (nodules 5.0 mm or smaller or cysts 20.0 mm or smaller)
     Assessment B     1,558 (nodules 5.1 mm or larger or cysts 20.1 mm or larger)
     Assessment C         1 (requiring immediate secondary examination)



Secondary examination includes more detailed thyroid ultrasound, blood and urine tests, and fine-needle aspiration biopsy if warranted.
      1,559 are eligible for secondary examination
      1,148 have actually undergone secondary examination
        897 finished the secondary examination




In summary, as of September 30, 2013, 26 thyroid cancer cases are confirmed and 32 have suspicious biopsy results. (As of July 31, 2013, there were 18 confirmed and 25 suspected cases).


During the committee meeting, Shinichi Suzuki, the head of the thyroid examination, mentioned that one of the 26 confirmed cancer cases was not papillary thyroid cancer: This case is undergoing cytological reevaluation to determine the subtype of thyroid cancer.

During the press conference following the committee meeting, no information was given, as to the details of individual cancer cases, such as the presence of lymph node metastasis or the type of surgery done.

Shinichi Suzuki maintains that this thyroid examination was originally initiated to assess the baseline thyroid condition of Fukushima children, as there is no such epidemiological data available in Japan, with an understanding that it was not possible to obtain pre-exposure data. It is being conducted on an assumption that the effect of radiation exposure would not be obvious for at least four years after exposure, as was seen after the Chernobyl accident.


If these cancer cases were indeed screening effects, similar malignancy would have to be expected in other parts of Japan. As for the thyroid survey conducted by the Ministry of Environment in Aomori, Yamanashi and Nagasaki Prefectures, widely recognized as a comparison study, no cancer data is available from the cases of thyroid ultrasound abnormalities detected. Also it is not age- and gender-matched, and there is a question about the possibly uneven quality of ultrasound examination itself between the two studies. The MOE spokesperson indicated that abnormal cases are undergoing further examination, and more data might become available for comparison.

Fukushima Parks: One-hour Time Limit for Playing

These photos were taken by Akemi, a single mother who had voluntarily evacuated from Fukushima City to Kyoto, over 500 km away, when she visited her parents' home in Fukushima City in March 2013.


What the sign says:

For those using the park:
Due to the effect of environmental radioactivity, please be careful of the following points in using the park.

  • Please limit the use of the park to 1 hour per day.
  • Please wash your hands and face and gargle after using the park.
  • Please be careful not to put soil and sand in your mouth.
For inquiry, contact Fukushima City Parks and Greenery Division Phone 525-3765


This is the park where the sign is posted. Akemi says identical signs were posted at three parks near her parents’ house. The sand pit is covered with blue tarp and weighted down. Akemi says this park used to be a green park. Akemi had sent her son to Kyoto by himself first, but while she was visiting him in Kyoto for a week in August 2012, the green park was turned into a regular playground. Was it part of the decontamination effort? Akemi says there is a child who walks through this park every day on the way to school.


This photo, taken from a slightly different angle, reveals a part of the body of a green and white heavy-duty excavating equipment visible in the upper left.


From yet another angle, the photo reveals what appears to be a construction site above the park. In fact, there is a house being built there.


Akemi got closer to the construction site to shoot this photo. The Radex radiation detector shows, "0.52 μSv/h."


Any park will have official air dose rates displayed after decontamination. The sign at this park states the measurement was taken on March 11, 2013, and the air dose rate is 0.186 μSv/h. However, Akemi's Radex registers 0.49 μSv/h, nearly 2.5 times as high as the official air dose rate.


Incidentally, Fukushima television stations show "Fukushima environmental radiation levels" as in this photo, accompanied by light and easy music, as if it were weather forecast.



*****

By the way, these signs have been posted at various locations in Fukushima City since April 25, 2011.

This is a translation of a Kyodo article dated April 25, 2011.

Signs posted at Fukushima City parks caution radiation levels exceeding the regulatory limit

Fukushima City installed sign posts at two of its parks on April 25th, where the atmospheric radiation level exceeding the national regulatory limits (3.8 μSv/hr) was detected, warning park visitors, "Please limit the use to about one hour daily," and the sandpit was covered with blue tarps.

Despite the distance of over 60 km from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, "Shinobuyama Children's Forest Park" had an atmospheric radiation level detected at the same level as the national regulatory limit. Usually there are many children's voices echoing at the park where many visitors flock to admire cherry blossoms, but there was hardly anybody there.

A worker at the Fukushima City Parks and Greenery Division said, "We have been trying to make it a good park." And a neighbor woman (age 78) said with tears in her eyes, "It is lonesome not to be able to hear children's voices. We never had such a quiet spring. This nuclear accident is just so disappointing."

A similar sign post was installed at the Shinhama Park in the central part of the city where the radiation level was 0.1 above the regulatory limit (of 3.8 μSv/hr).


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Rules imposed for the neighborhood park limits children’s playtime to one hour.

The radioactive fallout due to the accident is called "environmental radiation" as if it were part of nature.

Discrepancies exist between the official air dose rate after decontamination and the level detected by a personal radiation detector.

A house is being newly built right near a park with a daily one-hour time limit. (Incidentally, the real estate market is apparently "hot" in Fukushima City, as those who evacuated from Hama Dori, or eastern part of Fukushima Prefecture, look to settle there).


Certainly, there are individual stories and circumstances about their reasons to remain where children can barely be outside. However, seeing these photos makes you wonder about the consequences.

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Note: A photo of a sign from Sakabuta Park in Koriyama City, Fukushima, mentioned to be from April 2013, was deleted as of November 16, 2013 due to the following reasons.

  • Current air dose levels are not consistent with what is on the sign.
  • The photo was obtained from a tweet, and its original source is uncertain.
This oversight is deeply regretted.


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