Wednesday, September 5, 2012

#Fukushima Officials and Principals of Tokyo Metropolitan High Schools Want to Send Students to Fukushima on School Trips


To help Fukushima recover, of course. Wirtschaft über alles. Above well-being of children.

(That's part of what 20-plus years of economic "malaise" does to a country.)

From NHK Tokyo Metropolitan Edition (link won't last, emphasis is mine; 9/4/2012):

福島県への修学旅行など誘致

[Fukushima officials] luring school trips to Fukushima Prefecture

震災や原発事故の影響によって、修学旅行などの目的で福島県を訪れる生徒が大幅に減っているため、福島県の担当者が4日、都立高校の校長などが集まる会議に参加して誘致活動を行いました。

On September 4, officials from the Fukushima prefectural government dropped by at the conference of the principals of metropolitan (public) high schools (in Tokyo) to promote Fukushima as the destination for the school trips. The number of students who visit Fukushima Prefecture on school trips has dropped off significantly due to the March 11, 2011 earthquake and the nuclear accident.

福島県には全国から毎年、およそ70万人の子どもたちが修学旅行や合宿のために訪れていましたが、震災があった去年は9割がキャンセルとなり、ことしも震災前の水準に戻っていません。

About 700,000 children used to visit Fukushima Prefecture every year for school trips and training camps. However, last year after the disaster, 90% of these trips were canceled. It hasn't recovered to pre-disaster level yet this year.

このため福島県は関東地方の学校を中心に子どもたちの旅行を誘致する取り組みを始めていて、4日は、担当者が東京・文京区で開かれた都立高校の校長などが集まる校長会に参加しました。

So, the Fukushima prefectural government has started an initiative to attract school trips mainly by schools in Kanto Region. On September 4, the officials in charge participated in the conference of principals from metropolitan high schools, which was held in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

この中で、福島県観光交流局の星春男局長は「津波や原発事故で被害を受けた被災地以外は平常に戻りつつあり、福島は安心だということを保護者の方々にも伝えてほしい」と話しました。

Mr. Haruo Hoshi, head of the Tourism and Exchange Bureau of Fukushima Prefecture, told the principals, "Except for the areas damaged by the tsunami and the nuclear accident, things are getting back to normal. I would like you to tell the parents [of your students] that Fukushima is safe."

続いて福島県の担当者が、東京から訪れる人も大学などの部活動の合宿を除いては大幅に減り、厳しい状況が続いていることや、県内の放射線量は原発に近い一部の地域を除いては健康に影響のないレベルであることを説明しました。

Then, other officials explained that visitors from Tokyo had dropped off dramatically except for training camps by college students, and the prospect was dire, but radiation levels were such that they wouldn't affect health except for part of Fukushima close to [Fukushima I] Nuclear Power Plant.

福島県観光交流局の星春男局長は「福島県には文化や歴史など魅力が多くあり、旅行のためのプログラムも充実しています。誘致活動に力をいれてなんとか震災前の数にまで戻していきたい」と話していました。

Mr. Hoshi said, "Fukushima has a lot of cultural and historical attractions, and we offer rich programs for school trips. We will do our best in attracting [the schools] and bring the number of visitors to the pre-disaster level."


Radiation levels are such that they won't affect health, meaning they are low except in the immediate neighborhood of Fukushima I Nuke Plant. Only in the minds of government officials in Fukushima.

To these officials from Fukushima City (that's where the prefectural government office is located), radiation levels in Fukushima City and in Nakadori (middle third) of Fukushima are not high. 1 microsievert/hour at 1 meter off the ground? Not a problem. Why? Because these officials live there and they say so.

What is this obsession of sending or bringing young people and children to Fukushima (of all places)? Remember the misguided attempt to send elementary school children to Date City to give cheer to the people there? The LDP city assemblyman in a city in Osaka who was going to co-sponsor the event was extremely indignant that he was roundly criticized for proposing the trip, which he eventually canceled. He clearly did not understand why people were upset with his project of good intention.

The school principals, being more of administrators than educators, will duly follow official recommendations.

8 comments:

m a x l i said...

Ice-cold creators
Of spent fuel, spent workers, spent countries
Of sterilised, glowing food in our pantries

Of fields you shouldn't walk on
Of water giving death
Now listen! No more beers!

Of air you couldn't count on
You better hold your breath
For half a million years!

Zombies in bomb factories
Breeding plutonium
Disguised as boilers
To cause pandemonium

Fish-like animals
In suits and ties
Hypnotising the sheep
When telling their lies

Cold-blooded reptils
No heart, no soul
War, suffering, destruction
Their only goal

They promise us richness
Prosperity and growth
The only things growing:
Our tumours and their nose

Internet prostitutes
Faking opinions
To please their masters
What spineless minions!

Modern-day Hitlers
Goebbels and Mengeles
Posing as experts
Educators and doctors

Now we see the lies
Running out their mouth
Their behind
And all their pores

They know they can not win
Except a little time
Until the lock snaps in
On those heavy doors

Will we celebrate?
Or be in shock?
After so much noise
So much theft

Is it too late
To turn back the clock?
We have no choice
But to save what's left

* * *

The alternative ending
If we don't stop their game
Would be: The new normal
Are the sick and lame

Our code will be torn
Our organs giving in
Few babies will be born
Our numbers getting thin

We hop on one leg
Or crawl on four
There will be no healing
No remedy in store

No food for the hunger
No drink for the thirst
Then we all go down
But they go first

Anonymous said...

At least the next generation will absolutely hate politicians and probably question everything they're told... assuming the exposure to radiation doesn't make them stupid or kill them outright.

kuma shutsubotsu chuui said...

If this whole thing were a movie, everybody would ridicule it, saying it couldn't possibly happen in real life!

:-(

Anonymous said...

Here is one of the exchange trips with the "volunteers" from the US

Future From Fukushima

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_TFjcRBfk8

It's delicious
Tell your friends
Hapless underage rubes, hard at work selling the story.
How about field trips to a location that could teach the kids something useful.
Cold shutdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvcWYwGEyZU&feature=autoplay&list=UUiO3EpYoV9oYmCcNbRxBVtg&playnext=1

Anonymous said...

If this whole thing happened in America, everybody would say "only in America". If this whole thing happened in Australia, everybody would say "only in Australia". If this whole thing happened in Africa, everyobody would say "only in Africa".

Methinks people be dumdums.

HAHA. That video. "FUTURE FROM FUKUSHIMA" right at the start. They took a time machine to the future of Fukushima and came back? The very first second of the video betrays that it's a propaganda piece. I especially find it amusing that they disabled likes, dislikes and comments.

God, people are so stupid and gullible.

Anonymous said...

These American young folks were taken to visit Tomioka High School, 12km by car from Fukushima Daiichi.

Japanese students are still evacuated, the video says. Food is checked for radionuclide contamination (for 10 min...) in "most" municipalities.

One of the American students seems to think it is all under control. What is under control exactly, if I may ask? One chance of learning something, lost, it seems.

Beppe

doitujin said...

@kuma shutsubotsu chuui

my point exactly...

Anonymous said...

I still think they should visit Chernobyl, too. It can be like a prequel. "PAST FROM CHERNOBYL".

"The Chernobyl disaster brought us together with all these radioactive animals roaming in the wild! Care for a cherry? DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT'S RADIOACTIVE?!"

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