Resurrecting Hiroshima: Things Left Behind

"Things Left Behind" is the title of an exhibition by photographer Miyako Ishiuchi and a documentary about the exhibition by Japan-born filmmaker Linda Hoaglund.  They leave one with the sense of two women wrestling with not only history and time, but also death itself, in their attempts to pierce through to the other side of 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945.

Their search is about facing trauma; the anguish of loss, the striving to resurrect the past; the invocation of spirits — if only for a while.  These photographs and this film are an invitation for us to meet and lay to rest the dead of Hiroshima by meditating upon the things they left behind.

Things Left Behind is playing with English subtitles every day at 4:30 p.m. at Iwanami Hall in Tokyo, until August 16, the day after the anniversary of the end of the Second World War. 11:30 a.m. screening time in Japanese only.  Steven Okazaki's White Light, Black Rain is also showing at 2 p.m. and 6:50 p.m.

Aspri: Building Hope in Fukushima (えすぺり 福島で希望を作る)

Via Women of Fukushima on FB:

The government and the media, and the average Japanese person for that matter would like us to believe that everything is back to normal in Fukushima. That couldn't be farther from the truth. People continue to fight hard to regain a semblance of "normal" and there is still a long way to go. This is about a big step forward taken by local farmers.

This is a story about our friends the Okawaras, (Mrs. Okawara is featured in Women of Fukushima) organic farmers in Fukushima, who have, with the help of friends, family and other supporters, built a farmer's market, cafe, event/education space to restore hope and community to their local area. This is a completely grassroots effort that is injecting energy and spirit into the community.

Synopsis: This heartrending 5-minute video brings us an update on the Okawaras, who shared their lives in the aftermath of 3/11, in the powerful documentary film Women of Fukushima.  Organic farmers, they were traumatized not only by the natural and nuclear catastrophes, but also loss of livelihood when longtime customers abandoned them because of fears that their products have been contaminated by radiation.

However, their part of Fukushima has been only minimally contaminated; therefore they want to stay and work towards restoration, centered around a store and community center they have named "Aspri" which means "aspire" or "hope" in Esperanto.

Mrs. Okawara explains, "The year  after the plant exploded and last year, I would drive around and look at the scenery. Fukushima's mountains, skies, and fields. I couldn't stop myself from crying, when I thought such beauty was contaminated with radiation. To tell the truth, I cried every time I got in the car.

"But since year three, my thinking has changed. Even if it's contaminated, I really love this place. I don't cry anymore. I think it's because we decided to build Aspri. We will be selling many things, including vegetables, bread and fruit. It is also a place for learning. We will have study sessions about strategies for dealing with radiation. It will also be a place for performances...many things..."

They are receiving no support from the government, which refused to give them a loan. "So the politicians talk like the nuclear problem has gone away. But that's not true. Everyone is still really suffering."

At the grassroots, people are filling this gap,  donating money to help support Aspri, which opened on July 13, 2013.  This video is a request for a little more...

(Women of Fukushima is now streaming at Vimeo. Other films in their series on Tohoku may be viewed at the links listed at this  post:  http://tenthousandthingsfromkyoto.blogspot.com/2013/08/women-of-fukushima-our-tohoku-films.html

Kenzaburo Oe: "The Okinawa protests against the Osprey, and our rallies...to oppose the restarting of nuclear power plants are all connected to the Constitution. We value and protect Article 9..."

(Photo: Nobelprize.org)

Author  Kenzaburo Oe, co-founder of the Article 9 Association outlines the relationships between widespread opposition to US military testing and training of the accident-prone V-22 Osprey aircraft in Okinawa (and soon-to-be mainland Japan); opposition to nuclear plant restarts, and the Japanese Peace Constitution:

The Japanese government seems to say by this that it is not in a position to object to American objectives [regarding US military testing and training V-22 Osprey aircraft in Okinawa]. This is not the kind of action one would expect from a truly independent, democratic country. It is too easy to see the Osprey issue as a problem affecting only Okinawa; in fact it affects all of Japan because it is a Constitutional issue, not merely local or regional but national in scope...

The Okinawa protests against the Osprey, and our rallies, demonstrations and meetings to oppose the restarting of nuclear power plants are all connected to the Constitution. We value and protect Article 9 of the Constitution. We defend it facing the world as a whole, we defend it facing up to America, and we defend it to every individual country. We must always remember—the Constitution is not some stranger’s issue. It is personal; it is our own.

(Source: Public Lecture, Sept. 29, 2012, Hibiya Kokaido Hall: http://www.9-jo.jp/en/index_en.html)

Still "Praying for Japan" —Uncanny Terrain explores impact of 3/11 on Fukushima family farmers, animals, soil, & nuclear evacuees

Beautiful and heartrending trailer from Uncanny Terrain
a documentary film by Junko Kajino and Ed M. Koziarski,
who lived and worked with Fukushima family farmers struggling in the aftermath of 3/11

This film is a must for all who are continuing to "pray for Japan" — for all who support the safety of Japanese people and animals, the recovery of Tohoku, and the survival of traditional Japanese rural culture.

Fukushima, as with the rest of Tohoku, was a bastion of organic, natural farming; slow, traditional Japanese culture. The shock, trauma, and continuing nuclear radiation assaults that started on 3/11 has shaken the idyllic way of life and identity of Fukushima organic farmers to the core.  Now farmers, who worked to build up good, organic soil and food have undertaken the responsibility for ongoing decontamination and recovery efforts, while dealing with collective fears regarding radioactive contamination of their products and persons, and uncertainty regarding their future and that of their descendants in their ancestral homeland.

The organic farmers of Fukushima prefecture toiled for 40 years to grow safe, nutritious and delicious crops on their ancestral land while two nuclear power plants in the prefecture helped feed Tokyo’s increasingly voracious energy appetite.

Since the March 2011 tsunami triggered the meltdown that spread radioactive contamination on much of the lush farmland of Fukushima and eastern Japan, the farmers have been caught between a government in constant denial of the risks of radiation, and outraged citizens who brand the farmers “child murderers” for continuing to cultivate irradiated land.

But the farmers, researchers and volunteers are committed to building a comprehensive monitoring and reporting network to inform citizens about contamination levels in food, air, water and land, so families can make their own informed decisions; and advancing experimental methods to decontaminate soil or prevent crops grown on contaminated soil from absorbing radiation.

Fukushima has demonstrated the need for greater public vigilance to keep all our food and energy producers honest, not just about radiation but about all the potential [pesticides, GMOs, industrial and other toxic] contaminants that our collective appetites introduce into our bodies and our communities.

For all who love traditional Japan, this is a film to support and see. Much more at the film's website: Uncannyterrain.com. 

Nuclear-free activist Taro Yamamoto wins; Yohei Miyake via YouTube & Twitter: "Keep the Motivation..."

YOHEI MIYAKE Melodious Campaign Speech (Greens Japan) 

Nuclear-free candidate Taro Yamamoto won an Upper House seat after losing a bid for a Lower House seat in last December's election. The actor also opposed Tokyo's entry into  TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) negotiations.

Short news documentary on Yamamoto at Shingetsu News here on YouTube.

Beautiful Energy's Jacinta Hin's translation and comment on another Nuclear-free candidate, Greens' Yohei Miyake's concession via Twitter:

"I/we lost, but I/we gained so much". He also mentions the need for international collaboration for world peace. He got a lot of votes. He is a winner for me. This is just the start of his new journey.

三宅洋平 / Yohei Miyake @MIYAKE_YOHEI

やれる事はすべてやった。 もっとうまくやれる方法も沢山分かった。 負けたが、得

たものは大きい。 伸び代しかない。 次は強い党を作らないと、だね。 そして国際平和のための世界的な連帯作り。 おし、まずは走り込みだ！ ‪#‎176970票‬

 Read a terrific analysis of the media blackout, "blur" (?) of Miyake's campaign by J. T. Cassidy at Temple Valley Times and wrap-up by Martin Frid at Kurashi
..

Keiko Itokazu Wins Reelection in Okinawa!

Congratulations to Ms. Keiko Itokazu, and her many supporters, on reelection to her Upper House seat!  
(Photo: Keiko Itokazu on FB)

Keiko Itokazu, an Okinawan political leader strongly opposed to the proposed new mega-base at Henoko, Okinawa, was elected to a third term in the July 21 House of Councillors election.

Ms. Itokazu, head of the independent Okinawa Social Mass Party, beat Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate Masaaki Asato, and other candidates in the Okinawa prefectural constituency where only one seat was contested this time.

In fall of 2012, she joined other MPs, Okinawa Prefectural Assembly members and local citizens in the all-Okinawa historic protest against US military V-22 Osprey flight training in Okinawa.

In January 2012, the regal political leader was a member of the 24-member Okinawan delegation that traveled to Washington and spoke with author and peace activist, David Swanson.

She is a co-chair of Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence, together with Ms. Suzuyo Takazato, a globally recognized feminist peace activist who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

A native of Yomitan, Ms. itokazu served in the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly for three terms, starting in 1992, and was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2004. After running unsuccessfully for governorship of Okinawa Prefecture in 2006, she was re-elected to the House of Councillors in 2007.

Matthew Penney (The Asia-Pacific Journal): Public Opinion and the July 21 Election in Japan

 Viral on FB:  Garei Zamamiya's photo of Yohei Miyake,

 respected musician, Greens candidate in Japan's parliamentary election, 

campaigning for "Nuclear-Free, TPP-Free, and politics for the people by the people" in Shibuya today. 

Some excerpts from Matthew Penney's analysis of the July 21 election in Japan at The Asia-Pacific Journal:

Article 9:

While it appears that a majority of the Japanese population support constitutional revision, they apparently do not want to make it easier to achieve. The same poll has 52% opposing revision of Article 9, the “peace clause”, with 39% supporting revision. Even among conservatives, concern for the economy seems to far outstrip the longstanding project of constitutional revision. When voters were asked about what issues they believe are important for the July House of Councilors election, the constitution came dead last.

Nuclear-free:

13% of Japanese want nuclear power done away with as soon as possible 24% want complete de-nuclearization by 2030, 22% want to see it done away with by 2040. 12% desire an end to reliance on nuclear energy sometime after 2040. 18% believe that Japan should continue to use nuclear power The portion of the Japanese population which expresses unqualified support of nuclear power has shrunk to a small minority. A full 71% express a desire to see nuclear power abolished. As with many political issues, however, economic growth seems central in the minds of Japanese voters. 

Conclusion:

Even if Abe’s expected election landslide materializes... the Japanese political environment is still far from stable. An Asahi poll carried out on July 13 and 14 tells an interesting story. While Abe’s electoral success is undeniable, only 36% of those polled wish to see the LDP gain a majority on July 21. Other polls show support for key Abe policies such as participation in the TPP free trade agreement slipping steadily since March. Landslide or no, the public still has many questions, and it remains to be seen whether Abe and the LDP have the answers.

Portrait of a Weapon Inventor as a Young Man: Hayao Miyazaki's Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises)

Trailer for Hayo Miyazaki's Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises).  Based on the manga of the same name; in turn based on a short story by Tatsuo Hori, a prewar proletarian writer, poet and translator who died in 1953. Kaze Tachinu is a fictionalised biography of Jiro Horikoshi, chief designer of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, a long-range warplane used in bombing raids and kamikaze attacks during the Pacific War.

Interesting timing on the release of this film. Miyazaki's films invoke nostalgia for traditional Japanese community, family, and rural life; and contain anti-war and environmentalist themes.  In May of this year, Toshio Suzuki,  producer at Ghibli, the studio which produces Miyazaki's films, unequivocally pronounced his support for the Japanese Peace Constitution in an interview with Tokyo Shimbun (English translation at Anime News Network):

Suzuki spoke his support for the clause, saying, ”We should be proclaiming Article 9, which has brought peace to Japan, to the rest of the world.” He added, “I doubt most people outside of Japan even know that we have Article 9. After all, we have a self-defense force. They probably know about that. That's why we have to spread the word about the clause to the world. This peace that Japan has wouldn't have been possible without it."

Suzuki came to know the future Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki after Suzuki co-founded the magazine Animage for the publisher Tokuma Shoten. Miyazaki serialized his Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga in Animage, and Suzuki participated in the production of Miyazaki's film version in 1984. When Ghibli separated from Tokuma Shoten in 2005, Suzuki was appointed to head the studio. Suzuki stepped down as the head of Ghibli in 2008, but he has remained an active producer on all of its films.

(July 21 update: Detailed analysis by Matthew Penney just published at The Asia-Pacific Journal on Hayao Miyazaki, war, peace, and Article 9; cites the filmmaker's belief that Article 9 should remain the cornerstone of Japanese foreign policy; and cites Studio Ghibli director (and Miyazaki collaborator Isao Takahata: “We sacrificed the people of Okinawa and became collaborators in [America’s wars].” )

(July 24 update: More background at Mainichi with a link to a Ghibli pamphlet outlining both the studio's and Miyazaki's support of Article 9.)

Fireflies

Have to share this magical photo of fireflies 

taken by KJ's amazing web designer, Rick Elizaga!

For more of KJ, visit  Kyotojournal.org

Green Action: MOX (mixed plutonium uranium) Fuel Shipment Arrives in Japan with No End-Use Determined

Via Kyoto-based Green Action: 

 27 June 2013, Takahama Town, Fukui Prefecture, Japan-- A shipment of MOX (mixed plutonium and uranium oxide) fuel arrived at Kepco’s Takahama nuclear power plant today located in Fukui Prefecture facing the Japan Sea.

Today’s shipment violates the Japan Atomic Energy Commission's determination, issued in 2003, requiring utilities to specify the end-use of MOX fuel before it is imported.

Kepco has not been given permission to restart its Takahama nuclear power plant. On top of that, the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority
(NRA) has not even established post-Fukushima accident regulatory standards for MOX fuel and its use.

According to the IAEA, unirradiated MOX fuel is direct-use nuclear weapons material. This shipment adds yet another 900kg (approx.) to the already 960kg of unused plutonium in MOX fuel located at 5 nuclear
power plants in Japan.

As of today, over 70 nations have opposed MOX fuel shipments and past shipments of separated plutonium. Japan, the UK, and France have neglected to undertake an environmental impact assessment on Japanese nuclear shipments. Furthermore, no compensation plan exists for damages in the event of an accident, and emergency planning is grossly inadequate.

Many Japanese prefectures are also on the shipment route. Citizens of local governments which face the Japan Sea have petitioned Kepco and the Japanese government for information on emergency planning and compensation for damages in the event of such an accident.

On 26 June, the Joint Action for Nuclear Free Korea composed of 78 groups including the nationwide Korean Federation of Environmental Movement (KFEM) issued a statement opposing the MOX shipment.

“Crucial quality control data for the MOX fuel has not been released by the French fuel fabricator Areva SA. Not even Kepco, its client, has been given details on the kind of impurities in the fuel and other important data that could affect the fuel safety. The French nuclear authority's remit does not include checking the quality of foreign fuel. Therefore, only Areva is privy to that information” stated Aileen Mioko Smith, executive director of Green Action.

----------
References:
12, April 2013
Joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry regarding MOX fuel
shipment to Japan
http://www.greenaction-japan.org/internal/130412_MOX_US_State_Letter.pdf
5 March 2013
Letters sent to countries potentially on the route of the MOX fuel
shipment
http://www.greenaction-japan.org/internal/130305_Letter_en_route_MOX.pdf