When the breaking news of Hitachi, a Japanese Engineering Company freezing the construction of a nuclear power plant in Wales in England, het headlines yesterday, I felt my chest squeeze tightly, but at the same time, felt immensely relieved.
After the disaster of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Powerplant due to the lack of proper maintenance (then earthquake and tsunami hit the plant ‘unexpectedly’) in 2011, and under the unshakable legacy of Liberal Democratic Party who has been influencing pro-nuclear energy policy after the World War II, current Prime Minister of Japan, Mr.Shinzo Abe has been hoping to ‘ contribute to the world with the experience and technologies of Japan in the area of nuclear energy’. His hope of doing this has been a feeble dream, in fact. Mr. Abe and associate organisation from Japan (including prominent Japanese engineering company, Hitachi) has been failing to construct a nuclear power plant in Turkey, Vietnam, and Lithuania. Shameful attempt (unconsciously OR consciously) to contaminate other parts of the world with their ‘experience and technology of Japan in the area of nuclear energy’ against economically minor countries, is not acceptable, but understandable.
These countries may want a big sponsor who will promise them a huge economic and energy development. Japan, on the other hand, (and other economically big countries in the world, might I add), still believe that they need to keep going in the area of nuclear power, in order to meet the demand of our growing population on Earth. Sustainable (I mean its supposedly VERY energy efficient if it goes well) and clean (some still thinks nuclear power doesn’t contribute to the climate change – wrong!) energy source of nuclear power plants, some still believes, are something we desperately need even after the disaster of Fukushima in 2011 (which still hasn’t been fixed).
Why England, however? Ever since I heard about the news of Hitachi trying to construct a new nuclear powerplant in England, I has been deeply disgusted, at the same time, bewildered. Why? Yes, England has been seemed to be lost its mighty power over the world compared to the Age of Exploration in 1600s and the Industrial Revolution in 1900s. But it still has a significant influence on the politics and economy of the world, in fact, much more than Japan, at least. So why have they allowed (or begged?) the Japanese to build another nuclear powerplant despite of its completely failure of Fukushima 2011?
It is quite natural for me to be very frustrated with this whole business of Japanese company building new nuclear power plants in the other parts of the world. I also have, however, good understanding of the feeling of small communities or countries, surrendering to someone stronger in the economy, and this is very sad. In many cases, this is because not only the central government, but also the targeted local communities want the nuclear power plants in their areas, mainly because they tend to lose themselves in the plausible economic arguments of ‘the locals need a job!’.
More news that grabbed my attention yesterday was from Facebook from my friend in Kyoto. She posted someone’s comments on Toyosu District in Tokyo. Apparently 50% of this district had been owned by TEPCO (the Tokyo Electronic Company ) in order for them to build a major energy centre for Tokyo (perhaps a nuclear power plant?).
If that was the case, there was a possibility of 6 nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant not being build, nor another 4 reactors at Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant (8 km away from each other) having existed, hence no disaster after the Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011, in Fukushima and near regions.
If Tokyo could create its own energy supply, there was no reasons for them to build 10 reactors in Fukushima, which was 250 km away from Tokyo. Distributing cost (of nuclear power generated power for Tokyo metropolitan areas) would not be a such a problem for TEPCO either, if they sourced the energy within their region.
Tokyo was also hit by the big earthquake in 2011, but even if they had a nuclear power plant in their back yard, they wouldn’t compromise the cost of security system of the plant, so it wouldn’t be a big deal (unlike Fukushima). Even if they would have compromised its security system for whatever the reasons, at least Fukushima, which is located 250 km away from Tokyo, would have been able to supply enough food and water for the Tokyo metropolitan area so it wouldn’t be the threat for the ultimate human survival (unlike in Fukushima still now this is happening) and meaningful and useful health check systems for citizens, rehabilitation program (from massive irradiation from the nuclear power plant) especially for children, wouldn’t be a such a problem for the central government to freely and generously offer to Tokyo locals. Tokyo victims of the disaster may get together and form a strong independent group, claiming that they will definitely get over with this disaster!
Thinking through all these things, I have got hundreds of raw, bitter, angry, sad and hopeless emotions which got my heart clenched, literally. I thought, after all that meaningless and defensive news of the 2011 disaster, there wouldn’t be another news that would shake me from the deepest place of my heart, and I was wrong. It seems that my heart has been recovering okay (so that I could still feel hundreds of raw, bitter, angry, sad and hopeless emotions) and started to feel anger, frustration and regret, all over again.
Is it a pure coincidence that the book I started to read just from yesterday, said “ you must love all the people around you just like you love me” ? I got this book from my friend last week. The title of the book (‘God Spoke To Me” by Eileen Caddy) does sound like very rigid old school religious book, but it’s not. It’s not irresponsible spiritual guidance book either. When I found the saying that “you must love all the people around you just like you love me” in this book yesterday, I was very moved and I felt my heart shaken with joy (and a bit of surprise). However, thinking about it now, after remembering all the memories of nuclear power related news, especially of the disaster at Fukushima in 2011, I am not sure, if I can every try to forgive…
What is love? I realised that I need to make my brain work harder to find out by myself. It’s certainly not being in total silence about what disturbs you. At the same time, I think it’s not accusing others aggressively for what they have done to you. I now know I need to listen to myself more carefully.
Tomoko's Healing Space 