Japanese journalist’s call for evacuating children from Tokyo causing controversy

Lately, there has been a move from some of the organizers to “remove” a prominent activist, Kouta Kinoshita, or rather, remove his claim of health effects from radiation exposure from the anti-nuclear movement. An investigative journalist who did an onsite coverage of the 1999 Tokaimura nuclear accident, Kinoshita was keenly aware of dangers of radiation when the Fukushima accident happened. He has spearheaded an effort to bring truth to the public about radiation and radiation exposure, calling for evacuation of children, pregnant women, and women of childbearing potential from Tokyo and Kanto regions. (Evacuation from Fukushima and other severely contaminated areas goes without saying.)

Apparently some of the organizers do not like Kinoshita’s claim. Kinoshita encouraged readers of his popular blog (http://blog.goo.ne.jp/nagaikenji20070927) to attend the protest on June 22 and June 29. He no longer recommends the protest to his readers, as he does not agree with their stance of not acknowledging health effects and of lack of opposition to the debris distribution and incineration. In addition, he is not recommending that his readers attend the protest because the organizers do not seem to have contingency plans. Even when he was recommending protest attendance, he discouraged people from taking children there.

As Kinoshita has claimed over and over, the Tokyo area has a significant degree of radiation contamination. Some places are as contaminated as Kiev was after Chernobyl. However, some do not want to admit Tokyo is contaminated. It is very inconvenient for them. Kinoshita has been verbally attacked numerous times for “spreading the baseless rumors” and “scaring people.” However, health effects are real. People contact Kinoshita to report their health problems since the Fukushima nuclear accident, as doctors do not seem to acknowledge them. Children who evacuated from Tokyo and Kanto region are being diagnosed with thyroid cysts and/or nodules.

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h/t @FRSCR


Kouta Kitoshito, Journalist

Published: July 7th, 2012 at 3:27 pm ET
By ENENews

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