Nuclear Monitor #935

Jan van Evert, reporter WISE-Netherlands

Fifteen years ago, on March 11^th 2011, a tsunami caused a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan. It resulted in electrical grid failure and damaged nearly all of the power plant’s backup power systems. The subsequent inability to sufficiently cool four of the six reactors after shutdown compromised containment and resulted in the release of radioactive contaminants into the surrounding environment.

To commemorate this disaster an international demonstration will be held in Brussels, Belgium. The organisers will deliver a petition titled “Fund climate solutions, not nuclear problems” to the European Commission. They demand that “The European Union must not promote nuclear power, especially the construction of new nuclear power plants. There must be no funding for nuclear energy in the EU’s multi-annual financial framework”.

Human Rights Now (HRN) has submitted a written statement to the 61^st session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva highlighting the problems of the lack of livelihood support, the termination of housing support, and the arbitrary evictions of evacuees. The disaster displaced 160,000 people, and about 27,000 of those are still designated as internally displaced persons.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the NPO Fukushima Dialogue organise a free webinar on March 12^th (10:00–12:00 UTC) titled: “15th Anniversary of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident: Testimonies on the Past, Present, and Future”. The webinar aims to share the current situation in Fukushima through the voices of local residents, as well as expectations and challenges for the future. On the day of the event, five residents from Fukushima Prefecture will be invited as speakers to share their experiences, reflections, and perspectives from their respective standpoints.

On March 1^st 10:30 – 16:30 JST Friends Of the Earth (FOE) Japan organises an International Symposium “15 Years Since 3.11: Voices Connecting from Fukushima, for a Nuclear-Free World”. The symposium will reflect on the Fukushima disaster, and efforts to achieve a nuclear-free world. It will be held online via Zoom.

You can sign the petition here:
Full text of the HRN statement: 69858_Fukushima_A_HRC_61_NGO_Sub_EN.pdf
More information and registration for the webinar:
https://fukushima-dialogue.jp/en/archives/3538
FOE symposium: register here