While the Japanese have been doing their best to overcome one of the worst natural disasters of their history, they have received little help from the west, which seems merely intent on sowing panic and hysteria.
EU Commissioner Gunther Oettinger wins the panic prize, declaring yesterday that ‘in the coming hours there could be further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island’ and that the situation was ‘out of control’. It was later revealed that these remarks were based no new information – but not before they had caused a small crash in Japanese stocks and a legitimate rebuke from the Japanese government.
Meanwhile, despite the assurances by almost every scientific professional that a Chernobyl-style explosion is impossible due to the absence of carbon in the reactor design, western governments have been competing to outbid each other with pointlessly hysterical advisories.
Yesterday, the US government extended the exclusion zone to 80km, citing a ‘deteriorating situation’, despite the fact that radioactive emissions from Fukushima had been falling for the past 24 hours. The UK government quickly followed suit, assuming that the Americans must know something everyone else (including the Japanese) do not. They would have to know something pretty scary. After 25 years there is still no evidence of public health risk 30km beyond Chernobyl.
The French also took an early lead in stirring meltdown fears. They were among the first to offer free ‘evacuation flights’ from Japan on Tuesday. Not to be outdone, the UK followed with its own request for nationals to leave the Tokyo area, and today the US has started a chartered plane service to evacuate citizens from Japan.
Some sense, at least, came from a press release came this morning from the Italian embassy in Tokyo. After conducting a spectroscopic test on the rooftop of their embassy, levels of radioactive content were found to be one-third of the ordinary level in Rome. In short, it will take a very sustained emission from Fukushima, before Italian nationals to face anything like the risk they face on arrival back into Roma Fiumicino.
Such results make one thing very clear. Foreigners fleeing Tokyo this week are pathetic, and should be ashamed of themselves.
One must wonder, however, why western governments are so intent on stirring hysteria. Is it to assist the 24-hours new cycle? Or can it be any coincidence that the three governments doing their utmost to prolong the panic into the weekend – France, Britain and the United States – are precisely those facing the greatest embarrassment over their cack-handed handling of Libya?
#1 by Cip on March 18, 2011 - 9:26 am
Since the Americans designed these antique reactors, they probably know something more about how many ways this reactor model can fail.
The worst scenario is that the radioactive slag will melt through the casing (perfectly possible) and radioactive material get outside the “containment zone” carried by the wind / water.
#2 by former resident of tokyo on March 18, 2011 - 10:31 am
Dear Mr. Foa,
Foreigners are “pathetic”? You are surely joking and/or clearly too young to remember Chernobyl… Precautionary measures – advice by the French government to leave temporarily the Tokyo area – are better than last minute scrambling if the worst case scenario was to come true…. It is the government’s duty to protect its citizens. The risk of meltdown is still very real and given the level of cooperation between France and Japan in nuclear science, France is well placed to advise….
Of course you have a point. There is a certain level of hysteria in the press and some measures should certainly be considered to shut up – no, let me rephrase this, shut DOWN – the EU energy commissar as he is clearly overheating with rhetoric. I volunteer as “kamikaze” to douse him with buckets of water…
There is nothing pathetic about people fearing for their lives and wanting to protect their families in the face a triple disaster. Funny you should fail to mention that Japanese families are also leaving Tokyo for the same reason. The current government was about to fall on complete lack of trust before the earthquake and its aftermath. They do not fully trust their government to tell them the full picture and don’t need foreign media for that. Your perspective is very Western-centric….
Saying that foreigners (French, British, Chinese, Corean, Italians, etc….) should be “ashamed” because they chose to go IS pathetic.
Regards,
A former “foreign” resident of Tokyo with many friends – foreign and Japanese – still in Tokyo.
#3 by Patrick on March 18, 2011 - 11:41 am
In a situation as serious as the present, expats can’t be blamed for putting their families first and returning to their home countries. Everyone hopes that Japan has it under control, but as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island showed, things can go wrong very quickly.
However, I would agree that Oettinger should not be adding to the hysteria by his irresponsible comments.
#4 by sharp on March 18, 2011 - 3:37 pm
I would suggest a further reaching idea why wests are so much instigating hysteria; if ones may advance their research in renewables they have made a first successful step – interest in renewables has grown up drastically. The question is who wins out of that?
#5 by noneedforthis on March 20, 2011 - 1:52 am
Hehe it is worse than you think… whenever you take a long duration flight you expose yourself to much more than the usual radiation doses. If you fly back over the pole, as you might from Japan to Europe, the dose is magnified massively. So by evacuating from Tokyo you have actually just exposed yourself and your family to many, MANY multiples of the radiation exposure you might face if you just stayed in Japan. Of course either way it is perfectly safe and people who panic like this way are ignorant of the science.
#6 by Anonymous on March 20, 2011 - 3:31 pm
If anything here is pathetic, that would be your piece Mt. Foa.
I live and work in Tokyo. And thank goodness I returned to Europe safely on Friday. The situation in Tokyo is far from rosy and trust me, you DON’T want to be there.
If you are so brave as you suggest, I’d dare you to fly to Tokyo now and post your next piece from there.
Regards,
Anonymous
#7 by Anonymous on March 20, 2011 - 3:39 pm
Let me briefly add that on my way out of Tokyo I took the bullet train to Hiroshima first, as both Narita and Hanada airport in Tokyo are packed. And I could well see that Japanese citisens were on their way out of Tokyo as well, particularly women with young children.
People’s lives come first Mr. Foa. Try to buy cheap popularity elsewhere.
#8 by Hans on March 21, 2011 - 8:17 am
“Foreigners fleeing Tokyo this week are pathetic, and should be ashamed of themselves”
You say that because you are not in Japan yourself…
How can someone say sth like this and how can the eu observer publish such nonsense?
#9 by Roberto Foa on March 21, 2011 - 5:03 pm
Hans (and others),
I have several friends who are in Tokyo right now, including one who went into Fukushima last week. I have another colleague who used to work in Fukushima, who said they would like to now go back, but is having difficulty finding a flight.
I can only reiterate that the danger is minimal, and that popular hysteria is only making the recovery worse. And yes, I would be glad to go there myself.
best,
Roberto
#10 by Xavier Schoumaker on May 17, 2011 - 12:06 pm
“After 25 years there is still no evidence of public health risk 30km beyond Chernobyl”.
When you take on the job as journalist, you have the moral duty of checking that what you write is accurate.
A nice trip to schools in Belarus would teach you otherwise.
A reminder of all the victims of Chernobyl and the consequences we still feel from it should be better than a complete attack on the ‘crazy loonies’ you seem to attack.
It seems more like an emotional article not based on much fact and completely based on opinion.
Ok some politicians exaggerate as they have interests in closing Nuclear power plants, but from what I read you just seem to be on the other side and incapable of explaining why you try to disguise the fact that you are pro-nuclear power instead of writing an article trying to blame others for being hysterically anti-nuclear.
#11 by Joe on May 20, 2011 - 8:01 pm
What ALL of us? Does the idea that the only possible failure is a malevolent plot by *gasp* “the Americans” make you feel warm and cozy inside?
Bigot.
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