Nukewatch Quarterly Winter 2013-2014
TOKYO, Japan — Taro Yamamoto is a lawmaker in the Upper House of Japan’s government who happens to be actively anti-nuclear. He made news in October, when he did the unthinkable and approached Emperor Akihito at a garden party and handed him a letter describing his concerns over
Japanese children being exposed to radioactive contamination from the Fukushima disaster in food, water and soil. The letter also warned of the dangerous working conditions for temporary workers involved in cleanup operations. Yamamoto’s approach was seen in Japan as grossly impolite. Since World War II, when Akihito’s father, Emperor Hirohito renounced his “divinity,” the Emperor has performed only a symbolic and nongovernmental role. Yet many conservatives still consider the Emperor divine, so for a “commoner” to dare to approach him was newsworthy. Overlooked in much of the coverage was the letter’s content regarding radiation exposure of children. In his defense, Yamamoto said, “I just wanted the Emperor to know the reality.”
— Japanese Times, Oct. 31, and the Guardian, Nov. 7, 2013
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