Walk for Fukushima & Nuclear Truth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
contact Mie at 207-691-3508 
mkathearn@mail.goo.ne.jp.

Walk for Fukushima

Mie Athearn, a Japanese woman living in Maine and a native of Fukushima Prefecture, is undertaking a "Walk for Fukushima" to deliver a message to the Japanese government appealing for stronger actions to protect children from radiation hazards in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.
Ms. Athearn, acutely aware of the heightened stresses being experienced by her close family members over the ongoing releases of radioactive contamination from the crippled reactors, and distressed by the Japanese government response seemingly dictated by expediency and downplaying, has decided to walk from Rockland to the Japanese Consulate in Boston to seek an audience with officials there urging a stronger public health response to the crisis.

She was also inspired by the Peace Walkers who came through Rockland last year, led by Japanese Buddhist monks and nuns. Just back from their latest pilgrimage from Boston to Albany, with stops at nuclear power plants in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, the Grafton Peace Pagoda is now lending its support to the Walk for Fukushima.

With her husband Steven, Jun Yasuda of the Peace Pagoda, and various others, Mie set out from Rockland on Sunday, September 4 and expects to arrive in Boston on September 19, covering a distance of nearly 200 miles. The walk will partly coincide with a series of anti-nuclear actions within Japan planned for the week of September 11, and culminating with a "goodbye nukes" rally in Tokyo on September 19. Those dates are, respectively, six months since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and five months since a Ministry of the national government, MEXT, directed Fukushima Prefecture to adopt a much laxer standard for radiation exposure, making higher-than-controlled-workplace doses for children officially acceptable.
They also plan to make a stop at the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant in New Hampshire.

People wanting to lend a hand by offering overnight accomodations, daytime rest stops, organizing events along the way, or joining some portion of the walk themselves may contact Mie at 207-691-3508 or mkathearn@mail.goo.ne.jp.  A schedule of stopping points for the walk is given below.

Schedule, "Walk for Fukushima"

9/4 Rockland – Warren
9/5 Warren – Nobleboro
9/6 Nobleboro – Edgecomb (Reception/meeting at Shadis Law Office, Newcastle, 7 pm)
9/7 Edgecomb -- Bath (Excursion to view spent fuel canisters at former Maine Yankee site, Wiscasset)
9/8 Bath – Brunswick
9/9 Brunswick – Yarmouth
9/10 Yarmouth – Portland
9/11 4-5 miles in Portland ("Freedom trail" walk leaving from Meg Perry Center, Congress St at 2 pm, then participation in evening 9/11 program at Back Cove)
9/12 Portland – Saco (Reception by mayor of Biddeford, 3 pm; Potluck reception at First Parish UCC, Saco, 6 pm)
9/13 Saco – Wells
9/14 Wells – York
9/15 York – Portsmouth (After arrival in Portsmouth, transport to NRC public comment session, Hamption, 1:30 to 4:30 pm)
9/16 Portsmouth – Seabrook (Afternoon vigil at Seabrook Station; Evening reception Newburyport)
9/17 Seabrook – Rowley
9/18 Rowley – Saugus
9/19 Saugus -- Boston (Meet Leventhal Park 12 pm then walk to Japan Consul General)

Here are ources of information that Steve Ahearn wanted to share with us:

Professor Kodama's historic angry speech to the parliamentary subcommittee on July 27:

http://fukushimanewsresearch.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/indie-part-2-professor-tatsuhiko-kodama-of-tokyo-university-tells-the-politicians-what-are-you-doing/

http://fukushimanewsresearch.wordpress.com/2011/08/13/indie-radiation-effects-on-health-protect-the-children-of-fukushima/  (A seemingly good written translation of his talk, with graphics)


Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen's regular Fukushima updates are an excellent way to follow developments: http://www.fairewinds.com/updates

Radioactive fallout, Japan:
"NHK Special: Mapping the radioactive fallout"
http://fukushimanewsresearch.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/indie-nhk-special-mapping-the-radioactive-fallout-video/ (Excellent NHK documentary with English narration - 1.5 hrs)

Radioactive fallout, North America, August 2011:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPxCLJQ5tj (Oklahoma City, first rain after drought 8/6/11)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDSpCxjZ2D8 (Toronto, Canada 8/14/11)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJCRmaIDCQE (St Louis 8/20/11)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEsKxmJPUmM (positive identification of 8/20 fallout - long discussion)

Petitions, Japan:
http://sayonara-nukes.org/shomei/ Sayonara nukes petition.

A few informative articles:
"34 spots top Chernobyl evacuation standard" (Yomiuri Shinbun)
http://fukushima.greenaction-japan.org/2011/09/01/34-spots-top-chernobyl-evacuation-standard/

"Wanted: The right to relocate: Growing radiation exposure and the July 19 citizen government talks in Fukushima":
http://fukushima.greenaction-japan.org/2011/08/03/wanted-the-right-to-relocate-%E2%80%94-growing-radiation-exposure-and-the-july-19-citizen-government-talks-in-fukushima/

"Japanese NGOs urge UN to investigate violation of children's human rights in Fukushima"
http://fukushima.greenaction-japan.org/2011/08/17/japanese-ngos-urge-un-to-investigate-violation-of-children%E2%80%99s-human-rights-in-fukushima/