英字新聞

(Mainichi Japan) August 6, 2011
Lessons learned from A-bombing should be applied to welfare of Fukushima residents
社説：原爆の日　経験を原発にも生かせ

Aug. 6 marks the 66th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.
　原爆が投下されて６日で６６年。

We commemorate the anniversary under different circumstances than usual this summer -- amid the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant crippled by the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
今年の夏は、いつもと様相が異なっている。３月１１日に発生した東日本大震災は東京電力福島第１原発事故を引き起こした。

Scenes of many areas in the Tohoku region devastated by the triple disaster have reminded many hibakusha, or survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, of their own cities when they were reduced to ashes by the blasts and intense heat.
地震と津波で壊滅した東北の町並みと、放射性物質による汚染によって住民が避難を余儀なくされた福島を、爆風と熱線によって廃虚と化した故郷と重ね合わせた広島と長崎の被爆者は少なくない。

On top of this, we are now facing the hazards involved in the use of nuclear energy, and the peace declarations that Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui read during the Aug. 6 anniversary ceremony and Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue will read on Aug. 9 mention the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
私たちは原子力の利用がはらむ危うさと今、向き合っている。
　今年の平和記念式典で読み上げられる「平和宣言」は原発事故を反映したものになる。

The Hiroshima Municipal Government is urging the national government to review its overall energy policy at an early date.
　広島市は初めてエネルギー政策の早急な見直しと具体策を政府に求める。

In his peace declaration Matsui quoted the late Ichiro Moritaki, former chairman of the Japan Congress against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs stated, who said, "Nuclear energy and humankind cannot coexist."
引用するのは、核の軍事、平和利用双方に反対を唱えた被爆者で、原水爆禁止日本国民会議（原水禁）議長などを務めた故森滝市郎氏の「核と人類は共存できない」との言葉だ。

The Nagasaki Municipal Government will not mention "elimination of nuclear power plants" but clearly call for a decrease in Japan's reliance on nuclear power stations in the future.
長崎市は、「脱原発」の言葉こそ使わないが、原発からの将来的な脱却を明確に打ち出す。

The Fukushima nuclear crisis has also had some influence on the policies of hibakusha organizations and anti-nuclear groups.
　被爆者・反核団体にも変化が見える。

The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations has decided to incorporate calls for the gradual shutdown and dismantling of nuclear reactors in its platform -- a first in its 55-year history.
被爆者の全国組織「日本原水爆被害者団体協議会」は１９５６年の結成以来初めて全原発の順次停止・廃炉を求める「脱原発」を運動方針に掲げることを決めた。

With A-bombing survivors' suffering from the after-effects of radiation exposure fully in mind, the confederation has also submitted a petition to the central government urging that residents of areas near the Fukushima nuclear plant as well as workers undergo regular health checks.
　放射線被害に苦しんできた経験を踏まえ、原発の周辺住民や作業員に「健康管理手帳」を交付し、定期的な健康診断を実施するよう求める要望書を政府などに提出した。

The Japan Congress against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs recently held an international convention in Fukushima for the first time and appealed for the elimination of nuclear power stations.
　原水禁も、原発事故を受けて初めて福島で世界大会を開催し、「脱原発」を訴えた。

However, there are differences between hibakusha and anti-nuclear organizations over the pros and cons of calling for the elimination of nuclear power plants.
　運動は一枚岩ではない。

There are some organizations and activists who argue that the peace movement and nuclear power plants are separate issues.
「平和運動と日本のエネルギー政策にからむ原発の是非は分けて考えるべきだ」という主張があるのも事実だ。

True, there are big differences between destructive atomic bombs, which release huge amounts of radiation in a moment, and nuclear plant accidents, in which radioactive substances that emit low levels of radiation spread and affect extensive areas.
　すさまじい破壊力で一瞬にして大量の放射線を放出した原爆と、低線量の放射性物質の影響が広範囲で続く原発事故の違いは大きい。

Still, they are the same in that people are worried about radiation exposure over the long term.
だが、人々が放射線被ばくによる不安に長年苦しめられる点は共通する。

The lack of knowledge about the effects of being exposed to low doses of radiation has caused widespread fears among residents around the Fukushima plant.
　原発事故の場合、低線量被ばくの影響に未解明の部分があることが不安を大きくしている。

While keeping in mind the differences between atomic bombing and nuclear plant accidents, specialized knowledge collected by Radiation Effects Research Foundation -- which has conducted research on the effects of radiation on hibakusha -- as well as lessons learned from the Chernobyl nuclear crisis should be fully utilized for the health management of residents near the Fukushima plant.
原爆との違いも考慮したうえで、広島と長崎の被爆者を対象に放射線の影響を調査している放射線影響研究所など、専門研究機関が蓄積してきた専門知識やチェルノブイリ事故の経験を住民の健康管理に積極的に活用したい。

For many years, nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants have been regarded as completely separate matters. 　核兵器と原発はこれまで切り離して考えられてきた。

Furthermore, the safety myth of atomic energy had taken root in society in recent years.
近年は原子力に対する「安全神話」も浸透していた。

However, the Fukushima nuclear crisis has reminded the public of the risks involved with nuclear power stations. しかし、福島の事故は原発の危険性に改めて目を向けさせた。

It is our mission to step up efforts to dispatch messages to the world calling for nuclear disarmament while fully utilizing our experiences as the only atomic-bombed country to ensure the safety of nuclear power stations.
唯一の被爆国としての経験を原発対策にも生かしながら、従来にも増して核廃絶のメッセージを発信し続けるのが私たちの責務である。

毎日新聞　2011年8月6日　2時32分