Government Urged To Delve Deeper In Bikini Atoll Incident

The Mainichi Shimbun has posted an interesting "perspective" article on the Lucky Dragon No. 5 with calls to take another look into the Bikini incident.

Above, Geiger counters on display at the Lucky Dragon No. 5 exhibit. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is interesting that this is coming up now as Godzilla is now stomping box offices in the U.S. and other places. The Lucky Dragon No. 5 incident was an influence or inspiration for the Godzilla character.

The article begins with:

Sixty years have passed since crew members of the Daigo Fukuryu Maru, a tuna fishing boat based in Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, were exposed to radiation following a nuclear test that the United States conducted on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. At the time, the Japanese and U.S. governments played down the damage caused by the incident, announcing that the Daigo Fukuryu Maru was the only vessel affected by "death ash" even though nearly 1,000 vessels, including Japanese freighters and fishing boats, may have been exposed to radiation. 

Now, the Japanese government is underestimating Fukushima residents' exposure to radiation following the outbreak of the crisis at the tsunami-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, while making haste to restart idled atomic power stations across the country. This suggests that the history of placing priority on national policy over people's health is being repeated in Japan. The government should conduct a detailed survey on people's exposure to radiation in the Bikini Atoll incident and learn lessons from the case.

Above, the starboard side deck of the Lucky Dragon No. 5. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

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