The Lucky Dragon No. 5 Exhibit's 40th Anniversary

Above, the bow of the Lucky Dragon No. 5. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Lucky Dragon No. 5 exhibit is "celebrating" its 40th anniversary this year. But there are those who are concerned that the famed boat may not last another 40 years unless action is taken now.

According to an article in the Asahi Shimbun:

However, there are many nowadays who are not familiar with the Bikini Atoll incident, which became a watershed rallying point for the anti-nuclear weapons movement around the world. 

This year, the hall printed 1,000 copies of a memorial book on the 40-year history of the exhibition hall, and some information panels were renewed in hopes of attracting more visitors. 

Preservation of the ever-deteriorating Daigo Fukuryu Maru is an urgent issue needed to be addressed. Thirty years have passed since its last major restoration, which took 15 months to complete. 

It has become a daily chore for the gallery staff to sweep up paint chips that are peeling off the hull and are falling to the floor. 

The public interest incorporated foundation that operates the facility has invited several experts in cultural asset conservation to look at the tuna fishing boat. An assessment is expected to take several years, after which a conservation action plan will be written up.

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

I visited the Lucky Dragon back in 2007 and again in 2014. The incident involving the boat was one of the inspirations for the creation of the Godzilla character. It is spotlighted on page 25 in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

To read more, go here.

1954 H-Bomb Tests Affected 556 Japanese Ships, Documents Reveal

Above, the bow of the Lucky Dragon No. 5 Dream Island Park in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Lucky Dragon No. 5 incident in March 1954 is a familiar story to many, especially to those who are Godzilla fans. The Mainichi Shimbun has posted a story that "missing" documents (now found) reveal that there were more boats and ships affected by the H-bomb tests.

They reported:

Recently released government documents reveal that the crews of 556 Japanese ships were tested for radiation exposure in the wake of the United States' 1954 hydrogen bombro tests around the Bikini Atoll -- one of which irradiated the crew of the Daigo Fukuryumaru tuna boat from Shizuoka Prefecture. 

The recently released documents included results from tests conducted between March and June that year. The testing, which included Geiger counter measurements of radiation levels among crew members from the 556 ships, revealed that individuals from a total of 12 ships were found to have been exposed to 100 counts of radiation or more per minute.

The Lucky Dragon No. 5 was later restored and is now on display at Dream Island Park in Tokyo. Because of its influence on the Godzilla character, the Lucky Dragon No. 5 is spotlighted on page 25 of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

To read more, go here.

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.

To read more, go here. 

Lucky Dragon No. 5 Survivor Discusses Nuclear Ban Goal

Above, the Lucky Dragon No. 5 on display in Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the influences in the creation of the Godzilla character was the incident of the Lucky Dragon No. 5 (Daigo Fukuryu Maru) in March 1954. [See http://en.japantourist.jp/view/lucky-dragon-no-5.) The 1954 Godzilla included a nod to the incident in the opening sequence of a fishing trawler. On the ship in the movie, a life preserver is shown in the background with a "No. 5" plainly visible. Godzilla was released in November of that year.

Above, the fishing boat in "Godzilla" with a "No. 5" visible
on the life preserver in the background.  Toho Co., Ltd.

As this week marks the 68th anniversary of the a-bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, The Japan Times has posted an interview article with one of the survivors of the Lucky Dragon No. 5 incident.

They wrote:

Matashichi Oishi, 79, who served aboard the Fukuryu Maru No. 5, a tuna boat exposed to radiation, is determined to carry on telling his story and calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. 

In an interview ahead of this week’s 68th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oishi, who was exposed with 22 other crew members to radioactive fallout from a U.S. hydrogen bomb test on the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in March 1954, said he wants to keep appealing for the elimination of nuclear weapons “as long as I live.”

To read the full article, go here.