Clip Reel – Greenpeace Radiation Survey
Namie, Fukushima Prefecture
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER, 2017
LOCATION: NAMIE TOWN, FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURE, JAPAN
NATURAL SOUND
DURATION: 27.49min
SOURCE: GREENPEACE
ACCESS ALL, NO RESTRICTIONS. ALL MATERIAL GREENPEACE COPYRIGHT.
SUMMARY
Nearly seven years after the triple reactor meltdown, this unique nuclear crisis is still underway.
Greenpeace is conducting radiation surveys in Namie, which lies north and north west of the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. In March 2011, the radioactive fallout from the nuclear plant,
about 32 km away, had deposited high levels of contamination in this mountainous area of Namie.
The Japanese government opened around 20% of Namie in March 2017, lifting the evacuation order
that had been in place since March 2011. As of December 2017, 440 people were living in Namie,
compared with more than 21,000 in 2011.
Greenpeace’s survey along roads, rivers and around buildings, including schools in Namie, its clear
that there are areas of Namie that remain contaminated well above safety limits. The results of
Greenpeace 2017 survey in the Namie, as well as in the Namie highly contaminated exclusion zone
and Iitate published on 1st March 2018, in “Reflections in Fukushima”, reveal that radiation levels
will remain a long term risk for human health for many decades and in the exclusion zone into next
century. Levels of radiation have wide variation in Namie town, with areas that are close to the
governments decontamination target of 0.23 microsieverts per hour, while other areas have high
levels up to five microsieverts per hour near a school. In one zone measured by Greenpeace, annual
exposure would be 13 mSv in 89% of the area. This is 13 times the maximum public dose set by
international regulation.
The Japanese government is determined to continue to open areas of Fukushima heavily
contaminated in 2011. Why ? The government is desperate to restart nuclear reactors – while today
only 3 are operating. Having areas of Japan closed to human habitation because of radioactive
contamination is a major obstacle to the governments ambitions.
The report is being released as the Japanese government is under international diplomatic pressure
to accept recommendations made by member states at the United Nations Human Rights Council in
Geneva, On 16th March 2018, the government will announce whether it will accept or reject each of
the recommendations. If accepted and applied it would effectively end the current policy of lifting
evacuation orders, terminating financial housing support, including for 29,000 self evacuees, as well
as addressing some of the multiple other violations of Japan’s human rights commitments
perpetrated by the government against Fukushima citizens.
SHOTLIST
00.00-00.08 – Opening scene of Namie with public broadcast music
00.09-00.58 – Greenpeace radiation survey team members, Laurence Bergot and Mai Suzuki
measuring for radioactive hot spots central Namie town
0059-01.53 – Shots of destroyed buildings, survey team
01.54-02.56 – Destroyed buildings, empty streets
02.57-05.35 – Aerial and drone flights over Namie, empty streets, sunset
05.36-05.52 – Radiation specialist Heinz Smital checking for radiation on dead wild boar in street
05.53-06.36 – Contaminated forest opposite school in Namie
06.37-09.10 – Greenpeace survey team measuring for radioactivity in forest opposite school
09.11-09.35 - Greenpeace radiation survey team members, Laurence Bergot and Mai Suzuki
measuring for radioactive hot spots at school in Namie
09.36-11.10 – Survey team measuring radiation along road in Namie and field
11.11-14.42 – Inside Greenpeace survey vehicle, radiation specialists Jan vande Putte and Heinz
Smital explaining radiation monitoring technology and methodology and radiation levels in Namie
14.43-16.03 – Scenes of Namie, fields, nuclear waste and street scenes
16.04-16.22 – School play area and