6 April 2011
The Embassy of Japan in Trinidad and Tobago wishes to provide information concerning the radiation contamination from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in the aftermath of the large earthquake on March 11, 2011.
The Government and the people of Japan are making every effort to overcome this devastation, and we believe that Japan can overcome this catastrophe with the cooperation of the international community. According to an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) statement on March 23, 2011, the radiation emitted from the Fukushima Daiichi Plant poses no serious harm to health. There has been an improvement in the plant’s cooling system and the electricity is being restored. The Japanese Defence Force and other authorities in Japan are making every effort to cope with this situation at all costs.
Meanwhile, international organizations such as IMO/ICAO/IATA have indicated that there is no restriction for travelling to Japan, and there is no scientific evidence regarding the necessity of screening cargos/passengers from Japan.
There are rumours about travel restrictions to Japan which have no scientific foundation, and these can contribute to the stagnation of logistic services to support the people in affected areas. It is in this regard that the media is urged to monitor the situation calmly and accurately.
There are areas around the nuclear plant where contaminated vegetables and raw milk have contracted radiation contamination beyond legal limits, and the authorities are dealing with the situation based on the domestic laws. The Japanese Government has already implemented restrictions on the shipment of unsafe foods.
The sea around the nuclear plant does not have any fishing activities at this time and the authorities are monitoring any radiation seeping into the ocean. Radiation tests conducted at the Choshi port (approximately 200km from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant) have not detected radiation above safety levels at this point. For further information, please visit the following link http://pref.chiba.lg.jp/suisan/press/2010/housyanousuisan22-2.html.
The quality of drinking water has improved in Tokyo and the restriction imposed by the authorities on infants drinking tap water has been lifted. For your reference, the safety level of radiation in drinking water is 300Bq/l (for adults) and 100Bq/l (for infants). These amounts indicate that if persons drink water under these levels for one year, the radiation accumulated would be equivalent to the radiation received from nature. This implies that Japan has very strict regulations, and even though radiation level exceeds the reference value, it does not necessarily pose an imminent threat to health.
We have noticed that some media reported this nuclear accident in relation to the nuclear accident of Chernobyl, Ukraine in 1986. However, as Mr. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the IAEA and other experts indicated, this accident is fundamentally different from said accident because the structure of the nuclear reactor and the emergency measures executed after the accident are largely different. Above all, it must be noted that unlike the reactors at the Chernobyl Plant, the reactors at the Fukushima Plant halted after the earthquake. It must be said that the comparison of both accidents is not appropriate.
The Government of Japan continues to provide information including the results of radiation tests to the public as much as possible, and also hopes that all media organizations, governments, the international community, and people who are supposed to visit Japan will not be guided by irresponsible comments not based on precise information and will continue to monitor the situation calmly.
For your reference, we can provide some links to obtain information regarding the nuclear disaster:
1. Prime Minister of Japan and his cabinet: http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/index-e.html
2. Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA): http://www.nisa.meti.go.jp/english/index.html
3. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
http://www.mext.go.jp/english/topics/1303717.htm
4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/incidents/index.html
5. Japan Meteorological Agency: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/2011_Earthquake.html
6. Disaster Information (Radioactivity Measurement Result, etc.)
http://eq.wide.ad.jp/index_en.html
7. IAEA website: http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/news/tsunamiupdate01.html
http://iaea.org/About/japan-infosheet.html
The Embassy of Japan will continue to provide information to the public on matters relating to the nuclear accident in Japan in order to avoid any overreaction or unnecessary measures by the media and the external community.
For enquiries please contact
the Public Relations Desk
Embassy of Japan
at (868) 628-5991 ext 242
END
Embassy of Japan in Trinidad and Tobago 