One Year after 3/11: A New Concept of 'Security' from Japan
May 31, 2012
One Year On
On March 11, the Government of Japan held a ceremony in Tokyo to commemorate the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake in the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda addressed the ceremony on behalf of the government, saying: "The fight against the nuclear accident is continuing. We will make every effort to ensure that the rebirth of Fukushima is definitely achieved and beautiful hometowns are restored to their people…In order to repay the warm and kind assistance shown to us by other countries, we must exert every effort to make an active contribution to the international community."
On the following day, March 12, Minister for Foreign Affairs Koichiro Gemba hosted a reception, which was attended by many foreign residents in Japan who extended assistance to the affected areas as well as diplomatic corps, including officials of U.S. forces in Japan. In his address, Minister Gemba expressed his condolences for the people who lost their lives and reiterated his gratitude for assistance from the international community. Stressing Japan’s steady progress in reconstruction, Minister Gemba called for action to stem reputational damages and relax travel and import restrictions against Japan. Likewise, Japanese diplomatic missions hosted similar receptions in 214 locations in 136 countries, which were attended by many government officials, organizations and individuals who provided assistance to Japan, business people who could contribute to alleviating reputational damages, Japan experts, as well as the press.
Address by Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba (English translation on the MOFA website)
Toward Japan That Leads the World
We are deeply grateful to the international community for its assistance in all of its forms to the people of Japan in the face of this unprecedented disaster. It embodied a heart-warming sense of solidarity with us. Most areas in Japan, except restricted areas, have returned to normal since the earthquake. We are more than happy to welcome people from abroad, be it for business, travel, or study. The March 11th disaster has reminded us of the importance of kizuna, or bonds of friendship, with the international community. Japan reaffirms its commitment to its international cooperation to achieve human security and sustainable and inclusive growth for the world and to address a range of global issues facing the international community. In this way, Japan can reciprocate the assistance it received from the international community. Japan has also continued to share with the international community the knowledge and lessons learned from the earthquake, the tsunami, and the nuclear accident. Furthermore, Japan strives to become a model for the international community as a top problem solver in such areas as open reconstruction from a natural disaster, disaster prevention, transition to a green economy, action to address an aging population, and high-level economic partnership.
Safe and Secure Japan
Is Japan an unsafe country to visit? The answer is no. First and foremost, the release of cesium (a radioactive material) from the containment vessels of Units 1 to 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Company is now about one 80 millionth of the amount at the time of the accident in March last year. This means that if you are exposed to radiation on the boundary of the site for one year, the total dosage you receive will be 0.02 millisieverts (mSv) or less. (This is far less than the amount of a round trip by air between Tokyo and New York, which is a little over 0.1 mSv, and a gastrointestinal X-ray examination, which is 0.4 mSv.) Second, the nuclear reactors are now in a stable state after achieving a condition equivalent to "cold shutdown" in December last year. Third, air radiation levels in areas around the nuclear power station are largely rather low, as shown in the attachment(PDF)
. For example, radiation levels in the Aizu area in Fukushima Prefecture are on par with those in major cities in the world (0.08-0.14 µSv/h against 0.108 µSv/h in Seoul). Again, Japan is safe to visit. Please feel at ease to visit our country, be it for business, travel, or study.
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