Japan court rejects demand to evacuate children (The Guardian)
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Japan court rejects demand to evacuate children
YURI KAGEYAMA
AP Business Writer= TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court has rejected a demand that a city affected by the fallout
of the country's 2011 nuclear disaster evacuate its children.
The unusual lawsuit was filed on behalf of the children by their parents and anti-nuclear activists in June 2011.
The Sendai High Court handed down its ruling Wednesday.
The case had drawn international attention because it touched the uncertainties about the effects of continuous
low-dose radiation on health, especially that of children, who are far more vulnerable than adults.
court reject lawsuit ruling effects low-dose radiation vulnerable -
The lawsuit argued the city of Koriyama had legal responsibility to evacuate children at elementary schools and
junior-high schools, which are part of compulsory education under Japanese law.
law -
The court acknowledged radiation in the city exceeded levels deemed safe prior to the disaster. But it said the
government shoulders no responsibility for evacuating the schools as demanded — in effect, telling people to
leave on their own if they were worried.
acknowledged exceed deemed -
Toshio Yanagihara, one of the lawyers, said the ruling was unfair as the children were "victims with absolutely no
responsibility for the nuclear accident".
A lower court threw out the original case in December 2011, but that ruling was appealed. The latest ruling can
also be appealed.
lower court appealed -
Koriyama is a city of 330,000 people located about 60 kilometers (40 miles) west of the Fukushima Dai-ichi
nuclear plant, which went into multiple meltdowns more than two years ago after a giant tsunami destroyed it
cooling system. That set off the worst nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl.
multiple meltdowns destroyed cancer surface prone affect tainting soil restricted zone residents -
Thousands of children got cancer after the Chernobyl disaster, but the cases did not surface for several years.
It is unclear whether Fukushima children are equally prone, as cancer has various causes, and radiation affects
people differently. Radioactive contamination is complex, tainting not only the air but also getting in the food, soil
and water.
Some experts say radiation outside the restricted zone right around Fukushima Dai-ichi is so low the probability
of getting cancer is no different from the rest of Japan. But many Fukushima residents are worried and have
moved out.
The government's handling of the Fukushima disaster has led to widespread public distrust. Thousands of
people have taken to the streets, demanding a phase-out of atomic power. The government has expressed a
desire to restart reactors after checking on their safety.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/10763487
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