Speech by Ruiko Muto at Tokyo Anti-Nuclear Rally, Sep 19, 2011
On September 19th, 2011, More than 60 thousand people gathered for a “Sayoonara genpatsu (Good bye, Nukes) 10 million people action” in Meiji Park, Tokyo. At the opening, many famous people such as Kenzaburo Oe (who won the Nobel Prize for literature), Mr. Hubert Weiger (Representative of Friends of the Earth Germany) spoke against nukes.
Here is the English translation of the moving speech given by Ruiko Muto.
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We came from Fukushima.
We have come today, on many buses, both from inside Fukushima prefecture, and from the evacuation centers, along with our friends and colleagues. Even many people who have never joined such rallies or protests before have come. We called out to each other. We invited each other to take this opportunity to let people know about the tragedy that happened in Fukushima. It is our place now to speak out, and call for an end to the use of nuclear power.
First of all, I would like to say how deeply I respect everyone who has been working and fighting to help us in our difficult situation since 3.11. I would like to say thank you to those who have extended us their help and created strong ties to support us. Thank you very much.
As part of the generation that created the conditions for this tragedy, I must apologise to the children and young people for placing this huge burden on your shoulders. I am really sorry.
I would like you all to know about Fukushima. Fukushima is a very beautiful place. We have the deep blue ocean of the Hama-dori to the east; the treasure trove of fruits in the Naka-dori, such as peaches, pears and apples; Aizu-plain with Lake-Inawashiro; and Mount Bandai surrounded by picturesque rice fields with curving golden ears of rice and lines of deep mountains in the distance. Majestic blue mountains and crystal-clear water – this is where we are from.
But after 3.11 and the nuclear accident in Fukushima, the radiation from the nuclear plants contaminated our beautiful landscape and we have become hibakusha.
In this chaos, many things have changed for us.
The bonds and relationships that link people together have been cut to pieces by the constant worry and hard choices of the ‘safety campaign’. I know a lot of people have been badly affected by this in their communities, at work, at school, even in the home. Every day we had to make difficult decisions; whether to run away or to stay; whether the food is safe to eat or not; whether to tell children to wear face masks to keep out the dust or not; whether to hang laundry outside or not, whether to plow the fields or not; whether to protest or to keep silent. We have faced tough choices.
And in recent months some things have become clear to us: the truth has been covered up; the government does not protect its citizens; the accident is still happening now; the people of Fukushima have become human subjects in a nuclear experiment; the radioactive contamination will remain with us for a long time. Despite this huge sacrifice, there are still powerful forces pressing for the usage of nuclear power. We have been abandoned.
We breathe a long sigh of exhaustion and deep sadness.
But what flows from our mouths is ‘Don’t treat us like idiots!’ and ‘Don’t snatch away our lives!’
The people of Fukushima have begun to stand up quietly from their deep anger and sadness.
Mothers, fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers are standing up to protect our children; young people to protect their futures; workers to help those who are inside the Fukushima nuclear power stations who are being exposed to massive doses of radiation as they struggle to control the reactors; famers who have lost hope as their land is contaminated by radiation; people with disabilities who do not want to be isolated and discriminated against for yet another reason.
Every citizen is now questioning the responsibility of the government and Tepco. They are raising their voices against nuclear plants.
We are the demons from Tohoku (north eastern Japan) with our softly burning anger.
Some of us are still living in our beautiful land, Fukushima. And some of us have moved, leaving it behind. But we all share our distress, worry, responsibility and hope. We pledge to keep our heads above water and to live supporting and co-operating with each other. Please join with us, and please follow our actions. Evacuation, retreat, decontamination work, measurement of radioactivity, learning about nuclear plants and radioactivity, negotiations with the government, and court cases.
We would willingly go anywhere to talk about Fukushima. Even now, our friends are talking about Fukushima in New York. We are doing what we can think of to tell you what is happening. Please help us. Please don’t forget about Fukushima.
And there is another important thing that I want to say. It is about how we all live our lives. We take for granted the electricity sockets that we use every day, but we must think about what happens at the other end. Remember the sacrifice and discrimination that were part of the development of our society and the increase in our convenience. Never forget that nuclear power is there.
Human beings are just one of the many species of the Earth. I know of no other species that so acts to deprive itself of a future. I would like to live as a creature that can harmonize with this beautiful blue planet, the Earth. It might be a small life, but I will try to weave my own rich, creative and inventive life.
We don’t yet know how to create a new world which is the opposite of the nuclear-powered world of today. But what we can do now is to start acting based on our own decisions and not those of others. Thinking with our own heads, looking with our own eyes, wide open. Let us remember that we all have such abilities. All of us posess the courage needed to change.
Let us win back the self-confidence that was taken from us. If the powers that are driving nuclear power forward are a mighty wall standing upright and tall, we must join hands in a line that stretches forever. That’s our power.
Please hold hands gently with your neighbors right now. Look at each other, listen to each other’s struggle. Let’s forgive each other’s anger and tears. It is this warm feeling of connection that we must spread all over Japan and across the world.
The burden that we each now bear might seem too heavy, and the road that we must walk too rough. But let us look the truth straight in the eye, support each other, and walk lightly and positively into the future.
Thank you very much.
(Translation: Akiko Yamada, Alexander Bright)