wfn.org | Japan: Adventists Affected by Nuclear Accident

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

October 22, 1999
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Japan: Adventists Affected by Nuclear Accident 

Tokai, Ibaragi, Japan. (ANN/APD) A Seventh-day Adventist 
school and church members were affected by the release of 
radioactive material by a nuclear reactor at Tokai Village in the  
Ibaragi Prefecture, about 110 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of 
Tokyo on September 30.

As a result, a nearby Seventh-day Adventist elementary school, 
Kujikawa Saniku Shogakko, was closed.  According to the school 
principal, Katsuya Mochizuki, the Adventist school is located 7 
kilometers from the nuclear plant.  One of the school teachers 
lives within 1 kilometer of the plant.  Furthermore, a few 
students are from Tokai Village.  One student's family was 
evacuated.  Mochizuki said, "We will continue to keep our school 
closed until safety is assured."

In the same compound as the Adventist school, there is an 
Adventist church with around 90 members. A few members live 
in Tokai Village.  Pastor Yoshihiro Atari of Kujikawa church said, 
"Although it is really a frightening incident, our church is 
fortunately located at a site that does not get the wind from the 
incident area. Therefore, the church service on the Sabbath, 
October 2, was regularly conducted. I sympathize with the 
farmers in this prefecture.  In fact, some of our church members 
are farmers. Vegetables and fruits of this area are not sold, 
because the general public is afraid of radiation in spite of an 
official statement saying they are safe to use."

A chain reaction triggered by Japan's worst-ever nuclear accident 
occurred at the plant owned by Sumitomo Metal Mining Co.  The 
situation is now under control after the initial accident, which is 
believed to have started when a worker piled too much uranium 
into a container, with the result that it reached  "critical mass" 
and started a nuclear reaction. Forty-nine people, mainly plant 
workers and emergency personnel who responded to the 
accident, were exposed to radiation.  The three workmen present 
when the accident happened were still in serious condition, with 
some experts saying their chances of survival were slim.  They 
were suffering from "sunburn-like" symptoms.

"We believe it is a severe situation, and there are concerns about 
radiation in the surrounding areas," top government spokesman 
Hiromu Nonaka told a news conference Thursday.  

After the incident, those who live within 10 kilometers (6 mile 
radius) of the plant were ordered to stay in their houses and not 
to go out.  About 150 people in homes near the plant were 
evacuated.  Train service was halted and farmers were warned 
not to harvest their crops until they could be tested for safety.  
The 241 schools in Ibaragi Prefecture were closed from the next 
day, October 1.  

On the evening of October 2, after a careful investigation of 
radiation, the Japanese government lifted its evacuation order for 
people living within 350 meters of the site of the accident, saying 
it was safe for them to go home, and pledged to look at ways to 
prevent similar disasters.  Schools began to open again starting 
October 4.  

Tokai Village has a population of around 34,000 people and is 
home to 15 nuclear-related facilities.