An Urgent Request Concerning the Set Up of the Planned Evacuation Zones

for Iitate Village and Related Areas.

To: Prime Minister Naoto Kan

April 17, 2011

From: Iitate Village Support Team (Representative, Koji Itonaga, Professor, College of Bioresources Sciences, Nihon University)

Friends of the Earth Japan (Secretary General, Junichi Mishiba)

Dear Sir

We are deeply concerned about and giving support to the radioactivity damage in Iitate Village which were brought forth by high level radioactive contamination emitted by the recent accident of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (Tokyo Electric Power Corporation). Even after the government directed the Planned Evacuation Zones, the residents are still confused with no reliable information or directions from the government. As a matter of fact, some of the areas have accumulated a serious level of radioactivity now that radioactive materials have been staying over for more than a month since March 15. There are pregnant women, infants and small children who are to be given priority in radioactivity protection in the appointed zones. They live there with anxiety over health in their future lives. Other residents, farmers, commercial and industrial workers as well are full of fear, for they find no future prospect for their lives after they are out of evacuation, nothing for employment and for reconstruction of the Evacuation Zones. However, since the government direction was issued, the government and the village have not yet reached an agreement on the Planned Evacuation.

Out of concern over circumstances above, we strongly urge the government of Japan:

1. to proceed with evacuation to prevent further radiation exposure by swiftly meeting agreements with the village and the related areas on details of the evacuation plan including compensation.

2. to proceed with evacuation of the residents in high level radioactivity, pregnant women, infants and young children regardless of one month preparatory term and to issue Sufferer’s Certificate for those who evacuated voluntarily before the Planned Evacuation was directed.

3. to support and compensate for the living needs and to support employment in the evacuation site.

4. to make inquiries about health conditions of the residents, to manage health conditions including mental health, to issue “Health Handbook”(provisional naming) and to continue health management and medical compensation for the residents.

5. to compensate agricultural workers for the losses from impracticable plantings.

6. to secure the place of refuge and transfer of livestock respecting dairy farmers’ and breeders’ intention or in other way compensate for the losses by buying all.

7. to compensate commercial and industrial managers and workers for leaves from or closing of businesses and to compensate for the spending as well as to loan quick funding when they relocate the business buildings and stores.

8. to undertake detailed monitoring of radiation level in the areas of the Evacuation Zone such as residential areas, farming areas (rice fields, vegetable fields, pastures), SATOYAMA(Japanese traditional village forest) and rivers and to officially disclose, as soon as possible, the enforcement of measures of the decontamination of radioactivity for the pollution degree by the land use distinction and regions in the village, and to officially disclose the prospect of returning time as soon as possible.

9. When the refuge of the villager is an a considerable degree of period, life and the work of the villager in the place of refuge, community function should be maintained continuously. So that the above is realized; general support including the finance about the security of the place based on the medium-and-long term vision and the construction.

10. to establish a fund financed by the nation, Tokyo Electric Power Corporation and private firms and so on to cover reconstruction spending of the area hit by radioactive contamination.

In addition to the request above, we call widely for establishment of a private institution in Fukushima prefecture for researches on influence on human health and environment of the radioactivity and methods to remove a radioactivity material piled up in the soil.

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