“Cold shutdown achieved” “Crisis resolved”, Noda administration shamelessly and brutally claims
Doro-Chiba Quake Report No.38
The government together with the TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) intends to restart nuclear plants and to export nuclear facilities in outright confrontation with angry uprising of people against nuclear plants.
Prime Minister Noda declared on December 16th that the Fukushima nuclear plant has entered the state of cold shutdown and that the “Step 2” of the road map for stabilizing the nuclear crisis has been accomplished. It is, however, a total deception to talk about “cold shutdown” only because the temperature within the reactors has fallen without knowing even the whereabouts of the nuclear fuels melted through the bottom of the pressure vessels. The real meaning of “cold shutdown” is a state of nuclear reactor, in which the reactor has become subcritical by the inserted control rods and the temperature is brought to a stable level below 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) by the help of normal coolant system after a certain lapse of time.
Moreover, the government forces the evacuees from the affected areas, which are suffering radiation under 20 mSv/y, to return to their home “because decontamination is completed and damages were already paid” and the nuclear crisis is finally “resolved”.
By this governmental policy, evacuees are compelled to suffer a high level radioactive exposure, nuclear plant workers are put under limitless exposure and the whole Japanese working people are forced to live under horrible contamination. It is a policy of slow mass murder.
Fukushima nuclear disaster is a super catastrophe in a world-scale.
Stop all nuclear plants in the world immediately by the united power of the international working people’s solidarity!
For the right of Fukushima people to evacuate!
Let’s construct our own clinic to defend children of Fukushima!
December 10th Rally successfully carried out
5,500 people gathered to the December 10th “Goodbye to Nuclear Power Plants” Rally in Hibiya Open-air Stage in Tokyo.
Mr. Ryuichi TAKENAKA, president of Fukushima Teachers’ Union, called upon the big audience, “I wonder what has really changed in Japanese society since March 11th. A fundamental change must take place. Otherwise children have no future. Let’s gather our power to change Japan!” “On March 11th next year we are holding Fukushima People’s Rally in the Kaisei Ball Stadium in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, to send a message from Fukushima to allover Japan and to make an appeal to share our cause and aspiration in the disaster-stricken area. Please join us!”
Doro-Mito has been Fighting Militantly to Make the Strong Unity with Young Workers
Shin’ichi TSUJIKAWA
Vice-president of National Railway Motive Power Union of Mito (Doro-Mito）
We have been experiencing the age of global economic crisis, unemployment and war. On top of it, we are struggling with the huge earthquake on March 11 and the subsequent nuclear accident. Now, it is essential for us to make clear our fundamental understanding: Japan is a class society; and the capital and the working class have entered into a fierce phase of life-and-death class struggle.
The Democratic government supported by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) has lifted restrictions on so-called Emergency Evacuation Preparation Zone which was set up for areas 20 to 30 kilometer radius from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This was done with the intention of the Japanese bourgeoisie, Japan Business Federation, to elude responsibility for radiation exposure of people in 100 to 200 kilometer radius and promote the restarting of nuclear power plants at any cost. The situation is boiling down to the harsh confrontation between the state and the working class on the nuclear issue. Obviously, the Japan Railway (JR) capital is taking a lead in this struggle. “If the government says it’s safe, it’s safe”—the JR capital has consistently repeated such irresponsible remarks without measuring radiation contamination at all nor even making window-dressing effort: so-called “decontamination”.
Doro-Mito has decided to fight decisively against the JR capital that tried to force us to work exposed to heavy contamination. We waged strikes and signaled the people the risk of radiation. It has become a social issue and the JR capital was finally obliged to measure the radiation dose of the stations within 30 km zone and the contaminated train K544. A young worker responded to our call and joined our union to stand up with us. We won our struggle and stopped all the work of inspection and cleaning of this contaminated train.
But the JR Company keeps insisting that the radiation dose of the train is not particularly high. And along with the government, it has issued declaration of safety again and again to the residents living in this area trying to shrug off its irresponsibility as a company of public transportation. This, however, did not prove the safety of the train but only revealed the seriousness of the radiation contamination of both the area and the facilities of the JR. Furthermore the JR announced a plan to reopen its operation of one segment in the 30 km Exclusion Zone within this year. What is the purpose of JR capital to reopen operation of just one segment in such a heavyweight way by forcing workers to expose radiation? They intend to take a leading role to actively promote the government’s safety declaration and become a savior of the government and the TEPCO who are striving to cut off compensation money. To be a savior of the government and the TEPCO exactly means to work as a mass murderer of working class and residents including Fukushima people.
How our union could get a young leader and what the deepest power of our union is to win the organizing battle.
We can surely fight back against such attack of JR capital if the workers of JR rise up with the determination to live as a true human being and to make unity and solidarity with working class and people. Young workers have such splendid power to boldly protest against the authority. Because they are working in the front lines in their workplaces being forced to expose to radiation.
But the co-opted unions such as JR East Union and Kokuro (National Railways Workers' Union) are blocking this “revolt” of young workers and defending the JR capital. The 23-year-old young worker who recently joined Doro-Mito had to fight against the severe pressure of such union leadership at his workplace. Even a member of Kokuro who is known as a “reliable and impartial person” said to him, “You can join any union except Doro-Mito”. What on earth does it mean? They are not protecting young workers as their colleagues but protecting themselves. What have they done so far? They have been preserving the cozy relationship with the JR capital. If they admit a young worker to become a member of Doro-Mito, it would lead to their self-denial.
The criterion of all of our struggles is not their immediate results but strengthening of our class unity. It will be accomplished through building up leading characters by class-conscious workers themselves. This young worker who recently joined us in rising up during the struggle of Doro-Mito to defend his fellow young workers from radioactive exposure has earned class recognition as a leader for a new stage of Doro-Mito.
We are now getting into an unpredictable age of history. Relying only on the strong unity and organizing power of our union members, we are boldly stepping into the era with confidence. On the other hand, preserving cozy relationship with the co-opted unions, the bourgeoisie are fighting a defense battle, evading their responsibilities and justifying themselves for the catastrophic development. They are still embracing the illusion that this world would continue forever. At this very point we have a firm ground of victory. And the most militant and class-conscious young workers who have profound anger are now rising up with us.
Our fundamental fight-back against the Division and Privatization of National Railways has started!
I was transferred to a workplace which was quite different from my original job as a result of the Division and privatization of National Railways. For these twenty three years I had been thinking of getting back to my original railway job, that is reinstatement as soon as possible until at last I recently won a battle to return to my original job. To say paradoxically, my task now is to prove that the policy of the JR capital was a “right decision” from the class standpoint of to purge me and the members of Doro-Mito with an aim of eliminating class struggle in railway workplaces. This aim will be crushed by my struggle to fundamentally fight-back against the Division and privatization of National Railways and to bring back class struggle in my workplace in which I have got reinstated.
I had an occasion to have such a conversation with our new young leader: “Why are the JR Company and the JR East Union afraid of you and Doro-Mito?” “You see, you are here. You have become a member of Doro-Mito. That is the answer.” We have got him on our side and our union has entered into the second stage for the development of our union. With him in the lead, we strive hard to enroll all young workers in our workplaces in Doro-Mito. Our great leader Hiroshi NAKANO, the former president of Doro-Chiba who died two years ago, would surely feel happy about it.
The government together with the TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) intends to restart nuclear plants and to export nuclear facilities in outright confrontation with angry uprising of people against nuclear plants.
Prime Minister Noda declared on December 16th that the Fukushima nuclear plant has entered the state of cold shutdown and that the “Step 2” of the road map for stabilizing the nuclear crisis has been accomplished. It is, however, a total deception to talk about “cold shutdown” only because the temperature within the reactors has fallen without knowing even the whereabouts of the nuclear fuels melted through the bottom of the pressure vessels. The real meaning of “cold shutdown” is a state of nuclear reactor, in which the reactor has become subcritical by the inserted control rods and the temperature is brought to a stable level below 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) by the help of normal coolant system after a certain lapse of time.
Moreover, the government forces the evacuees from the affected areas, which are suffering radiation under 20 mSv/y, to return to their home “because decontamination is completed and damages were already paid” and the nuclear crisis is finally “resolved”.
By this governmental policy, evacuees are compelled to suffer a high level radioactive exposure, nuclear plant workers are put under limitless exposure and the whole Japanese working people are forced to live under horrible contamination. It is a policy of slow mass murder.
Fukushima nuclear disaster is a super catastrophe in a world-scale.
Stop all nuclear plants in the world immediately by the united power of the international working people’s solidarity!
For the right of Fukushima people to evacuate!
Let’s construct our own clinic to defend children of Fukushima!
December 10th Rally successfully carried out
5,500 people gathered to the December 10th “Goodbye to Nuclear Power Plants” Rally in Hibiya Open-air Stage in Tokyo.
Mr. Ryuichi TAKENAKA, president of Fukushima Teachers’ Union, called upon the big audience, “I wonder what has really changed in Japanese society since March 11th. A fundamental change must take place. Otherwise children have no future. Let’s gather our power to change Japan!” “On March 11th next year we are holding Fukushima People’s Rally in the Kaisei Ball Stadium in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, to send a message from Fukushima to allover Japan and to make an appeal to share our cause and aspiration in the disaster-stricken area. Please join us!”
Doro-Mito has been Fighting Militantly to Make the Strong Unity with Young Workers
Shin’ichi TSUJIKAWA
Vice-president of National Railway Motive Power Union of Mito (Doro-Mito）
We have been experiencing the age of global economic crisis, unemployment and war. On top of it, we are struggling with the huge earthquake on March 11 and the subsequent nuclear accident. Now, it is essential for us to make clear our fundamental understanding: Japan is a class society; and the capital and the working class have entered into a fierce phase of life-and-death class struggle.
The Democratic government supported by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) has lifted restrictions on so-called Emergency Evacuation Preparation Zone which was set up for areas 20 to 30 kilometer radius from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This was done with the intention of the Japanese bourgeoisie, Japan Business Federation, to elude responsibility for radiation exposure of people in 100 to 200 kilometer radius and promote the restarting of nuclear power plants at any cost. The situation is boiling down to the harsh confrontation between the state and the working class on the nuclear issue. Obviously, the Japan Railway (JR) capital is taking a lead in this struggle. “If the government says it’s safe, it’s safe”—the JR capital has consistently repeated such irresponsible remarks without measuring radiation contamination at all nor even making window-dressing effort: so-called “decontamination”.
Doro-Mito has decided to fight decisively against the JR capital that tried to force us to work exposed to heavy contamination. We waged strikes and signaled the people the risk of radiation. It has become a social issue and the JR capital was finally obliged to measure the radiation dose of the stations within 30 km zone and the contaminated train K544. A young worker responded to our call and joined our union to stand up with us. We won our struggle and stopped all the work of inspection and cleaning of this contaminated train.
But the JR Company keeps insisting that the radiation dose of the train is not particularly high. And along with the government, it has issued declaration of safety again and again to the residents living in this area trying to shrug off its irresponsibility as a company of public transportation. This, however, did not prove the safety of the train but only revealed the seriousness of the radiation contamination of both the area and the facilities of the JR. Furthermore the JR announced a plan to reopen its operation of one segment in the 30 km Exclusion Zone within this year. What is the purpose of JR capital to reopen operation of just one segment in such a heavyweight way by forcing workers to expose radiation? They intend to take a leading role to actively promote the government’s safety declaration and become a savior of the government and the TEPCO who are striving to cut off compensation money. To be a savior of the government and the TEPCO exactly means to work as a mass murderer of working class and residents including Fukushima people.
How our union could get a young leader and what the deepest power of our union is to win the organizing battle.
We can surely fight back against such attack of JR capital if the workers of JR rise up with the determination to live as a true human being and to make unity and solidarity with working class and people. Young workers have such splendid power to boldly protest against the authority. Because they are working in the front lines in their workplaces being forced to expose to radiation.
But the co-opted unions such as JR East Union and Kokuro (National Railways Workers' Union) are blocking this “revolt” of young workers and defending the JR capital. The 23-year-old young worker who recently joined Doro-Mito had to fight against the severe pressure of such union leadership at his workplace. Even a member of Kokuro who is known as a “reliable and impartial person” said to him, “You can join any union except Doro-Mito”. What on earth does it mean? They are not protecting young workers as their colleagues but protecting themselves. What have they done so far? They have been preserving the cozy relationship with the JR capital. If they admit a young worker to become a member of Doro-Mito, it would lead to their self-denial.
The criterion of all of our struggles is not their immediate results but strengthening of our class unity. It will be accomplished through building up leading characters by class-conscious workers themselves. This young worker who recently joined us in rising up during the struggle of Doro-Mito to defend his fellow young workers from radioactive exposure has earned class recognition as a leader for a new stage of Doro-Mito.
We are now getting into an unpredictable age of history. Relying only on the strong unity and organizing power of our union members, we are boldly stepping into the era with confidence. On the other hand, preserving cozy relationship with the co-opted unions, the bourgeoisie are fighting a defense battle, evading their responsibilities and justifying themselves for the catastrophic development. They are still embracing the illusion that this world would continue forever. At this very point we have a firm ground of victory. And the most militant and class-conscious young workers who have profound anger are now rising up with us.
Our fundamental fight-back against the Division and Privatization of National Railways has started!
I was transferred to a workplace which was quite different from my original job as a result of the Division and privatization of National Railways. For these twenty three years I had been thinking of getting back to my original railway job, that is reinstatement as soon as possible until at last I recently won a battle to return to my original job. To say paradoxically, my task now is to prove that the policy of the JR capital was a “right decision” from the class standpoint of to purge me and the members of Doro-Mito with an aim of eliminating class struggle in railway workplaces. This aim will be crushed by my struggle to fundamentally fight-back against the Division and privatization of National Railways and to bring back class struggle in my workplace in which I have got reinstated.
I had an occasion to have such a conversation with our new young leader: “Why are the JR Company and the JR East Union afraid of you and Doro-Mito?” “You see, you are here. You have become a member of Doro-Mito. That is the answer.” We have got him on our side and our union has entered into the second stage for the development of our union. With him in the lead, we strive hard to enroll all young workers in our workplaces in Doro-Mito. Our great leader Hiroshi NAKANO, the former president of Doro-Chiba who died two years ago, would surely feel happy about it.
B.I.Bronsteyn - 24. Dez, 11:39
