5th June: Everything Just Fine. As long as you are still standing

5^th June

 Well, the day after and the disappointment lingers.

Kan is still standing (just) as Prime Minister, but Japan’s politicains have rarely looked so grubby and small minded. The aftermath of the non-coup is sullied even further by worse news from the Dai-ichi reactors, and by news from the Supreme Court. 

Dai-ichi No.1 reactor appears to have the highest radioactive discharge yet measured, with steam being emitted from the lower portion of the cooling system (another leak), which is contaminated, with radiation levels up to 4,000 milli-sieverts per hour, and the steam is presently working its way out of the roof. That is bad enough, but the staff had no idea of this, and no idea that radioactive material was down that low in the cooling system.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the No.2 reactor building, which still has a roof, can’t be effectively ventilated and although the radiation levels are not as bad as those next door, the steam being generated has resulted in 99.99% humidity, which makes manual work almost impossible, and means that robot cameras mist up in seconds and can’t be controlled.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110604x1.html

As for the two workers at Dai-ichi who exceeded the radiation dose limit, it has been said that their chances of developing cancer have been increased by ‘only’ approximately 3%. They surely feel just fine about the ‘only’ and ‘approximately’ as well as the ‘3%’.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110604p2a00m0na004000c.html

But not to worry, as Hatoyama insists that Kan will leave office in a couple of months. So, that’s alright then.

 

The Supreme Court of Japan has upheld the ruling of a lower court that supported the issuing of administrative orders that all teachers must stand for the national flag and sing the national anthem. Yes, that is Japan, not North Korea. The reasons for this are rather complex. The people who traditionally opposed the flag and anthem as malignant relics of the imperial past were strongly represented in the left-wing teachers’ union, and they made much play on this issue in the 1960s until the 1990s. This provoked a rather nasty reaction among right-wingers, such as Tokyo (part-time) Governor Ishihara, which was to clamp down on the union. They couldn’t do this in any meaningful way (such as banning their representatives from schools) so sat down and made their stand on the ‘dignity of the national symbols’. Interestingly, they saw the dignity of standing up for a piece of decorated cotton and mumbling the words to a very dull and depressing song of far greater importance than standing up for the freedoms of Japanese as enshrined in the 1947 constitution.

In Britain, people sometimes mumble about others not standing for flags and anthems (or did when I was a kid anyway), but the idea of losing your job for that reason would have even the conservative press up in arms. The best story in this regards was during a NATO exercise, when all the national anthems were played in country order. As the venue was a US base, the Star spangled banner was first, followed by all the others, with the British (UK) ‘God save our gracious Queen’ bringing up the rear. During the anthems, part of the British contingent present, cavalry officers from an old regiment of fractions (the 4^th/10^th Hussars, or 17^th/21^st Lancers, or something similar) stood to attention in their fine dress uniforms. When the British anthem struck up, they sat down, opened up their cigarette cases, and began to discuss polo ponies. The rest of the crowd were aghast, but this regiment had been given a special dispensation by George IV or someone to sit during such formalities, as they had proven their loyalty on the field of battle. These officers, the most conservative of chaps usually, were the upholders of that fine tradition, and set an example for every principle. That is what Japan needs. A bit of understanding of history and principles, and a recognition that standing stiff and mumbling words has little real meaning, and that attempting to enforce patriotism is equivalent to enforcing an arranged marriage: there will probably be much resentment and little love and respect

One can only hope that the additional comments of the Supreme Court, that the authorities should tread carefully and not abuse those who have transgressed the ordinance, will be heeded, but in the past decade dozens of teachers have lost their jobs on this issue, rather than on their capabilities to teach. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110604x3.html 

With the future of Japan in the hands of Ishihara, Ozawa, Hatoyama et al we are surely all going to be just fine.