© www.popularresistance.orgFive years post-apocalypse. Can we trust the rice?
The sale became possible after a long campaign from Fukushima natives in London to fend off rumors about the potential danger of the crops, the media said. "With the UK as a foothold, we hope to expand the sale of prefecture-produced rice to other EU member countries,"said Nobuo Ohashi from Japanese farmers group Zen-Noh. Brussels requires rice from Fukushima to undergo a radiation test in Japan or the importer country.
"It's bright news for Fukushima, which has been struggling with the import restrictions. We will make further efforts so the restrictions will be lifted entirely," said a spokesperson for a prefectural office.
The disaster at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Plant was caused by a tsunami that resulted in the meltdown of three nuclear reactors and the release of radioactive material. It was the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl accident in 1986, and the second to receive the highest level classification on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
A March report by the US National Academy of Sciences said that five years following the disaster, most seafood caught off the coast of Japan is now safe to be consumed, adding, "the overall contamination risk for aquatic food items is very low."
Comment: The post-apocalyptic rice has been deemed fit for consumption. Meanwhile, Fukushima residents have increasing rates of child thyroid cancer and radiation exposure, according to the Fukushima Medical Association. And, wildlife is registering radioactive, not to mention the ongoing reactor problems at Fukushima Daiichi. Full cleanup of the site is expected to take at least 40 years and workers are still walking around in protective suits, radiation monitors and gas masks and semi-polluted water is still being dumped into the ocean. But good news: the rice is OK.
See also: Radioactive wild boars on the rampage in Fukushima disaster zone, devastating crops and threatening residents