Kickstarter

The New Hibakusha

新しい被爆者

(“The New Explosion-Affected People”)

UPDATE: Our project has been featured as part of "10 Kickstarter Projects Seeking to Change the World" on Mashable!

Our Story

Growing up in western Massachusetts, I was strongly influenced by the nuclear non-proliferation movement. Our local plant, the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, was eventually used as a model for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Because of this facility, my community became a hotbed for anti-nuclear activism.

During this time, I developed a close connection with the monks at the New England Peace Pagoda, a local order of Japanese Buddhist monks who were brought together by the atomic bombing in Hiroshima and moved to the United States with the hopes of igniting a movement to end global use of nuclear energy.

Through their support, I recently traveled to Japan and met with those involved in the nuclear non-proliferation movement and those affected by the current disaster in Fukushima.

The Project

During World War II, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by the first atomic bombs, killing 225,000 people. After the war, the Japanese government adopted the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles,” which stipulated that Japan shall neither possess nor manufacture nuclear weapons.

In the years following the war, Japan quickly rebuilt and grew into one of the largest economic powers in the world. To satisfy increasing energy demands, Japan commissioned its first nuclear power plant in 1961 under the assistance of the United States.  Since then, Japan has aggressively expanded its nuclear program to replace the more inefficient coal power plants. There are now 54 nuclear reactors in Japan, powering a country that has the highest electricity consumption per square mile in the world. 

The rapid acceleration of the Japanese nuclear program is not without consequences. In the 1990s alone, there were a series of incidents at nuclear facilities throughout the country, including the Tokaimura Criticality, Mihama Steam Explosion, and Chuetsu Earthquake Disaster.

For information about these disasters, please visit here

In 2011, the Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami severely damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, unleashing one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. The reactors at the facility, which sits along Japan's northern coast, went into meltdown and began spreading cesium, strontium, and plutonium (three most deadly forms of radioactive waste) into the air, soil, and water of the region.

For updates on radiation throughout Japan, please visit here

The Impact

Initially, Japanese government downplayed the damages at Fukushima and denied that cesium, strontium and plutonium were being released in the aftermath of the disaster. However, scientific tests being conducted by the Japanese government's field research program were only testing three feet above ground, and for one type of radiation. In reality, the most significant traces of radioactivity are being found in the soil. The Fukushima region is a significant cultivator of rice and produce, much of which is exported internationally. 

Although international protocols require a 50-mile evacuation zone, the Japanese government only instituted a 12-mile “exclusion zone,” which dramatically reduced relocation costs. Many living in the affected region were not offered evacuation plans, temporary housing or other means of support.

This area is also closed to outside media groups as the government seeks to exert control over the flow of information. 

The battle to contain the radiation leaks at Fukushima is not over. Recently, nuclear fission has restarted naturally in one of the damaged reactors, which could eventually lead to a potential meltdown if the containment vessels are not repaired in time.

The disaster has not dampened Japan’s dedication to its nuclear program. The government has initiated plans to re-open the Hamoaka Nuclear Plant, built in one of the most volatile earthquake zone in the entire country. Tokyo Electric Power Company, operators of the Fukushima Power Plant, has also initiated plans to construct a nuclear power plant in Hiroshima, minutes from where the atomic bomb was dropped.

Right now, there are several nuclear facilities in the United States built along fault lines. A severe earthquake that hits America’s coastline could potentially create a disaster on the scale of Fukushima. Our film, which covers all of these important subjects, will look to raise global awareness for this important subject out of fear that it could potentially happen elsewhere in the world.

For information about nuclear power plants near you, please visit here

What We Need & What You Get

We need your help to get back to Japan.  There is still a lot to film, including the following:

• A man trying to save animals inside the 20km zone
• The workers who are risking their lives to stabilize the plant
• The fishermen around the plant who are worried about contamination of their livelihoods
• The residents of a small island who have been fighting the construction of a nuclear plant for decades

We need your help to cover the following expenses:

• Travel and accommodation expenses for the production team
• Camera and film equipment
• Film editing and finishing
• Stock footage licensing
• Conversion to digital format

In gratitude for your support, please accept the following thank-you gifts, listed to the right.  Please join our team!  Become a Producer!*

Other Ways You Can Help

If you are unable to donate, please help us get the word out. We need your help to get this film funded and seen. Please let everyone know that you are a supporter of our project. Tell everyone you want to show the world what is really happening in Fukushima. Help us show the world so such an accident will never happen again!