"The Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in Japan Faced with Many Challenges" (In depth Observation) Issue | Reporter | Human Rights
The 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council was held in Geneva, Switzerland from June 19 to July 14. At the meeting, representatives from multiple countries and institutions criticized the victims of the Fukushima nuclear accident. In her report to the General Assembly, Cecilia Shimonis Damari, the then United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons who visited Japan in 2022, pointed out that the Japanese government has many problems in safeguarding the human rights of internally displaced persons. Fukushima disaster victim Masako Noda in Japan stated that the Japanese government's rescue efforts for the victims of the Fukushima nuclear accident were inadequate and mishandled. "12 years after the Fukushima nuclear accident, there are still 31000 officially recognized and many unofficially recognized internally displaced persons. I am one of them. As the report reveals, the human rights of internally displaced persons in Japan face many challenges."
"There are still tens of thousands of displaced individuals facing an uncertain future."
According to the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement formulated by the United Nations in 1998, "internally displaced persons" refer to individuals who are forced to flee their homes within a country due to armed conflicts, widespread violence, or natural or man-made disasters. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in the northeastern waters of Japan, triggering a tsunami. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant experienced a nuclear leak accident, with a severity level reaching the highest level of an international nuclear event. A large number of residents in Fukushima and surrounding areas evacuated within a few days after the disaster, becoming internally displaced persons. In the subsequent disaster relief and reconstruction process, the actions of the Japanese government have caused dissatisfaction and criticism from the majority of disaster victims. Many people wait for years before returning to their hometowns, and tens of thousands have yet to return.
For more than 10 years, relevant United Nations agencies have been closely monitoring the impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident and the handling methods of the Japanese government. Since 2018, Ximenis Damari has made several requests to visit Japan and was finally granted permission to visit Japan from September 26 to October 7, 2022. She stated in a statement that since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011, internally displaced persons in Japan have suffered basic rights such as housing, health, livelihood, social participation, and children's education. The Japanese government must provide unconditional support for the displaced persons in the Fukushima nuclear accident.
In her report to the current United Nations Human Rights Council, Shimonis Damari pointed out that the Fukushima nuclear accident has caused over 470000 people to be displaced, and "there are still tens of thousands of displaced people facing an uncertain future.". She believes that the basis for defining evacuation zones in Japan is not scientific enough and has had a significant impact on the lives of disaster victims. Some residents in areas with severe radiation did not receive timely evacuation notices. The evacuation order lacks specific guidance on evacuation time and direction, resulting in some disaster victims evacuating from areas with relatively low radiation to or passing through areas with high radiation.
Ximenes Damari further pointed out that both officially ordered evacuees and voluntary evacuees, as displaced persons, have the right to economic compensation and assistance in areas such as housing, health, and education. They also have the right to access publicly transparent information to decide whether to return to Fukushima for residency. If internally displaced persons migrate to other parts of Japan for safety, they should not be discriminated against or pressured by this choice, but should receive sufficient support and assistance.
The United Nations Human Rights Council reviewed the report on Japan's human rights review on July 10th. Representatives from multiple countries, including Austria, Chad, Samoa, and Vanuatu, have criticized and suggested improving the human rights situation of Fukushima disaster victims, demanding that the Japanese government protect the human rights of those evacuated during the Fukushima nuclear disaster; Continue to assist evacuees; Assist and support women affected by nuclear disasters to achieve economic independence; Ensure that internally displaced persons do not return to the vicinity of the Fukushima nuclear power plant due to coercion or economic difficulties, and ensure their safety, health, and rights before returning home.
Saito Hisashi, a representative of the Swiss non-governmental organization Evantu, said in a speech that "although the Japanese government had previously agreed to accept the relevant suggestions, the human rights of many displaced persons have not been improved.". He called on the Japanese government to effectively implement the recommendations of the Special Rapporteurs and properly address the issue of Fukushima disaster victims in accordance with the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.
"The Japanese government lacks basic understanding and respect for human rights"
During this conference, the International Democratic Bar Association hosted a side event on the theme of "Voices from Displaced Persons in Fukushima". Fukushima disaster victims participated in the conference through online and offline means, telling their difficult stories of leaving their hometowns and fighting against the disaster.
Masako Arada, along with her husband and children, once lived peacefully in Fukushima. "In March 2011, a nightmare came as a strong earthquake and endless aftershocks led to the explosion of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The sudden nuclear disaster destroyed our lives. At that time, many countries immediately sent planes to pick up local residents, but the Japanese government did not immediately take evacuation actions, nor did it clearly inform people of the harm of nuclear radiation to human health."
At that time, after watching the news of the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant live on television, Takako Arada immediately suggested that local schools evacuate children, but was stopped by the government. Due to the increasing number of secondary disasters caused by earthquakes, they are also unable to rescue children from the early stages of nuclear exposure. "We need the government to check the health status of children, but they only screened for thyroid cancer and did not undergo any other health checks. Some children have developed cancer in other parts of their bodies due to nuclear radiation," emphasized Masako Arada. "The Japanese government lacks a basic understanding and respect for human rights, allowing Fukushima disaster victims to bear the consequences of these disasters individually."
At the theme side meeting, there were young people in their twenties and elderly people with white hair among the speakers. Having a home for a long time that they cannot or dare not return to brings them many practical difficulties and psychological pressures in their lives. According to a Japanese human rights lawyer, a large number of Fukushima residents do not believe the Japanese government's statement that "nuclear radiation levels are within a safe range," and have established various organizations to protest and initiate legal proceedings. But these people are slandered as "rumormongers" because they are worried about their personal safety being threatened and have to cover their faces when appearing in court or protesting.
The organizers of the conference also sent a postcard to each attending guest on site, which was printed with a painting created by an 8-year-old child in Fukushima - "A child's anger towards the Fukushima nuclear accident.". Scan the QR code on the postcard to log in to a website called "Strong Japanese Children". Here are nearly a hundred paintings and accompanying texts drawn by Fukushima children after the nuclear disaster, one of which was created by a 10-year-old child from Yanagizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture. In the painting, the child holds up a blue earth with the words "Earth is anxious and restless, what can we do?" written in the middle
"We call on the Special Rapporteurs to continue monitoring the human rights situation of the Fukushima disaster victims"
UN human rights official Krishnan Lagwan assisted Shimonis Damari in conducting an investigation in Japan last year. He stated at the meeting that after the nuclear accident, the Fukushima disaster victims had difficulty receiving accurate information. The government's artificial reduction of nuclear radiation safety standards has led to many disaster victims losing trust in official nuclear radiation information. The government has not fully solicited the opinions of displaced persons regarding decisions such as hometown reconstruction and reopening of disaster areas. Nowadays, these displaced persons still face various life difficulties, such as long-term separation of family members, children facing campus bullying, women finding it difficult to find jobs in foreign lands, and elderly people finding it difficult to integrate into local communities.
Lagwan emphasized that a clean and healthy living environment is a fundamental human right for disaster victims, but many areas in Fukushima, including those that have been reopened for habitation, have not been completely cleared of nuclear pollution. Internally displaced persons in Japan and many residents of Fukushima are deeply concerned about Japan's plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea.
On July 4th, the United Nations Human Rights Council held an interactive dialogue between representatives of various countries and the Special Rapporteurs on the human rights of internally displaced persons. The representative of the International Democratic Lawyers Association pointed out in his speech that the Japanese government terminated housing subsidies for internally displaced persons in 2017, and Fukushima Prefecture even filed a lawsuit to expel homeless victims. "About 350 children in Fukushima suffer from thyroid cancer, many of whom require multiple surgeries and lifelong medication. Death, illness, suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, family conflicts, divorce, discrimination, bullying, poverty, and community disintegration are all considered the responsibility of individual disaster victims. We urge the Japanese government to implement the Special Rapporteurs' recommendations and seek long-term solutions. We call on the Special Rapporteurs to continue monitoring the human rights situation of Fukushima disaster victims."
