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1999 closed on a sombre note with the death of Mr Hisashi Ouchi, aged 35, one of the workers at the JCO uranium processing plant in Tokai-mura, Ibaragi Prefecture. During the accident, which occurred last September, Mr Ouchi received massive amounts of radiation after he and other colleagues bypassed safety procedures and used a bucket to pour an excessive amount of uranium into a sedimentation tank. This triggered a nuclear reaction. Mr Ouchi and his colleagues were rescued from the plant and hospitalised−the rescuers also suffered radiation−and doctors set about trying to keep him alive and, possibly, to enable him to recover from his injuries. Unfortunately, Mr Ouchi's injuries were more serious than expected and his heart failed for over an hour on 27 November. He recovered slightly, but there was no sustained improvement despite the extensive and revolutionary medical treatment he received. He died at 11.21 pm on December 21.
Mr Ouchi's death was very keenly felt in Hiroshima. The dose of radiation he received was about 17 sieverts, that is 17,000 times the level the average person is exposed to in a year. But this dose is about the same as Mr Ouchi would have received had he been a few hundred metres from the hypocentre when the Hiroshima bomb exploded on August 6, 1945. Thus, he supposedly received the same radiation injuries as the victims of the Hiroshima bomb, but without the instantaneous effects of the blast and heat waves caused by the explosion. In such circumstances it is thought to be extraordinary that he survived for as long as 83 days after the accident.
On December 22, a group of A-bomb victims and supporters mourned for his death in front of the Cenotaph in the Peace Memorial Park. Sakae Itoh, 88, president of the prefectural association of A-Bomb victims, commented that Mr Ouchi was young and had his life before him. His death should be a spur for renewed efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons and for the government to reconsider the present policy of reliance on nuclear energy.
Hiroshima City is to step up patrols to deal with the severe problem of illegal dumping and burning of rubbish. Patrols will cover the city on a 24-hour basis and anyone found dumping rubbish illegally will be told to take it home. If the message is not understood and acted upon, the police will be called and asked to make it clearer, with suitable sanctions if necessary.
迷亭
Meitei is a restaurant situated in Kure City's Hondori. It specialises in oden, the Japanese dish which is a mixture of mainly vegetables cooked in a sweet broth. However, the oden served at Meitei is made in the Kansai style. There are 30 possible ingredients, all costing between \100 and \500 and customers have 15 types of Japanese sake to choose from. The shop has a counter and also an upper room which may be reserved.
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sombre 暗い、悲そうな |
「新たな核の犠牲者」
1999年は、大内久さんの死という悲壮な出来事で幕を閉じた。大内さんは35歳で、茨城県東海村の核燃料加工会社ＪＣＯの社員の一人だった。昨年９月に起こった臨界事故で、彼は同僚とともに安全な手続きを取らず、バケツで多量のウラン溶液を沈殿槽に移す作業をしたあとで、大量の放射能を浴びた。この作業が核分裂反応を引き起こした。大内さんと同僚は工場から救出され、入院。（救助にあたった救急隊員も被ばくした）。医者は大内さんの生命を維持し、回復させるために、できる限りの努力した。不幸にも彼の受けた傷害は予想以上に深刻で、11月27日には心臓が１時間以上も止まった。わずかな回復はみられたが、さまざまな画期的な治療を尽くしたにもかかわらず、体調が良くなることはなかった。大内さんは12月21日の午後11時21分に死亡した。
大内さんの死は広島に衝撃を与えた。彼が浴びた放射能の量は17シーベルトで、人の年間平均被ばく量の１万7000倍になる。これは、原爆が投下された1945年８月６日に爆心地から百メートルの地点にいたら受けただろう被ばく線量とほぼ同じ量だ。したがって、爆発の瞬間に引き起こされた爆風と熱波によって受ける影響を差し引いて、大内さんは広島の被爆者と同じ量の放射能を浴びたことになる。そのような状況下で、彼が事故後83日も生き続けたことは驚くべきことと考えられる。
12月22日には被爆者や平和団体などが平和記念公園の慰霊碑の前で、大内さんの追悼をした。広島県被団協理事長の伊藤サカエさん（88）は、「大内さんは若くして亡くなった。大内さんの死は核兵器廃絶運動に拍車をかけ、政府がに核エネルギーに依存した現在の政策を考え直させるきっかけとなるだろう」と話した。
「2000年に向けて広島をきれいに！」
広島市は深刻な問題となっているごみの不法投棄や野焼きに対し、監視を強化する。市内を24時間体制で巡回し、ごみを不法投棄しているのを発見した場合は、家に持ち帰るように指導する。指導に応じない場合は、警察に通報して、ごみを片付けるよう求める。必要であれば、処罰を受けることもある。
あけましておめでとうございます！
広島ウィークリー読者のみなさま方へ