For rancher near Fukushima, tending herd is act of defiance

NAMIE, Japan (AP) — Since the 2011 meltdowns ended their future as prized black "wagyu" beef, a rancher near the Fukushima nuclear power plant has given his cattle a new mission: They've become protesters.


Defying both government evacuation and slaughter orders, 62-year-old Masami Yoshizawa returned to his ranch 14 kilometers (9 miles) from the plant to keep his cattle alive as living proof of the disaster.

He and his cattle are no doubt a nuisance for the government as Japan gears up to showcase Fukushima's recovery ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"An effort to eliminate a negative reputation is nothing but a cover-up," he said. "This is a farm that chronicles and tells the story of Fukushima's radiation contamination disaster. We'll stay here at the Ranch of Hope, and keep sending our message."

http://news.yahoo.com/rancher-near-fukushima-tending-herd-101618692.html?nf=1


If you have no idea, today marks the 5th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster.

 

I'm glad that the ranchers and others affected by this where it happened immediately are still doing all they can to speak out and let others know about this. It's baffling how people are not up in arms about this 5 years later after how it's destroyed the ecosystem and harmed so many people globally. I thought by now the Japanese would have stormed the castle over this if not America and everyone else...unless...

 

He is a brave man and I hope his effort will be fruitful! I am only worried for him!

 

Whenever someone makes a stand against the government like this rancher is (any government), they end up in situations like the one at Bundy Ranch with a temporary win, or the execution of Lavoy Finnicum. I hope that the rancher does well and I hope that he wins, but I doubt the people who he is standing against are going to take it lightly for much longer.

 

I've learnt a lot about Japanese culture in the last months, and I can quite understand why they haven't done or said much about this. It's mostly because in their culture no one wants to do things differently or stick out from the crowd. They have a very different mentality, specially when it comes to socializing... so many rituals. I'm more amazed about the reaction or lack of it from the rest of the world, so odd, don't you think? Most people I know know nothing about this or don't think it's a big deal.