Amakusa Environment Conference

　From 9 to 10 July, I attended the Amakusa Environment Conference. It was held at Shiki  Reihoku-machi  Amakusa district, Kumamoto pref.

I invited my daughter to go to the conference and sea-bathing. I reserved a inn before the revival discount has published.

On 9 July I left home 6 am and picked up my daughter at Saga at 8 am. From Saga to Isahaya my daughter drove the car. We went via Taradake Orange Ocean Road, Isahaya reclaim road. When we arrived at Kuchinotsu port, the ferry had just left. Then we had to wait one and half hour. Usually they have two ships to cross the sea, you can cross every 45 minutes. But for one week one of the ship was in the dock, that cause you can board every one and half hours.

We went to a restaurant near the port and ate sashimi lunch set.

I met a foreigner couple on the ferry, At first I hesitated to talk to them, finally curiosity got the better of me and I talked to the woman.

We chatted, and I found they were traveling in Kyushu by rented car. They had stayed Nagasaki the previous day and go to Amakusa by ferry then would drive to Ushibuka  then would get on a ferry to Nagashima, then would stay at Kagoshima city on the day.They were planning to drive Sakurazima, then would go to Miyazaki ,Yuhuin, at last Fukuoka. They would fly to Finland via direct flight. I’ve heard the direct flight between Finland and Fukuoka had started recently. They had tried it. I was surprised their itinerary. The husband asked us the time table of Ushibuka - Kuranomoto ferry, my daughter searched and told. I had a good time.

  At the conference, on the first day we listened Takaishi Tomoya sang. After that a report of the condition of Minamata victims. Some patients applied to be acknowledged but it did not go well. The reporter said the syndrome of Minamata disease from embryo stage is different from those got disease from adult. It is acknowledged officially, still, they are refused, There are surviving families who sued the Kumamoto Prefecture to acknowledge their mother who had died before being acknowledged.

I felt very strange. It sounded like a  “conflict in interest” case. The Kumamoto administrative office has to pay the compensation, at the same time they decide who is patient and who is not patient. Do you believe them that they achieve thoughtful for the patients.

  At night there was a welcome party on the beach. We had plenty of sea food, especially puffer fish made us so pleased.

  My daughter and I chatted with the local people and the lecturers from Hitotsubashi university, one of them was a young woman who is a graduate student and studying Kawauchi village Fukushima pref.

  On the second day, I learned about the condition of Kawauchi village people, and the plan of reuse the radioactive wastes for construction.

The Ministry of Environment published their plan to reduce the stacked radioactive wastes. Before Fukushima nuclear plant accident, the limit was 100 Bq/kg, whereas after the accident it has raised to 800 Bq/kg. They want to reuse the radioactive waste for construction only with changing the ministerial ordinance. 

The lecturer alerted us be careful that dangerous plan.

  After the conference, we treated nice lunch at the office, then went to beach. When we arrived at the port, the ferry had just left, and waited one and half hour again.

  Then we drove via Isahaya, Obama, Takadake Orange Ocean road to Saga city, I drop off my daughter, and back home.

7月9-10日、天草環境会議に行った。熊本県天草郡苓北町志岐であった。

12 July 2016