The meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant is tearing families apart. More than four years after the catastrophe, mothers in the Fukushima Prefecture are faced with a moral dilemma to stay or leave.

One of the main concerns of mothers who live at the Fukushima Prefecture constantly is the threat of radiation and how it may hurt their children’s health. If the mothers choose to leave, they are sometimes ostracized by the community for leaving their husbands who are tied to jobs. On the other hand, if the mothers choose to stay, they live under the constant threat of invisible radiation.

After a tsunami laid ruin to the Fukushima power plant in 2011, the government established a 20-km no-go zone around the site. The government claimed that conditions outside the barrier were safe, yet many were reluctant to believe these claims.⁽¹⁾

Government lies about safety of prefecture

Some communities decided to trust the government and stay. Others decided not to trust the government and leave. Nobody was sure what to believe. Consequently, many communities are as ruined as the Fukushima Daiichi site.

Radiation in the water, food and air caused many mothers to leave the Prefecture for the sake of their children’s health. Some mothers migrated to neighboring Prefectures, like Iwate and Miyagi, whereas others evacuated to Tokyo.

Many evacuees who fled with their children left their husbands behind who couldn’t leave their jobs. As a result, communities have labeled these women as being disloyal to their husbands.

On the other side of the coin, mothers who fled the region did so in order to protect the livelihood of their children. Nevertheless, many mothers feel guilty for leaving their close knit community. As a result, a rift has been created between family members who choose to stay and leave.

The government helps evacuees whose homes fall within the 20-km-wide zone. They offer free accommodation and a monthly stipend. Unfortunately, those who voluntarily leave outside the zone do not qualify for government aid.⁽¹⁾

For those who do not qualify for government aid but choose to leave, life outside the Prefecture is just as difficult as life inside the Prefecture.

Local moms assemble support group

Many mothers decided to stay out of guilt for leaving their husbands and to avoid separating their families. In addition, many mothers do not have the financial means necessary to support themselves and children outside the Prefecture.

Since clean up efforts are currently underway at the Fukushima site, communities inside the Prefecture are pressuring mothers to keep their mouths shut and stay. Nevertheless, modest estimates suggest it will take at least another 40 years to clean up the power plant.

A support group has been assembled, called the Veteran Mom’s Group, which allows local mothers vent their fears and frustrations. The group meets each month to help comfort local mothers in a deeply polarized community.⁽¹⁾

Some mothers state that their children need a father figure. Leaving their husbands could be just as damning to their family’s well-being as staying at the Prefecture. That doesn’t even include the financial and emotional toll that would accompany moving.

Due to these concerns, many mothers have decided to stay, and some have returned.

The Fukushima power plant has created moral dilemmas within families for which there is no clear solution. The lines that shaped the moral landscape of the Prefecture are clouded by radiation. To stay or not stay isn’t so much a choice as it is a blind leap into the dark.

Fukushima Watch is uniquely dedicated to all ongoing stories developing at the Fukushima site, as well as stories about the impact the radiation has on the rest of the world. For other great stories like this one, go to AlternativeNews.com

Sources include:

(1) JapanTimes.co.jp/news