Artist Yoshiaki Kaihatsu has erected a “home” for politicians, not in a posh Tokyo neighborhood but just 20 kilometers from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Artist Yoshiaki Kaihatsu has erected a “home” for politicians, not in a posh Tokyo neighborhood but just 20 kilometers from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.“I want politicians to feel the (post-disaster) situation in their bones and re-live the experiences of residents,” the 45-year-old said. “I want them to formulate policies by drawing on how they feel when they drop in here.”A contemporary artist from Yamanashi Prefecture, Kaihatsu sent an invitation to about 100 Diet members in March. He has yet to receive any reply.The four tatami-mat hut stands in a field in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, 400 meters outside the desolate no-entry zone around the Fukushima No. 1 plant.A glass window faces the direction of the plant, and only a pair of chairs is inside, one for an adult and the other for a child. A sign written in black paint says, “A politicians’ home.”Kaihatsu visited Fukushima Prefecture many times after the Fukushima No. 1 plant was crippled by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.He hit upon the idea of designing a monument while roaming around deserted communities after residents evacuated. He started working on the rest stop for politicians with a friend at the end of February.On the morning of March 15, the hut opened in the presence of Kaihatsu, five fellow artists and the owner of the field. Exactly a year ago, the third explosion occurred at the plant.He said he chose the opening date in the hope that the Fukushima disaster will be the last nuclear power accident in the world.