ONAGAWA, Miyagi Prefecture--For about 50 evacuees who have been moved into a gymnasium on the compound of the Onagawa nuclear power plant, the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant far to the south is the elephant in the room.
ONAGAWA, Miyagi Prefecture--For about 50 evacuees who have been moved into a gymnasium on the compound of the Onagawa nuclear power plant, the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant far to the south is the elephant in the room.
"Immediately after coming to this gymnasium, we were watching the news on the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant," said one of the evacuees, a 35-year-old man. "But now none of us talk about it."
Another evacuee, a 61-year-old man, said, "I'm more concerned about my next job than the situation at the Fukushima plant."
A 44-year-old woman added, "I want broadcasting stations and the government to take up issues on not only the (Fukushima) nuclear plant but also the tsunami."
The Onagawa nuclear plant, operated by the Tohoku-Electric Power Co., is located on a cape on Oshika Peninsula, about 120 kilometers north of the Fukushima No. 1 plant in neighboring Fukushima Prefecture. Onagawa started operations in 1984. It currently has three reactors, all of which automatically shut down when the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake struck.
Though the plant was hit by a 13-meter high tsunami on March 11, its main facilities escaped serious damage as it is situated on land about 14.8 meters above sea level.
The communities around the Onagawa nuclear power plant, however, were mostly destroyed by the tsunami except for some built on hills. At the request of residents, Tohoku-Electric Power accepted in from a humanitarian standpoint several tens of evacuees who were living in areas surrounding the Onagawa plant.
The gymnasium, now serving as an evacuation center, is located about 10 minutes by bus from the front gate of the nuclear plant, where only employees and related workers are allowed to pass through.
Inside the gymnasium, the evacuees enjoy some comforts of home, as it is equipped with heaters, flush toilets and even vending machines. They can also watch television, although it mostly shows videos for children, and newspapers are provided by employees of the electric power company.
As the use of any kind of flame is prohibited, evacuees cannot cook their meals. However, the staff of Onagawa town office brings them bread, rice balls and "bentos" (lunch boxes).
Though the evacuees are not allowed to walk around freely in the compound of the nuclear plant, they can leave the site. If so, they are required to return to the front gate of the plant by 4:30 p.m., when the last bus bound for the gymnasium departs from there.
The plan to construct a nuclear power plant in Onagawa was floated around 1965. Though the town office was enthusiastic, many local residents opposed it. Because of that, it took more than 10 years until official approval was given for the plant's construction.
Until the March 11 disasters, one of the evacuees, Nanao Abe, 61, was living in a community near the nuclear plant's compound and was cultivating oysters in the sea.
Before the construction of the nuclear plant started, he took part in an inspection tour to Fukushima and Fukui prefectures where nuclear power plants were already operating. He joined the tour to gather information about safety and the possible effects of a nuclear power plant on the fisheries industry.
In talking with local fishermen in the other prefectures, Abe confirmed that no groundless rumors had spread against the safety of their marine products. After this reassurance, he supported the construction of the Onagawa nuclear power plant.
Though he currently listens to the news on the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, he remains unconcerned about the Onagawa plant.
"The Onagawa nuclear plant was constructed on a high place in order to avoid a possible tsunami," he said. "It is different from the Fukushima plant."
On the other hand, a 68-year-old man, a resident of the former town of Oshika, now a part of Ishinomaki city, who is now living in a different evacuation center near the Onagawa nuclear power plant, opposed the plant's construction.
"We are like living with a bomb," he said.
After the Onagawa nuclear power plant was built, one of his family members landed a job related to the plant.
"If you receive money (from a job in the form of wages), you cannot oppose the plant any more," he said.
The current situation at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is what he feared could happen when he was involved in the opposition movement against the construction of the Onagawa plant.
"Anything will be broken without fail. There are no things that are 'absolutely safe,' " he said, recalling the phrase he shouted some 40 years ago.
(This article was written by Setsuko Tachikawa and Orie Yoshihama.)