"ONAMI, Japan -- In the fall, as this valley’s rice paddies ripened into a carpet of gold, inspectors came to check for radioactive contamination."
"Onami sits just 35 miles northwest of the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which spewed radioactive cesium over much of this rural region last March. However, the government inspectors declared Onami’s rice safe for consumption after testing just two of its 154 rice farms.
Then, a few days later, a skeptical farmer in Onami, who wanted to be sure his rice was safe for a visiting grandson, had his crop tested, only to find it contained levels of cesium that exceeded the government’s safety limit. In the weeks that followed, more than a dozen other farmers also found unsafe levels of cesium. An ensuing panic forced the Japanese government to intervene, with promises to test more than 25,000 rice farms in eastern Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is located."
Martin Fackler reports for the New York Times January 21, 2012.
SEE ALSO:
"Radioactive Cesium Content Higher in Fukushima Fruits, Mushrooms" (Asahi Shimbun)
"Cabinet Kept Alarming Nuke Report Secret" (Japan Times)
"No Record of Japan Nuclear Disaster Meetings" (Times of India)
"Japan Seeks UN Nuclear Agency Presence in Fukushima" (AFP)
