“We need to recognize this hopeless sight…. To recognize that this horrible crime is what our country is doing to us”: Interview with Mutō Ruiko
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Transcription by Akiko AnsonMutō Ruiko is a long-time antinuclear activist based in Fukushima.She represents 1,324 Fukushima residents who filed a criminal complaint in June 2012 pressing charges against TEPCO executives and government officials.In July 2015, an inquest committee decided that three former executives of TEPCO merited indictment, clearing the way for a criminal trial.This marked an unprecedented development in the history of criminal justice in Japan since indictment against the nuclear industry had never been granted in the country.On August 26, 2015, I visited Mutō in Miharumachi, Fukushima to hear about her activism, understanding of the Fukushima situations, and view of ecological issues on a global scale.Norma Field, a close friend of Mutō and a scholar who has been working on Fukushima issues since 2011, contributes an accompanying essay that puts this interview into a critical perspective.For details about the content of the criminal complaint and Mutō's background, see Yamaguchi Tomomi and Mutō Ruiko, "Muto Ruiko and the Movement of Fukushima Residents to Pursue Criminal Charges against Tepco Executives and Government Officials" in the Asia-Pacific Journal (Link).(K.H.) Mutō Ruiko How the Complainants for the Criminal Prosecution of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Came into Being Hirano: Thank you very much for agreeing to an interview today.Ms. Mutō, you represent the organization, The Complainants for the Criminal Prosecution of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, which has sought criminal indictment of those deemed responsible for the disaster.A few days ago, an inquest committee decided that three former executives of TEPCO should be indictment, clearing the way for a criminal trial.First, could you explain how the Complainants group was formed?Mutō: Concerning The Complainants for the Criminal
Source: Japan focus
Authors: Katsuya Hirano, Ryoko Nishijima, Akiko Anson
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,550
OpenAlex ID: W4408501628