As many Japanese struggle to survive in the wake of the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami triggered by it, even more are concerned as fears of radiation leaks thrive as reactors at several Japanese nuclear power plants remain unstable. In this article, Hiroshima survivor and radiation oncologist Ritsuko Komaki, explains how the fear of radiation in Japan has influenced some Japanese against radiation therapy when diagnosed with cancer and disinterested medical students from studying radiation oncology.
This past January, Komaki and her husband met with oncologists in Kyoto and Sapporo to begin a 5-year grant received from the Japanese Ministry of Technology and Education aimed to improve radiation education and train medical physicists. She worries that the nuclear explosions in Fukushima will have negative effects on the advances that have slowly been made and hopes that the Japanese government will take the necessary steps to disclose the radioactive measurement and help save people’s lives.
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Tags: Fukushima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima survivor, Japanese Ministry of Technology and Education, radiation oncology, radiation therapy, Ritsuko Komaki
