The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Japan:
Radioactive Beef Discovered

Sep 19, 2011

In July, news spread in Japan that contaminated beef had made it to supermarkets and school cafeterias. The level of radioactive cesium found in the beef was three to six times the already elevated levels called “acceptable” by the Japanese government.

Since the earthquake and nuclear disaster at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant on March 11, the Japanese government has done practically nothing to protect the population. The contamination in beef, which appears to have come from areas neighboring the Fukushima region, was first discovered because some farmers sent their straw or cattle to independent laboratories.

And this comes on top of reports about contaminated spinach, milk, fish and tea leaves.

In trying to hide the true extent of contamination from the population, the government has revealed its priority: shielding the big power company, TEPCO, from liability.

Everyone else be damned.