The fundamental status and capacity of Skilled Veterans’ Corps for Fukushima

Skilled Veterans’ Corps for Fukushima, established as a public interest incorporated association, (formerly named Fukushima Preventive Action Program against an accidental explosion) hereinafter shortened SVCF, commenced in order for the alleviation of cleanup work wrought by the young labor manned in the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant by way of the mobilization and participation of the senior, chiefly, retired veteran engineers, technicians, and skilled workers who due to their age are deemed less vulnerable to radiation exposure.

The SVCF consists of voluntary participants and its organizational principle is of a unity of these free individuals. Therefore, we never inquire about, nor are we affected by individual thoughts, beliefs or purposes of the individual members. The principle applies equally to the pros and cons of the necessity of nuclear power plant. Among members, some are proponents and others are opponents of the use of nuclear power. Our grand objective aimed at the completion of cleanup works in the stricken nuclear power plant highly magnetizes and unites a wealth of members.

An individual member, although being part of the association of SVCF, has complete freedom to do anything on whatever belief he or she may cling to, or to appeal to fellow members. Nevertheless, formally adopted initiatives and actions by SVCF shall conform to the objective and activities stipulated in the articles of our association. Thus, individual views shall not per se be regarded as official of the association.

We have presented a couple of important proposals to the Japanese Government and TEPCO pair in order to help generate concrete action plans to proceed, even if just an inch, ahead toward the aforesaid objective and activities. To complete the goal, there must be a change in the current nuclear power management system and it will possibly take a fairly long period to pursue the track. Under the currently very fluid condition, it is quite imperative to foresee, prepare, and arrange a concrete structure in our association to meet flexibly the requirements and various orders on a case-by-case basis.

Up until now, we have registered approximately more than 2,000 regular and supporting members, and we are a rich and vast reservoir of human resources. Many members have already assumed specific roles and demonstrated their knowledge and capabilities in various assignments. After more than a year since its establishment, the SVCF needs a crucial action plan for us to multiply its organizational structure, to gain much more public recognition, and to achieve the ultimate objective of engaging ourselves in the cleanup works for the damaged Plant.

This is essentially our task and our original purpose: to get the work done steadily. Inner motives vary in each member’s thoughts, beliefs and convictions, however, the purpose and pragmatic activities should be pursued tenaciously toward our goal. In an actual stage, politics and ideologies are unnecessary but should be first retained as an ever-lasting drive in ourselves.

All members, some who took the initiative for the establishment of our association, others who responded to the calling, have woven unique and invaluable stories throughout their lives. It is our fundamental principle to challenge an unprecedented disaster by means of our amassed profound knowledge and experienced skills, while we unite as one, in mutual respect.