Fukushima fuck up

Japan's response to the Fukushima meltdowns has already been one of the lowest episodes of neo-liberal denialism. But this news bumps it up to a new level:

There is a common proven purge for cesium 137 called Prussian Blue (PB), but Japan blocks access to it with a tangle of catch-22s. Doctors abroad are counseled to use PB as quickly as possible for any "known or suspected radiocesium contamination" and can use a relatively simple urine test to assess cesium levels. In Japan, however, doctors can't prescribe PB without a ¥10 million "whole body radiation counter," but according to NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) there was only one such machine in all of Fukushima as of June 2 and it can only process ten patients a day.

By all means, read the whole thing.

Why Japan prefers its citizens to die of cancer rather than use a simple, cheap and effective response is where the vagaries of  neo-liberalism shows off its mindlessness. It's denialism after the fact, mindless cruelty hidden behind bureaucratic inertia.

What will it take to make the Japanese angry?