Who’s Who: Oda Chiyo

By Muto Ruiko, Co-director, Network of Nuclear Disaster Victim Groups

Ms. Oda Chiyo is a very pure-hearted person. She is like a girl who has advanced in age but whose heart has not changed. She leads a civil movement, acting as a co-director of the “Citizen’s Conference to Condemn Further Pollution of the Ocean” and “Lawsuit to Halt ALPS Treated Water Discharge,” to try to stop by any means the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima NPS to the ocean. However, her way of action organization, speech, and behavior are always gentle and warm. Her character is closely associated with her career as an artist. She creates art works from natural fiber such as cocoon filaments, cotton yarn and sheep’s wool, forming them into shape using weaving techniques. About her manual work for art creation, she says: “Producing pieces from the inspirations obtained from the nature around myself in the fields and forests calms my spirit down comfortably, and gives me a sense of openness.” “I am probably keeping myself engaged in the same kind of field play that I was charmed with during my childhood.”

Chiyo was born in the northern part of Miyagi Prefecture. . Her playground was the natural fields that surrounded her. She sensed and learned the transition of seasons and the wonder of plants that die down in the autumn but sprout again in the spring. She spent her college days in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. After marriage, Chiyo moved to Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. She found Iwaki attractive, full of light, carrying a feeling of closeness to the ocean. She had not lived in such a place before. The nuclear disaster in 2011 shocked her; the disaster damaged what was very important to her. Subsequently another concern emerged, which is the plan to discharge contaminated water resulting from the disaster into the ocean. Chiyo was never convinced by the plan. To Chiyo, the ocean is a munificent existence that gives us everything lavishly, and is a connection to the workings of the earth — the strength of waves that come limitlessly, space-like width, depth, and mysteriousness. The idea of the ocean being contaminated by radioactivity upsets her, but giving up is no option.

As a child, Chiyo was very stubborn. Even when a school excursion was cancelled by rainy weather, she went to school by herself carrying her backpack. “I, I, I want to go on the excursion.” She could not give up. She says that she has the same feeling today. “I, I, I cannot accept the idea of making the ocean dirty.” To her, compared with the ocean, humans are a trivial existence, and such trivial humans, who brought about this nuclear disaster, are still trying to use nuclear energy. “It is more than surprising that such trivial humans would concoct the scheme of fouling up the precious ocean.” Chiyo maintains her commitment to stopping the plan.

Although she is such a person, Chiyo feels extremely tense and almost loses color when speaking in front of people and delivering opinions in court as a plaintiff. She always studies hard when making preparations. However, she says that she can only act the way she likes. “I am good at speaking frankly with anyone, a person next to me, a stranger, or anyone I meet for the first time. I try to use as simple words as possible.” Chiyo’s action is to give shape to unshaped ideas, like her manual work when creating works of art. “It would be great if everyone would speak out about what they feel, and if the voices would become powerful enough to stop the discharge of contaminated water into the ocean,” she says, wearing a soft smile.