What if? Japan evacuation due to nationwide contamination

Ok, so I was talking with some friends the other day about this and we couldn't come to a consensus. But what if the worst of the worst case scenario happens and most of the nation of Japan needed to be evacuated due to continued contamination from Fukushima? I know this is not something to approach lightly but with the reports seemingly to get worse and worse we went to the worst case scenario and started to try and figure out the impact it would have on the global community as a whole. We agreed on a lot (possible global economic crash, probable mass panic as fallout supplies were stockpiled, etc), but this was the sticking point.

After the Chernobyl event, a large area was evacuated even after the reactor was settled. Granted much of this land is now theoretically habitable, but given the compact nature of the nation of Japan whether or not the long-term habitability will be affected can only be theorized on right now.

Regional options are few as most of the neighboring nations are already packed and lack the infrastructure to take even a few million refugees. China is out due to the historical rift between them, not to mention their own population density issues.

Australia may be an option, as there is plenty of land, but there is the issue of the water resource, as even if enough food could be supplied, the nation has been in and out of droughts for the last decade from what I know. This could be solved in the long term with the building of multiple desalinization plants powered by new nuclear reactors (given the large uranium deposits available in the nation). The problem long term then becomes food supply as there may not be enough arable land unless a lot of water were brought in from the ocean. This also ignores the probable conflicts between cultures as one society is thrust into intimate contact with another (not to mention the royalty clashes).

The further we went out, the less optimistic we were about finding a land to evacuate the citizens of Japan to. Our final options were the United States (basically giving two or three states to form a sub-nation/super-state New Japan) or to not move them at all.

So what could we do in this situation as a species? Are there facts my group missed? For the sake of this argument lets just say that its impossible to inhabit all but the SW part of Honshu on north through to Hokkaido. This basically reduces the land mass available to Japan's inhabitants to 1/3. Also for the sake of argument lets also put into play that Japan and its people get all the positive breaks their way in everything that happens (no islands sinking into the sea, no more major earthquakes, etc), though there could be situations where the results of this thread could be applied.

To help people get started here is some information on the nation of Japan and where it sits geographically. I know we're all probably aware of this if we are on this forum, but it never hurts to see the numbers and the position again.

Japan--CIA World Factbook

East Asia Political Map:



Thank you for your time and your civility.

reply to post by Sir Solomon


Its good that you are worried about Japan and all,
But Australia cant do it, we are already over grown. There's is not enough infrastructure for long term habitation, but for short term habitation, yes.
China and all those uninhabited cities would be the best bet.

Australia is too dangerous, too many dangerous animals... Dropbears and yowies...


But seriously, sure, we have a lot of land over here, but not nearly enough infrastructure to support a six-fold increase in population.

Where would 100+ million people stay or sleep, considering we only have 22 million people now?

And that's just the tip of the iceberg (haven't even considered food, jobs, economy, etc...).


Edit: Just ran a few numbers.... Even if you kick everyone out of Australia (not gonna happen ), there will still be about 30 Japanese people per household (based on 2006 census data).


.

Sure there is some room in Australia,but if they get big ideas about building reactors or pushing the nuclear agenda here then they can go back home.This nuclear disaster is our chance to bury the whole idea of nuclear power once and for all.

I watched the 2006 film 'The Sinking of Japan" tonight and couldn't believe how it correlates exactly with what has just happened in Japan - who evever wrote that story must have seen into the future. Right down to the names of the places hit.
They had to send their people to a number of countries. Weird!

Good film but with sub titles.

The reality of relocating 35 million radioactive people would appear to be a daunting task.

The best solution is to do a home stay thingy, where each family satys with another all around the world.

government funded of course. This is a working realistic solution IMOA

Bring 'em to Canada. We have lots of room to grow, the Japanese are wonderful and respectful people and would fit in well here.

As for infrastructure, well, is any country ready for 100 million people?

No nuclear power, but we can harness tidal, wind, solar and geothermal, we can make it work.

I think that's a great idea.

Pred...

reply to post by Sir Solomon


Star and Flag my good friend.

I believe just like you things are going to get worse; as they seem to be day by day for the Fukushima Nuclear reactor. Maybe your right we can let them all come to the U.S because if this gets out of control Japan might be uninhabitable for several dozen years... or longer.

I love your thread and your Account picture FF8 was my favourite Final fantasy go squall! Long live Japan! and their wonderful society! We have our hearts with them!

reply to post by predator0187


I agree with pred we can bring them to Canada we have Alot(and i mean alot) of room. May humanity unite and transcend from our brutal past of animal instincts.

We shall walk the path of ascension together! We will have to come together as humanity and offer them a place to live if japan becomes uninhabitable

Sweet, all sorted then. Canada it is.

That's only a 5-fold increase in population.

For example, if your house currently has 3 people, then you will have 15 people staying there.

Very generous, very nice, not very well thought out.

This is slightly off topic, but reading this gave me an idea...

Australias drought problem and therefore unstable crop generation could be solved with cloud seeding??
This is a 100% proven method of creating rain for areas prone to drought....

Just a thought to make aussie actually livable other than its coastal areas.

Go the Warriors haha!

Originally posted by GobbledokTChipeater
Sweet, all sorted then. Canada it is.

That's only a 5-fold increase in population.

For example, if your house currently has 3 people, then you will have 15 people staying there.

Very generous, very nice, not very well thought out.

100 million people would be a dent in any country minus china and India.

It is possible to build more homes, not only with our construction crews but the Japanese would help also.

Anything is possible...

Pred...

Originally posted by predator0187

100 million people would be a dent in any country minus china and India.

It is possible to build more homes, not only with our construction crews but the Japanese would help also.

Anything is possible...

Pred...

And where do all of the construction materials come from to build 30+ million houses? Or the tools? Or the skilled labour? You know not just anybody can wire up a house, right? Or the extra power drawn from the electricity grid?

And how long is it going to take to build 30+ million houses while people are sleeping on streets or 15 to a house?

Like I said, an admirable gesture, but not very well thought out.

It's not like Japan had not lived with radiation before.

66 years ago, Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced the atomic bomb, and for several hundred kilometres away, civilians had been exposed to the silent deadly killer - radiation contamination. They had nowhere to go, but to accept their fate, lived with it, suffered very much for it, but life went on and Japan became a great nation, but never learnt its own mistake over the nuke issue.


Today, what will happen when the radiation levels encompass the entire Japan Islands? Should they flee or be evacuated? It will be upon such considerations:-

1. Which country would willingly absorb the Japanese People and convince their own citizens to welcome them?

2. Will the Japanese People willingly leave their motherland?

3. More critically, are they to lose their homogenous jap identity in order to assimilate with the natives in the new country, or hold dear stubbornly to their culture and become an issue to other citizens?

4. With more people, jobs must be created and should be no issue as long as there are funding to seed entreprenuerships. Will the Bank of Japan hand over those funds and host nations honour its use?

5. The ships and aircraft on standby list for immediate evacuation?

These are but a few issues that the People of Japan must planned for and not wait a moment longer to decide, for when SHTF with alarming radiation levels, the alarms will have to be sounded out and all confusion will break loose.

Thus, the leaders MUST make contigency plans if they had not done so, or they would have doomed a People. The old may want to remain, but the young need not suffer from the effects of the silent killer. Every human life is precious.

reply to post by GobbledokTChipeater


There is always nuclear power

and relocatable housing

Split the people between Canada and Australia.

I'm afraid to say that I think most Japanese people simply will not voluntarily flee to foreign countries. Even if it were physically possible (which probably isn't) to quickly evacuate 42 million people from the Kanto region to other countries, I think many would refuse to leave. Many people in the Tokyo area won't be going anywhere.

Originally posted by guessing

There is always nuclear power

That's what got everyone into this mess!

Originally posted by guessing

and relocatable housing

Split the people between Canada and Australia.

I think people are failing to understand the sheer numbers. That would still increase Australia's population by 400% and canada's population by 300%.

That means (for Australia): 4 times the amount of food consumed. 4 times the amount of electricity consumed. 4 times the amount of dwellings used. 4 times the amount of space consumed (you can't just build houses in the middle of Australia, ya know). 4 times the amount of jobs required. 4 times the amount of schools required. 4 times the amount of hospitals required. 4 times the amount of everything required.

Where will all of the resources come from ?? You can't just say "she'll be right, mate" and then have all of the displaced people sleeping on the street and starving to death anyway.

It is not feasible for any country or 2 countries for that matter.

The best solution is having people from all over the world take a family in each, as you suggested earlier.

reply to post by MedievalGhost


May you be only speaking for yourself. The rest of us can only at least make those offers ready for them through our elected representatives, so that they know they HAVE a choice. We cannot conscionable let our fellow humans suffer and look the other way....

reply to post by GobbledokTChipeater


It also means 3 times the labour force and brains to make Australia greater, with no drop in the annual worldwide resource supply as they are not newborns but existing people relying on similar international resource.

They arent loafers, not by a long shot, and every human if given the opportunity to excel, will do so.

Originally posted by SeekerofTruth101
reply to post by MedievalGhost

 

May you be only speaking for yourself. The rest of us can only at least make those offers ready for them through our elected representatives, so that they know they HAVE a choice. We cannot conscionable let our fellow humans suffer and look the other way....

I never said I wouldn't flee. I was saying I feel that, if given the choice, many Japanese people would not voluntarily leave their homes, just as many right now are not voluntarily leaving their homes in Fukushima prefecture, even with high radiation levels.