THE Anglican Church in Japan has pledged to undertake its own research into the extent of the nuclear fallout after the 2011 tsunami and the resulting Fukushima power- plant disaster ( News, 25 March 2011).

Launching the second phase of its response to the disaster, the Church - Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK) - pledged to build on its humanitarian work so far, but also to speak out about the impact of the disaster.

A Japanese national working at the Anglican Communion Office, Yoshimi Gregory, said: "Those with a financial interest in keeping Japan nuclear-powered rarely reveal the full facts about the impact of radioactive fallout.

"This is why the Anglican Church in Japan has decided it is going to undertake its own research into the impact of the nuclear fallout, and make that information publicly available. This will include the stories of those living with the legacy of the Fukushima nuclear disaster."

One example of this is church-run kindergartens in supposedly safe areas, which have to be cleaned of radioactive material each day before children can enter. Children cannot play outside because of the contaminated soil.

The director of the responsse project, Kay Ikezumi, said that the NSKK project would help families to travel to camps away from radiation-contaminated areas, giving them a break from living with nuclear contamination. The NSKK would also continue to provide other humanitarian programmes for the thousands still living in temporary accommodation since the disaster.

The NSKK last year called on the country to abandon nuclear power and invest in alternative energy resources ( News, 6 July 2012).