Passing Down Big Burdens to Younger Generations

Radiation sampling tests will be conducted on rice before the harvest season. The government says that they will pay compensation money to farmers if they have to dispose the rice which they grew as the result of the tests.

(The following Japanese isn't the exact translation of the English text.)
稲刈りの前に、お米の放射能の量を検査するサンプリングテストが行われることになりました。検査の結果、お米を廃棄処分にしなくてはならない場合は、政府が農家に保証金を支払うと言っています。


I know farmers need compensation money. My in-laws, with whom I live, are farmers and grow rice. Therefore, it is our concern. However, on the other hand, I wonder how the government will be able to pay the money. Our nation is facing multiple difficulties and there are also many other money-consuming problems to be solved.

農家が保証金が必要なのはわかります。私が同居している義理の両親は農家で、お米を作っています。ですから、今回の事は私たちにとってとても気になることです。でも一方で、どうやってお金を支払うのだろうと思ってしまいます。日本はいろいろな問題に直面していて、お金がかかることが他にもたくさんあるからです。


Many people have lost their houses and jobs, due to the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. Therefore, the government has to provide them with temporary housing and support them financially. The vast areas on the coast lines which were affected by tsunami have to be cleaned up. New towns need to be constructed. Salt of rice fields damaged by seawater need to be got rid of. Fishing industry and some other industries need support, too.

3月11日の地震と津波でたくさんの人が家と仕事を失いました。政府は仮設住宅を用意し、経済的にも支援しなくてはなりません。津波で被害を受けた海岸沿いの広大な地域は、きれいに片付けなくてはなりません。また、新しい街を造成しなくてはなりません。塩害の田んぼは塩分を除去する必要があります。漁業や他の産業も支援が必要です。


As for the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, it is still ongoing. Even if they succeed in bringing the situations under control, the reactors will have to be taken care of for more than a decade until they are completely decommissioned. The people who have evacuated from Fukushima need financial help. Medical checkups need to be provided in some places in the prefecture just in case. Decontamination is necessary in some school yards and farming fields. Some vegetables, beef cattle and fish turned out to be contaminated with radiation and they were thrown away. Therefore, compensations must be paid to the farmers and fishermen who were involved in it. The radiation disaster has damaged tourism in whole Japan, too.　　

福島の原子力発電所の事故に関して言えば、いまだに続いています。制御できるようになったとしても、完全に廃炉にするまで、これから10年以上も原子炉を管理していかなければなりません。福島から避難した人たちは経済的な支援が必要です。万が一のことを考えて、健康診断も行わなくてはいけません。学校の校庭や農地で除染が必要な所があります。野菜や肉牛、魚で放射能に汚染されているものがあったので、廃棄処分となりました。農家や漁師の人たちには保証金が支払わなくてはいけません。放射能事故は、日本全体の観光業にも大打撃です。


What is worse, Japanese manufacturing industry has been hit hard, since many parts-making factories were destroyed by the natural disaster. Moreover, firms are supposed to reduce the amount of electric power they consume, because of the electricity shortage. It will affect the productivity. In addition, Japanese currency has been historically strong against US dollars for weeks. It will cause a lot of loss in the exporting industry which is one of the most important industries in Japan and the national revenue will shrink accordingly.

さらに悪いことに、日本の製造業は、今回の天災で部品工場が壊されて、痛手を被っています。その上、節電のために生産能力は落ちています。また、為替市場ではここ何週間も、記録的な対ドル円高が続いており、日本にとってとても大切な輸出産業は大幅な減収となり、これにより国家の歳入も減少することになるでしょう。


Japan has had a huge amount of deficit-covering national bonds for years, but it will issue ones again soon. Tax rate will also be higher. I think we have no choice. I still wonder if all the cost and loss can be covered. However, I can’t help thinking at the same time that we are passing down to young generations big burdens of not only taking care of what the nuclear power plants have caused but also debt.

日本はもう何年の巨額の赤字国債を抱えていますが、もうすぐまた赤字国債を発行することになると思います。税率も上がるでしょう。仕方がないと思います。そうすることになったとしても尚、すべての費用、損失をカバーできるものかどうかよくわかりません。また同時に、これで若い世代に原子力発電所の後始末に加え、多大な借金という重荷まで背負わせることになってしまったと思わないではいられません。