ガーディアンの「原発サムライ」という言葉が何に由来するのかははっきりしない。しかし、主流メディアについていえば、NYTやBBCで取り上げられた”
Fukushima ５０”なのであろう。
3月15日の記事 Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers などがそれだ。
この記事を全部とりあげることができないが、ちょっと気になるのは次の部分だ。
Tokyo Electric Power, the plant’s operator, has said almost nothing at all about the workers, including how long a worker is expected to endure exposure.
The few details Tokyo Electric has made available paint a dire picture. Five workers have died since the quake and 22 more have been injured for various reasons, while two are missing. One worker was hospitalized after suddenly grasping his chest and finding himself unable to stand, and another needed treatment after receiving a blast of radiation near a damaged reactor. Eleven workers were injured in a hydrogen explosion at reactor No. 3.
Nuclear reactor operators say that their profession is typified by the same kind of esprit de corps found among firefighters and elite military units. Lunchroom conversations at reactors frequently turn to what operators would do in a severe emergency.
The consensus is always that they would warn their families to flee before staying at their posts to the end, said Michael Friedlander, a former senior operator at three American power plants for a total of 13 years.
“You’re certainly worried about the health and safety of your family, but you have an obligation to stay at the facility,” he said. “There is a sense of loyalty and camaraderie when you’ve trained with guys, you’ve done shifts with them for years.”
要約等はしないが、このあたりがイギリス・ガーディアン紙で「サムライ」と評されたのであろうと推察する。
