The Draw to Return Home Persists
Yet still, the draw to return home persists. Since then, there have been several attempts to resettle Bikini Island. Several times, officials reassured them that that it was safe to go back, but each time they would later determine that food sources were still too contaminated, and called for subsequent evacuations.
After years of mistreatment and displacement, the islanders fought for compensation for what they had endured without their informed consent. The US finally provided $150 million for the damage caused by their nuclear testing program, but no amount of money can repay them for their lost way of life and a homeland that has become uninhabitable.
While we can somewhat admire the tenacity of the Chernobyl babushkas and Mr. Matsumura’s compassion for animals in the wake of Fukushima’s nuclear cataclysm, they are taking ridiculous risks just to cling to their innate sense of home. As for the Bikini Island victims, the fallout continues any hopes of ever returning home have essentially vaporized.