Historical Marker - Lucky Dragon 5 (with translation)
Rough translation:
On March 1 1954, the Lucky Dragon 5 (Dai-go Fukuryuu Maru 第五福龍丸), a 2-ton fishing boat, was irradiated while in waters near Bikini Atoll, where the US was conducting H-bomb tests. on March 16th, it arrived in Tsukiji Market. Tests were carried out by the National and Tokyo governments, and the contaminated fish (shark and tuna) were buried in a corner of the market before reaching consumers.
Nationwide, over 460 tons of contaminated fish from over 850 fishing boats were found, causing a panic throughout Japan and a sharp drop in fish consumption. Auctions had to be suspended, and the fishermen and others in the industry were hit hard.
In the hope that this kind of nuclear damage does not happen again, together with the help of children from around the country who each donated 10 yen, this plate was made.
Tuna Burial Mound Society
1993, March 1
Located just outside the Tsukiji Fish Market
Additional info:
The Lucky Dragon 5 was fishing outside the zone that had been declared off limits for the Castle Bravo H-bomb tests. The blast, however, was over twice as large as expected, and an unexpected wind shift put the boat directly in the fallout zone, where it was covered in radioactive ash. The crew members all returned to port suffering burns and radiation sickness, and the radio operator, Aikichi Kuboyama, died several months later of his injuries.
Lewis Strauss, head of the US Atomic Energy Commission, claimed that the crew's injuries were not caused by radiation and that they were in no danger. He also fed President Eisenhower's Press Secretary a story that they were spies employed by Russia deliberately sailing within the exclusion zone in an attempt to embarrass the US. Despite the assurance of safety, the US government immediately placed strict import restrictions on Japanese fish, and dispatched doctors and scientists to observe the effects of fallout-induced illness.