Japan’s earthquakes shook the world. No they clearly didn’t SHAKE the earth but the effects from the country’s distress have been quite dramatic, especially to the automotive industry. Japanese automakers almost all were forced to shut down production after the quake, tsunami, and then the radioactive issues at the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown. Facilities continued their unfortunate delays and once rebounded, automakers salvaged what they could and picked up where they left off. However, everything in the area was now radioactive and materials needed to be cleaned off. Unfortunately, it’s come about now that things aren’t all rosepetals like they’ve once been thought to be.

New cars from Japan are one thing; they’re new and fresh. But it’s come to the surface that since the quake, Japan has been exporting used vehicles to other countries that are still testing positive for radioactivity at unsafe levels (legal radiation limit is .3 microsieverts per hour). Japan now has radiation testers located at it’s docks that test vehicles but they’ve still let through almost a thousand vehicles. There was even a van found originally registered within the 18-mile danger-zone with radioactive levels of 110 microsieverts —-that’s 300 times the legal limit! What’s sad is that this van was sold by a dealer knowing where it had come from.

With stories like this and others telling the tale of unsafe radioactive levels found in [deemed] suitable neighborhoods in Japan, it makes me wonder how long it will take for them to get back on their feet. The government already told a portion of the population that they could return home and continue life only to find later most of these areas contain high levels of radioactivity and they aren’t safe after all. The coastal areas of Japan also have tested positive for high levels, deeming them unsafe still. I really really hope there’s still hope for Japan; I have yet to visit!