Children in Fukushima attend their first day of elementary school

Carlos Barria / Reuters

Children attend a ceremony on their first day of school at Shimizu elementary school in Fukushima, northern Japan on April 6. Over 70 schools began their regular classes on Wednesday in the city of Fukushima, after the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country on March 11.

Carlos Barria / Reuters

A girl walks with her mother after her first day of school at the Shimizu elementary school in Fukushima on April 6.

Carlos Barria / Reuters

Children sit inside a classroom on their first day of school at Shimizu elementary school in Fukushima on April 6.

As Alan Boyle reports on Cosmic Log, the Fukushima nuclear disaster's long-term impact on Japan is expected to be considerable. I find myself wondering how these children's lives will be affected as they go through their school careers.

Discuss this post

Great post....All the Japanese kids are looking so innocent...Thanks for these awesome captures....

    Reply#1 - Wed Apr 6, 2011 7:05 AM EDT

    At first I thought this photo of these young japanese children was so cute...but after living there...I worry about the japanese, thier history, thier pride...thier racism...and thier future !I don't see red, brown or yellow hair...I don't see different colored skin or eyes in this classroom...they have just got to open up thier society/borders/country...otherwise they will face extinction at the prevailing birth rates. They will have nobody to blame but themselves...

    So take a picture...100 years from now it may all be thats left.

      Reply#2 - Wed Apr 6, 2011 1:30 PM EDT

      cancer from the water you drink
      cancer from the air you breathe
      cancer from the food you eat
      Multinational Corporations
      corrupt controlled media
      corrupt controlled FDA
      corrupt controlled EPA

      Internal Emitters...

      • 1 vote
      Reply#3 - Wed Apr 6, 2011 2:52 PM EDT
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