Most Japanese Worried About Radiation Poisoning, Poll Shows

Fifty-nine percent of Japanese adults worry that they or a family member have been contaminated by radiation from a nuclear reactor meltdown triggered by a March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, a survey found.

The Pew Research Center, based in Washington D.C., surveyed 700 Japanese adults between April 8 and April 27 about their concerns about the economy, health, and nuclear safety. None favored increasing Japan’s reliance on nuclear energy, 46 percent favored maintaining it and 44 said nuclear power should play a smaller role, according to the report, posted today on Pew’s website.