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Break with Nuclear Power
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5,000 call for decommissioning of Hamaoka NPP


July 24,2011
About 5,000 residents on July 23 took part in a rally in Shizuoka City, calling for the decommissioning of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Omaezaki City, about 45km from the prefectural capital city of Shizuoka.

After the rally, they marched in demonstration in three groups through Shizuoka City, chanting in chorus, “No! No! Hamaoka, No!”

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo as a guest speaker stated that the Hamaoka NPP should be shut down while pointing out that the plant is located right above the focal zone of an inevitable massive earthquake referred to as the Tokai Earthquake, a quake with a magnitude of more than 8.4 that is expected to come at any time in this region, and that the plant is a supergiant with the largest power output of all plants in Japan.

The rally adopted a statement seeking a permanent halt to the Hamaoka NPP. The statement claims that more than 2.1 million people live within a 50km zone from the Hamaoka plant and that an accident at the Hamaoka plant could inflict immeasurable damage on them.

Kosai City Mayor Mikami Hajime participated in the rally as a guest speaker and Yaizu City Mayor Shimizu Hiroshi offered a message of support to the rally. Gotemba City Mayor Wakabayashi Yohei, Susono City Mayor Ohashi Shunji, Izu City Assembly Chairman Sugiyama Takeo, and Gotemba City Assembly Chairman Katsumata Shimao gave their support to the rally.

* * *

JCP Chair Shii after the rally met with representatives of various groups at a Shizuoka hotel.

The meeting lasted for almost two hours with exchanges of opinions and views on various topics such as the necessity of broader cooperation for the single purpose of saying, “No, Hamaoka plant”, the emerging change in attitudes of young people concerning anti-nuke movements, risks of radiation exposure and need for healthcare support, and possible compensation for damage to the local tourism industry.



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