October 31, 2011

On October 30, 10,000 people marched in demonstration through Fukushima City, shouting, “No nuclear power plants! Completely clean up radiation contaminated sites! Full compensation is a must!”

Earlier on the day, marchers attended a rally held under the slogan, “Restore Fukushima to a place in which people can live without anxiety.”

The rally was the largest in Fukushima Prefecture since the nuclear accident occurred in March. Participants of the rally included those who have been forced to take shelter in temporary housing in Fukushima or to relocate to outside the prefecture.

Along with the organizers of the rally, the heads of Fukushima’s Iitate Village and Namie Town, and Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo delivered speeches of support.

On behalf of 12 rally organizers, Hayakawa Tokuo, a Buddhist priest, said, “I’m one of 200,000 Fukushima residents being forced to evacuate due to the nuclear accident. The majority of Fukushima residents wish to protect children from exposure to radiation, have Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) fully compensate for damages, and shut down all NPPs. We need to use our collective wisdom and work together until all NPPs across the country are shut down.”

Namie Town Mayor Baba Tamotsu said, “7,000 out of 21,000 Namie residents had to go outside Fukushima for safety. TEPCO is responsible for this. However, the central government, which has promoted nuclear power generation as national policy, is also to blame.”

The JCP chair said, “Let’s have those sticking to pro-nuclear power policy cornered by spreading public opinion and people’s movement! We will work together to get back Fukushima as a place to live safely and to create Japan without NPPs.”

A male barber, who was evacuated to a temporary house in Nihonmatsu City from Namie Town, said, “The nuclear accident deprived me of both my house and job. I can’t stand either TEPCO or the state.”