June 28, 2012
Akahata editorial (excerpts)
People are engaging in demonstrations every Friday evening in front of the Prime Minister’s Office. Learning of the action from Twitter messages, many people, including workers on their way home, mothers with their children, and many youth, converge on the scene and chant, “Stop Oi restart!”, “Eliminate nuclear power plants!”
The action began with a few hundred protesters in March. Following Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko’s decision to reactivate two nuclear reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Oi Nuclear Power Plant (Oi City, Fukui Pref.) at the beginning of this month, the number of participants in the demonstration grew and reached 45,000 on June 22. Two days later, in response to a Twitter message, people assembled to march in demonstration through Funabashi City in Chiba Prefecture, home to Noda’s constituency.
Inspired by the “Jasmine Revolution” in Tunisia, many protestors have started to call these actions the “Hydrangea Revolution.” June is the hydrangea season in Japan.
Asked for comment on these demonstrations during Diet deliberations, Prime Minister Noda said, “I know that protesters hold demonstrations near my office every Friday. I can hear their chants.” He, however, gave the green light to fire up the No. 3 and No. 4 units of the Oi plant. Moreover, regarding this as just a first step, he intends to bring all the other offline reactors back online as quickly as possible. This apparently shows that the prime minister has no intention to listen to public demands.
The cause and extent of the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima NPP has yet to be revealed. Nonetheless, the government is rushing to resume the operations of offline nuclear reactors before completing the investigation of the Fukushima accident and the planning for proper evacuation procedures. It is obvious that the government does not care about the fears expressed by not only Oi citizens but also the people in the rest of the country.
If Prime Minister Noda is willing to listen to the demands being expressed by the people participating in the demonstrations which have developed into the “Hydrangea Revolution,” he should rethink his reckless plan to restart NPPs.
People are engaging in demonstrations every Friday evening in front of the Prime Minister’s Office. Learning of the action from Twitter messages, many people, including workers on their way home, mothers with their children, and many youth, converge on the scene and chant, “Stop Oi restart!”, “Eliminate nuclear power plants!”
The action began with a few hundred protesters in March. Following Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko’s decision to reactivate two nuclear reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Oi Nuclear Power Plant (Oi City, Fukui Pref.) at the beginning of this month, the number of participants in the demonstration grew and reached 45,000 on June 22. Two days later, in response to a Twitter message, people assembled to march in demonstration through Funabashi City in Chiba Prefecture, home to Noda’s constituency.
Inspired by the “Jasmine Revolution” in Tunisia, many protestors have started to call these actions the “Hydrangea Revolution.” June is the hydrangea season in Japan.
Asked for comment on these demonstrations during Diet deliberations, Prime Minister Noda said, “I know that protesters hold demonstrations near my office every Friday. I can hear their chants.” He, however, gave the green light to fire up the No. 3 and No. 4 units of the Oi plant. Moreover, regarding this as just a first step, he intends to bring all the other offline reactors back online as quickly as possible. This apparently shows that the prime minister has no intention to listen to public demands.
The cause and extent of the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima NPP has yet to be revealed. Nonetheless, the government is rushing to resume the operations of offline nuclear reactors before completing the investigation of the Fukushima accident and the planning for proper evacuation procedures. It is obvious that the government does not care about the fears expressed by not only Oi citizens but also the people in the rest of the country.
If Prime Minister Noda is willing to listen to the demands being expressed by the people participating in the demonstrations which have developed into the “Hydrangea Revolution,” he should rethink his reckless plan to restart NPPs.
