Japan Press Weekly

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2012 June 6 - 12 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Nuclear accident is worst form of pollution

On June 5, the World Environment Day, 1,800 pollution victims and their supporters carried out an annual all-day action in central Tokyo, including making representations to ministries and corporations, and holding a rally and a demonstration.

The action consisted of groups of patients of the water pollution-induced Minamata-disease, victims of air pollution in metropolitan areas, victims of noise pollution from U.S. bases, and fishermen affected by the government reclamation project in Kyushu. Many Fukushima residents also took part in the action.

Marching in demonstration through the government office district of Kasumigaseki to the Diet building, participants chanted, “The nuclear accident is the most dangerous and worst form of pollution! Stop depending on nuclear power generation!”

A man who has been evacuated from his hometown, Fukushima’s Futaba Town, to Iwaki City in the prefecture, said, “I stand here because if we take no action, the state will never change. The nuclear accident scattered my town to the four winds. We don’t need nuclear power plants.”

In a meeting with Environment Minister Hosono Goshi, a farmer from Fukushima said, “How can the government talk about reactivation of idled nuclear reactors? Does the government think the Fukushima accident as someone else’s accident? Return radioactively-contaminated soil and the environment to original conditions!”

The minister in his reply said that radiation contamination due to the nuclear accident “caused the worst damage to the environment in Japanese history, and is the worst form of pollution.” He also stated, “I promise that the ministry will do what we can.”

Later on the same day, the participants assembled at the Hibiya Public Hall to share their experiences and views regarding their struggles seeking compensation from the state and companies for damages caused by various forms of pollution.

A delegate of a group which works to achieve full compensation for the damage from the nuclear accident reported that so far, 1,600 nuclear accident sufferers have joined the group. He expressed his determination to take further actions including the legal battle to prevent nuclear accidents from happening again.