Japan Press Weekly

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2012 November 7 - 13 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Nationwide actions call for ‘zero nuclear power’

Citizens stood up on November 11 across Japan to seek a “zero nuclear” society. A variety of actions took place in 46 prefectures other than Okinawa out of 47 in the country.

In Tokyo, about 100,000 people took part in an action hosted by the Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes (MCAN) and assembled in the government office district of Kasumigaseki in the rain.

At a rally in front of the main gate of the Diet building, MCAN’s representative Misao Redwolf called on the demonstrators, “The fact that such a lot of people gathered despite the rain is showing our iron will to demand breaking away from nuclear power. Let’s continue to raise our demand all over the nation.”

Former president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations Utsunomiya Kenji said, “To send out an ‘anti-nuclear power’ message from the capital, I made up my mind to run in the Tokyo gubernatorial election. We must prevent another nuclear accident from occurring. I want to work with you to create a people-friendly society not depending on nuclear power.”

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo accused the Noda Administration of restarting the Oi nuclear power plant against public opinion using the threat of “power shortages” this past summer. The chair stated, “It has been shown that the power supply was sufficient without the plant even in the height of summer. The government argues that the development of natural energy costs too much. After the Fukushima accident, however, we learned how costly nuclear power generation really is.”

At another gathering in front of the head office of Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the crippled Fukushima plant, a man from Fukushima City spoke using a microphone. He said, “I’m going to have my first child on New Year’s Eve. I’m happy, of course, but I cannot be pleased from the bottom of my heart. Now I’m wondering to myself whether it is safe to raise my child in Fukushima.”

On this day, in Fukui Prefecture hosting the Oi NPP, local people took part in various actions such as rallies, demonstrations, and live music performances. In Oma Town, Aomori Prefecture, about 400 residents participated in a protest rally against restarting the construction of a nuclear power plant.