Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2011 September 21 - 27 [US FORCES]

Rally for a nuclear-free Yokosuka

A rally for a nuclear-free Yokosuka port took place in Kanagawa’s Yokosuka City on September 25 marking the third anniversary of the deployment of the USS nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington at the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base.

More than 4,500 residents protested the presence of the USS GW which carries two reactors capable of producing about the same output as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Inoue Satoshi spoke as a guest, pointing out, “Tolerating the USS GW anchoring at Yokosuka Port for more than 150 days a year is equivalent to hosting a nuclear power station.”

Inoue warned of the possibility that the USS GW will be stranded by a tsunami undertow and ground uplift of the seabed if a major earthquake occurs. He called on the participants to strengthen public opinion to demand a Yokosuka without nuclear warships.

On behalf of the rally organizer, Odagawa Yoshikazu of the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) said, “The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is threatening the lives of over 30 million people living in the Tokyo metropolitan area, including Kanagawa.”

Participating in the rally with her 5-year-old daughter, Ishiwatari Nami said, “Despite being in a quake-prone area, Yokosuka allows a nuclear facility in its port. I always talk with other parents about how we might evacuate in case of a nuclear accident.”

Takazono Kaoru, mother of a 6-year-old boy, said, “Until the outbreak of the nuclear accident in Fukushima, I wasn’t concerned about the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Yokosuka Port. I now realize that my city, Yokosuka, hosts two reactors. I don’t want to live in terror. I want the nuclear carrier to be sent back to the United States right now.”