Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2013 March 6 - 12 TOP3 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Anti-nuclear power actions commemorating Fukushima accident held nationwide

On March 10, prior to the 2nd anniversary of the 3.11 disaster-resultant nuclear accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, a day of action calling for an end to nuclear power generation took place in various locations across Japan, including Tokyo.

In central Tokyo, 40,000 people took part in rallies and marched in demonstration to the Diet building.

In a rally held at the Hibiya Amphitheater, a senior high school student from Fukushima appeared on the stage and said, “I want the end of nuclear power plants which easily destroy people’s peaceful and ordinary lives.”

A junior high school boy who learned about the rally through the Internet said, “Although the government claims that nuclear power plants are safe, I can’t believe it. We have to prevent a repeat of similar accidents like what happened at Fukushima.”

Braving the heavy snow, 400 citizens of Hokkaido’s Hakodate City held a rally to oppose the construction of a nuclear power plant in Aomori’s Oma City located across the channel from the city.

A representative of the rally’s organizing committee said, “I can’t understand why the central government approved the resumption of the construction work of the Oma nuclear station last year. Let’s spread our movement in order to stop the Oma plant construction and the reactivation of all idled nuclear reactors in Japan.”

In Ehime Prefecture, which hosts the Ikata nuclear power plant the state plans to reactivate, 400 people rallied in a park in Matsuyama City to protest against the state’s reactivation plan. After the rally, protestors marched in demonstration through the city’s downtown area, calling out, “Do not reactivate the Ikata station! Governor, don’t approve the reactivation!”

An Ehime University student in the rally said, “It’s really unacceptable for the national government to give a green light to restart the Ikata plant even though there are many Fukushima evacuees here who can’t go home even if they want to.”

At a park in Osaka City, 11,000 people took part in a rally. A 59-year-old woman with her grandchild said, “Recovery from the disaster shows little progress. Nevertheless, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party declares that it will bring all reactors back on line. I strongly oppose this move.”