nuclear-news

Japan’s anti nuclear movement moves to the mainstream

Anti-nuclear movement unites rightists, leftists, The Asahi Shimbun, January 27, 2012 In the early stages of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Cocoro Fujinami posted a message on her blog that brought the little-known singer instant fame.

“How much are we going to coddle the nuclear power industry?” wrote Fujinami, a so-called B-class idol who has also posed as a gravure model and appeared in film.

However, that message also led to scorn. The 15-year-old is one of the new faces of the anti-nuclear movement in Japan, an issue that has blurred the lines between leftists and
rightists.

After Fujinami posted that message on March 23, her blog received more than 3 million hits over three days. She won support from Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son and other well-known figures and became a regular invitee to anti-nuclear demonstrations.

Before performing popular school song “Furusato” (Hometown), Fujinami
often states to the crowd: “I love Japan. I sing with the hope that
the people of Fukushima will be able to return to their normal lives
as soon as possible and that Japan quickly abandons nuclear
energy.”….
ome of the participants called themselves a “modern ‘ee ja nai ka'”
movement, referring to the carnival-like religious celebrations held
across Japan in 1867 and 1868 that were not linked to any political
agenda.

Until March 11 last year, Japan’s anti-nuclear movement was organized
by political parties and groups as well as people who clearly shared a
common ideology. This placed high barriers for a spontaneous
demonstration.

However, concerns about radioactive contamination have removed those
barriers, and anti-nuclear gatherings and protests are still taking
place around Japan…
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201201270001

January 29, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general