nuclear-news

6.5 million petition against restarting Japan’s nuclear reactors

On Friday, Japan’s Nobel literature prize laureate Kenzaburo Oe visited the prime minister’s office and handed the signatures of 6.5 million opposed to the continued use of nuclear reactors.

Japan orders nuclear restart amid protests, Business Recorder, 16 JUNE 2012 TOKYO: Japan ordered nuclear reactors back online on Saturday, defying public sentiment against atomic power following last year’s meltdowns at Fukushima sparked by a huge quake-tsunami disaster.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Saturday received approval for the
restarts from Issei Nishikawa, the pro-nuclear power governor of
central Fukui prefecture, which hosts the plant.

The premier then met three ministers the minister of economy, trade
and industry, the minister in charge of the nuclear accident and the
chief cabinet secretary.

“Now that we have the approval from the autonomous body where the
reactors are relocated, the four ministers including Noda concerned
made the decision to restart the reactors,” Noda told the meeting on
camera.

Nishikawa told the prime minister he was happy with the restarts after
he received safety assurances on Friday from the operator……
About 500 hundred people rallied outside Noda’s official residence in
central Tokyo to protest against his approach to nuclear power
generation despite the on-going nuclear accident.

“Don’t activate dangerous nuclear reactors any more,” their banners
read. But Noda, seeking to head off a summer energy crunch, told
Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) to re-fire two idled reactors at its Oi
plant serving the industrial heartland of western Japan.

According to an opinion poll conducted by public broadcaster NHK and
released on Monday, 25 percent of 1,079 respondents supported the
restart of the Oi reactors while 32 percent opposed it and 38 percent
had no opinion……. On Friday, Japan’s Nobel literature prize
laureate Kenzaburo Oe visited the prime minister’s office and handed
the signatures of 6.5 million opposed to the continued use of nuclear
reactors. http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/1-front-top-news/62531-japan-orders-nuclear-restart-amid-protests.html

June 20, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics