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Tokyo anti nuclear rally by 170,000

Thousands reject nuclear,http://www.theage.com.au/world/thousands-reject-nuclear-20120716-226gd.html#ixzz20xx3KSqt   The Age, July 17, 2012,   TOKYO. Tens of thousands of people have rallied in Tokyo demanding an end to nuclear power, the latest in a series of demonstrations following the disaster at Fukushima. As many as 170,000 demonstrators chanting ”Don’t resume nuclear power operation. Prime Minister (Yoshihiko) Noda should quit” marched in one of the biggest rallies since last year’s earthquake and tsunami disaster sparked one of the world’s worst atomic disasters. Participants included Nobel-winning author Kenzaburo Oe and Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.

”We are so angry because no progress has been made in terms of compensation and decontamination,” said Noboru Shikatani, 71, who was evacuated from Fukushima following the disaster.

picture from http://www.facebook.com/internetocracy

July 17, 2012 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Police arrest cricket players at Australian peaceful anti uranium protest

Lizards Revenge – Arrests are just not cricket , 17 July, A light-hearted game of cricket near Roxby Downs was disrupted today at 1:15pm as police moved in to arrest the players, who are camping near the Olympic Dam uranium mine as part of the Lizards Revenge protest festival.

Police and off-duty miners were invited to join the game, but cricketers were instead bowled over by the severity of the police response. About 50 officers, six on horseback, formed a line to push the group from the road and the oval. Musical equipment and props were confiscated, and five players were arrested in the ensuing scuffle – bringing the total number of arrests so far to eleven.

Both sport and opposition to the nuclear industry are proud Australian traditions. BHP, the once “big Australian”, is now 76% foreign-owned. After the resource has been extracted from Olympic Dam, Australia will be left with 40 square kilometres of toxic tailings whilst most of the profits have gone overseas.

One player explained: “We say uranium mining is just not cricket. BHP Billiton, give the Arabunna people, the Kokatha people and all the Australian people a fair go.”

July 17, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Japan’s ruling party risks election defeat, due to anti nuclear feeling

Nuclear issue puts increasing pressure on Japan government  By Linda Sieg TOKYO Jul 17, 2012  (Reuters) – Japan’s government came under fire on Tuesday over its handling of public hearings on nuclear energy policy, threatening to dent already sagging support for the ruling party ahead of an election many expect to be this year.

The latest furor follows Monday’s massive rally in Tokyo against nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, an issue now so contentious that lawmakers and analysts say it could trump taxes as the focus of lower house elections, which must be held by September 2013 but could come sooner. Continue reading →

July 17, 2012 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Secrecy and safety issues at troubled Kudankulam nuclear power plant

An atom of doubt at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant Reuters, By Gokul Chandrasekar JULY 17, 2012   KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT  SAFETY ISSUES Opponents of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, under construction in Tamil Nadu, are raising fresh questions about the plant’s safety because of Indian government documents that they say reveal a problem in the design of one of the two reactors.

The reactor’s design differs from the plan that Russia and India came up with when they agreed to build the reactor in 1988, according to the documents published by India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.

The design of the reactor pressure vessel, which contains the reactor coolant and core, was not supposed to have welds in its core region, the bulletin said. The vessel has two welds there, it said.

People who live near the Kudankulam plant and the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy called this deviation a “serious breach of contract” that exposes the plant to high failure risk and a higher possibility of offsite radiological contamination. Continue reading →

July 17, 2012 Posted by | India, safety | Leave a comment

Japan’s Shika nuclear power plant on top of an active earthquake fault?

 Shika nuclear plant may sit on active fault Confirmation could doom facility; others probed Japan Times, 17 July 12 Kyodo Government research indicates the fault running beneath Hokuriku Electric Power Co.’s Shika Nuclear Power Station may be active, raising questions  about the utility’s claim in the late 1990s to the contrary, according to sources.

Government regulations do not allow construction of a nuclear reactor above an active fault. If it is confirmed active, the Shika nuclear plant in Ishikawa Prefecture may not qualify to operate. Continue reading →

July 17, 2012 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment