nuclear-news

Changing nature of Japan’s anti nuclear movement

Political Clout of Japan’s Anti-Nuke Movement Tested By YUKA HAYASHI And TOKO SEKIGUCHI, 28 July 12, TOKYO—Two events Sunday will test the political influence of Japan’s growing movement against nuclear power: a regional election featuring one of the country’s most prominent industry critics, and a 1960s-style surround-the-parliament protest aimed at evoking memories of past mass demonstrations.

The organization of regular demonstrations over the past few weeks
with crowds in the tens of thousands has been unusual for Japan in
recent times, and suggests a new level of activism among the general
public. But that hasn’t translated into policy or political power.

The governor’s contest in southwestern Yamaguchi prefecture offers a
window on whether that may be changing.

“People used to say Japan would never have a phenomenon similar to the
Jasmine Revolution in the Middle East or the Occupy Wall Street
movement in the U.S.,” said Heizo Takenaka, director of Keio
University’s Global Security Research Institute and former state
minister. “We have one now,” he adds. “This is going to have a huge
impact.”

Mr. Takenaka has himself criticized the government for moving too
quickly, and opaquely, in restarting nuclear energy. The antinuclear
groups have taken to calling themselves the “Hydrangea Revolution,”
nicknamed for a flower that blooms—like the rallies have—during
Japan’s rainy season of June and July. The hydrangea, made up of lots
of tiny flowers, was also chosen as a symbol of a movement formed by
many individuals, who would be powerless acting alone.

Protest rallies seem to have grown in size every week despite Tokyo’s
hot and wet early summer weather. A demonstration at Yoyogi Park on
July 16 drew the largest crowd since last year’s Fukushima Daiichi
disaster—170,000 people, according to the organizers and 75,000
according to police officials quoted by the Japanese media. The
rallies have been peaceful with many families with children
participating. A police spokesman said he wasn’t aware of any
rally-related arrests this year.

The next large gathering is scheduled for Sunday, where the protesters
plan to form a human chain encircling the parliament building, holding
candles. Until now, their target has been the prime minister’s
residence across the street. This time, the organizers said, they will
head for the “very center of Japanese politics.”
While the antinuclear protests have gotten larger and louder, they
have yet to find a home in Japan’s mainstream political system. Most
in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan have supported restarting
Japan’s nuclear reactors, which have been idled for maintenance and
stress tests after the Fukushima accident. The main opposition party,
the Liberal Democratic Party, which had ruled Japan for a half century
until 2009, was the engine behind the growth of Japan’s nuclear
industry.

A few smaller political parties have long opposed nuclear power. The
Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party are among them, and
they are active participants in the protest marches. And some emerging
forces are trying to take advantage of the antinuclear sentiment,
particularly as prospects grow for imminent general elections. Among
them are a new group led by longtime power broker Ichiro Ozawa, who
recently split away from the DPJ. Another is the party of Toru
Hashimoto, Osaka’s popular mayor with national ambitions……
Some analysts said the antinuclear movement could gain traction if it
blends with other issues, and taps into a broader popular
disaffection.

“What stands out about these rallies is there are so many people in
their 30s and 40s—men without suits and women without children,” said
Eiji Oguma, a professor of policy management at Keio. “They are really
the reflection of the changes that have taken place in the Japanese
society.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443343704577552102304673574.html

July 29, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, opposition to nuclear