nuclear-news

Unsatisfactory meeting of anti nuclear activists with Japan’s PM

Fukushima Watch: Anti-Nuclear Activists Unimpressed by Meeting With PM, August 22, 2012,   http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2012/08/22/fukushima-watch-anti-nuclear-activists-unimpressed-by-meeting-with-prime-minister/  By Eleanor Warnock

After almost five months of protesting outside Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s official residence in downtown Tokyo, anti-nuclear activists finally got inside for an audience with Mr. Noda himself Wednesday.  But following the 30-minute meeting, the activists were
unimpressed. Compared with the boisterous, weekly, Friday-night
protests, Wednesday’s meeting was subdued. The organization read its
demands, which included stopping two nuclear reactors recently brought
back online after regular maintenance, forgoing all future restarts,
committing to a national nuclear-free policy, and recalling a paper
proposing officials for a new nuclear regulatory agency. Until those
demands are met, the protests will continue, the activists threatened.

“Prime minister, you said: ‘Never, never, never give up.’ I want to
say that back to you today,” said one activist who goes by the name
Illcommonz. “Until there is no nuclear power, I will never, never,
never give up. I will not forget that accident.”

A stone-faced Mr. Noda reiterated that his administration was pursuing
a policy to reduce Japan’s reliance on nuclear power, and had already
judged the safety and necessity of the restarts. The association of
anti-nuclear groups — the Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes — had
been requesting a meeting with Mr. Noda since April. That was about
when the coalition began its weekly Friday-night demonstrations to
protest the restart of reactors shut down for regular maintenance
after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant last year.
The coalition says the number of participants at the demonstrations
has grown to 200,000, while police put the number at about 20,000.
Most of Japan’s 50 reactors are still offline, with only two in
Western Japan currently operating.

After meeting the prime minister, activists expressed disappointment.

“I don’t think it resonated,” said Misao Redwolf, one of the
participants. “My impression of Mr. Noda is that he was someone who
didn’t look people in the eye.”

The government will soon decide on a long-term national energy
strategy, choosing from three options under consideration. One has
nuclear energy accounting for 0% of Japan’s total electricity
production by 2030. Another has it at 15%, and a third would keep
Japan’s nuclear energy use at around current levels of 20%-25%. People
in the government familiar with the matter have told The Wall Street
Journal it is leaning toward the zero-nuclear option.

Mr. Noda said he would take the protesters’ opinions into account, as
well as other opinions from the public, when deciding which path to
follow.

For the time being, however, it looks like the protesters will be back
outside Mr. Noda’s door again on Friday.

August 23, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general