nuclear-news

A new breed of anti nuclear protestors in Japan

Anti-nuclear protests signal new activism in Japan Knox News, MARI YAMAGUCHI – Associated Press     August 26, 2012   TOKYO (AP) — This is Japan’s summer of discontent. Tens of thousands of protesters — the largest demonstrations the country has seen in decades — descend on Tokyo every Friday evening to shout anti-nuclear slogans at the prime minister’s office. Many have never protested publicly before.

The government’s much-criticized handling of the Fukushima nuclear crisis has spawned a new breed of protesters in Japan. Drawn from the ranks of ordinary citizens rather than
activists, they are a manifestation of a broader dissatisfaction with government and could create pressure for change in a political system that has long resisted it.

What started as relatively small protests in April has swollen rapidly since the government decided to restart two of Japan’s nuclear reactors in June, despite lingering safety fears after the meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant triggered by the March 2011 earthquake
and tsunami.

As many as 20,000 people have gathered at the Friday rallies by
unofficial police estimates, and organizers say the turnout has topped
100,000. Officials at the prime minister’s office say their crowd
estimate is “several tens of thousands.” Either way, the two-hour
demonstrations are the largest and most persistent since the 1960s,
when violent student-led protests against a security alliance with the
United States rocked Japan.

The protesters include office workers, families with children, young
couples and retirees.

“No to restart!” they chant in unison without a break. “No nukes!”

Despite the simple message, the anger runs much deeper, analysts say.
“It’s not only about nuclear,” says writer and social critic Karin
Amamiya. “It mirrors core problems in Japanese society, and the way
politics has ignored public opinion.”…..  Many lawmakers have
converted to supporting a nuclear-free future amid speculation that a
struggling Noda will call an election in the coming months and that
nuclear policy will be a key campaign issue.

A new party, established by veteran lawmaker Ichiro Ozawa and about 50
followers who broke away from Noda’s ruling party after opposing the
sales tax hike, has promised to abolish atomic energy within 10 years.
Some lawmakers have launched study groups on phasing out nuclear
power. A group of prefectural, or state-level, legislators has formed
an anti-nuclear green party……
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/aug/26/anti-nuclear-protests-signal-new-activism-in/

August 27, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics