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Japan’s “anti hate speech” rule could be used to target anti-nuclear protesters

Abe NUCLEAR FASCISMAnti-nuclear protesters fear that restrictions on hate speech will also target them August 31, 2014 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN As anti-nuclear demonstrators rallied in front of the Diet building on Aug. 30, many were troubled by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s discussions on restricting hate speech, fearing that a clampdown could also be used to silence their dissent.

“We do not interrupt traffic. We do not break through the cordon of police, either. Our demonstrations are different from just generating noise or making hate speeches. The government should hear the voices of the public,” said Tsuyoshi Mizuno, 67, a taxi driver from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture.

Mizuno has participated in the weekly anti-nuclear demonstrations around the Diet building and the nearby prime minister’s office since the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The protesters’ concerns apparently stemmed from the discussions held by a project team of the LDP on Aug. 28, which met for the first time.

The team was set up in response to a request from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to consider possible measures to restrict hate speech, prompted byrecent demonstrations in Tokyo and Osaka and across the country where racial invectives were made against ethnic Koreans living in Japan……….http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201408310014

September 1, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)’s “final rule” for waste storage – not a solution

NRC Final Rule: Nothing More Than a Patch for a Broken System, The Daily Signal,  Jack Spencer / Katie Tubb / August 29, 2014 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted to finalize its “continued storage” rule, establishing a general recognition that onsite storage of spent nuclear fuel is safe for the short, long, and indefinite terms.

In the short term, the NRC’s decision recognizes that spent fuel at reactors can be safely stored on site until a geologic repository is available. This allows the nuclear industry to move forward with licensing activities, which had been postponed due to a 2012 court decision requiring the NRC to perform a more thorough environmental assessment of nuclear waste storage beyond the licensed lifespan of the reactors. Thirteen existing power plants and two fuel storage facilities will now be able to renew licenses to operate, and another 15 new reactors can move forward to obtain final licensing approvals.

But in the long term, the NRC’s decision is little more than a temporary patch for a broken system and removes any incentive to fix the real problem. The nation ultimately needs a viable nuclear waste management system, and any solution begins with geologic storage.

Over 35 years ago, the courts required the NRC to provide “reasonable assurances”—or a Waste Confidence Determination—that offsite storage would be available for reactors when their licenses expired or that nuclear waste could be safely stored on site until that point. Not long after, Congress charged the Department of Energy with the responsibility to manage nuclear waste from commercial nuclear power plants. And that is where the problem started.

The resulting government monopoly over nuclear waste management has turned scientific and commercial questions about nuclear waste disposal into a political circus. …….

September 1, 2014 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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