Greenpeace statement on anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear accident

Greenpeace Japan released the following statement on the 11th anniversary
of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Station accident. Sam Annesley, Executive Director of Greenpeace Japan:
“11 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Station that caused incredible damage. We offer our
deepest condolences to those who tragically lost their lives and our
sincere respect to those who, despite their deep sorrow, have persevered to
this day.

The example of the disaster-affected areas, which have continued
moving towards recovery over the past 11 years despite the unprecedented
crises of a major earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident, has given us
great hope.

However, as the memories of the disaster and accident fade, we
are now faced with a serious problem that we must confront. There are still
59 nuclear reactors in Japan including those that are permanently shutdown.
As of the end of February 2022,10 of them have restarted operations.
Recently, the Japanese government and electric power companies are actively
promoting the notion that nuclear power plants are low carbon, and that
they will be one of the key solutions to decarbonization.

However, nuclearpower generation should never be a solution for decarbonization and climate
change. While nuclear power plants can generate tremendous amounts of
electricity, they also carry unfathomable risks. Such risks are not only
limited to natural disasters and humanitarian crises such as Fukushima, but
could also significantly escalate danger during conflicts, such as in the
case of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant situation in Ukraine earlier
this month.

 Greenpeace 11th March 2022

https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/52633/fukushima-continued-nuclear-power-is-not-a-climate-crisis-solution/

March 12, 2022 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized