information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
1 Juillet 2012
June 30, 2012
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201206300021
Thousands rallied outside the prime minister’s office in Tokyo’s Nagatacho district to protest the government's decision to restart two reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.
The No. 3 and No. 4 reactors, operated by Kansai Electric Power Co., had been shut down for regular maintenance inspections. The No. 3 reactor is due to go back online on July 1.
Similar protest rallies were held across the country, including Osaka, which is served by Kansai Electric.
Many people joined the rally in Tokyo on June 29 in response to calls on Twitter. Holding banners and placards, the crowd filled the sidewalk on the way to the prime minister’s office.
Organizers said the crowd numbered 150,000 to 180,000, but Tokyo police estimated it at 17,000 strong.
“Make an honorable withdrawal from nuclear power generation,” one protester shouted.
“Listen to the people’s voices,” said another.
Protesters, shouting until they were hoarse, called on the government to unequivocally abandon nuclear power generation.
Protests outside the prime minister’s office have been a weekly occurrence since March. That event initially attracted only 300 or so people.
The number of people attending the rallies, held mainly on Fridays, has grown over time as a result of calls on Twitter and other social networking sites.
According to organizers, about 45,000 people attended the June 22 rally. The latest rally far outnumbered that figure, they said.
Chants of “Saikado hantai!” (We oppose the restart of the reactors) filled the street from 6 p.m.
People from all walks of life--homemakers with children, middle aged businessmen and the elderly--came over to join the demonstration until the crowd was spilling out onto the street.
A 36-year-old woman from Tokyo’s Adachi Ward, who came with her two sons, aged 7 and 3, said it was the first time she had attended the weekly rally.
“The government never cares about our lives,” she said. “I have been a silent observer so far, but I cannot stand aside any longer.”
In Osaka, an estimated 2,200 protesters gathered in front of Kansai Electric’s head office in Kita Ward, according to organizers.
Citizens’ rallies against the reactor restarts were also held in Nagoya, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and elsewhere.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda seemed to be taken aback by the noisy chanting as he left his office for the nearby official residence around 7 p.m.
At one point, he turned his head in the direction of the chanting, telling a police officer who was guarding him, “It is such a huge sound.”
Noda then continued on without pausing.
(This article was written by Takuya Sumikawa and Akiko Tada.)
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
Thousands of people rally in front of Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on June 29 to protest the July 1 restart of the Oi Nuclear Power Plant. (Mainichi)
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120630p2a00m0na015000c.html
Thousands of people rallied outside the Prime Minister's Office on June 29 against the impending restart of the Oi nuclear plant.
Despite the size of the gathering, however, the crowd was peaceful and orderly, with protesters including parents with their children chanting, "No to nuke plant restarts."
The administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has approved the restart of two reactors at the Oi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture operated by Kansai Electric Power Co., and they are set to go back online on July 1.
As crowds began gathering from around 4 p.m., one could see a great variety of protesters -- some came with placards reading, "Absolutely no restart," while others simply came with their families. There were elderly protesters and others in business suits who had come straight from their offices.
"I've never joined a demonstration before, but I can no longer be indifferent," said Hideyuki Tanaka, 38, a resident of Saitama Prefecture, who joined the rally on his way home from work. "(The protest) didn't seem to be of a political character, so I wasn't reluctant to join in."
Satomi Nakata, 44, a resident of Shizuoka Prefecture taking part in a protest for the first time, joined the rally with her three children aged 6 to 15. "I learned on the Internet that the protest would be peaceful, so I came with my kids," she said. "All protesters here are simply trying to say that they want a normal life and that they want to protect their children. I share the exact same feelings."
The demonstration, organized by the civic antinuclear group Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes via major social networking websites, was the latest in a series of protests held near the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo's Nagatacho district over the past few months. The first demonstration, held prior to the government's initial April 3 debate on the restart of the Oi plant, drew only about 300 people. The number of demonstrators, however, has increased drastically, with organizers announcing more than 10,000 people had joined a protest on June 15 -- the day before the government announced its final decision on the restart of the Oi nuclear plant.
Organizers' estimates put the June 29 rally at some 200,000 people, though police placed the figure at closer to 17,000.
One organizer going by the name Misao Redwolf said the coalition has worked hard to disassociate the rally from the violent image many associate with public protests, and mount the kind of demonstration that anyone can feel comfortable attending.
At around 6 p.m. the rally began heating up with constant chants of, "No to nuke plant restarts." An hour later, the crowd had swelled significantly, bursting onto the road in front of the Prime Minister's Office. Police cars flooded the area as well, and the demonstration -- initially planned to run until 8 p.m. -- wrapped up 15 minutes early.
"An accident here will not stop the nuclear plant," Redwolf said through a microphone, urging protesters to calmly return to their homes.
Shortly before 7 p.m., Prime Minister Noda returned to his official residence next to his office. He was quoted by sources as telling his bodyguard that "it's quite loud," referring to the demonstrators' shouts, clearly audible even inside the residence.
Meanwhile, another rally opposing the reactivation of the Oi plant was held in Osaka's Kita Ward in front of Kansai Electric's headquarters on the same day. According to organizers, about 2,200 people joined the demonstration
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