Piers Williamson: "One cannot help but feel that we are witnessing a battle for the soul of Japan."

In "Largest Demonstrations in Half a Century Protest the Restart of Japanese Nuclear Power Plants," published at The Asia-Pacific Journal, Piers Williamson analyzes the response of Japanese citizenry to the of restart nuclear energy plants, highlighting the chasm between popular will and PM Noda's decision:

June 29, 2012 mass demonstration in Tokyo. (Photo: Kyodo News)

On 29 June, Japan witnessed its largest public protest since the 1960s [when millions of Japanese of all walks of life protested the US-Japan Security Treaty (ANPO) which allowed the US to maintain military bases in Okinawa and Japan].

This was the latest in a series of Friday night gatherings outside Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko’s official residence. Well over one hundred thousand people came together to vent their anger at his 16 June decision to order a restart of Units 3 and 4 at the Oi nuclear plant . This article discusses the events of the last several weeks which sparked this massive turnout as well as the nature of the protest. It begins by outlining the Japanese government’s recent policies affirming nuclear power, from Noda’s nationwide address of 8 June justifying the Oi restarts on the grounds of ‘protecting livelihoods’, and continuing with the move on 20 June to revise the Atomic Energy Basic Law and establish a law to set up a new, yet potentially toothless, nuclear regulatory agency.

Moreover, on 7 June, the day before Noda made his address, he was visited by a citizen’s group headed by Nobel laureate Oe Kenzaburo, which presented him with a petition calling for an end to nuclear power. The petition had been signed by 7.5 million people. A week later on 14 June, another citizen’s group, which had gathered 320,000 signatures in a call for a referendum on nuclear power, met with the Tokyo metropolitan assembly’s general affairs committee. However, as in Osaka in March, they were rebuffed in a vote at the Tokyo assembly on 20 June.

In addition to petitions, concerned citizens have been taking to the streets. Formed on 22 October 2011, the Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes (MCAN) has been using the internet to organize demonstrations against nuclear power. The use of the internet, and Twitter in particular, preserves a loosely woven network, and MCAN asks participants not to use banners or flags bearing political messages unrelated to the nuclear issue.

MCAN’s first demonstration was held in Yokohama on 14 January 2012. On the one year anniversary of the 11 March disaster, around 14,000 activists encircled the Diet building in a candlelit vigil. Since 29 March, MCAN has been holding weekly protests outside the Prime Minister’s official residence. MCAN says that participation has steadily ballooned from 300 protestors at the first event to around 45,000 people on 22 June. Other reports of 22 June vary from 10,000 to 20,000. Representative figures included Oe Kenzaburo, the composer Sakamoto Ryuichi, the actor Yamamoto Taro, the rock musician Goto Masafumi, and the writers Ochiai Keiko, Kamata Satoshi, and Hirose Takashi...

Despite the size of the gathering on 22 June, bloggers complained that the event received scant media coverage. One wrote that NHK’s 9 p.m. flagship news show completely ignored it. TV Asahi’s 10 p.m. show merely mentioned the number of demonstrators and then tried to ask Trade and Industry Minister Edano Yukio, and Nuclear Policy Minister, Hosono Goshi, what they thought as they were leaving the PM’s official residence. A reader of the Japan Times wrote a letter to the editor commenting on the general lack of coverage in comparison to the frenzied reporting of the capture of Takahashi Katsuya, the 1995 Sarin gas attack suspect.

Anti-nuclear actions taken by shareholders at TEPCO and KEPCO received more coverage later in the week, as nine out of ten of Japan’s power companies rejected proposals to abandon nuclear power at shareholder meetings on 27 June. When Osaka governor Hashimoto Toru asked KEPCO about reprocessing and whether it had a business plan to survive without nuclear power, KEPCO board members responded that reprocessing was critical and that abandoning nuclear power would cause an astronomical increase in costs. The KEPCO vice president also asserted that a mix of all energy sources, including nuclear, was the best option for the future.39 For its part, TEPCO rejected proposals made by the Tokyo metropolitan vice-governor, Inose Naoki, for transparency in decision-making on price hikes...

One noticeable feature of the [June 29, 2012] demonstration was the age range, from small children to the elderly. I spoke to a forty-year-old housewife who was carrying her four-year-old daughter. Following the accident at Fukushima, she had evacuated with her daughter to Niigata Prefecture from Chiba Prefecture. Her husband had to stay on in Chiba. "For the sake of the children, I want them to get rid of nuclear reactors…They keep saying ‘the economy’, ‘the economy’, but life is more important. We have an economy because of life. They need to return to the start and think again…When I think about what we as adults have to do it is clear that we have to protect the children’s futures [author's translation]..."

Popular demand for change continues to grow. The move to restart reactors comes despite the fact that the precise causes of the catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant remain obscure, vast tracts of land and sea and a significant portion of the food supply remain contaminated, 160,000 people remain internally displaced, no known technology can handle the melt-throughs, and there is no solution for nuclear waste disposal. The state’s aggressive move to restart Oi contrasts with its tardy response to the accident and its aftereffects, and to its lack of concern about the risk of a further disaster at Unit 4 should it be hit by a large aftershock or a quake caused by a reactivated fault line underneath the plant. And it comes in the wake of overwhelming expression of anti-nuclear power sentiment. Pronouncements of a commitment to protect the public now ring very hollow indeed. Iida Tetsunari, director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, and anti-nuclear candidate for the governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture, commented that ‘There is anger and a loss of confidence in the government. This is an irreversible change, and I expect this type of movement to continue.’

Whether or not the anti-nuclear movement will be successful remains to be seen. Power elites do not give in easily and we can expect them to fight tooth and nail for every scrap of privilege that they can lay their hands on. However, one cannot help but feel that we are witnessing a battle for the soul of Japan."

Read Dr. Williamson's entire article here.

7.7.12 - "SAVE BEAUTIFUL JAPAN & THE PLANET" Demonstration @ NYC

One participant (most whom are New York-based musicians from Japan):

This was the very first time in my life to join a demonstration yesterday 7-7-2012!!!

No more Nukes, Save beautiful Japan.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the movement. It is a huge step for me!!!

Save Beautiful Japan,

Save the Planet,

Rage Against Nukes

美しい日本を守りたい！

地球を汚したくない！

さらば原発！

Nonviolent demonstration & walk

through Union Square, Washington Square, and Astor Place.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/RageAgainstNuke

(Photos: Yutaka Uchida)

Kimberly Hughes: 7.6.12 Tokyo - No to Nuclear" Photos

no nukes more heart - NO NUKES! ALL STAR DEMO 5 - Shibuya - 7.7.12

NO NUKES! ALL STAR DEMO 5: Shibuya, Tokyo on 7.7.12...

9.19脱原発デモ『NO NUKES! ALL ST☆R DEMO 2011』

Check out some of the music at the website, including "Wonderful World"...

Rose Welsch: "You know you're in the middle of a Japanese revolution when..."

(Photo: Rose Welsch)

Via beautiful Rose Welsch of Peace Boat:

You know you're in the middle of a Japanese revolution when a "revolutionary" is an older woman who sweetly passes out very carefully handcrafted origami hydrangea flowers. Each petal has been neatly folded out of paper, tiny buds glued one by one into the middle of each flower, and a real hydrangea leaf has been laminated and cut.

Now, let's hope Japan's government will follow suit and very carefully and lovingly craft new energy policies instead of recklessly restarting its 54 nuclear reactors even though this is an EARTHQUAKE PRONE COUNTRY with reactors sitting on fault lines!!!!

The organizers say 150,000 attended tonight's rally in drizzly weather; the police: 21,000.

NHK, Japan's public television channel, gave the demonstration 20 seconds of coverage, 40 minutes into the nightly news.

Friday Night Action (100,000+ "Nails Sticking Out") - July 6, 2012 - Tokyo, Japan

Via Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes:

10万人集まった！！首相官邸前を見に行こうぜ！！ Friday Night! Let's Drop By the Prime Minister's House

10万人集まった！！首相官邸前を見に行こうぜ！！ Friday Night! Let's Drop By the Prime Minister's House (More Event Info on Facebook)

Since March of 2012, people have been gathering in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's Residence every Friday night to express opposition to the restart of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors, which were shut down last year for safety checks, and to call for a new energy policy rooted in greater human security, sustainability, and transparency.

Despite the fact that Japan is an earthquake prone country, despite the fact that tens of thousands of people in Japan have lost their homes, farms, families and livelihood and must live as evacuees because of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and despite the fact that Fukushima Daiichi continues to contaminate the earth and oceans of the planet, the Japanese government recently restarted nuclear reactors in the town of Ohi.

On Friday, June 29, more than 100,000 gathered in front of the Prime Minister's residence in Tokyo, in an astounding display of people demanding to be heard by the government that is supposed to represent them rather than an opaque nuclear industry. The gathering came shortly on the heels of the Tokyo Assembly vetoing down a referendum on the restart of Japan's nuclear reactors, despite the fact that nearly 100,000 more signatures than necessary were collected in order to call for the referendum.

Ensconced safely in his home, his livelihood assured, comfortably distanced from the devastating consequences of the nuclear disaster the people of Fukushima are living through every day, the Prime Minister was silent in the face of the massive protest on June 29--as he has been since the protests started in March. His only comment was reportedly to a guard, saying "How noisy!"

How many hundreds of thousands of petition signatures can the Prime Minister ignore? How many massive gatherings of people can he pretend to ignore before finally responding to calls for a sane energy policy for Japan--and ultimately for the world? Well, let's find out! On July 6 (Friday), another gathering will be held in front of his official residence. Last week, more than 100,000 people joined. This week, we're aiming to exceed that. Drop by on your way home from work or on your way to a party-- even if only for 15-30 minutes--and play a role in shaping the future of Japan!

Access: Kokkaigijidomae Station (on the Chiyoda or Marunouchi Lines), Exit 3

Time: 6-9 pm

Friday

6:00pm until 9:00pm in UTC+09

国会議事堂前駅３番出口

※大拡散お願いします。

前回企画した

「４万5千人集まった首相官邸前を見に行こうぜ！！」

企画は、、、

皆様のおかげで、

参加３００人

シェア、もう把握不能

招待６０００弱

集まりました！！！

びっくりでしょ？

勇気だして、やってみるもんですね。

いやいや、僕が一番びっくりしてます。

正式にデモの主催が発表したので

今回も、呼びかけたいと思います。

皆さんよろしくお願いします。

関西版も僕の友達がやってます。

→http://www.facebook.com/events/181281072002058/

【あえて、、、「見に行こうぜ」の思い。】

約１０万人の人達が前回の抗議に参加しました。

（主催者発表は約２０万人、警察発表は１万７０００人）

安保闘争以来の最大抗議となりました。

しかし、

前回の呼びかけにも書きましたが

やはり原発は再稼働する事になりました。

僕は

違和感を感じます。

友達がいってましたよ。

「どうせ何しても変わらないよ、、、」

「これで変わらなかったら、どこに希望持つの？」

僕等の世代はどっか、

心のどっかでこの思いが強いと思います。

「こういう社会なんだからしょうがない」

そんな社会で育ったんですから

投票に行く若者が少ない事も納得できますよ、そりゃ。

若者の投票率は

６０代〜７０代の人の投票数の

約１／３しか有りません。

こりゃどうしようもないな（笑

でも。だから。

そういう、人達にこそ来て欲しい！！

10万人の人が集まる光景って凄まじいよ。

コレは原発に関わらず。

「自分達の未来は自分たちで

考えてもいいのだ！！！」って事を

実感できる場だと思います。

僕、自身は原発には本当に反対です。

でも、そのスタートとして

考えるのも、やになっちゃって、

一歩引いてる人って結構居ると思います。

だから、まあ反対しろおおお

って押し付けるんじゃなくて

答えが、どこに有るのか、、、、

分からないけど、

とりあえず見に行きません？

この話は若者だけじゃないかも知れません。

この国が今どこに行くのか

もう一回一緒に考えましょうよ。

よろしくお願いします。

奥田愛基

デモ後、日比谷公園の端で

学生が軽く集まってます。

よかったら是非。

集まったあと、

その後ご飯でも行きましょうよ。

"ODAKIAS" - Ryuichi Sakamoto's Remix of Demonstrators at the Oi Nuclear Plant restart protest chanting "Saikado Hantai!" ("Against the Re-start!")

Sounds for Our Generation: "ODAKIAS" - Ryuichi Sakamoto's haunting remix of demonstrators at the Oi Nuclear Plant Restart Protest chanting "SAIKADO HANTAI!" ("Against the Re-start!")

Hydrangea Revolution Supporters in Times Square, NYC: "SAYONARA NUKES"

(Photo: Kiyoko Horvath)

July 1, 2012 - ニューヨークタイムズスクエアから原発反対、再稼働反対のメッセージを送ります。諦めるな、頑張れ日本！

（撮影：Kiyoko Horvathさん) — at Times Square, New York City.

Green Action Japan: Why we should be worried about the Oi Nuclear Plant Restart

Oi Nuclear Plant; red lines depict earthquake faults. (Photo: Green Action Japan)

Aileen Mioko Smith of Green Action Japan (via Deep Kyoto) tells us why we should be worried:

Estimated number of people living within 30 kilometers of Fukui’s 14 reactors: 1,249,981 (Fukui Shimbun, Oct. 21, 2011)

Distance from the Ohi reactors to central Kyoto city: 60 kilometers

The following message is from Aileen Mioko Smith of Green Action Japan:

The red lines on this photo depict the shattered zones (earthquake faults) under the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant. The information is from Kansai Electric is laid over the Google Earth by Professor Mitsuhisa Watanabe, tectonic geomorphologist, Toyo University (Tokyo, Japan.)

The F-6 fault which is suspected of being an active fault is marked. The boat-shaped blue shows the location of the original trench excavation.

Professor Watanabe inspected the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant site yesterday (June 27, 2012) with 5 members of the Japanese Diet. He confirmed 3 locations where the F-6 fault which is suspected of being an active fault can be examined by excavation. According to Professor Watanabe, the process to confirm whether this fault is active or not can be undertaken within a one week period (this includes the time required for refilling the excavation).

Government regulations state that category “S” equipment which require rigorous seismic resistance standards are “not assumed to be built over active faults.” Yesterday, it was confirmed during the on-site examination that the pipes for the emergency coolant intake from the ocean are “S” category, and they cross over the F-6 fault.

The Fukui prefecture newspapers report on the above issue today. Below, see Kansai Electric’s original sketch of the Northwest Wall of the trench. The sketch depicts a classic active fault. This controversial sketch was not submitted by Kansai Electric during the recent government back-check of Ohi.

Yuichi Sugiyama, a prominent member of the government’s back-check committee, in an interview with Kyodo (article 26 June) stated, “It is necessary to make an onsite examination of the shattered faults once more. We have only seen part of the past inspection records. We need to examine all of the information.”

(Original Japanese of Sugiyama quote:「現地で破砕帯をもう一度調査するべきだろう。過去の調査記録も一部しか見ていないので、全部確認するべきだ。」)