Thousands stage anti-nuclear rally outside Noda's office

National Aug. 04, 2012 - 06:22AM JST ( 12 )

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12 Comments

2

NewsmanAug. 04, 2012 - 10:08AM JST

Wow. Real political dialogue between a popular mass movement and a Japanese leader? I'm not saying anything is going to happen -- for all I know Noda will file the notes from the meeting in the appropriate trash can -- but still ... can anybody ever remember anything like this happening in Japan before? It wasn't that many decades ago when the government would just round up the usual suspects and move on.
6

marcelitoAug. 04, 2012 - 10:23AM JST

Wish there would be dialogue Newsman...I think Noda will have the meeting with them in front of cameras so that he is able to claim he is "carefully listening to the voices of the people " and then completely ignore their opinion anyway. That is his style. Noda has proven he only listens to bureaucrats and Keidanren. I really wish I was wrong in this instance but I,m not optimistic.
-1

Thomas AndersonAug. 04, 2012 - 01:55PM JST

Look these people need to realize that just protesting won't change anything... they'll need to get politically active.
-8

DogAug. 04, 2012 - 02:07PM JST

NewsmanAug. 04, 2012 - 10:08AM JST

Wow. Real political dialogue between a popular mass movement and a Japanese leader? .... It wasn't that many decades ago when the government would just round up the usual suspects and move on.

Your optimism about Japanese democracy is greatly misplaced.

The greatest miscalculation the Japanese government has made with their nuclear policy is that they didn't build all the nuclear power stations on Okinawa and it surronding islands.

If they had they'd be none of this mass protest in Tokyo. The only protesting would be on Okinawa and that's far far away from Kasumigaseki.

For real deomocratic mass protest, you need the quality of empathy within society.... something very lacking in modern Japan.
-3

WilliBAug. 04, 2012 - 08:59PM JST

Japan is paying an extra 60 billion USD more to buy all the fossil fuel that is needed to substitute for the shut-down reactors.

Wouldnt it be nice if these protesters volunteered to pay for that out of their own pocket instead of rolling the burden over to us all via the deteriorating economy.

But I seriously doubt any of these touchy-feely types thinks that far.
-7

umbrellaAug. 04, 2012 - 10:34PM JST

Willibi well said! These protestors are stupid. There's no alternative to nuclear power for Japan. At least if the power goes off they won't be upset if just their houses and businesses lose power. And if electricity rates go up, they will be delighted to pay the extra costs of course.
0

Thomas AndersonAug. 04, 2012 - 11:28PM JST

Yes lets pay for the screw up that these companies have made! (by going nuclear) How laughable. And anyway all the utilities except for TEPCO have actually lowered their prices of electricity since apparently the price of fossil fuels have slumped.
-1

zichiAug. 05, 2012 - 12:07AM JST

WilliB,

why were all the reactors shut down? Nothing to do with protestors. In case you have already forgotten. Last year's earthquake automatically shut down a number of nuclear plants. The nuclear disaster happened. The earthquake also damaged a number of fossil fuel plants too. The gov't demanded the shut down of the Hamoaka plant until a new sea defense is built.

All the other reactors shut down according to Japanese law. The gov't required stress tests. I think about 20 are still not done. The gov't gave permission to restart the two Oi reactors but stated no further ones will be restarted before the new atomic safety agency is in place.

So none of it because of protestors.

The right to assemble and peacefully protest is an important one.

Wouldn't it be nice if these protestors volunteered to pay...........

Wouldn't it be nice if all the pro nuclear supporters offered to pay the ¥50 trillion the clean up at the Fukushima plant will need?
2

Rick KisaAug. 05, 2012 - 12:27AM JST

The problem is not woth Noda ONLY. members of the nuclear village, nuke operators and political crooks pushing noda to the wall to restart the nuke plants should be named and shamed. they are hiding under Noda. This does not mean Noda is innocent but we seem to be dealing with symptoms to the disease rather than the cause
1

Michael CraigAug. 05, 2012 - 12:39AM JST

These people at least kept raising their voices!

Noda's responding, but Tanigaki and Yamaguchi (Komeito's head) must be blocking their ears!
5

marcelitoAug. 05, 2012 - 01:06AM JST

For all those screaming there is no alternative to nuclear power generation and scaremongering about blackouts and loss of power...well you might have noticed that even with the current heat wave there have been no blackouts ...and before anyone suggests its because 2 Oi reactors were restarted in Kansai , I mean there are no blackouts in ANY part of Japan. Miraculously the doomsday scenarios of pro nuke crowd never seem to play out in the end. ( just like last year here in Kanto ). Since that is the case , its time Japan started ramping up green energy alternatives and no one( apart from vested interests making lots of money when the N reactors are operational ) will need the nukes anymore. And yes, I,m willing to pay premium for safe green power, just as I did in my own country years ago.
-1

basroilAug. 06, 2012 - 12:49AM JST

zichiAug. 05, 2012 - 12:07AM JST

why were all the reactors shut down? Nothing to do with protestors. In case you have already forgotten. Last year's earthquake automatically shut down a number of nuclear plants. The nuclear disaster happened. The earthquake also damaged a number of fossil fuel plants too. The gov't demanded the shut down of the Hamoaka plant until a new sea defense is built.

Yet most were restated last year anyway, or kept moving until "mandatory inspection time". They were taken down for no reason other than a few loud voices.

Wouldn't it be nice if all the pro nuclear supporters offered to pay the ¥50 trillion the clean up at the Fukushima plant will need?

If you give them nuclear energy to pay for it, they can pay the ridiculous and completely un-subtanciated (except for a single source which does not break it down far enough) number of 50 trillion yen over 30 years and still pay less than they would for any other energy type.