A group of protesters took to the streets of Tokyo in Japan on Wednesday to condemn the government's renewed push to expand nuclear power generation, in a rally staged to mark the 15th anniversary of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
On March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear power plant suffered a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale, after its reactor cores melted down following a massive earthquake and tsunami.
The protesters who gathered in Tokyo on Wednesday said they were gravely concerned about the government’s renewed push to expand nuclear power in this earthquake-prone country, and its record in dealing with the aftermath of the nuclear disaster 15 years ago.
"The radioactive substances released at the time not only affected the surrounding areas. They even spread throughout the entire Kanto region. Now the government is planning to distribute the nuclear-contaminated soil across the country and use it in public construction projects. Once the soil is transported, radioactive substances will spread again. Nearby residents and workers will all be affected, and once those radioactive substances enter the lungs, it is very difficult to remove them," said one protester.
"The government is still pushing to restart nuclear plants, and they are trying to increase the number of restarts as well. But the fact is such a serious accident has already happened. Even now, many people can't return to their hometowns. The coastal area of Fukushima's Hamadori region has completely changed," said another.
Demonstrators said that the handling of the aftermath of the nuclear accident at Fukushima showed why they opposed any expansion of the country’s current nuclear power generation program.
"After such a serious accident, they talk about 'Fukushima's recovery.' But what does 'recovery' really mean? Even now, tens of thousands of people are still unable to return to Fukushima, and their lives remain extremely difficult. Just thinking about those people is enough to show the situation. If there are plans to restart nuclear plants, then how is the accident, which has not been properly handled, viewed? Even now, the nuclear disaster has not come to an end. I am absolutely against it," said a protester.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) resumed power generation and transmission to the grid from its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, last month.
It marked the first TEPCO-run unit to go back online since the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which has met local opposition amid criticism that the plant sits on an active seismic fault zone.
Tokyo protesters denounce government's renewed push to expand nuclear power generation
