Tokyo protesters denounce government's renewed push to expand nuclear power generation

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

A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday slammed Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te over his latest remarks on cross-Strait relations, accusing him of promoting secessionism and escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a press release that Lai's speech marking his second anniversary in office was "filled with lies and deception, hostility and confrontation."

Chen accused Lai of stubbornly adhering to a secessionist stance in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," while exaggerating the so-called threats from the mainland and intensifying confrontation across the Strait.

Lai played an old trick of advocating the secessionist agenda on one hand and, on the other, calling insincerely for dialogue and exchanges with the mainland, attempting to mislead people in Taiwan and deceive the international community, he said.

Chen said that these common tricks have been seen through by more and more Taiwanese people. Their deceptive and provocative actions will be met with firm opposition from compatriots on both sides and the international community, and are doomed to fail.

Reaffirming the mainland's position on the Taiwan question, Chen said Taiwan has never been a country, is not one now, and will never become one in the future.

He described the Taiwan question as a historical issue left over from a Chinese civil war in the 1940s.

No election result in Taiwan could alter the fact that Taiwan is part of China or sever the historical and legal bonds linking the two sides of the Strait, according to Chen.

The mainland would never allow any person or force to pursue secessionist activities under any pretext, he added.

Calling secessionists "the chief culprit" who undermines cross-Strait peace, Chen said the mainland would continue to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, unite broadly with Taiwan compatriots, combat secessionist activities, and safeguard peace and stability across the Strait.

Central government spokesperson refutes Lai Ching-te's latest remarks, warns against secessionist moves