July 28, 2012

Antinuclear group begins annual meetings from Fukushima

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120728p2g00m0fp049000c.html

FUKUSHIMA -- (Kyodo) A major Japanese antinuclear group kicked of its series of annual conventions Saturday in Fukushima, northeastern Japan, having chosen the city afflicted by the country's worst nuclear accident that occurred last year as another venue to atomic-bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the second time.

The Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, known as Gensuikin, will gather people suffering from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident as well as survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings among participants to the events through Aug. 9 themed on breaking with nuclear power generation to call for a nuclear-free society, organizers said.

At the outset of the one-day meeting, participants offered a silent prayer to victims of the bombings and of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan and triggered the meltdown of three reactors at the Tokyo Electric Power Co. plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

"The accident in Fukushima (Prefecture) made it clear that a nuclear accident can occur anytime in our country. To never repeat Fukushima, all nuclear plants must be halted," said Koichi Kawano, the 72-year-old Gensuikin head who survived the Nagasaki bombing, in an opening address.

Participants in the event are expected to declare it is possible to eradicate nuclear weapons and do away with nuclear energy in light of growing movements against nuclear power, according to the organizers.

After former nuclear plant design engineer Masashi Goto talks about the current situation and challenges following the accident, among other speakers, the participants will march through the city, they said.

Anti-nuclear meeting held again in Fukushima

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120728_32.html

A major Japanese anti-nuclear group has called for support for people affected by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant and decommissioning of all nuclear plants in Japan.

Gensuikin, or the Japan Congress Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, began holding annual meetings in Fukushima City, in addition to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, after last year's accident. Fukushima Prefecture is home to the damaged nuclear plant.

The organizer says about 1,000 people from around the country took part in this year's event.

Gensuikin head Koichi Kawano, who survived the Nagasaki bombing, said the reconstruction of Fukushima must be done quickly.

He said a nuclear accident can occur anytime anywhere, and that all nuclear plants must be halted to prevent another event like that at Fukushima.

The meeting then called on Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the plant, and the government to make the plant safe again. Participants also sought an apology and compensation for victims, and disclosure of information on conditions at the plant.

The event adopted a pledge to work to end discrimination and prejudice against sufferers and to move away from nuclear energy.

A woman from Nagasaki said she took part in the event to call for an end to nuclear power and to oppose the resumption of nuclear reactors alongside the people of Fukushima.