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Anti-nuclear feeling rises in Japan |
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6 Jul 2012, 8:53 AM
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Like the flower it has been named after, a budding civil movement is emerging and taking root in Japan to protest against the government’s decision to restart the Ohi nuclear plant. The restart, just 18 months after the devastating tsunami and resulting nuclear Fukushima nuclear disaster last year, has sparked indignation and alarm in a Japanese society left scarred by the catastrophe.
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In a nation not especially known for public protests or civil disobedience, the rolling demonstrations in Japan this week and last suggest a major shift in Japanese society. This movement against nuclear energy has been named after the Hydrangea, a flower the Japanese have traditionally loved because it blooms in June and July, giving hope during the dark, rainy season.
The symbolism of the flower is strikingly synonymous with the growing civil movement against nuclear power.
Born out of the aftermath of arguably one of Japan’s darkest hours, the movement offers hope and is gathering in numbers – similar to how the Hydrangea forms its flower; each small flower bunches together to form a bigger, more vibrant, flower.
Last Friday, tens of thousands of people shouting “Saikado Hantai” (No Restart of Nuclear Plant) gathered in front of the gate of the prime minister’s office in Tokyo. The protestors had emerged to object to a decision from Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to restart the first nuclear reactor following the 3/11 disaster.
Even mothers with small children, the future of Japan, were holding handmade banners saying “NO NUKES”.
City workers in suits left their offices to join the protest after work. They too were holding placards in a protest that is truly made up of diverse parts of Japanese society. It was not organised by an organisation and was absent of flags and banners brandishing a single group’s name.
Ordinary people simply came to protest because they wanted to be there and directly communicate their concerns to the prime minister.
It has been an extremely hard fight to have the ideal of ‘freedom of expression’ recognised in conservative Japanese society. Generally, people have believed that the government and big corporations are always right.
A parliamentary report released this week blamed lax safety measures at the country’s nuclear plants due to what it called the country’s powerful and “collusive” decision-makers and on a conformist culture that allowed them to operate with little scrutiny. This is now starting to change.
The 3/11 disaster has changed people’s understanding and undermined their trust in the government and big corporations. Citizens have become more critical of government information and are more open to protest. Last Friday, the protest spilled over from pedestrian paths onto the six-lane road in front of the prime minister’s house. Effectively, they marched on the street and occupied it. A follow-up protest will soon be held at the same location.
Credits:: Greenpeace
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