Thousands of anti nuclear campaigners have rallied in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, as the government and utilities move toward the resumption of nuclear reactors in southern Japan.
French newsagency AFP reports more than 5000 protesters gathered at Hibiya Park in downtown Tokyo on at the weekend to urge the government not to restart nuclear plants, as regulators review whether to let Kyushu Electric Power restart two reactors at its Sendai power plant.
“Japan is prone to earthquakes. We have to seriously think about whether nuclear power is a good idea for Japan,” said Masatoshi Harada as he joined fellow protesters at the park and later to march toward the Ginza shopping district.
“This is an opportunity for Japan to drop nuclear power,” he said.
Last week tens of thousands held a rally at the same site to voice fears about any reliance on nuclear power.
AFP reports the latest event came days after Japan marked the third anniversary of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Japan in March 11, 2011.
The earthquake and resulting tsunami along the northern Pacific coastline killed 15,884 people and left 2633 still unaccounted for.
Huge waves swamped cooling systems of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which went through reactor meltdowns and explosions that spewed radioactive materials onto the vast farm region.
AFP reports no one died as a direct result of the atomic accident, but at least 1656 people died as a result of complications related to stress and other conditions while their lives in evacuation become extended.
Supporters of nuclear power, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, say Japan needs atomic energy to ensure the economic health of the world third largest economy.
However, protesters argue that Japan can live without nuclear power as it has done so for more than three year.
All of the nation’s roughly 50 commercial nuclear reactors have remained offline due to tense public opposition to restarting them.
“Nuclear plants have been closed, so you cannot say we cannot live without nuclear energy,” anti-nuclear campaigner Junichi Okano said.
