A-bomb survivors protest restart of reactor at Sendai nuclear power plant
Sep. 2, 2015
by Hisashi Kawate, Staff Writer
Kyushu Electric Power Company restarted the No. 1 reactor at its Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture on August 11. In protest, sit-ins were held in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. These public protests were organized by A-bomb survivors’ groups that include the Hiroshima prefectural chapters of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) and the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin).
A faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, which is chaired by Kunihiko Sakuma, and Hiroshima Gensuikyo staged a sit-in, at which about 70 participants sat holding a banner that read: “We cannot accept the forced resumption of operations at nuclear power plants.” The sit-in began at 12:15 p.m. and lasted for 30 minutes. Mr. Sakuma, 70, said, “Once an accident occurs, radiation from nuclear power plants will make people suffer just like nuclear weapons. To ensure our safety, we have no choice but to get rid of them.”
Another sit-in organized by the Hiroshima Peace Action Center and Hiroshima Gensuikin started at 5:30 p.m. About 50 participants held sheets of paper that read “No to restart” during the 30-minute sit-in. They adopted a protest statement calling for a halt to resuming operations at all nuclear reactors in Japan. Among the participants was Toshiyuki Mimaki, 73, the vice chairman of the other Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi. He said, “What happened in Fukushima could also happen at the Sendai plant. We oppose this restart.”
(Originally published on August 12, 2015)
Kyushu Electric Power Company restarted the No. 1 reactor at its Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture on August 11. In protest, sit-ins were held in front of the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. These public protests were organized by A-bomb survivors’ groups that include the Hiroshima prefectural chapters of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) and the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs (Gensuikin).
A faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, which is chaired by Kunihiko Sakuma, and Hiroshima Gensuikyo staged a sit-in, at which about 70 participants sat holding a banner that read: “We cannot accept the forced resumption of operations at nuclear power plants.” The sit-in began at 12:15 p.m. and lasted for 30 minutes. Mr. Sakuma, 70, said, “Once an accident occurs, radiation from nuclear power plants will make people suffer just like nuclear weapons. To ensure our safety, we have no choice but to get rid of them.”
Another sit-in organized by the Hiroshima Peace Action Center and Hiroshima Gensuikin started at 5:30 p.m. About 50 participants held sheets of paper that read “No to restart” during the 30-minute sit-in. They adopted a protest statement calling for a halt to resuming operations at all nuclear reactors in Japan. Among the participants was Toshiyuki Mimaki, 73, the vice chairman of the other Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi. He said, “What happened in Fukushima could also happen at the Sendai plant. We oppose this restart.”
(Originally published on August 12, 2015)
