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Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations to strengthen its opposition to nuclear energy

by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer

At its annual meeting in Tokyo, held on June 8, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) determined its policy for this fiscal year, indicating that, among other actions, it will demand strongly that the Japanese government move away from the nation's reliance on nuclear energy and call for the decommission of nuclear reactors that have been shut down. This intention goes beyond its previous policy of demanding “changes in Japan's energy policy.”

A number of participants expressed their views at the meeting, making such comments as “The A-bomb survivors, who understand the harm caused by radiation better than anyone, must call for the early shutdown of nuclear power plants” and “We haven't seen any change in the government’s energy policy.” The organization's policy, which had called for “alternative energy sources to replace nuclear power generation” was amended in a draft of the document, and text which demands strongly that the nation move away from nuclear energy was approved at the meeting.

At a press conference following the meeting, Terumi Tanaka, the secretary general of Hidankyo, stated that such specific actions as calling for the decommissioning of nuclear reactors that have been shut down for periodical inspections and demanding the eventual shutdown of all nuclear reactors in operation will be included in its updated policy. The precise wording will be decided at the executive board meeting in mid-July. Once finalized, the policy will serve as the backbone of Hidankyo's efforts in demanding that the Japanese government and political parties take action in this area.

Hidankyo says that, following its founding, there were times when it did not explicitly oppose nuclear power generation, with even some A-bomb survivors working in the nuclear energy industry. However, since the nuclear accidents that occurred at Three Mile Island in the United States and at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union, Hidankyo has been calling for the Japanese government to alter its energy policy.

In 1990, Hidankyo adopted the position of opposing any new construction or expansion of nuclear power plants and called for shutting down plants already in operation if an accident should occur. After the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture was hit by the Chuetsu-oki earthquake, Hidankyo, in 2008, urged the national government to install anti-seismic reinforcement at nuclear power plants and to move away from an energy policy which relies on nuclear power generation.

(Originally published on June 9, 2011)

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