Fukushima mothers and activists face eviction

On Friday, January 27th, the tent occupation in front of METI in Tokyo faces eviction by order of minister Yukio Edano. The eviction order follows a controversial public meeting where government officials met with nuclear industry personnel to discuss nuclear power plant restarts, while attempting to exclude the public from the meeting. Concerned citizens who registered to attend the meeting were forcefully removed and the meeting took place behind closed doors.

The tent occupation in front of METI has lasted over 4 months through the support of women from Fukushima, and many others around Japan who oppose nuclear power. People from all over the world have visited the occupation to show their support and learn about issues surrounding nuclear power post March 11th, including the severe conditions that people in Fukushima continue to face. Currently, women of Fukushima are in the process of a "10 month 10 day" 24-hour sit-in to protest against nuclear power and the government's mismanagement of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster that continues today.
An emergency press conference will be held on January 27th at 1pm at the Japan Federation of Bar Associations’ Building, Room 1006. (Access: http://www.nichibenren.or.jp/jfba_info/organization/map.html ) This will be followed by a demonstration at the tent occupation from 4pm to 6pm, the hours of the eviction deadline. Please email, telephone fax minister Edano and METI ( the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) to retract the eviction order. METI (TEL) +81-3-3501-1609 METI Public Relations (FAX) +81-3-3501-6942. METI Minister Yukio Edano, (TEL) +81-3-3508-7448, (FAX) +81-3-3591-2249. (E-mail) omiya@edano.gr.jp

Parents' groups lead Japanese response to Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe

An Associated Press article explores the rise of some 200 parents' organizations in Japan in response to the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe, mostly led by mothers. In many cases, mothers -- some of whom had not even bothered to vote before, because they were too busy raising children and/or working jobs -- are now familiarizing themselves with social media like Facebook and Twitter, in order to better network, communicate and organize. Parents have realized that they can no longer depend on the government to protect them, and have taken an active role in demanding radiation checks on their children's school lunches and school yards.

Global Conference for a Nuclear Power-Free World, Yokohama

On January 11th, a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan kicked off the Global Conference for a Nuclear Power-Free World, held in Yokohama. The featured speakers included: Tatsuya Yoshioka (Chair of Executive Committee, Global Conference for a Nuclear Power Free World / Co-founder and Director, Peace Boat); Aileen Mioko Smith (Director, Green Action); Rebecca Harms (Member of the European Parliament, Green German Member of the European Parliament Spokesperson); and Mycle Schneider (Independent international consultant on energy and nuclear policy). The six co-sponsoring Japanese organizations, which had long called for a reassessement of Japan's love affair with the atom long before the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe, are: Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, FoE Japan, Green Action, Greenpeace Japan, the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, and Peace Boat.

Applying painful "lessons learned" from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to Fukushima

The Mainichi Daily News has published an editorial calling for the painful experiences endured by Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing survivors -- such as cover ups on health damage caused by radiation, lack of medical care, and even discrimination by fellow Japanese -- to not be repeated upon the survivors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power catastrophe. The editorial reported that Terumi Tanaka, 80 year old secretary-general, and the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) which he directs, changed their previous openness to "atoms for peace" in the aftermath of Fukushima. They have called for "residents near the nuclear plant [to] be given disaster victim certificates and health management books, and undergo regular health checkups throughout their lives."

A "cartoon-like level of incompetence," first Japanese govt. commissioned report finds on Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe response

The Economist has reported that the Japanese government's first report on responses -- by its own agencies and leadership, as well as that of Tokyo Electric Power Company -- to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power catastrophe has found "an almost cartoon-like level of incompetence." This led to such disasters as Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 workers and supervisors losing six critical hours in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, due to their unfamiliarity with the safety and containment systems; this resulted in the Unit 1 reactor melting down and exploding the next day. The federal government's own incompetence led to the town of Namie, just kilometers from the front entrance to Fukushima Daiichi, evacuating to a significantly more radioactive location -- even though federal government agencies already knew this reality, but failed to communicate it. The article concludes, "Until somebody in power seizes on the report as a call to action, its findings, especially those that reveal sheer ineptitude, suggest that the public has every reason to remain as scared as hell."