Joining the growing call led by Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe, thousands of people rallied and took to the streets of Tokyo to demand the abolition of nuclear power plants on Feb. 11, the 11-month anniversary of the start of the nuclear disaster.
Joining the growing call led by Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe, thousands of people rallied and took to the streets of Tokyo to demand the abolition of nuclear power plants on Feb. 11, the 11-month anniversary of the start of the nuclear disaster.
About 12,000 people participated in the rally held in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park, according to the organizer of the event, "Sayonara Genpatsu 1000 mannin Action" (Good-bye to nuclear power through action by 10 million people) campaign.
"Stopping nuclear power generation will serve as hope for the children," Oe, who won the Nobel literature prize in 1994, said at the protest, which marked the third such rally in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Many of the protesters hoisted signs and flags demanding, "No Nukes!" or "Change the nation's energy policy."
The massive protest is part of the group's efforts to step up calls for the abolition of nuclear power plants across the country.
Similar protests were held in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, and Kushiro, Hokkaido Prefecture, the same day.
On March 11, the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, a protest rally is expected to be held in Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture. The prefecture is home to the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
In Japan's most serious nuclear accident, the systems to cool reactors at the plant failed following the loss of all power sources triggered by the March 11 disaster, culminating in meltdowns and explosions.
The nuclear crisis has sparked public outcry over the safety of nuclear power generation, leading to protests and demonstrations in many parts of Japan.