Thousands gather in Tokyo demanding end to nuclear power

Thousands of protesters demonstrated in the Japanese capital on Saturday, rallying against the continued usage of nuclear power in the country. Nearly two years after the Fukushima disaster, people seek to change the pro-atomic agenda of the new PM.
Around 13,000 people gathered, waving signs that read “Let's save the children” and “No nukes.” Some also used it as an opportunity to gather support for the rescue of animals still in the ‘no-go’ high-radiation zone.

Participants have taken to occupying Tokyo’s public spaces, such as parks, on national holidays, and have specially assembled outside the parliament building in the city every Friday evening in an attempt to get their voices heard, reportedly drawing in a very diverse cross section of society, including both commuter 'salarymen' and housewives.

March 11 heralds the two year anniversary of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami which killed some 19,000 people and set off the meltdowns at Fukushima’s Dai-ichi plant. It was labeled the worst nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl. Some 160,000 people had to leave their homes around the plant.

Only two of Japan’s nuclear reactors have been reconnected since the disaster, and continuous protests within the country have been partially responsible for this.

in a series of public hearings on Japanese energy policy, it was found that some 70 per cent of Japan’s residents want to eventually phase out nuclear power by 2030. The disaster dissolved the myth of nuclear power’s supposed safety in Japan’s collective mindset.

Another rally is planned to take place on Sunday.