【Statement】On the 9th anniversary of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station accident
【Statement】
On the 9th anniversary of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station accident:
Calling for a society that will not impose radiation and climate crisis on future generations, demanding more support for the direct and indirect victims of the disaster, rather than smoke-and-mirrors “Olympics for Reconstruction”
March 11, 2020
Steering Committee of Greens Japan
March 11 this year marks the 9th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
However, the measures to support the victims of the disaster have been scaled back or terminated one after another, putting them in dire situations in terms of their lives and livelihood. There has been an increase in the number of cases where TEPCO refuses to settle in Alternative Dispute Resolutions. The Abe administration is pushing for the restart of nuclear power stations across Japan, and is about to give the go-ahead to the release of contaminated water into the ocean and the reuse of contaminated soil and other material collected from decontamination, while radioactive materials continue to be released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the environment.
Under these circumstances, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are to be held from July to September, with the theme of “Olympics for Reconstruction” in support of efforts to recover from the disaster caused by the earthquake and nuclear accident. The Games will be held while violating human rights of many people, as the profound damage and effect of the nuclear accident is brushed aside, creating a false sense of closure and end to the disaster. We will once again state our objection to the hosting of the Games.
On the other hand, public opinion polls show that those that support phasing out nuclear power outnumber those that want to maintain it. In a series of lawsuits concerning restart of nuclear power stations and damages resulting from the nuclear accident, there have been several injunctions issued to prevent the restart of nuclear power stations and judgments granting plaintiffs’ claims for damages, holding TEPCO and the government liable. The Abe administration’s plan to export nuclear power plants has failed entirely, while many countries and corporations in the rest of the world are positioning renewable energy and energy saving as the most important industries and key countermeasures against global warming. As we face “March 11” for the 9th time, we will once again call for the decommissioning of all nuclear power stations and demand the government to reinforce measures to support the victims of the earthquake and nuclear accident.
We will also demand that the proportion of renewable energy in the energy mix proposed in the “Strategic Energy Plan” for 2030 be reversed with that of nuclear energy and fossil fuels. They are defined as base-load power sources and currently account for about 80% in the existing plan while renewable energy accounts for about 20%. This reversal is necessary to strengthen measures to be taken, premised on zero nuclear power, to address climate change which has entered a crisis phase in light of the future of the earth and humanity. We will also call for the realization of a future where, by 2050 at the latest, energy saving and renewable energy can cope with all the energy needed.
The Fukushima nuclear accident occurred in the midst of incessant pursuit of economic growth. A disproportionate emphasis on the promotion of nuclear power itself has delayed the countermeasures to be taken against climate change, such as the expansion of renewable energy and promotion of energy saving. We will once again strongly urge Japanese society, as it experienced March 11, bring about a fundamental transformation of society and the economy.
Japanese original
https://greens.gr.jp/seimei/27720/
