"Give to us children the right to decide if we want to have nuclear power plants in Japan or not"

original text from Ryusaku Tanaka Journal 06.05.2012: http://tanakaryusaku.jp/2012/05/0004260

In parade, being upbeat is important : people singing Karaoke and appealing No Nukes = 6 May East Kōenji Photo by Ryusaku Tanaka 

Today was the first day of a Japan without using electricity (not even a watt) made by any nuclear power plant. 

It's the first experience for people under 41 years old since it's been 42 years of nuclear energy in Japan.

People who wanted to stop their life depending on nuclear power made electricity kept working on the movement of Anti Nukes for a long time in Kōenji, in Tokyo, held a celebrating parade. 

They held this meeting at Sanshi Forest Garden and more than 1000 people of Suginami district and from the capital region came.

Hajime Matsumoto (37 years old second-hand shop owner) who was leading the citizen movement of anti nuclear was wearing his Hakama (Kimono for man). He said: "Last year when i organized a street protest i was afraid that not enough people will join us. But there were so many people and it became a huge protest...". He made a speech with his cheerfull face. 

A writer, Karin Amamiya, was wearing a wedding dress. She vigorously said: "The power of everybody here sotpped all nuclear power plants!!".

The greatest victims of this nuclear accident are children. Runa Nakamura who is now in 2nd year junior high school in Tokyo was last year in primary school when the accident happened. Her speech touched directly everyone's heart.

"…… ( first part omitted )  I want to say to you adults that we children really need to know the truth and we also want to have the right to decide if we will keep using nuclear power plants in Japan or not. This problem deeply concerns our future and our life. 

I think we children have the right to know and decide, too. "

Runa Nakamura making a speech: She appealed that from her position as a child, she really doesn't want any nuclear power plant. At Sanshi Forest Garden, photo by Ryusaku Tanaka

"How will we make electricity without nuclear power plants?" This is the cliché that the medias and the japanese nuclear power village's always say.

But there were people who were using natural source energy as well in the protest. A man who lives in West Tokyo (a 30s self-employed) got a megaphone charged by solar panels which has a 10 Ampere electricity generation capacity. He put solar panels in his balcony and uses them to charge his mobil phone. 

We need to find the way to self protection for not to flinch from the thread of "electricity shortage".

We can't be simply happy with "No Nuclear Power Plants in Japan". We need to find a way to protect ourselves, otherwise the electric power companies and PM Noda will try to rollback.

《 Article by Miyako Suwa and Ryusaku Tanaka》

Courtesy : Miyako Suwa & Ryusaku Tanaka