LOC17:46
14:46 GMT
TOKYO, Sept 19 (KUNA) -- Tens of thousands of people marched in central
Tokyo on Monday, urging the government to end the use of nuclear energy in the
wake of the radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
Police estimated about 20,000 people took part in the march, while
organizers said there were 60,000 protesters. The protest leaders, including
1994 Nobel-prize winner Kenzaburo Oe, chanted "good bye nuclear power" and
waved banners calling on the government to shut down all the nuclear power
plants in the country.
Monday's demonstration was the largest protest rally in Japan since a
magnitude 9.0-earthquake and tsunami on March 11 triggered a catastrophic
breakdown at the Fukushima plant, 230 km north of Tokyo. The worst nuclear
disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe has also forced nearly 80,000
residents around the plant to evacuate and damaged the agriculture, livestock
and fishery industries in the region.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who took office earlier this month, said
last week that the government will seek to reduce its dependence on nuclear
power in the medium term.
However, in the near term, the government will try to restart currently
idled reactors once they are deemed safe, according to Noda.
Only 19 of Japan's 54 reactors are currently operating following the March
11 disaster, and the government struggles to resume their operations amid
growing public concerns over disaster preparedness. (end)
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KUNA 191746 Sep 11NNNN