Disaster Debris Wide-Area Disposal PR in Kyoto: Ministry Official Wearily Says "Unprecedented Number of Protesters..."

Yomiuri Shinbun Kansai version did carry the report on the Ministry of the Environment event in the Kyoto Station yesterday.

From Yomiuri Shinbun Kansai version (4/1/2012):

京都へのがれき受け入れ要請に反対派４００人抗議

400 protesters against disaster debris acceptance into Kyoto

環境相がチラシ配布断念

Minister of the Environment canceled the distribution of the fliers

東日本大震災で発生したがれきの広域処理問題で、細野環境相が３１日、ＪＲ京都駅前（京都市）で山田啓二・京都府知事らと受け入れへの理解を訴えた。細野環境相は「自分のことだけでなく、宮城や岩手のことを考えて下さい」と呼び掛けたが、受け入れに反対する市民ら約４００人に取り囲まれ、予定していたチラシ配布を中止した。

On March 31 in front of the Kyoto JR Station (in Kyoto City), Minister of the Environment Hosono appealed for accepting the disaster debris in Kyoto. He was flanked by other officials including Keiji Yamada, governor of Kyoto. The minister called to the crowd, "Please think about Miyagi and Iwate, not just about yourselves." But residents opposing the debris acceptance surrounded him, and he had to cancel the distribution of the [promotional] fliers.

　環境省の「みんなの力でがれき処理プロジェクト」の街頭イベント。３月１１日に東京から始まり、関西では初開催となった京都が５か所目。市民らは「広域処理反対」「ガレキいやどす」などと書いたプラカードを掲げ、「帰れ」「子どもを守れ」などと声を上げた。

It was a street event rolled out by the Ministry of the Environment, "Disaster Debris Disposal Project, by Joining Hands". It started in Tokyo on March 11, and this Kyoto event is the 5th event, and the first in Kansai Region. Citizens held up signs that said "We are against the wide-area disposal" "Debris, No" [in Kyoto dialect], and shouted "Go back" and "Protect children".

　同行していた同省職員が「今までにない反対派の数だった」という騒動になったが、細野環境相は終了後、「諦めることはできないので、できるだけ多くの地域で受け入れていただけるよう（広域処理を）前進させていきたい」とやや疲れた表情で話した。

An official at the Ministry of the Environment who accompanied the Minister admitted, "This was an unprecedented number of protesters." Minister Hosono spoke after the event, looking a bit tired. "I cannot give up. I want to proceed on the wide-area disposal, so I hope to persuade as many locations as possible."

It was not just a number of people against it that was unprecedented; ordinary citizens shouting down the minister of the national government and other politicians was unprecedented.

If I strictly translate what Yomiuri called "反対派", it is "opposing faction", as if this was an organized movement by an established/existing organization. From what I saw, the only "organized" movement was those few men holding up signs that said "Kizuna (ties that bind)", "Let's promote wide-area disposal", with characters neatly printed.

To view the Kyoto residents shouting down the politicians including Hosono, chanting "go back, go back", or "protect children", go to my previous post.

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