Buddhist Monks Sit-in, Calling Christians to Join Them; Ultra-Right Joined by Ultra-Left in Hunger Strike Against Nuclear Power Plants

Buddhist monks in Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku are staging the sit-ins to protest against the prospect of restarting Ikata Nuclear Power Plant, which sits just outside the largest active fault in Japan (Median Tectonic Line)　and part of the plant is built on the landfill. The monks are calling out to Christian churches to join them in the protest.

From Ehime Shinbun (4/29/2012):

宗教関係者が「伊方反対」の座り込み　松山

Religious leaders staged sit-in against the restart of Itaka Nuke Plant in Matsuyama

四国電力伊方原発（伊方町）の再稼働に反対する県内の宗教関係者らが２８日、松山市湊町５丁目の坊っちゃん広場で座り込みを始めた。同日は県内の僧侶や信者ら約２５人が宗派を超えて集まり、１時間にわたり「原発を止めよう」などと書かれたのぼりを掲げて読経をした。

Religious leaders in the prefecture [Ehime] against the restart of Ikata Nuclear Power Plant operated by Shikoku Electric (in Ikata-cho) started the sit-in in a town square in Matsuyama City on April 28. About 25 people including Buddhist monks and the followers across the different sects gathered there, and chanted the Buddhist scriptures for an hour with the banners that said "Stop nuclear power plants".

座り込みは市内の住職ら７人が２０１１年９月に結成した「フクシマの子供を守り原発を止める仏教者の会」が実施。原発に反対する宗教関係者の輪を広げようと県内３００以上の仏教寺院やキリスト教会に呼び掛けている。

The sit-in was carried out by "Buddhists for protecting children in Fukushima and stopping nuclear power plants" that was formed in September 2011 by 7 people including the chief priests of Buddhist temples in the city. The group is calling to more than 300 Buddhist temples and Christian churches in the prefecture to join them in the effort to oppose nuclear plants.

呼び掛け人の一人で観音寺（同市三番町１丁目）の垂水正和住職（６０）は「原発の再稼働は命の問題であることを多くの人に知ってもらいたい」と話していた。

One of the members of the group, chief priest of Kannon Temple, said "Restart of the nuclear plant is a matter of life, and I would like more people to know that."

座り込みは５月４日までの午後５時から１時間。

Sit-ins will continue until May 4, from 5PM for one hour.

And independent journalist Ryusaku Tanaka reports that two men are doing the hunger strike to protest against the restart of Ooi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture in front of the Prime Minister's Official Residence. One is a 26-year-old ultra-right nationalist, the other is a 40-year old ultra-left Communist who was a card-carrying member of the Japan Communist Party until 4 days ago when he left the party to carry out the hunger strike.

Tanaka reports that 26-year-old Yujiro Yamaguchi wants to stop the restart of Ooi Nuke Plant:

「再稼働が我慢ならないんですよ」と率直な答えが返ってきた。「政府は“安全だ”と言ってるが、それはあり得ない。政治家の発言がコロコロ変わる。そんなことより補償をちゃんとしろよ」

"I can't allow the restart. The government says it is "safe", but that's impossible. The politicians change their stories too often. They should compensate the victims [of the Fukushima nuclear accident] first."

40-year-old  Yasushi Seshita (it could be one of 6 different reading of the same character sets), when asked by Tanaka if he had any compunction against doing the hunger strike with the ultra-right nationalist, said:

 「国を良くするのに右も左もない」

"There is no right or left to make this country better."

Tanaka reports that Seshita has received a tweet from the leader of a ultra-right group expressing worry about his health. Seshita is happy that they are united in the opposition.

(Photos by Ryusaku Tanaka)

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