Monday, July 16, 2012

July 16 Protest in Yoyogi Park "Largest Anti Nuclear Protest Ever in Tokyo", Reports NHK


What a surprise. I'm just shocked, SHOCKED! that NHK reported!

(Sarcasm off)

NHK reported on the July 16 protest in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, for a change. It must be near impossible to ignore, because NHK is located right around the corner from the park.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police apparently told NHK that 75,000 people participated.

From NHK (7/16/2012; part):

東京で過去最大の反原発集会

Largest-Ever Anti-Nuclear Event in Tokyo

関西電力大飯原子力発電所3号機がフル稼働に達するなど、国内で原発の運転再開に向けた動きが進むなか、東京で、過去最大規模の原発に反対する集会が開かれ、参加者が運転再開の撤回や原発の廃炉を訴えました。

As Reactor 3 at KEPCO's Ooi Nuclear Power Plant is in full operation and other nuclear plants in the country may be getting ready to resume operation, an anti-nuclear event was held in Tokyo which attracted the largest crowd ever. The participants demanded the reactor at Ooi Nuclear Power Plant be stopped and that nuclear reactors be decommissioned.

16日の集会は、ノーベル賞作家の大江健三郎さんやルポライターの鎌田慧さんなどが呼びかけ人となって、政府に抗議の声を届けようと開きました。

The July 16 gathering was organized by people including Nobel Prize winning author Kenzaburo Ooe and Satoshi Kamata, journalist and author, to let the government hear their voice of protest.

会場となった東京の代々木公園には、市民団体や労働組合のほか、ツイッターなどで呼びかけられた人たちが集まりました。
参加したのは、主催者側の発表でおよそ17万人、警視庁によりますとおよそ7万5000人で、東京で行われた反原発の集会やデモとしては、過去最大の規模になったということです。

Citizens' groups, labor unions, and people who had learned of the event via Twitter [and other net media] gathered in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. The number of participants was 170,000 according to the organizers, and 75,000 according to the Police. It was the largest crowd ever gathered in Tokyo for anti nuclear protest.

6 comments:

m a x l i said...

A miracle happened. German mainstream journal SPIEGEL-ONLINE reported on it.
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/gesellschaft/tokio-zehntausende-japaner-demonstrieren-gegen-atomkraft-a-844581.html
For a few weeks, there was zero reporting about the many demonstrations on friday evenings in Tokyo and on other days and other locations.

Anonymous said...

If NHK feels safe enough to report, it means it's hurting nobody in the government or nuclear industry. No effect, so the police can quote high number with confidence and NHK can report it.

Mela Custodio said...

Yep it was definitely a very large demo. I would be more surprised if NHK didn't report it because I saw several NHK crews along Omotesando.

Anonymous said...

Last night on the 11:00 news, NHK connected the demo reporting with the hearings on the new energy policy. They reported that the hearings on the new energy policy were not very "democratic" due to all the electric company employees, and that they hoped the government would begin to truly listen to the people. Hosono in Sendai looked really uncomfortable as the people yelled at him...he was grinning like a fool. It was very strange, I felt like I was watching Asahi's Hodo Station.

Anonymous said...

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police clearly don't know how to estimate crowd sizes, though of course they likely know exactly what they're doing by feeding such a low number to major media. Their fear is palpable.

Anonymous said...

Reuters and Bloomberg reported the demo too. Tepco and Kepco stocks keep plunging, nice dive in the last few days. Investors fear is palpable too.

Beppe

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