Goodbye to Nuclear Power Plants Rally

You know a movement's picking up steam when Nobel laureates start jumping on board. 'The new prime minister seems to think that nuclear power plants are necessary for Japan's economy, and how to resume their operation is one of his key political agendas,' said author Kenzaburo Oe, winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Literature, at a recent press conference. 'We must make a big decision to abolish all nuclear plants.' Oe is one of the names attached to this high-profile rally, along with the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, economist Katsuto Uchihashi and Buddhist nun and activist Jakucho Setouchi. The group hope to collect 10 million signatures for a petition demanding that Japan ditch nuclear power in favour of renewable energy, though in the meantime they're organising a demo, departing from Meiji Park and ending up over at Yoyogi. It should be one of the larger marches Tokyo has seen so far – though estimates of 50,000 attendees are, dare we say it, a trifle overoptimistic.

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