Our Impact

Japanese court rejects plaintiff demand to shut down Ohi Units 3 and 4 Plaintiffs will immediately appeal ruling Court recognizes interaction of 3 earthquake faults near Ohi but declares Ohi prima facie safe (safe for now unless proven otherwise) Court states there is no legal time limit for shutting down reactors in the event of an accident/earthquake Press Release For Immediate Release (Kyoto, Japan): 16 April 2013 Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith +81-90-3620-9251 (co-lead plaintiff) For Japanese statement issued by plaintiffs’ group see: http://greenaction-japan.org/internal/130416_statement.pdf The judgment in the legal case against the only two nuclear power plants currently operating in Japan, Ohi Nuclear Power Station Units 3 and 4, owned and…

This is an English translation of the key technical arguments of plaintiffs and defendant in the first court ruling to be handed down concerning the safety of Japanese operating nuclear power plants since the March 11th 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident. The ruling is expected the week of 8 April. For an overview, arguments up to the closing of the case, and the implications of this lawsuit to nuclear power in Japan see: Download：http://www.greenaction-japan.org/internal/130405_stop_the_operation_of_Ohi_en.pdf [English translation issued by Mihama-no-Kai and Green Action / 5 April 2013] [Notes concerning this translation: The text below describes the basic legal arguments of the plaintiffs and defendant. The verdict is expected the first part of…

Will Japan Repeat the Fukushima Disaster? Lawsuit* Verdict This Week May Provide Answer *Lawsuit seeking an injunction to shut down the only two nuclear power plants operating in Japan today, Kansai Electric’s Ohi Units 3 and 4 Media Briefing Paper For Immediate Release: 3 April 2013 Kyoto, Japan Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith +81-90-3620-9251 (co-lead plaintiff) Verdict to be Handed Down Early April The judgment in the legal case against the only two nuclear power plants operating currently in Japan, Ohi Nuclear Power Station Units 3 and 4 owned and operated by Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (KEPCO), is expected this week (4 April ~ 5 April.) It will be the…

Green Action Press Release Japan Must Learn from the Lessons of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident 11 March 2013 For immediate release Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith +81-90-3620-9251 150,000 people remain displaced as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident which began on 11 March 2011, and the reality of this nuclear disaster is still reported daily in the news. In spite of this, on January 30th, the new Shinzo Abe administration announced that it would scrap the former government’s plans to phase out nuclear power during the 2030’s, and would deliberate on the issue “from scratch,” completely negating the public debate undertaken by the national…

“Fukushima Nuclear Disaster – Public Health Lessons and Challenges” What are the health consequences of the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident on children, power plant workers and the whole country. What measures are being taken in Fukushima in terms of health effect measures. What lessons must be learned from the processes after the accident. What measures should be taken now to prevent further health effects. In this context, what is the role of those within the medical field. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), who received The Noble Peace Awarded in 1985, will hold their 20th IPPNW World Congress in Hiroshima will take place between…

An Appeal from Japan to worldwide civil organizations concerning stabilization of the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 spent nuclear fuel. We ask your support for our appeal to Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihiko Noda and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon To civil organizations around the world: Please support this effort by endorsing our letter to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon dated 30 April 2012. Deadline: 20 May 2012 Please send endorsement to: info@greenaction-japan.org (Please include city and country of your organization.) For full text of letter/endorsements/signatories, see: http://wp.me/p1FMPy-B6 We Japanese civil organizations* express our deepest concern that our government does not inform its citizens about the…

Press Release——Fukushima Coalition Sends Urgent Request for UN Intervention to Stabilize the Fukushima Unit 4 Spent Nuclear Fuel For immediate release: 2 May 2012 Kyoto, Japan―On 30 April, seventy-two Japanese NGO organizations lead by Shut Tomari and Green Action send an urgent request to the UN and Japanese government urging immediate action to stabilize the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 spent nuclear fuel. The letter was endorsed by experts from Japan and abroad. The letter warned that the seriously damaged Unit 4 spent nuclear fuel pool contains Cesium-137 (Cs-137) that is equivalent to 10 times the amount released at the time of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. If an…

October 31, 2011 Opposing Japan-Vietnam Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in Promotion of Nuclear Export ~What must be exported instead is learning from Fukushima experience and not life-threatening nuclear power plants~ While Fukushima nuclear accident is yet to be brought under control, the fallout of radioactive material continues to contaminate the earth, nature and sea of Japan. Countless number of people including those in Fukushima is suffering from the crisis and devastation of their lives. And yet, the causes of the accident have not been fully investigated. At the moment, Japan-Vietnam nuclear cooperation agreement is being signed to take another steps further to promote Japan’s nuclear export. Presently in Vietnam, Japanese taxpayer-funded…

From FCCJ’s site: Nakate, Aoki, Smith & Iwata, Voice of Fukushima Citizens http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/6874 Time: 2011 Sep 09 15:30 – 16:30 Summary: Press Conference Seiichi Nakate, Fukushima Network for Saving Children from Radiation Kazumasa Aoki, Citizens Against Fukushima Aging Nuclear Power Plants Aileen Mioko Smith, Green Action Wataru Iwata, Executive Director, Project 47 Excerpt: On Sept. 11-12, 30 radiation and health experts from 14 countries will gather in Fukushima Prefecture for a Nippon Foundation-sponsored symposium on the health risks faced by Fukushima residents. But the symposium has drawn fire from local residents who note Fukushima citizens will not be allowed to directly attend the proceedings, which are ostensibly being held for…

As the nuclear crisis precipitated by the 2011 Great Eastern Earthquake unfolded, spewing radioactive material across northern Japan, Sachiko Sato of Fukushima sent her three children away to safety while she stayed behind. With clear information about fallout and radiation levels in short supply from the government, other families inside and outside the evacuation zones faced similar separation. Businesses continued as usual despite rising radiation levels, so parents, often fathers, were forced to stay at work as the wives and children left for Tokyo or western Japan. While Sato’s children worried about their classmates who remained in Fukushima, the Japanese government, rather than arrange for wider evacuation, raised the legal…