Thousands Gather in Tokyo to Protest Nuclear Restart

Source: New York Times

In Japan’s largest antinuclear rally since the disaster at Fukushima, tens of thousands of protesters gathered Monday at a central Tokyo park to urge the government to halt its restart of the nation’s reactor fleet.

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Antinuclear demonstrations have gained momentum, especially in the nation’s capital, where tens of thousands of protesters now gather every week to shout slogans in front of Mr. Noda’s official residence.

On Monday, organizers said 170,000 people filled the Tokyo square to sing songs, beat drums and cheer on a series of high-profile speakers who called for more Japanese to make their voices heard. The police put the number of protesters at 75,000, still making it the biggest gathering of antinuclear demonstrators since the Fukushima accident last year.

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Indeed, rally organizers have gone to great lengths to project a friendly image in a country where protesters of any kind are seen by many as fringe agitators at best, and terrorists at worst. It is a perception left over from protests in 1960 and 1970 against a security treaty with the United States, during which rioters armed with pipes and gasoline bombs clashed with the police. Organizers at the time said as many as 170,000 people rallied in front of Japan’s Parliament building, a crowd not seen until the recent antinuclear rallies.

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/world/asia/thousands-gather-in-tokyo-to-protest-nuclear-restart.html