The triple disaster of 11 March 2011 constituted a major turning point in contemporary Japanese history – its political impact is not however unequivocal. It has provoked a radical break in the way in which many Japanese people perceive the authorities and institutions of their country. It has informed a profoundly progressive citizens' revolt. But it has happened at a time when the geopolitical situation in East Asia is increasingly unstable: the popular sentiment of insecurity is accompanied by a great uncertainty as to the regional evolution of the relationship of forces between the powers; which has led to a dangerous renewal of reactionary nationalist and militarist movements.

- IV458 - March 2013 / Ecology and the Environment, Japan, Nuclear power

The triple disaster of 11 March 2011 constituted a major turning point in contemporary Japanese history – its political impact is not however unequivocal. It has provoked a radical break in the way in which many Japanese people perceive the authorities and institutions of their country. It has informed a profoundly progressive citizens' revolt. But it has happened at a time when the geopolitical situation in East Asia is increasingly unstable: the popular sentiment of insecurity is accompanied by a great uncertainty as to the regional evolution of the relationship of forces between the powers; which has led to a dangerous renewal of reactionary nationalist and militarist movements.

- IV458 - March 2013 / Ecology and the Environment, Japan, Nuclear power

Japanese civic movements held a press conference and released a statement on territorial conflicts between Japan, China, and Korea on Friday, September 28. The statement was initiated by a small number of activists of peace movement, intellgentsia, media people, and lawyers.

- News from around the world / Japan

“Critics of Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto sometimes describe his politics as ‘Hashism', referring to a supposed similarity between some of his tactics and those of fascism.”(“The Asahi Shimbun”, March 3, 2012) - IV448 - May 2012 / Japan

A year after the catastrophe of Fukushima, a big mobilization is being organized to demand the abandoning of nuclear power. - IV447 - April 2012 / France, Japan, Nuclear power

One year has passed since tremendous scale of earthquake and tsunami catastrophe which severely attacked and destroyed towns and villages in North-East coastal region of Japan. Nearly 20,000 people were killed and missing, 341,000 have been evacuated, and many people lived in affected zones lost their fundamental basis of daily existences, such as houses, public transport, health care, jobs, and their communities. - IV446 - March 2012 / Japan, Nuclear power

On March 11, it's exactly one year ago that North-Eastern Japan was hit by a major earthquake and a tsunami with giant 15 meter waves. One of the devastating consequences was a meltdown in the Fukushima nuclear power plant – the biggest nuclear disaster in 25 years. How is the situation today? Is everything under control? What about the population of Fukushima? How does the disaster influence the nuclear power debate in Japan? David Dessers of De Wereld Mogen asked Satoko Kishimoto, a Japanese climate activist who works for the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam: “People no longer believe what the government tells them. They now measure radiation levels themselves, search for alternative sources of information and take their own safety precautions. The government has abandoned people to their fate”. This interview was made in the run up to the demonstration “No more Fukushima” scheduled to take place on 11 March 2012 in Brussels. - IV446 - March 2012 / Japan, Nuclear power

On January 14-15 2012 more than 10,000 participants from more than 30 countries attended a Global conference for a nuclear free world in Yokohama, Japan. More than 100 guest speakers addressed the conference which included those who had witnessed the disaster of Chernobyl in 1986 and the US nuclear test site on Marshall Islands as well as Fukushima. Attendance from other Asian countries was particularly noticeable but it also included a significant number of European and Australian visitors. - News from around the world / Japan, Nuclear power

Six months have passed since the Northeastern-Japan earthquake/tsunami and the Fukushima Nuke disaster. Faced with the deadly serious situation of the radiocative contamination and its possible effects on their livelihood and future life, people are waging various kinds of activities to decommison all the nuclear power plants. Antinuke campaigns have been gaining momentum in the whole country. - IV440 - September 2011 / Ecology and the Environment, Japan, Solidarity after disasters , Nuclear power

Japan beschikt niet over kernwapens en duizenden Japanners kwamen om toen er kernwapens werden gebruikt tegen Hiroshima en Nagasaki. Maar het land is het slachtoffer van een ‘pro-kernenergie’ consensus onder de Japanse elites die elke democratische besluitvorming over de kwestie blokkeerde. Japan is een gijzelaar van de nucleaire industrie.Tsjernobyl toonde in 1986 wat er kan gebeuren als een staat die over kerncentrales beschikt in een crisis verkeert. Vandaag toont Fukushima waar de duizenden grote en kleine leugens van de kernindustrie toe leiden als het onverwachte gebeurt. Alle staten worden ooit geconfronteerd met crises en dat het onverwachte gebeurt is onvermijdelijk. Als we de kerncentrales niet sluiten, liggen er meer Tsjernobyls en Fukushima’s in het verschiet.
Internationale solidariteit is een gedeelde strijd tegen een gedeelde bedreiging. Een dergelijke strijd moet de pro-kernenergie consensus doorbreken. Miljoenen overlevenden van de aardbeving, tsunami en ‘Fukushima’ zijn nog steeds zeer kwetsbaar en komen allerlei voorzieningen tekort. Zij hebben onze steun nodig. Ook een rijk land als Japan kan hulp gebruiken. Zoals het drama van orkaan Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 toonde zijn ook in de ‘ontwikkelde landen’ de armen de laatsten die geholpen worden en moeten gewone werkende mensen opdraaien voor de kosten. Wie kan het zich veroorloven om de risico-gebieden te verlaten, op zoek naar medicijnen en bransdstof? Wie zal morgen nog een baan kunnen vinden nu zoveel bedrijven zijn vernield? En onder welke omstandigheden zullen deze mensen werken?

We hopen een bescheiden bijdragen te leveren aan het bestrijden van deze immense crisis. Op de eerste plaats willen wij de mensen ‘onderop’ helpen, op zo’n manier dat activisten en sociale bewegingen sterker komen te staan in het verdedigen van de belangen van de machtelozen. Noodhulp kan niet los gezien worden van de dagelijkse sociale strijd. De vereniging Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières (ESSF) doet daarom een internationale oproep tot financiele steun. ESSF heeft banden met verschillende groepen in Japan – het geld dat ingezameld wordt zal voornamelijk bestemd zijn voor een onafhankelijk vakbondsverbond, actief in de zwaar getroffen Miyagi / Sendai en Fukushima regio’s: de Zenrokyo (Nationale Vakbonds Raad).

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