Thousands stage anti-nuclear rally in Tokyo

Thousands have rallied in Japan’s capital Tokyo to demand an end to nuclear power, ahead of the third anniversary of the Fukushima disaster.

The protesters banged on drums and waved anti-nuclear flags as they marched towards the parliament.

“Today, there is no electricity flowing in Japan that is made at nuclear plants. If we continue this zero nuclear status and if we make efforts to promote renewable energy and invest in energy saving technology, I think it’s possible to live without nuclear,” Yasuro Kawai, a 66-year-old businessman and activist from Chiba prefecture quoted as saying.

The protest is one of the several rallies planned across Japan ahead of the March 11 anniversary of the 2011 nuclear disaster.

The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed interest in restarting some of the 48 reactors idled after the radioactive leak.

On Saturday, Abe visited Fukushima to get updates on the decontamination process at the nuclear plant there.

The developments come months after Fukushima nuclear plant was damaged in a mega-earthquake followed by a tsunami on March 11, 2011.

The natural disaster killed 15,884 people and left 2,636 people still unaccounted for.

A report released by a Japanese parliamentary panel later said the incident at the Fukushima nuclear plant was not only due to the tsunami, but also a “man-made disaster.”

The report criticized the “government, regulatory authorities and Tokyo Electric Power Company” for being devoid of “a sense of responsibility to protect people’s lives and society.”