Friday, June 22, 2012

Messrs Edano and Hosono Comment on 45,000-Strong Protest at PM Official Residence on June 22, 2012


As I posted earlier, they were inside the Prime Minister's Official Residence as the protest was on-going.

Portirland blog, posting the TV Asahi's program video (probably will be taken down shortly by Asahi soon), shows what the response was from each of them.

"Minister, there is a huge demonstration right now outside the Official Residence, against the Ooi Nuke Plant restart..." What do you think?

First, Mr. Yukio Edano, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry:

(...) No comment.



Then, Mr. Goshi Hosono, Minister of the Environment/Minister in charge of the nuclear accident, with the same question:

I'm in a hurry now.




Then Hosono's car scooted right past the demonstrators:



Here's the video of the 11-minute segment in Asahi's report, while it lasts, if you understand Japanese. Ministers' non-comment and comment are about 5:40 into the video. Extremely brief.




16 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Battle Has Just Begun! Japan NOW is the time to stand up and shut these nuclear plants forever!
One hundred thousand people and more at the next peaceful rally to save Japan. Look forward to a future where children can go to the forest, walk in gardens, eat good food, and drink clean water. Now is the time to take peaceful action together and move Japan toward a clean natural energy future. YOU CAN DO IT NOW! NO NUCLEAR JAPAN!

E. Bilien said...

So glad to see the number of protesters skyrocketting. Japan, FIGHTING!
No half-life. FULL LIFE!

Beppe said...

This news program has always taken a critical but balanced stance towards nuclear energy generation, asking the right questions at the right time. The demonstration in front of Kantei has been properly described too. Heartfelt thanks Asahi TV!
Looking at Hosono and Noda faces while walking out of Kantei I think they are shitting themselves in their pants. Let's give them more of the same medicine.

John said...

Learn from the Egyptians. Do not go home. Stay in the street. Even if 45,000 people show up, if you all go home in 3 hours, why does anyone need to respond to you? It is simply an inconvenience. Stay in the street. Shut down traffic. Then you become more than an inconvenience. I took part in a demonstration in Fukuoka. We marched around Kyushu Electric a few times and went home: pointless.

Anonymous said...

John - great to hear you got out to demonstrate. Everyone who is able needs to stand up and be heard.

however I think the two-hour format works well in Japan. please understand that even if 100,000 people camped on his lawn, Noda's approach would simply be to wait them out. it would be weeks, months, years, and Noda would eventually win. And the protesters who are actually able to organize their personal lives to try to wait out Noda would be a very specific demographic that much of the general public might not relate with, a "fringe element."

the two-hour formats however allow more people from ALL walks of life to participate without quitting their jobs and without neglecting their children and families. EVERYONE can relate with the demonstrators as people just like their neighbors and friends. The press cannot villify them as "fringe elements."

please keep demonstrating there in fukuoka. I hope you can stop the burning of radioactive debris there at kita kyushu and that you can get that no-nuke mayoral candidate elected in kagoshima on 08-July.

and please know that one day very soon, there will be a million people of all ages and from all walks of life demonstrating against nuclear power in the streets of Tokyo. this would not happen without the regular friday afternoon unhappy hours that have given people a place to combine their voices in united opposition to the DPJ's nuclear war on the japanese people.

And of course, if you can, please join us in Tokyo

Peace be with you brother.

Anonymous said...

Of course Edano and Hosono are uncomfortable. They must know by now that they are on the wrong side of history. If they had any political instinct, they would have gotten IN FRONT of this huge anti-nuke sentiment in the population instead of trying to fight it. I think they know now that they have lost.

So what do you do if you are Edano and Hosono now? Well, if your party allows you, you will suck up to the nuclear Sanheidrans so that you might collect your 32 pieces of silver after your political careers are completely extinguished. You will quickly open as many nuclear plants as you can to earn more silver for your own retirement. You sell out your people for money. Evil yes, but remember the question is what would you do if you were Edano or Hosono now.

The DPJ must not allow this evil behavior to continue. The DPJ must replace Noda, Edano, Hosono and anyone else who has been doing the bidding of the nuclear mura. The DPJ must renounce nuclear power and move immediately to decommission ALL of Japan's 50 remaining nuclear reactors. Failing to control Edano, Hosono and Noda as they position themselves for life after their political careers are over, failing to control these men, would be the end of the DPJ also.

Beppe said...

@anon 4:51 I suspect Noda & Co. plan was to collect their silver from the beginning; some Tepco execs got rewarded with new top posts for what they have done to Fukushima (see article on Japan Times on June 22).
The DPJ lost the upper house long ago and shows no signs of recovering popularity; in fact it is already breaking apart. If demonstrations keep growing like this Noda might resign before Oi starts generating electricity full steam.
野田原発廃炉!

Anonymous said...

Let's put this size of a demonstration in the context of Japanese modern history. 100,000 people demonstrated against the US Alliance Treaty in 1960, and in Okinawa, perhaps 50,000 or more demonstrated after the rape of a young girl by US servicemen in 1995. Both demos were directed more towards the US than Japan.

This movement is different and has the potential to bring power to the Japanese people in a way seen in the Philippines after the Aquino assassination, or mass demonstrations against the Korean military government in the 1980s...people power brought down both repressive and corrupt regimes.

As the video shows, Japan's ruling elite are unaccountable to the people, but the ruling elite have made a fatal mistake:

"Let them eat radioactive cake!"

Anonymous said...

ahhh, this is GOOD!!! but you see, it is too late, you will see why.

Anonymous said...

It was better when we could just stroll in and beat the crap out of them like the good old days.

Anonymous said...

Anon@9:41 FYI. I read somewhere that Noda has a black belt.

Anonymous said...

Anon@9:52

It is good that Noda has a black belt it would match both of his eyes after I was done with him.

Anonymous said...

Edano and Hosono: Lawyers are Liars. Those punks should be rotting in prison right now.

Anonymous said...

The PEOPLE will stop the restart of reactors!
The PEOPLE will be able to kill nuclear power.
The PEOPLE will take control of Japan from the Zionists!

There are more PEOPLE than politicians, corporate Zionists, and Bankers....it's over for the elitists finally!

THE PEOPLE ARE JAPAN
THE PEOPLE ARE THE COUNTRY THEY LIVE IN.
THE PEOPLE MUST TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR HOMELAND.

NEVER GIVE IN, NEVER GIVE UP!

Anonymous said...

Good for you. Stand up for yourselves and your country. I respect Japan and you must as citizens of a great country must save it from the government who does not want to listen to its own people.

Anonymous said...

I never realised till recently how much the Zionists run the show in Japan, its been a learning curve for sure...

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