Japanese protest use of nuclear power

TOKYO -- Chanting "Sayonara nuclear power" and waving banners, tens of thousands of people marched in central Tokyo yesterday to call on Japan's government to abandon atomic energy in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident.

The demonstration underscores how deeply a Japanese public long accustomed to nuclear power has been affected by the March 11 crisis, when a tsunami caused core meltdowns at three reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex.

The disaster -- the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986 -- saw radiation spewed across a wide part of northeastern Japan, forcing the evacuation of 100,000 people who lived near the plant and raising fears of contamination in everything from fruit and vegetables to fish and water.

"Radiation is scary," said Nami Noji, 43, who came to the protest with her four children, ages 8-14. "There's a lot of uncertainty about the safety of food, and I want the future to be safe for my kids."

Police estimated the crowd at 20,000 people, while organizers said there were three times that many.

In addition to fears of radiation, the Japanese public and corporate world have had to put up with electricity shortages amid the sweltering summer heat after more than 30 of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors were idled over the summer to undergo inspections.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who took office this month, has said Japan will restart reactors that clear safety checks. But he has also said the country should reduce its reliance on atomic energy over the long-term and explore alternative sources of energy. He has not spelled out any specific goals.

Before the disaster, this earthquake-prone country derived 30 percent of its electricity from nuclear power. Yet Japan is also a resource-poor nation, making it a difficult, time-consuming process for it to come up with viable alternative forms of energy.