2012/07/01
A flood of 200 000 people shouting "Oppose to restart nuclear power plant." Vehicles of Riot Police stopped people from bursting into the PM's Office.
Original text from Ryusaku Tanaka Journal 30.06.2012http://tanakaryusaku.jp/2012/06/0004591
A woman who put a flower of Hydrangea reflected The Hydrangea Revolution=June 28 in the evening in front of PM's Office : Photo by Ryusaku Tanaka
A presage had already appeared before the meeting started. The Meeting was to protest against restarting nuclear power plant held on every friday (Promoted by Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes). Passed 5:30pm when the sun started to go down, the line of people who gathered in front of Prime Minister's Office almost surrounded the corner of the Cabinet Office. Overflowed people filled the sidewalk next to the congress hall. At the beginning of the protest there were already 45 000 people, like at the last demonstration (Issued by Promoter). There was a group who came from Nagano by chartered bus, an old couple who came from Fukui Prefecture, the locality of Ôi nuclear power plant. I called with my cellphone the representative of Nagano whom i had an appointment with. "I'll be at the point of 10M from Kasumigaseki station of Tokyo Metro". So i went there but i couldn't find him. A journalist friend called me as well but i couldn't find him neither. I saw nothing but people in every direction.
Passed 6pm the speech of protesters started as usual at the crossroads in front of PM's Office. Students, employees, housewives, people of any ages took the microphone. National Diet members also made a speech in front of PM's Office by turns. All of them are members who voted against the bill to increase the consumption tax rate. "Never give up till the very end. We still have time until July the first (the day announced for restarting Ôi nuclear power plant)" said Yukiko Miyake, a member of the House of Representatives (Democratic Party). When I was listing to the fifth speech of sixt, a friend who participated to the column of campaign against the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty in 1960 run to me. "Roadway is filled with people. It's the liberated zone!" told me excitedly the soldier from previous years.
The vehicles of riot police lay aboard in front of the front gate of PM's Office.There was a father piggybacking his child, as well = Photo by Ryusaku Tanaka
I started to run to the roadway. As my friend told me, the roadway was filled with people and vehicles couldn't pass through. Policemen repeated "Please go on the sidewalk!" but he couldn't control people. A protester with white hair shouted "It's the first time since the campaign against the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty in 1960!". 200000 people (Issued by the promoter) advanced little by little to the direction of PM's office. Within some minutes, the barricades of police collapsed one after another and were pulled back. A commandant of the police shouted "Protect the Prime Minister's office!". Some buses of riot police (usually called as Kamaboko) appeared and came in between PM's office and the protesters. Police appealed with loudspeaker from the top of command vehicles: "Please everyone stay calm!" but he couldn't stop people. Police officers of today must have not experienced such a large scale of demonstration before. Instead the promoter of the protest appealed: "We'll protest next week as well. Step backwards slowly", "nuclear power plant will not be stopped by only 200 000 people." Before the scheduled finishing time, the demonstration was adjourned peacefully without any arrest. PM Noda's office who restarted nuclear power plant was protected by the police. If the vehicle of riot police didn't backed up the front gate of PM's office, people would have rolled into the PM's office.
Courtesy : Ryusaku Tanaka
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