Thousands march against nuclear power in Japan

[February 11, 2012]  TOKYO (AP) -- Thousands of Japanese people marched against nuclear power Saturday, amid growing worries about the restarting of reactors idled after the March 11 meltdown disaster in northeastern Japan.

Holding "No Nukes" signs, people gathered at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo for a rally Saturday, including Nobel Prize-winning writer Kenzaburo Oe.

The protesters then marched peacefully through the streets demanding Japan abandon atomic power.

"I'm worried there could be more nuclear accidents," said Misako Terada, a 54-year-old housewife.

Last year's tsunami in northeastern Japan destroyed backup generators at Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant, causing multiple meltdowns and setting off the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Protesters held a banner that said in Japanese, "Goodbye to nuclear power, call for 10 million people to act."

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.