The only Japanese nuclear power station to have been restarted since the nuclear disaster of March 2011 is the one at Oi in Fukui, just 60km from Kyoto and only 30km from our drinking water supply, Lake Biwa. (Stephen Gill) There will be a big anti-nuclear rally at Maruyama Park this Saturday (March 9th). As usual with these events it looks very much like it will have a … [Read more...]
Fresh Currents Publication Party @ Tadg’s this Sunday (November 11th)
Want to meet the people behind Fresh Currents? Enjoy some tasty craft beers AND have a chat about renewables with the folks from Kyoto Journal? Publication party at Tadg's this Sunday from 8pm! To find Tadg’s walk straight up Kiyamachi from Sanjo, before you get to Oike you should see the Empire building on your right. Tadg’s is on the 8th floor. Click here for a most … [Read more...]
Lessons from Fukushima – Arnie Gundersen in Kyoto Tomorrow Night!
I posted this on Facebook before, but here's a last minute reminder that Arnie Gundersen will be speaking at Heartopia in Kyoto tomorrow night (Monday September 3rd). To see the details below more clearly simply click on the flyer below to see the full-sized pdf. LESSONS FROM FUKUSHIMA What all involved in nuclear power must learn from the Fukushima Daiichi … [Read more...]
This Friday ~ July 20th ~ Join the Growing Protests Against the Nuclear Restarts
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to join in Monday's anti-nuclear march here in Kyoto, but with all the musicians and drummers and the likes of Christopher Fryman blowing on his trumpet it looks like it must have been fun! Here's the good word from two friends who were there. Stephen Gill writes, We need more younger people to come and walk against the restart of nuclear power in … [Read more...]
Perks!
Did I mention that there are perks for contributing to the Fresh Currents campaign fund? There are perks for contributing to the Fresh Currents campaign fund. For a $10 donation - you get your name on the Fresh Currents website, our undying gratitude & an enormous feeling of wellbeing. For $25 - all of the above & your name listed in the book + a free digital issue … [Read more...]
Encouragement!
Just two days left on the Fresh Currents appeal and we are still $1880 short of our goal! Can we reach it? Yes! But only with your help! Click here to invest in a renewable energy future: http://www.indiegogo.com/freshcurrents Why donate? Let's take a look at some comments from those who have donated so far. I totally agree with alternative energy! It’s a disgrace that it … [Read more...]
Green Action’s Aileen Mioko Smith Confronts METI Minister Yukio Edano on the Fault Issue at Ohi Nuclear Power Plant
Here's the latest update from the anti-nuclear front with Green Action Japan: 1. Government Committee to Deliberate Earthquake Fault (F-6) at Ohi Nuclear Power Plant 2. Green Action Executive Director Meets METI Minister Yukio Edano On Friday, 29 June, NISA announced that the earthquake fault under the Ohi Plant will be on the agenda of NISA's Earthquake・Tsunami Expert … [Read more...]
Ohi Nuclear Power Plant ~ Why We Should Be Worried…
Estimated number of people living within 30 kilometers of Fukui’s 14 reactors: 1,249,981 (Fukui Shimbun, Oct. 21, 2011) Distance from the Ohi reactors to central Kyoto city: 60 kilometers The following message is from Aileen Mioko Smith of Green Action Japan. Click on the pictures to view a larger image. The red lines on this JPEG photo depict the shattered … [Read more...]
Fresh Currents
Today I bring you news of a Kyoto Journal project I have been involved in for over 12 months now. Please help spread the word about our fundraising campaign and help us build a sustainable future! Japan’s Flow from a Nuclear Past to a Renewable Future More than a year after the triple meltdown at Fukushima, Japan and the rest of the world continue to grapple with the … [Read more...]
News Roundup: PM Noda Defies Massive Public Opposition to OK Restart of Ohi Reactors / Expert Warns of Active Faults Under Ohi Nuclear Plant
11,000 protestors gathered outside Prime Minister Noda's official residence last night to oppose the restart of the Ohi nuclear reactors in Fukui prefecture. However, none of this was broadcast on Japanese TV. [Source: Fukushima Voice] And today in direct defiance of massive domestic opposition, Prime Minister Noda gave the go-ahead for the reactors to be … [Read more...]
A Call for International Protest & Action: “Don’t restart the Ohi reactors”
Today I am posting an urgent message to the world from a coalition of six groups opposed to the restart of nuclear reactors in Japan. Thank you to Stephen Gill for bringing this to my attention: [UPDATE: Local actions in Tokyo and Osaka are also posted below*] Dear Friends, The Japanese Prime Minister Noda has announced his decision to order the restart two nuclear … [Read more...]
Tales From Off the Grid: Bringing Renewable Energy from Kansai to Tohoku, India, Mongolia, Nepal, and Beyond.
Presented by: Vince Ng of Sky Group DATE: Sunday, May 6th TIME: 6 p.m. LOCATION: Tadg's Restaurant Our friend Eric Johnston says, Please join us at Tadg's Restuarant in Kyoto on Sunday, May 6th, from 7:30 p.m. as Vince Ng of Sky Group, a consortium of renewable energy small and medium start-up firms based in Osaka, talks about the state of renewable energy in Japan and … [Read more...]
Bye-Bye Nuclear Power 9/11
On September 11th, six months from the day of the Great East Japan Earthquake, there will be a demonstration in Kyoto calling for the abandonment of nuclear power. The event will begin at 2pm in Maruyama Park. My friend Kawagoe Yoshio recently gave me a flyer for the demo which he had designed himself. I've given a rough translation of the flyer's contents below minus the list … [Read more...]
Our Energy Future ~ Kyoto University English Language Seminar on July 14th
I can't think of any more important problem facing Japan today than the issue of energy production and how we continue to do it, safely and with minimum impact upon our environment. Too often the narrative is framed by the corporate powers that be as a fait accompli. How often do we hear the same old rhetoric trotted out? "Nuclear power is the only efficient way to produce the … [Read more...]