Protesters call for the end of nuclear power

(AP)

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 underscored how deeply a Japanese public long accustomed to nuclear power has been affected by the 11 March crisis, when a tsunami caused core meltdowns at Fukushima. The disaster – the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986 – spewed radiation across a wide part of north-eastern Japan, forcing the evacuation of some 100,000 people and raising fears of contamination in everything from fruit and vegetables to fish and water.

"Radiation is scary," said Nami Noji, 43, protesting with her four children. "There's a lot of uncertainty about the safety of food, and I want the future to be safe for my children." AP