Sayonara Nuclear Power Plants!

Kenzaburo Oe's appearance at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Wednesday has helped rekindle interest in an anti-nuclear movement that seemed like it was losing momentum. Nothing like a Nobel laureate to get people's attention – and now the Oe-supported Sayonara Nuclear Power Plants! campaign is hitting the streets of cities around the country on Saturday, with less than a month left to reach its target of 10 million signatures for an anti-nuclear petition that'll be delivered to PM Yoshihiko Noda. In Tokyo, protestors will be gathering in Yoyogi Park for speeches and a warm-up concert by rock 'n' rollers The Jumps, before embarking on two routes, one heading towards Meiji Park via Shibuya and Harajuku, the other wending its way through Tokyo's nether regions towards Shinjuku Chuo Park. While the campaign managed to mobilise 60,000 people for a similar demonstration on September 19 last year, attendance was far lower at a subsequent parade on December 10. If you're wondering (or worried) that people might be losing interest, this is the time to find out.