100,000 March In Tokyo...

And you didn't hear about it at all.  My 100,000 is between two estimates.  There's a video at the link; much larger than their usual, with photos of the huge crowd in Tokyo- in 37° heat.  Someone (of you) should grab it, and repost to YouTube, before it vanishes.  From NHK:


Anti-nuclear rally held in Tokyo

"Tens of thousands of people have staged one of the biggest anti-nuclear rallies in Tokyo since the Fukushima accident in March, last year.

"Labor union activists joined members of the public in the main protest rally at Yoyogi Park on Monday. Many of them responded to calls on the social network Twitter and the Internet.

"Nobel prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe was among public figures who called on people to take to the streets.

"The rally came after a reactor at the Ohi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, was brought back online. It began operating at full capacity earlier this month.

"Oe said the government's move to push forward the re-starting of idled reactors despite wide public opposition is an insult to the people. He added that people must defeat this move.

"Organizers say 170, 000 people took part in the rally, while police estimate the number at 75,000.  The crowd then marched on to the streets to protest the restart of the reactor and show their opposition to nuclear power.

"A woman took part with her son, who is in elementary school. She said she wants the government to scrap nuclear plants immediately for the safety of her child.  A man in his 70s said he joined the rally because the government won't listen to the people. He added that he cannot accept its decision to restart the reactor.

"Jul. 16, 2012 - Updated 15:55 UTC (00:55 JST)"
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And you thought the world could not change?  This is an astonishing change for Japan; before Fukushima, anti-nuclear protests typically garnered numbers of under 100 protesters, year after year.  Granted- it took massive disaster.  But look at the people in the video.  I have to say- I see some hope in their faces.  They're not going away, or giving up.  I hope.