I’m reposting a repost circulated by David Slater (Sophia University) on H-Net Japan. The link has both Japanese and English versions.
*The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and the accident at the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant*, have both had a dramatic impact
around the world. In response to this massive disaster and its tragic
consequences to people’s lives and environment, *the people of Japan are
trying to take steps towards recovery.* Meanwhile, the nuclear power plant
is still unstable and workers are forced to continue working in
life-threatening conditions. As the radioactive contamination spreads, many
people including children are forced to suffer from prolonged radiation
exposure, unable to evacuate due to lack of support from the government.It is vital that we do not continue to make the same mistakes. It is now
time for humanity to put an end to the nuclear age that started with
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Japan, well over half the population now
supports the goal of breaking away from nuclear power. However, many people
question whether it is practically possible to bring nuclear power to an
end. For these reasons and more, a coalition of Japan-based organizations
will hold the *Global Conference for a Nuclear Power Free
World
* in Yokohama, Japan on *January 14-15, 2012*.*Lack of recent media coverage threatens to diminish public attention to
the dangers of nuclear power. For this reason we are writing to ask for
your support. We would greatly appreciate the help of your
**university**to encourage individuals, organizations and companies to
help, take action
and participate in this vitally important conference as a positive step
towards the future. *This conference will create *a venue for people from all around the
world to gather in Japan and respond to the reality of Fukushima. *We will bring together *the voices of people who suffer from radiation
exposure* all around the world, whether by nuclear power or nuclear
weapons – $B(BGlobal Hibakusha$B(B. We will learn from each other’s experiences
to illustrate the human and environmental consequences of the nuclear
chain.The conference will also aim to demonstrate that *it** is realistically
possible to create a society that is not dependent on nuclear power. *Through learning from experiences from around the world, *we aim to
create a road map for the safe removal of existing nuclear power
plants,*and from there,
*present alternative policies based on renewable energy* and propose
action plans that can be implemented by Japan and other countries.People from Japan and around the world are encouraged to join the
Conference through any of the following ways:*Provide an individual or organizational message and photograph in
support of the Conference **http://www.npfree.jp/english/msgboard/list.html*Participate in the conference **
http://www.npfree.jp/english/participating.html**
*<http://www.npfree.jp/english/participating.html>*Donate to support the organization of the conference
**http://npfree.jp/english/donation.html
