Japanese Church rejects nuclear power

The Anglican Church in Japan has reiterated its opposition to nuclear power following last year’s meltdown at the Fukushima plant.

The nuclear power plant was crippled as a result of the earthquake and tsunami that struck north-eastern Japan in 2011, leaking large amounts of radiation into the surrounding area.

In a statement, the Anglican Church in Japan (Nippon Sei Ko Kai) said that the Fukushima disaster had revealed the “extremely dangerous” nature of nuclear power generation.

“It is not too much to say this is a warning from God to each of us who, having suffered from nuclear bombings, have failed to acquire sufficient knowledge about nuclear power and exposure to radiation,” it said.

The Church criticised the level of risk to people in the process of generating nuclear power, from the mining of uranium to the disposal of radioactive waste.

“Nuclear power endangers the life created by God,” the statement continued.

With the decommissioning of Fukushima set to take decades, the Church warned of the harm being done to children and future generations as a result of exposure to radiation.

“A large quantity of radioactive waste, without any appropriate disposal technology, will continue to endanger people’s lives for a long period of time.

“Besides, no one can deny that the existence of nuclear power plants in a country like Japan, which is subject to frequent earthquakes, is very likely to be the cause of serious crises in the future.”

It follows a statement from Japanese bishops in March in which they said that last year’s devastating earthquake had “shattered the safety myth of nuclear power”.

“We also strongly call on all of us to change our own lifestyle,” they said.