Central Tokyo was taken over by the biggest anti-nuclear demonstration since last year’s nuclear crisis at Fukushima. Organizers aimed for 100,000 attendees, though Japanese media reported 170,000 people joined.
The rally began with a series of speeches by prominent figures, including Nobel-prize laureate for literature Oe Kenzaburo and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Led by Nobel-winning novelist Kenzaburo Oe, pop star Ryuichi Sakamoto and visual artist Yoshitomo Nara, the protesters expressed outrage over a report that blamed the Fukushima disaster on Japan’s culture of “reflexive obedience” and held no individuals responsible.