Nobel-winning author Oe says Japan should learn from Fukushima, follow Germany's example
http://www.startribune.com/world/295728541.html
Nobel-winning author Oe says Japan should learn from Fukushima, follow Germany's example
Article by: MARI YAMAGUCHI , Associated Press Updated: March 10, 2015 - 8:20 AM
TOKYO Nobel-winning author Kenzaburo Oe said Tuesday that Japan's push to restart some nuclear reactors following the Fukushima disaster could lead to another crisis, and urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to follow Germany's example and phase out atomic energy.
Oe's remarks to reporters came a day after visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had decided to end her country's use of nuclear energy by 2022 because the Fukushima crisis convinced her of its risks.
Abe, at a joint news conference Monday with Merkel, reiterated that Japan still needs nuclear power as a stable energy source and said it now has top-level safety standards based on lessons learned from the disaster.
Oe said he saw a stark contrast between the two leaders. "It was very symbolic," he said. "Japanese politicians are not trying to change the situation but only keeping the status quo even after this massive nuclear accident, and even if we all know that yet another accident would simply wipe out Japan's future."
<snip>