Greenpeace activists on three continents demand nuclear industry accountability

Amsterdam, March 7, 2013 — Ahead of the second anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Greenpeace activists on three continents and in the Middle East are demanding that reactor operators and their suppliers, such as GE, Hitachi and Toshiba, be held fully responsible for potential nuclear accidents.

Using giant stickers, photos, projected images and nuclear scream masks, activists have already brought messages such as 'They profit, you pay' or 'Your Business, Our Risks' to the industry and the public. Activists are also demanding that GE, Hitachi and Toshiba should not be allowed to walk away from Fukushima.

Activists in Japan demonstrated in front of the country's parliament, while in Belgium giant stickers were attached to GE's European headquarters in Brussels. In Germany, activists unfurled a banner at Hitachi Power's European HQ, while a giant blimp with similar messaging will be seen flying across a North American city later today.

In response, Greenpeace International nuclear campaigner Dr. Rianne Teule said:

"Today's activities in three continents, in three time zones, highlight that the lack of accountability of the nuclear industry is not only a problem limited to Japan. Global nuclear regulations are seriously flawed.

"In the case of Japan, two years after the Fukushima disaster, the unfair system means hundreds of thousands of victims are still waiting for reasonable compensation for their pain, suffering and losses. They aren’t getting the help they need to rebuild their lives.

"It is shocking that big companies like GE, Hitachi and Toshiba, don’t feel they have a moral responsibility to help people who have suffered from the radioactive contamination caused by their products. They should be made accountable for the risks they create."

The Greenpeace activities are taking place in France, Germany, Belgium, Japan and North America, while a similar activity took place in Jordan and Switzerland earlier this week.

Notes:

1. Serious flaws in regulations worldwide force the public rather than the industry to pay the vast majority of the costs of a nuclear accident. The latest estimate is that the Fukushima disaster will cost US$250 billion.

TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima plant, is only required to pay a fraction of the disaster costs while supplier companies are not required to pay anything, effectively putting the burden on the tax payer.

For your reporting purposes, the following materials are available:

· Photos of the activities: http://photo.greenpeace.org/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox&ALID=27MZIFV5VH94&IT=ThumbImage01_VForm&CT=Album
· Greenpeace International released Fukushima Fallout: Nuclear business makes people pay and suffer 19 Feb. 2013 to detail the flaws: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/publications/Campaign-reports/Nuclear-reports/Fukushima-Fallout/
· Other materials on the campaign to make the entire nuclear industry fully liable for its disasters include:
· A video on the experiences of some of the victims from the Fukushima disaster: http://youtu.be/MxZlcmlVrHY
· Former Babcock-Hitachi engineer Mitsuhiko Tanaka discussing a flawed reactor vessel Hitachi made for the Fukushima plant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyUFf5Uspj4
· A preview of an interview with former GE engineer Dale Bridenbaugh discussing why he quit GE over his concerns about flaws in the containment of the Mark 1 reactor, a reactor GE, Hitachi and Toshiba all built at Fukushima, can be found here: http://youtu.be/sEM5E86yfuk

To download the broadcast quality video file and transcript document, please contact Julie Konop: julie.konop@greenpeace.org,+31 (0)6 4616 2024
· Greenpeace petition http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/getinvolved/they-profit-you-pay/