Longtime anti-nuclear engineer prepared to fight from within field to right wrongs (JAPAN)

[AsahinaKimi]

Hiroaki Koide sits in his narrow office at the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute in Osaka. Displayed prominently on a partition is a photo of Meiji-era politician Shozo Tanaka. (Mainichi)

It was dim in the narrow office at Kyoto University's Research Reactor Institute, where Hiroaki Koide, an assistant professor, sat at his desk one afternoon. The florescent lights were kept off, and despite the heat, so was the air conditioning.

"I don't use any unnecessary energy," said Koide, who has long been an anti-nuclear power activist. "Everyone has come to lead excessively luxurious lives, using things they don't need."

Stacks of documents and other literature on nuclear power were packed inside the small space, and once I took a seat, there was no room left for either of us to move.

An expert in radiation metrology and nuclear safety, Koide for years has rallied behind victims of radioactive materials. He served as a witness for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking to revoke the construction permit given for the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant in Ehime Prefecture, and when the Tokaimura nuclear accident took place in 1999, he took on the task of measuring soil radiation levels. In another case, he was involved in estimating the number of cancer deaths in a certain area.

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http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110711p2a00m0na014000c.html

[Hydra]

1. No more stupidity

We need a clean and renewable world. Not a nightmare like we've been building.

[snagglepuss]

2. Excellent read. Kyoto University deserves praise for having anti-nuclear scientists on staff

but Koide deserves a Nobel prize for his tireless efforts. People like Koide who have sacrificed careers and financial comfort in order to do the right thing deserve wide recognition and gratitude. Thanks for posting.

[AsahinaKimi]

3. you are most welcome!

どういたしまして！よろしく！

[AndyTiedye]

4. Very Very Kicked and Recommended