The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. October 31, 2011 Fukushima Women Lead Anti-Nuclear Protest in Tokyo --------------------------------------------------- Hundreds of people have protested in the Japanese capital of Tokyo calling for the evacuation of residents of Fukushima and the end of nuclear power in Japan in the aftermath of the March earthquake that set off a nuclear crisis. The protest has been led by a group of women who traveled from Fukushima to set up an encampment outside a Japanese ministry. Aileen Mioko Smith is the executive director of the Japanese group, Green Action. Aileen Mioko Smith: "The Fukushima women have decided to sit-in. They've come down to the heart of the national government here in front of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. They're demanding two things: The protection of the children of Fukushima and the end to nuclear power in Japan. The citizens met with the Japanese government yesterday — a huge number of people from 40 miles away from the nuclear power plant, because the area is so contaminated, it's the heart of Fukushima City. It's so contaminated we need evacuation right away, we need government support for people to evacuate." .