From: cmr@world.std.com (Charles M Richmond)
Subject: Plutonium/Greenpeace
Organization: Integrated International Systems Corp. One Longfellow Place, Suite 3309, Boston, Ma.
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 11:11:58 GMT



	TOKYO (UPI) -- Toting a coffin with a plywood map of Japan inside and
warning the country could become a ``graveyard of plutonium,'' the crew
of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior presented a letter Monday to
Japanese officials demanding a stop to future shipments of the toxic
substance on the high seas.
	Officials of the Science and Technology Agency politely accepted the
letter addressed to agency head Kanzo Tanikawa, but refused to accept
the coffin. Greenpeace said the coffin symbolizes the group's fears that
the government is endangering the people of Japan by transporting
plutonium here.
	``Today, Japan is planning to accumulate plutonium for the stable
supply of energy for its country at the price of a plutonium threat to
the world and putting the Earth's environment at risk,'' an English
translation of the letter said.
	A Japanese transport ship carrying a 1-ton shipment of plutonium
began a two-month voyage back to Japan after picking up its cargo in the
French port city of Cherbourg earlier this month.
	The route the 4,800-ton Akatsuki Maru and its armed Japanese coast
guard escort ships will take back to Japan has been kept secret to ward
off possible terrorist attacks.
	U.S. nuclear submarines were reported to be monitoring the ship's
progress, but a Japanese Foreign Minstry official said the government
would not query Washington on the movement of its submarines.
	Carrying yellow flags emblazoned with the three-pronged radioactive
insignia, an eight-year-old Japanese girl and a member of the Rainbow
Warrior crew led Greenpeace ``pallbearers'' wearing black gowns and dark
glasses to the gates of the agency.
	A member of Greenpeace Japan read the letter which stated the group's
concern that the agency, which is resposible for the shipment, is
turning Japan into a ``graveyard of plutoniuim.''
	Japan plans over the next ten years to ship 30 tons of plutonium
reprocessed in France and the United Kingdom from spent nuclear fuel for
use in a new generation of fast-breeder reactors.
	The letter also stated Greenpeace's intention behind its shadowing of
the Akatsuki Maru with its own ships.
	``The chasing of the Akatsuki Maru is intended to reveal the secrecy
of the shipment, but (Greenpeace) has no intention of harming or
disturbing its voyage,'' the letter said.
	One of two Greenpeace ships collided with the Akatsuki Maru's escort
ship last week. The Maritime Safety Agency and Greenpeace are each
blaming the other for the mishap which caused minor damage to both
vessels.
	Naoki Ohara, executive director for Greenpeace Japan, blamed the
Japanese government, as well as the local media, for not informing the
Japanese public fully as to the dangers of plutonium.
	Opponents to the shipment say one gram of plutonium released in the
air could give thousands of people in the area cancer.
	Ohara also said he hopes President-elect Bill Clinton's
administration will change U.S. policy of endorsing Japan's
transportation of plutonium.
	``It is obvious that the U.S. is responsible as well as France and
Britain,'' Ohara said.

-- 
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*  Charles Richmond 	Integrated International Systems Corporation        *
*  cmr@world.std.com	(Temporary) cmr@koneko.shr.dec.com		    *
*  Specializing in UNIX, X, Image Processing, and Communications.           *
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan