The President of The Japan Buddhist Federation, Taitsu Kono, reiterated in a recent interview with the the Asahi Shimbun that the organization wishes to see a society that is not dependent on nuclear power, citing the risk involved in harnessing such energy.
The Japan Buddhist Federation is comprised of several traditional Buddhist denominations and had previously released an appeal to end Japanese society’s dependence on nuclear power last December.
“Only after the Fukushima nuclear accident, I learned how dangerous and destructive nuclear power can be and how much radioactive waste has been piling up in ordinary times. It is time to say in a loud voice that we must put an end to it,” Taitsu Kono said during the interview.
Kono, who doesn’t wish to see a repeat of what happened during the years of WWII, has said that “During World War II, Buddhist denominations followed government policies without saying anything, giving momentum to the path to war.
If we remain quiet, we will follow the same path,” Kono says, “and Buddhist organizations will lose their significance of existence in Japanese society.”
