A citizens' group pushing for a referendum in Tokyo on scrapping Tepco's nuclear reactors has to persuade metropolitan assembly members to back its plan — a daunting, and potentially insurmountable, step.
"It depends on how each metropolitan assembly member views the issue. After (Tokyo Gov. Shintaro) Ishihara's (critical) comments (in December), it's clear he doesn't support the plan," Eiko Nakamura, head of the group Let's Decide Together/Citizen-initiated National Referendum on Nuclear Power's Tokyo branch, said Friday.
"Seeing as a majority of assembly members will likely go along with Ishihara's (position)" it will be tough to persuade them otherwise, Nakamura said.