281-Anti Nuke; Japanese street artist taking on Tokyo

Fukushima Daiichi und kein Ende

The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol 11, Issue 24, No. 5, June 17, 2013.
Mit freundlicher Erlaubnis von Japan Focus.

281_Anti Nuke: The Japanese street artist taking on Tokyo, TEPCO and the nation’s right-wing extremists

Jon Mitchell

More than two years after the triple disasters that included the meltdowns at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, between 160,000 and 300,000 Tohoku residents remain displaced, the power station teeters on the brink of further disaster, and large swathes of northern Japan are so irradiated they may be uninhabitable for generations to come.1 But today in Tokyo, it is as though March 11, 2011 never happened. The streets are packed with tourists and banners herald the city’s 2020 Olympic bid; the neon lights are back on and all memories of postmeltdown power savings seem long forgotten.

Given this mood of collective amnesia, the large poster on a wall near Shibuya Station comes as a surprise. It shows a little girl wearing a long red dress stenciled with the words “3.11 is not over” - nearby another poster depicts a Rising Sun flag seeping blood and the message “Japan kills Japanese.”

These posters - and dozens of others pasted around Tokyo - are the work of Japanese artist, 281_Anti Nuke.

While the origins of his chosen name are murky, the way in which his subversively simple images force passersby to stop - and think - has led to comparisons with street artist, Banksy. But one major difference divides 281 from his British counterpart, whose works have been bought by Brad Pitt and Christina Aguilera: 281’s designs have incurred the wrath of Japan’s resurgent far-right who - goaded by the media - have branded him a dangerous criminal and urged the public to help put a stop to his activities. ....

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