Opting for a lie-in as he marked his 41st birthday, Akihiro Shima took stock of his life.

The musician didn’t have too many regrets.

As a rebellious 16-year-old, Shima started a rock band. It was his way of challenging the Establishment. He thought he could change the world.

Marshalling his thoughts, Shima pondered what ifs.

It was a lightbulb moment. He realized he wanted to become a lawyer.

In his first year at junior high school, Shima now 62, came across a book that would transform his thinking. It was Sawako Ariyoshi’s “Fukugo Osen” (Complex pollution).

Believing society was destined to fail unless it radically changed, he decided to focus on environmental issues.

Punk music was all the rage when Shima was studying at Tokai Senior High School in his hometown of Nagoya. The Sex Pistols and the Clash were taking the music world by storm.

Shima set his sights on becoming a rock musician.

He formed a band with his friends and went on to study at Tokyo’s Waseda University to live a life of rock ‘n’ roll.

“The purpose was to go to Tokyo. I needed to be enrolled at a university to persuade my parents,” he recalled.

In his sophomore year, Shima staged “Just a Beat Show,” a series of events featuring several bands. It served as a springboard for the Blue Hearts and other up-and-coming bands to expand their activities.

Around the same time, Shima formed his own group, The Jumps.

He created the groundwork for a career in the music industry while managing Beat Show events and playing in a band.

And then Shima abruptly quit the music scene and enrolled in law school.

After he registered as a lawyer in 2010, Shima developed a clearer vision for his environmental concerns.

“It is an approach that can bring a shift in values. It means that the future of the Earth will take a turn for the worse unless we change the social structure,” Shima said. “It all made sense.”

After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that triggered the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Shima filed a liability lawsuit against several nuclear reactor manufacturers.

Bringing together around 4,000 plaintiffs, Shima sought damages from the Japanese arm of General Electric Co. of the United States, Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. as they had played a role in building the reactors at the Fukushima facility.

“I wanted to argue in the trial that we all have the right to live without the fear of nuclear catastrophe,” he said.

Calling it “no-nukes rights,” Shima and his colleagues continued to make their case in court.

But after two lower courts rejected their claim, the Supreme Court shot down their appeal in 2019.

Still, Shima doesn’t regret all the work that went into waging the lawsuit, saying that some district courts have tacitly acknowledged no-nukes rights.

To push the idea further, Shima went back to being a musician and formed a band called No Nukes Rights.

“Both rock bands and lawyers fight the government and corporations,” he said. “I needed to live both lives.”

In February, Shima was seen performing in a jam-packed venue in Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa district, singing about the anguish of evacuees from the nuclear disaster and the sentiments of decontamination workers.

Shima recently sat down with The Asahi Shimbun to talk about the lawsuit against the nuclear reactor manufacturers.

Excerpts of the interview follow:

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Question: Tell us about the lawsuit you filed in 2014.

Shima: The Nuclear Damage Compensation Law states that those other than “nuclear power operators” such as utilities are not liable for compensation even if they cause a nuclear accident.

But it’s nonsense if manufacturers of nuclear reactors that can cause accidents are not held responsible in any way. It’s unreasonable.

I intentionally filed a lawsuit like this to influence policies and laws and prompt a shift toward a new society freed from the fear of nuclear doom.

Q: You argued about “no-nukes right” in the lawsuit.

A: The fear of nuclear Armageddon is not a simple feeling of insecurity.

It is natural for us to be able to seek legal protection if there are reasonable grounds for feeling fearful or insecure about being physically or fatally harmed.

It is fair to say that no-nukes rights are meant for all humans.

Q: Recently, you have been involved in an administrative lawsuit involving the Linear Chuo Shinkansen Line as the lead attorney.

A: It is a lawsuit filed by residents opposed to the construction of a deep underground tunnel for the maglev line. They are calling on the government to revoke approval for construction.

The law concerning public use of facilities deep underground stipulates that construction work at depths of 40 meters or more basically requires no consent from landowners or compensation for them.

But we argue that it violates the rights to a peaceful life and to property, and that the law itself is unconstitutional in the first place.

There was a serious cave-in accident involving the construction of the Tokyo-Gaikan Expressway, which was authorized by law.

Q: Which lives do you place more importance on?

A: Both are important. However, it’s not about a lawyer who is engaged in music activities. It’s about a rock ‘n’ roller, who has dedicated all his life to music, and is also a lawyer.