Acts that harm the common interests of all humanity must be strongly condemned and resolutely resisted (from an international perspective) Tokyo | Japan | International

Recently, multiple civil society groups in Japan jointly launched the Tokyo Action against the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea. The picture shows people holding banners such as "Do not discharge nuclear contaminated water into the ocean" near the Japanese parliament, protesting against the Japanese government and TEPCO's strong plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea.

Photo taken by our reporter Yue Linwei

In recent days, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company have forcefully promoted the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge plan, which has been widely questioned and criticized. Recently, Japanese people have held multiple rallies to protest, issuing calls such as "not allowing nuclear contaminated water to pollute the sea.". The international community strongly urges Japan to take responsible action and stop advancing the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea. Experts from multiple countries believe that the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea is not a private matter of Japan, but a major issue related to global public health. The Pacific is not a sewer for Japan to dump nuclear contaminated water.

"Fukushima residents are shrouded in worries and unease."

"As the discharge date approaches, residents of Fukushima are shrouded in concerns and unease." 79 year old Takejin Nishimaru has been elected as a Fukushima Prefectural Councilor seven times so far. In an interview with our reporter, he said that the vast majority of Fukushima residents do not support the discharge plan, and the Japanese government should listen to the opinions of local residents. The Fukushima Prefectural Council has also passed a resolution opposing the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea. "Unfortunately, the Japanese government has chosen to turn a deaf ear to all of this."

Nishimaru Takejin stated that it is not yet clear what impact the discharge of various radioactive pollutants in Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea will have on human health. "After years of efforts from various sectors in Fukushima, sales of Fukushima aquatic products and other products in Japan have only slightly improved. Once the sea discharge plan is launched, all of our efforts will be in vain."

The Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries Association of Japan recently held a special meeting, and more than a hundred fishery representatives who attended the meeting expressed their firm opposition to the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea. Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries Federation President Tetsuya Nozaki reiterated at the meeting his opposition stance that he has maintained to this day. In an interview with Asahi Shimbun in Japan, Tetsuya Nozaki stated that the so-called "safety" displayed by the data may not necessarily bring consumers "peace of mind". Once the discharge plan is implemented, it will cause damage to the image of Fukushima Fisheries, affecting the industry's recovery momentum for many years. Fukushima Prefectural Sagami Regional Fisheries Association member Chihiro Mikura also expressed his dissatisfaction with the Japanese government and TEPCO to the media, stating that once the sea discharge plan is launched, "can our descendants continue to make a living by the sea? Our concerns cannot be explained."

The recent meeting of the head of the Hokkaido Fisheries Association also passed a special resolution, stating that the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea has not yet been understood by fisheries practitioners and the public, and the association will continue to express strong opposition. The Director of Affairs of the All Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions, Keisuke Kishimoto, stated that there were originally multiple options to choose from, but the Japanese government claimed that discharging into the sea was the only solution. "I think this is baseless, and such a solution will never be approved by fishermen." said Keizai Takeuchi, director of the Sakado Clinic of the Kawasaki Medical Life Collaborative Group in Japan. "The ocean is not Japan's, but the world's.". From a global environmental perspective, nuclear contaminated water cannot be simply diluted and discharged.

On May 30th, an editorial from Hokkaido Shimbun in Japan emphasized that the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge plan has not been fully understood not only domestically but also internationally. Japan's unilateral decision to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea has been opposed by the National Fisheries Association of Japan. At the recent G7 Climate, Energy, and Environment Ministers' Meeting held in Sapporo, the German Environment Minister stated that they "do not welcome" the sea discharge plan, which is still vivid in memory.

The Tokyo News recently published an editorial pointing out that in Japan, the main concern among fishing related groups in Fukushima Prefecture is that the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea will lead to "image damage", and the impact of nuclear contaminated water on human health remains unclear. The safety of the discharge plan, which has lasted for at least 30 years, has not been fully guaranteed. The Japanese government should face up to the issue of nuclear contaminated water treatment and "should not forcefully advance the discharge plan until safety is fully confirmed and a strict monitoring system is established."

"Nuclear contaminated water discharged into the sea damages the environment and will also affect human health and safety."

The voices of South Korean people opposing Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea continue to rise. On June 3rd, the largest opposition party in South Korea, the Democratic Party of Korea, held a rally in Busan to oppose Japan's discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea. About 5000 people participated in the rally. The Democratic Party recently hung a banner in front of the South Korean National Assembly building with the words "Nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea is a nuclear terrorist attack" and called on the public to participate in a signing event against Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea. Currently, more than 240000 South Koreans have participated in the signing event. People have left messages expressing that "the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea damages the environment and will also affect human health and safety" and "resolutely oppose the act of discharging nuclear contaminated water into the sea that affects future generations".

Recently, fishermen in Jeju Province, South Korea demonstrated at sea with banners hanging "Oppose Nuclear Polluted Water Discharge into the Sea" and "Oath to Protect Jeju's Clean Ocean to the Death"; Busan citizens hold up a sign at the seaside saying "The sea is Busan's future" and loudly oppose Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea. The Central Committee of the South Korean Aquaculture Industry Cooperation Association stated that once Japan's nuclear contaminated water is discharged into the sea, it will lead to a sharp decrease in South Korean seafood consumption, causing huge losses to fishermen. The South Korean National Maritime Crew Union Union stated that crew members have been living at sea for a long time and use filtered seawater as drinking and domestic water. Once Japan's nuclear contaminated water is discharged into the sea, it will directly affect the safety of crew members.

The South Korea Pacific Island Countries Summit was held in South Korea on May 29th, emphasizing the necessity of protecting the oceans from radioactive contamination. On the same day, the National Action to Stop Japan's Radioactive Polluted Water Discharge into the Sea, composed of South Korean citizen groups, held a protest, stating that Japan should prioritize the storage of nuclear contaminated water and seek safer treatment options. Discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the ocean is the cheapest and irreversible solution.

A survey recently released by the South Korean environmental organization "Environmental Movement Alliance" showed that over 80% of respondents opposed Japan's plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea; More than 70% of the respondents do not believe the Japanese government's claims on nuclear contaminated water safety, and stated that if nuclear contaminated water is discharged into the sea, it will impact the consumption of aquatic products. The Director of the Energy and Climate Bureau of the organization, An Zai Xun, stated that the public hopes that the government can take more proactive actions in preventing speculative behavior of nuclear contaminated water being discharged into the sea and ensuring the safety of aquatic products.

"The discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea is not a one-time matter for a country, and it must be carefully considered before taking action."

The selfish behavior of Japan's choice to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea has been strongly opposed and criticized by Pacific island countries. Previously, a third-party expert group hired by the Pacific Island Forum sharply pointed out that discharging nuclear contaminated water into the sea is technologically outdated and unethical in terms of ecological ethics. "The discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea is not a matter of one country's own time, and must be considered before action." Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamika questioned, "If nuclear contaminated water treated by a 'multi nuclide treatment system' is so safe, why doesn't Japan use this nuclear contaminated water in its own country, agriculture, and other fields?"

Greenpeace recently published a review article criticizing the Japanese government for violating international laws such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, failing to fulfill its international obligations to conduct environmental impact assessments, failing to comprehensively study the impact of nuclear contaminated water discharge on marine life and cross-border pollution, and using the Pacific Ocean as a dumping ground for nuclear contaminated water. The Helmholtz Center for Marine Research in Germany believes that after the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water is discharged into the sea, radioactive materials will spread to half of the Pacific Ocean within 57 days and pollute global waters in 10 years.

During the recent discussions at the 76th World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland, the Chinese representative made a strong opposition to Japan's unilateral decision to discharge Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the ocean. The Chinese representative emphasized that the strong ocean currents along the coast of Fukushima will spread radioactive isotopes to global waters 10 years after nuclear contaminated water is discharged into the sea. Before reaching an agreement through consultation with all parties, Japan shall not initiate the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea without authorization. The Chinese representative stated that Japan's defense of "water quality is non-toxic and discharge is reasonable" is completely untenable, and convincing answers must be given to a series of issues. It emphasizes that Japan's actions that harm the common interests of all humanity for short-term self-interest must be strongly condemned and firmly resisted.