Fukushima Fisheries Group in Japan: Oppose Government's Discharge of Nuclear Polluted Water into the Sea at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant | Japan | Government
BEIJING, July 11th (Xinhua) - Fishery groups in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, reiterated their position to Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Yasuhiro Nishimura, stating that they firmly oppose the government's plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea.
On the same day, Yasumi Nishimura met with representatives from the Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries Cooperation Association Federation in northeastern Japan to report on the comprehensive evaluation report of Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge plan released by the International Atomic Energy Agency last week, seeking "understanding" to facilitate the smooth start of the discharge operation this summer.
On the evening of July 5th, nearly a hundred Japanese people held a rally in front of the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, to protest against the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge plan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
Yasuhiro Nishimura explained to the attending fishery representatives that in order to completely retire the nuclear reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and to help the Fukushima area recover from the disaster, it is a "necessary step" to discharge the treated nuclear contaminated water into the sea. However, the other party was not convinced by him.
"Our basic position is to oppose the discharge of treated water into the sea," stated Tetsuya Nozaki, President of the Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries Cooperation Association Federation, to Yasumi Nishimura at the meeting.
On June 20th, local residents from Fukushima and various parts of Japan participated in a protest against the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea in Fukushima City, expressing their firm opposition to the Fukushima Prefectural Government's discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
According to Kyodo News Agency, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, promised Fukushima Prefectural fishermen in 2015 that they would not initiate sewage discharge plans until they obtained the understanding of all relevant parties.