Japan's forced push to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea has sparked widespread questioning and strong opposition from the international community towards fishermen | South Korea | Society
This month, Tokyo Electric Power Company of Japan began trial operation of the nuclear contaminated water discharge equipment at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. According to Japanese sources, the tritium containing wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will be officially discharged into the sea this summer, which has sparked widespread questioning and strong opposition from the international community.
Doubts first sounded domestically in Japan
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred in the northeastern Pacific region of Japan, which subsequently caused a tsunami. The earthquake severely affected the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants. The Japan Atomic Power Safety and Security Agency has designated the Fukushima nuclear accident as the highest level of nuclear accident, at level 7, equivalent to the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
It is reported that at that time, with the explosion of nuclear power plant units and the leakage of radioactive materials, more than 1.3 million cubic meters of seawater were sprayed onto the overheated reactor core to cool down. This massive amount of seawater has been contaminated with 64 types of radioactive nuclides, some of which have longer half-lives and require a long time to decay, such as the half-life of carbon-14 exceeding 5000 years. They may pose a serious threat to the health of various organisms such as humans and fish. At present, the polluted sewage mentioned above is stored in over 1000 stainless steel water tanks, and the Japanese side claims to dilute, filter and discharge it into seawater.
Doubts were first heard domestically in Japan. On June 7th, the fisheries organization in the area where the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located stated its firm opposition to the nuclear wastewater discharge plan during a meeting with Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Yasumi Nishimura. The organization clearly stated that the Japanese government's policies do not align with the ideas of local fishermen. Since the Japanese government officially decided to discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea two years ago, the Japanese people have frequently protested and demonstrated against this matter, and the opposition has been deafening.
People in Asian countries are deeply concerned
In May this year, a South Korean delegation visited and inspected the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Subsequently, the team revealed that after the Fukushima nuclear power plant tested the release of nuclear energy treatment water, radioactive strontium exceeded the limit by 20000 times. This has once again caused panic among fishermen in the surrounding waters, including Japan, and sparked strong protests. South Korea, the Philippines and other Asian countries are deeply concerned about the potential impact of treated nuclear wastewater on the marine environment. According to a Hong Kong media report by the South China Morning Post, a thousand people's survey in South Korea shows that over 85% of Koreans oppose Japan's plan to discharge nuclear wastewater. 70% of respondents stated that if nuclear wastewater continues to be discharged, they will reduce their consumption of seafood.
According to the European Times, on June 12th, thousands of fishermen from various parts of South Korea held a large-scale demonstration near the Seoul National Assembly Hall, strongly protesting against the Japanese government's discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea, and urging the South Korean government to actively protect the rights and interests of South Korean fishermen.
On June 15th, the first Chief of the South Korean State Adjustment Office, Park Ju ran, stated that the South Korean side will closely monitor the issue of nuclear wastewater discharge from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, and will release daily safety testing information on nuclear wastewater discharge into the sea starting from today. Media reports indicate that as the Fukushima nuclear wastewater in Japan is about to be discharged into the ocean, South Koreans are becoming increasingly uneasy. It is reported that since 2013, the South Korean government has banned the import of all aquatic products from neighboring prefectures such as Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Chiba in Japan, and banned the sale of rice and mushrooms produced in Fukushima to South Korea. As of now, South Korea has no plans to lift the ban on Fukushima food.
Recently, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported that Japan's determination to discharge nuclear sewage into the sea is getting closer and closer. The international community has repeatedly expressed deep concern about this, and people are becoming increasingly anxious and uneasy. Japan insists that nuclear wastewater has undergone decontamination treatment and is therefore harmless. But this statement has been widely questioned by the international community, including the Japanese people. Because once harmful, the Japanese fishing industry will be the first to suffer a heavy blow. The scientific community is also generally concerned: over 1.3 million tons of nuclear wastewater are discharged, and even after Japan has undergone decontamination treatment, it still contains over 60 radioactive nuclides. They will concentrate in aquatic organisms such as fish, shrimp, and shellfish.
The international community is highly concerned about the trend of nuclear wastewater
Recently, Voice of America cited Agence France Presse as reporting that fishermen in areas such as Fukushima are also concerned that the discharge of nuclear wastewater will damage their reputation. Tokyo Electric Power Company stated that the treated water meets the national radioactive nuclide level standards, but also acknowledges that one element - tritium - is excluded.
The British Broadcasting Corporation interviewed Dr. C é cile Asanuma Brice, the host of the "Fukushima Post Disaster" program at the French National Research Institute based in Japan. She believes that Tokyo is erasing all traces of the nuclear disaster, "making the region a model area for Japan to resist nuclear accidents. To achieve this goal, the Japanese government quickly cleared all traces of the accident, but the presence of huge storage tanks visually reminds people that such disasters have occurred in the past."
Dr. Asanuma Brice directly questioned Japan's decision on nuclear wastewater discharge. She told the BBC that global marine scientists have expressed concerns about the potential impact of emissions on marine life and fisheries, and she believes that a wiser solution would be to continue storing nuclear wastewater until the radioactivity of tritium naturally decreases. "There is still open space around and outside the nuclear power plant for the construction of new storage tanks."
The international non-governmental organization Greenpeace emphasizes that the issue of nuclear wastewater treatment will have far-reaching impacts on humanity and even the entire planet for generations, as well as on the livelihoods of local fishermen in Japan and the human rights of people in other countries. Three years ago, United Nations human rights experts publicly called on Tokyo not to overlook its human rights obligations in the nuclear wastewater treatment process. The United Nations hopes that Japan will conduct appropriate international consultations after the end of the COVID-19 epidemic before deciding whether to discharge nuclear sewage.
China urges Japan to stop forcibly advancing its plan to discharge into the sea
Recently, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated at a press conference that Japan's strong push to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea violates its obligations to protect and preserve the marine environment as stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other relevant provisions. Sea discharge is not the only candidate solution for the disposal of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water, nor is it the safest and most optimal disposal method. The Japanese side's choice to discharge into the ocean based on economic costs is equivalent to transferring the risk of nuclear pollution to all humanity, and verbal promises cannot replace actual results.
Wang Wenbin pointed out that the Japanese side has not provided sufficient scientific evidence and data, and the design of the plan cannot replace engineering practice. The effectiveness and maturity of the purification device by the Japanese side have not been evaluated and certified by third parties, resulting in multiple failures. The Japanese side's discharge into the sea will continue for 30 years or even longer, and a large amount of nuclear contaminated water will be generated in the future. The Japanese side cannot prove the long-term reliability of the nuclear contaminated water purification device; We have also failed to come up with a comprehensive environmental monitoring plan, which is too small in scope, too few monitoring points, insufficient in frequency, and difficult to detect abnormal situations such as excessive discharge of nuclear contaminated water in a timely manner.
Wang Wenbin emphasized that the Chinese side strongly urges Japan to faithfully fulfill its international obligations, stop forcibly advancing its plan to discharge into the sea, fully study and demonstrate disposal plans beyond the discharge into the sea, effectively dispose of nuclear contaminated water in a scientific, safe and transparent manner, and accept strict international supervision. It is hoped that Japan will stop in a timely manner and not create a situation where water cannot be recovered.
