Japanese media: Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea is likely to officially begin in Japan by the end of August | plan | water discharge
According to a report by the Asahi Shimbun on the 6th, several Japanese government sources have revealed that the Japanese government plans to officially decide on the date for the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea after the US, Japan, and South Korea summit on August 18th. The earliest possible date for discharge into the sea is the end of August.
According to reports, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to attend the US Japan South Korea summit in the United States on August 18th, during which he will have separate meetings with US President Biden and South Korean President Yoon Seok yeol.
According to reports, Kishida plans to explain the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge plan to the two during the meeting, and hold a meeting of relevant cabinet members after returning to Japan to officially determine the discharge date.
Officials at the official residence of the Japanese Prime Minister have revealed that it will take at least about a week from the date of the discharge to the official start of the discharge.
Sources have analyzed that the Japanese government has repeatedly emphasized that it will start its sea discharge plan in the summer of 2023. At the same time, Fukushima Prefecture will lift the ban on underwater trawl fishing in September, and the Japanese government is trying to avoid delaying the sea discharge until September. Based on this inference, it is highly likely that the sea discharge plan will officially start at the end of August.
Japan's strong push to discharge pollutants into the sea has sparked strong opposition both domestically and internationally.
On July 31st local time, citizen groups from Japan and South Korea held a protest rally in front of the Japanese Prime Minister's residence in Tokyo, opposing the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company's forced plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea.
On July 19th, Haruhiko Terazawa, the head of the Miyagi Prefecture Fisheries Association in Japan, expressed strong opposition to the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea, stating that this will inevitably have a negative impact on Japan's fisheries.
South Korean legislator Ju Jee hyun recently said, "There are other methods besides discharging into the sea. It's just because the cost of discharging into the sea is the lowest." He also emphasized, "Polluting the ocean as a source of life and affecting other countries is absolutely unacceptable."
The Malaysian People's Party recently submitted a memorandum urging the Japanese government to cancel the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea and find other ways to deal with it.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning recently stated that the legitimacy, legality, and safety of Japan's plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea have been questioned internationally. No matter how much the Japanese exaggerate, they cannot "bleach" the plan to discharge into the sea. The continuous protests from neighboring countries and the questioning voices from various sectors within Japan are clear evidence. China urges Japan to address the legitimate concerns of the international community and domestic people, stop forcefully promoting plans to discharge into the sea, communicate fully with neighboring countries in a sincere manner, effectively and responsibly dispose of nuclear contaminated water, and accept international supervision.
