"The harm caused by Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea will be global" (International perspective) South Korea | Water discharge | International
On August 9th, more than 20 college students from multiple parts of South Korea formed a protest rally in Tokyo, Japan to oppose the Japanese government's push for a plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea.
Photo taken by our reporter Yue Linwei
According to media reports, Japan is currently researching the launch of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea as early as late August. The behavior of the Japanese government, which disregards the legitimate and reasonable concerns of all parties and insists on promoting the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea, has sparked continuous opposition and criticism from both Japan and the international community. All parties urge the Japanese government to fully respond to the concerns of the international community, fulfill its moral responsibility and international legal obligations, stop forcefully promoting plans to discharge into the sea, communicate fully with neighboring countries in a sincere manner, ensure the safe disposal of nuclear contaminated water, and accept strict international supervision.
"The Japanese government should abandon the established route of discharging nuclear contaminated water into the sea"
On August 9th, more than 20 college students from multiple parts of South Korea formed a protest rally near the Prime Minister's residence in Tokyo, Japan, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry to oppose the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea. The students held up banners with slogans such as "Oppose Nuclear Polluted Water Discharging into the Sea" and "Do not pollute everyone's ocean", shouting slogans such as "Stop Fukushima Nuclear Polluted Water Discharging into the Sea" and "Save Nuclear Polluted Water on Land", strongly opposing the Japanese government's push for a plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea.
Park Chung min, a student from South Korean National University who participated in the protest rally, told our reporter that the safety of the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima nuclear power into the sea has not been fully verified, and it cannot alleviate the concerns and anxieties of ordinary people in countries around the world, including South Korea. South Korea and Japan are close neighbors, and the discharge of nuclear contaminated water from Fukushima will inevitably pose a threat to ordinary South Korean people and seriously affect South Korea's marine fisheries.
On August 7th, a Japanese citizen group held a themed forum on "Opposing Nuclear Polluted Water Discharge into the Sea" in Nagasaki City. More than a hundred citizens and students from Nagasaki and various parts of Japan participated in the forum. Host Yazhi Tani stated in his speech that using sea discharge to treat nuclear contaminated water prioritizes economic costs over safety. The Japanese government, driven by economic self-interest, has chosen sea discharge as a simple and cost-effective method. Gu Yazhi emphasized that the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant contains various radioactive substances, which cannot be compared to the wastewater generated by the normal operation of the nuclear power plant. All radioactive waste generated from nuclear accidents, including contaminated water, should be permanently sealed and stored.
At the forum, Masashi Kakuda, a representative of the Fukushima Peace Forum, a local citizen group from Fukushima Prefecture, pointed out that although various feasible measures can be taken to prevent nuclear contaminated water from being discharged into the sea, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company have always regarded the discharge plan as a "predetermined policy", disregarding opposition from multiple parties, concealing various issues that are not conducive to the nuclear contaminated water discharge plan, and continuously pushing forward the discharge plan forcefully.
Kakuda Masashi emphasized that Japanese fishing groups insist on opposing the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea and demand that the Japanese government continue to preserve nuclear contaminated water on land. This call is very strong among ordinary people in Fukushima. However, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company ignored this and refused to re-examine other disposal methods beyond the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea. He said, "The Japanese government should abandon the established route of discharging nuclear contaminated water into the sea and take the courage to make a political decision to reconsider the disposal plan for nuclear contaminated water."
Starting from August 4th, the second phase of the 2023 World Conference on the Prohibition of Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, hosted by organizations such as the National Assembly of Japan, will be held in Hiroshima, Japan. On the morning of the 5th, at a sub forum to discuss the Japanese government's nuclear power policy, multiple experts, scholars, and representatives of civic groups once again strongly criticized and firmly opposed the Japanese government's insistence on promoting the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea despite public opinion.
Osaka Prefectural University Honorary Professor Kiyoshi Nagasawa pointed out in a speech that the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company's promotion of the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea not only violates relevant provisions of the London Dumping Convention, but also has suspicions of violating Japanese domestic law. The London Dumping Convention prohibits the dumping of radioactive waste into the ocean through artificial structures at sea. Japan, as a contracting party to the London Dumping Convention, intends to discharge Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea, which clearly violates the relevant provisions of the Convention. In addition, the current radiation level in the space environment inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant far exceeds the limit measurement, and the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea will further increase the radiation level in the space environment in the area, which is suspected of violating relevant Japanese regulations.
Park Jain young, a representative of a civic group from Ulsan, South Korea, stated in her speech that currently, more than 80% of South Korean citizens strongly oppose the Japanese government's discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea, according to domestic polls. More than 700 citizen groups across South Korea unanimously oppose the Japanese government's push for a plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea. Once nuclear contaminated water is discharged into the sea, it means that the impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident will continue for 30 years or even longer.
"Strongly promoting the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea is a barbaric act"
On the 8th, at the "Symposium on Preventing Fukushima Nuclear Polluted Water from being Discharged into the Sea" held in the South Korean National Assembly, Lee Jae ming, the leader of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, stated that "we must unite now and take measures to prevent Japan's nuclear contaminated water from being discharged into the sea. Ensuring that future generations can live in a safe and comfortable environment is one of the important responsibilities of our generation.".
Yu Yuanzhi, the permanent chairman of the Joint Democratic Party's Committee on Measures to Prevent Polluted Water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant from being Discharged into the Sea, and a member of parliament, stated at a symposium that no matter how forcefully the Japanese government claims "safety", it cannot dispel public concerns. The Common Democratic Party will persist until the end and prevent Japan's nuclear contaminated water from being discharged into the sea.
More than 200 local residents, including a group of citizens from Chungcheongnam do, South Korea, held a rally on the 5th to condemn Japan's strong plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea. The citizens attending the rally stated that the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea is a disaster for the Earth's ecosystem and all humanity. A local civic group said, "In order to resist Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea, we will fight together with all the people of Chungcheongnam do to the end."
A citizen group in Gwangju, South Korea held a press conference on the 2nd, strongly condemning and protesting Japan's push for a plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea. The people participating in the protest said, "Japan's strong promotion of the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea is a barbaric act. We must not ignore the serious consequences of nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea. We hope that through the protest, more people can understand the harm and seriousness of nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea. We must stop this behavior and protect our future."
"The Japanese government should face the concerns of the international community directly."
Luke Mani, Director and Senior Researcher of the Solomon Islands Foreign Policy Advisory Secretariat, stated in an interview with our reporter that Pacific island countries strongly oppose Japan's plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea. Most Pacific island countries are small island nations, and their livelihoods heavily rely on marine ecosystems. For example, the most important marine resource of many Pacific island countries - tuna - is a highly migratory fish species, and the discharge of nuclear contaminated water anywhere in the Pacific puts this important economic and food resource at risk. "The tuna from Pacific island countries is not only exported to Japan, but also to Europe, so the harm caused by Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea will be global."
Tilman Ruff, co-chairman of the Australian International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and co-founder of the International Movement for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, recently stated in a media interview that Japan's plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea violates international conventions such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the London Dumping Convention. There is also clear evidence that such actions will cause widespread and sustained harm without any benefits. "The Japanese government should face the concerns of the international community directly." Ruff said that Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea will also bring social and economic consequences. The decline in income and exports in industries such as fisheries, as well as strengthened regulation and import restrictions by various countries, will have an impact on Japanese fishermen.
In an interview with our reporter, Weng Shijie, Chairman of Malaysia's New Asia Strategic Research Center, stated that Japan's insistence on promoting its plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea is irresponsible and undermines its international reputation. At the same time, the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea will also endanger Japan's own marine fisheries, and some countries and regions have imposed strict controls on Japan's seafood.
Jin Ping, Director of the Institute of International Relations at the Royal Cambodian Academy of Sciences, told our reporter that discharging Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea is a major issue. Nuclear contaminated water can pose a threat to marine life, hinder marine fisheries, and pose a threat to humanity. The Japanese government should fully consult with neighboring countries and other stakeholders to effectively dispose of nuclear contaminated water in a scientific, safe, and transparent manner.
