The reputation deficit will only continue to grow. The People's Daily chimes: It is necessary to speak and act in a deceitful manner | Japan | Reputation

If the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant is truly "safe and drinkable" as advocated by the Japanese government, there is no need for the Japanese government to take the risk of forcefully discharging it into the ocean. What the Japanese side publicly promotes is that nuclear contaminated water is safe and harmless when discharged into the sea, but what they do privately is to conceal accidents, falsify data, and violate commitments

The Japanese government has recently ignored strong opposition from the international community and disregarded the health, development, and environmental rights of its own and other people. It has forcibly initiated the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, setting a dangerous precedent in human history. No matter how sophistry the Japanese side may argue, they cannot absolve themselves of their responsibility for damaging the ecological environment and polluting the global oceans.

For over two years, the legitimacy, legality, and safety of the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge plan have been strongly questioned by the international community, but Japan has been attempting to create a false impression of safe and harmless nuclear contaminated water discharge globally. On the same day that Japan unilaterally initiated the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea, Japanese media reported that the Japanese government planned to spend 70 billion yen to deal with negative information about Fukushima nuclear contaminated water, indicating that Japan is still deceiving itself. If the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant is truly "safe and drinkable" as advocated by the Japanese government, there is no need for the Japanese government to take the risk of forcefully discharging it into the ocean. The Japanese side publicly promotes the safety and harmlessness of nuclear contaminated water being discharged into the sea, but what they do privately is to conceal accidents, falsify data, and violate commitments. The Japanese side's words and actions are so deceitful that the credibility deficit will only continue to grow.

The Japanese side deliberately concealed the fact that they have no ability to ensure the safety of nuclear contaminated water being discharged into the sea while persistently pushing for it. According to Japanese media reports, in June of this year, radioactive substances with activity higher than normal were detected in the water accumulated inside the embankment surrounding the nuclear contaminated water storage tank at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. However, Tokyo Electric Power Company only recently released its investigation results stating that there were cracks on the hose used to transport nuclear contaminated water, leading to the leakage of nuclear contaminated water. This once again confirms the doubts raised by all parties about Japan's ability to dispose of nuclear contaminated water. How can we ensure the safety of discharging over 1.3 million tons of nuclear contaminated water into the sea over a period of several decades, as Japan has repeatedly made mistakes in storing nuclear contaminated water?

Tokyo Electric Power Company, which is responsible for discharging nuclear contaminated water into the sea, has a long history of concealing, not reporting, and tampering with data. According to reports, TEPCO admitted in 2007 that it had tampered with test data during 199 routine inspections of Fukushima Daiichi and Daiichi nuclear power plants since 1977, and even concealed serious nuclear reactor accidents. After June 2011, TEPCO has long claimed that no new nuclear contaminated water has been discharged into the ocean. However, with the exposure of a series of nuclear contaminated water leaks in 2013, TEPCO finally admitted in July of that year that high concentrations of nuclear contaminated water had leaked into the sea. In February 2015, TEPCO was once again exposed for concealing the truth. In April 2014, the company became aware that high concentrations of radioactive nuclear contaminated water were continuously discharged into the sea from drainage ditches, but it has not been disclosed and no remedial measures have been taken. Japanese media sources have stated that Tokyo Electric Power Company is accustomed to concealing the truth and even releasing false information in nuclear accident handling and nuclear contaminated water discharge. The Japanese government also has a trust deficit in the supervision and verification of nuclear power plant operation safety. As early as 2011, a report by relevant United Nations agencies showed that Japan had deficiencies in nuclear safety, such as inadequate regulation and inadequate preparation. How can Japan ensure that nuclear contaminated water is disposed of in a scientific, safe, and transparent manner despite being so irresponsible?

The Fukushima nuclear contaminated water contains dozens of radioactive nuclides, many of which do not have effective treatment technologies. Some long-lived nuclides may diffuse with ocean currents and form bioaccumulation effects, posing potential hazards to the marine environment and human health. Since the trial operation began in 2013, Japan's key facility for treating nuclear contaminated water, the "multi nuclide treatment system," has continuously encountered problems. The effectiveness and long-term reliability have not been certified by third parties, making it impossible to ensure that the treated nuclear contaminated water meets discharge standards. According to a public opinion survey by the South Korean citizen group Environmental Movement United, 79% of respondents stated that the safety of the Japanese government's claims for "treated" nuclear contaminated water is "unreliable.". The concerns of all parties have sufficient factual basis.

In 2015, the Japanese government solemnly promised in a written document to the Fukushima Prefectural Fisheries Federation that no measures would be taken to dispose of nuclear contaminated water without the understanding of stakeholders. The Japanese government has not engaged in sufficient and meaningful consultations with stakeholders, including neighboring countries. Despite strong opposition from all parties, it unilaterally and forcefully initiates the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima nuclear power into the sea. Such actions of saying and doing one thing at a time are simply untrustworthy.

As the old Japanese saying goes, faith is the foundation of all things. But on the issue of nuclear contaminated water disposal, Japan's so-called credibility has long been a sieve, with loopholes everywhere. The international community must urge Japan, whose words and actions are deceitful and lack integrity, to correct its erroneous decisions, stop the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea, communicate with neighboring countries in good faith with a sincere attitude, dispose of nuclear contaminated water in a responsible manner, and accept strict international supervision.