An aerial picture exhibits the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan on August 24, 2023. /CFP
Japan has began releasing nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, whereas a whole bunch of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo to rally in opposition to the discharge plan.
Live video supplied by the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) confirmed {that a} workers member turned on a seawater pump at round 1:00 p.m. native time (0400 GMT), marking the start of the controversial ocean discharge, whereas considerations and opposition continued amongst native fishermen in addition to in neighboring international locations and Pacific island international locations.
The nuclear-contaminated water has been diluted as deliberate earlier than being discharged by way of an underwater tunnel 1 kilometer from the plant, in keeping with TEPCO.
Protesters maintain a banner which reads “No dumping radioactive water into the ocean” throughout a rally in opposition to the handled radioactive water launch from the broken Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, in entrance of TEPCO headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, August 24, 2023. /CFP
Under scorching warmth, a whole bunch of Japanese from all throughout the nation gathered in entrance of the TEPCO headquarters in central Tokyo on Thursday morning, demanding the Japanese authorities and TEPCO to cease the ocean launch.
Protesters, holding banners and placards with drawings of marine merchandise and Godzilla, chanted slogans of “No ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear-tainted water” and “Stop polluting the sea with radioactive water.”
Taeko Fujimura with Japan’s National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, often known as Zen-Noh, mentioned the ocean discharge “cannot be forgiven” and was “extremely unreasonable.”
China will droop the imports of all aquatic merchandise originating from Japan ranging from Thursday to stop dangers from Japan’s discharge of nuclear-contaminated water.
The General Administration of Customs (GAC) mentioned in an announcement that it has determined to take the emergency measures to comprehensively forestall radioactive air pollution dangers brought on by Japan’s discharge of the nuclear-contaminated water, defend the well being of Chinese shoppers and make sure the security of meals imports.
The choice has been made in compliance with China’s meals security legislation, administrative protocols concerning the protection of meals imports and exports, in addition to the WTO’s settlement regarding the software of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, in keeping with the GAC.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duk-soo mentioned Thursday that the nation can even hold its import ban on Japan’s fishery merchandise in place, in an deal with made after Japan began dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean earlier within the day.
Han instructed a nationally televised deal with that the South Korean authorities will sternly preserve import restrictions on Japan’s fishery merchandise, stressing that the considerations amongst South Korean individuals concerning the easing or lifting of import restrictions on Japanese seafood won’t ever be realized.
The prime minister famous that the import restrictions have been imposed to guard South Korean individuals from radioactive supplies following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.
Han mentioned Japan ought to strictly adjust to scientific requirements and transparently present data because it promised to the worldwide group, and urged Tokyo to transparently and responsibly supply South Korea related data on the nuclear-contaminated water discharge that may proceed for the subsequent 30 years.
Small-scale fishers within the Philippines on Thursday slammed Japan for dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean, vowing to carry a protest rally in entrance of the Japanese Embassy in Manila to dramatize their protest in opposition to Japan’s motion.
ALPS-treated water diluted with seawater flowing from the upstream water tank to the downstream water tank on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, August 24, 2023. /CFP
“Japan’s action pollutes the ocean, endangering the marine resources and destroying the ecosystem,” mentioned Ronnel Arambulo, the vice chair of the group PAMALAKAYA, a federation of group fishers’ group.
Arambulo mentioned Japan repeatedly ignored the rising clamor of the individuals from many East Asian nations, particularly the farmers and fishers, to cease the dumping of poisonous nuclear-contaminated water into the world’s largest ocean.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs mentioned the Southeast Asian nation “continues to look at this issue from a science- and fact-based perspective and its impact on the waters in the region.”
Hit by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima plant suffered core meltdowns that launched radiation, leading to a level-7 nuclear accident, the best on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.
The plant has been producing an enormous quantity of water tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down the nuclear gas within the reactor buildings, which at the moment are being saved in about 1,000 storage tanks.
TEPCO mentioned it plans to hold out the primary spherical of launch over the subsequent 17 days to discharge 7,800 tonnes of nuclear-contaminated water.
In the present fiscal yr by way of subsequent March, a complete of 31,200 tons are slated for discharge, equal to the storage capability of 30 tanks, TEPCO added.
(With enter from Xinhua)
Source: CGTN