Opposition continues as Japan set to discharge nuclear wastewater

A protester holds a placard in opposition to Japan’s nuclear-contaminated wastewater discharge plan in entrance of TEPCO headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, June 7, 2023. /CFP

Japan has began sending seawater into an underwater tunnel constructed to launch nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, native media reported on Tuesday. 

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant’s operator, mentioned the method began on Monday afternoon, in line with the nationwide broadcaster NHK. 

The Chinese embassy in Japan launched a press release on Monday accounting the hazards of discharging nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. 

The assertion referenced information from a report issued by TEPCO, saying that the radioactive components within the marine fish caught within the harbor of the plant far exceed security ranges for human consumption.

CGTN infographic by Yin Yating

In explicit, the statistics launched present that the content material of Cs-137, a radioactive aspect that may be a frequent byproduct in nuclear reactors, is 180 instances that of the usual most stipulated in Japan’s meals security regulation. 

There are greater than 60 radionuclides, together with tritium, carbon-14, cobalt-60, strontium-90 and iodine-129, within the nuclear-contaminated water, in line with the assertion. 

Some long-lived nuclides might unfold with ocean currents and lead to a bioconcentration impact, which can enhance the overall quantity of radionuclides within the setting and trigger unpredictable hazards to the marine ecosystem and human well being, it mentioned, including that the discharge will final so long as 30 years and even longer. 

The assertion famous that analysis has proven that it takes lower than 57 days for the radionuclides to unfold throughout a lot of the Pacific Ocean and to the world oceans after 10 years. 

Opposition from the worldwide society continues 

Opposition in opposition to Japan’s resolution on nuclear wastewater has been persevering with. 

A spontaneous protest was held in entrance of the headquarters of TEPCO in Tokyo on Wednesday night. The protesters mentioned that the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water within the ocean is a extremely irresponsible act.

On the identical day, Green Korea United, an environmental group, additionally staged a protest in entrance of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, calling the discharge an “international crime” that may switch the danger of additional air pollution to the world by the seas, China Media Group (CMG) reported.

There have been issues concerning the affect of the discharge on fishing, agriculture and tourism. 

“I think that the release of radioactive wastewater will affect me and any human’s daily life. This thing will also impact fishing, agriculture, tourism and other industries because it has a negative impact on not just humans but also nature,” a Malaysian resident advised CMG in May. 

Sumio Konno, former worker of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, strongly voiced his anger on the Japanese authorities’s plan, warning of the intense financial and well being implications of such a transfer which he mentioned will “haunt our children’s future.”

“Most people are against the plan of discharging wastewater into the sea, as it will affect fisheries and agriculture. People also think that if the wastewater goes into the sea, they will never have delicious sea fish again, and the fish will have no buyers. If people suspect the fish to be poisonous, they will not want to eat them,” Konno advised CMG in an interview in May. 

“Japan is not left with no other choice in the disposal of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water. Yet the Japanese government unilaterally decided to simply dump the nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean without fully studying and assessing other disposal options,” mentioned a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. 

“Such conduct of impairing the common interests of all mankind for its selfish interest cannot convince the people at home and abroad but is only to disgrace Japan itself, harm the people of neighboring countries and Pacific island countries, and further discredit Japan in the international community,” the spokesperson added.

(With enter from Xinhua)

Source: CGTN