Fishermen attend a rally to protest towards Japan’s deliberate launch of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean, Boseong County, South Korea, July 26, 2023. /Xinhua
The chief of South Korea’s primary opposition Democratic Party despatched a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, urging him to droop the deliberate discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater.
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party chief, delivered the letter by way of the Japanese embassy in Seoul on July 28, calling for Kishida to carry off on releasing radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy plant, the occasion spokesperson advised a press briefing on Monday.
In the letter, Lee expressed South Korean individuals’s concern for and opposition to the discharge plan with 5 proposals, comparable to launching a standing consultative physique for environmental influence evaluation, and discovering protected options collectively by cooperation with the worldwide neighborhood.
Despite broad criticisms from each house and overseas, the Japanese authorities has been pushing for discharge of the radioactive wastewater this summer time from the Fukushima nuclear energy plant hit by a large earthquake and an ensuing tsunami in March 2011.
Opposition of Fukushima environmentalist
An environmentalist in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture voiced his opposition to Japan’s plan to dump nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy plant into the ocean.
Tsutomu Yoneyama, a resident of Iwaki City in Fukushima, lives lower than 60 kilometers from the nuclear energy plant, and he skilled the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011.
After greater than a decade of rebuilding, the native residents lastly see a glimmer of hope because the tragedy, he recalled. But now the Japanese authorities needs to launch nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, which can as soon as once more trigger harm to the area and the world.
“The Fukushima nuclear accident has impacted the whole world greatly. But now, during the recovery process of the Fukushima residents, they want to affect many places again by discharging the polluted water into the sea. This will incur huge harm to residents in Fukushima Prefecture and fishermen in Miyagi Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture and other places, and even to the Pacific island nations,” the environmentalist advised China Media Group (CMG).
He identified {that a} safer answer is to maintain the contaminated water saved on land, moderately than launch it into the ocean as soon as for all.Â
“Radioactive elements all have a half-life. There’s no need to discharge it into the sea hastily. We are very disappointed with the decision to discharge it into the sea. But all we can do is to keep protesting.”
Worries of Japan’s fishermen
Japanese fishermen have additionally expressed rising concern over the federal government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean.
“The ocean is our workplace, and no one has the right to pollute it,” mentioned Haruo Ono, a fisherman from Fukushima prefecture.
The 70-year-old who works at a small port in Shinchi city, north of the plant, made the remarks on the 2023 World Conference towards A and H Bombs on Sunday in Fukushima metropolis organized by citizen teams together with Japan Council towards Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, or Gensuikyo.
“Once the ocean is contaminated, it would be impossible to clean it up,” Ono expressed his worries, advocating for the contaminated water to be “securely stored in tanks instead.”
It is unacceptable to permit additional radioactive contamination into the surroundings, and the hasty discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater shows an absence of duty, mentioned Yasunari Fujimoto, co-speaker at Gensuikyo, at Sunday’s assembly, which noticed roughly 550 contributors.
Also seen on the assembly have been greater than 20 lawmakers from South Korea and native residents in Fukushima metropolis, holding banners that learn comparable to “Japanese government must immediately stop discharging nuclear-polluted water into the sea,” stressing the necessity to defend the ocean collectively.
Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yasutoshi Nishimura, visited fisheries cooperative associations in Fukushima cities of Soma and Iwaki on Sunday to hunt understanding from native fishermen of the federal government’s plan to start out the water launch round this summer time.
Toshimitsu Konno, head of Fukushima prefecture’s Soma Futaba Fisheries Cooperative Association, mentioned after the assembly that the federal government’s explanations have been nonetheless not in a position to achieve the understanding of native fishermen.
Those who work within the fishing trade voiced considerations concerning the future because the water launch will proceed till the decommissioning of the nuclear plant, intimidated by the potential influence on their livelihoods as soon as the discharge begins.
“I was shocked when people around me say that ‘we won’t let our children eat fish if the contaminated water is released into the ocean,'” mentioned Koe Shoji, a neighborhood fisherman’s spouse.
Kiyomi Suzuki, who works within the fishing trade alongside her husband and son, expressed uncertainty about whether or not her son ought to proceed within the fishing career and doubted what the longer term holds for her grandchildren.
Prior to his journey to Fukushima, Nishimura visited the neighboring prefecture of Miyagi on July 29 to satisfy with native fishery operators.
“Our stance of opposing (the water release plan) has not changed,” mentioned Haruhiko Terasawa, head of the Miyagi prefectural fisheries cooperative affiliation.
Some nations and areas opposing the discharge have strengthened their inspection of Japanese seafood for radioactive substances, leading to decrease costs and stalled distribution of Japanese seafood, mentioned Terasawa.
He urged the Japanese authorities to “remedy the current situation as the first step” as precise damages triggered might escalate additional if the discharge proceeds.
Miyagi and Fukushima are two of Japan’s three northeastern prefectures worst hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
(With enter from Xinhua)
Source: CGTN