Hey there, amigos! 🌏 Big news from Japan has the world talking.
On Friday, Japan kicked off the fifth round of releasing nuclear-contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. 🌊
Despite strong opposition from local fishermen 🎣, residents 🏡, and international communities, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant's operator, began discharging the radioactive wastewater—the first release in fiscal 2024.
Just like in previous rounds, around 7,800 tonnes of wastewater, still containing tritium (a radioactive substance), will be released into the ocean until May 7.
The Chinese mainland’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian voiced firm opposition, calling Japan's actions \"extremely irresponsible\" and a global risk. 🌐
\"Japan is moving forward with the discharge despite serious concerns about safety, long-term reliability of purification equipment, and effective monitoring,\" Lin said.
He emphasized that this issue affects the health of all humanity, the global marine environment, and international public interests. \"Japan should address legitimate concerns both domestically and internationally and handle them responsibly and constructively,\" he urged.
Lin added that Japan should cooperate with neighboring countries to establish effective, long-term international monitoring to prevent irreversible consequences.
Locally, the fishing industry and residents have been fighting back. 🐟 About 150 fishermen and residents from Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government and TEPCO last September, demanding they halt the ocean discharge.
\"Discharging large amounts of radioactive substances into the sea is bad for the environment. 🌍 It's not surprising that countries are concerned,\" said Masashi Goto, a member of the Citizens' Commission on Nuclear Energy.
\"Diluting the water doesn't make it safe. This approach can't be called safe at all,\" he added.
The lawsuit's first public hearing was held on March 4 at the Fukushima District Court, and the number of plaintiffs has grown from about 150 to over 360. 👥
In fiscal 2023, which ended in March, TEPCO released about 31,200 tonnes of contaminated water in four rounds. For fiscal 2024, they plan to discharge a total of 54,600 tonnes in seven rounds, containing approximately 14 trillion becquerels of tritium. ⚠️
With global eyes watching, the controversy over Fukushima's water release continues to make waves. 🌊
Reference(s):
Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge irresponsible: MOFA
cgtn.com
