Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, July 17th Summary: Japanese people are taking action against the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water
Xinhua News Agency reporter
The 17th is the Japanese statutory holiday “Sea Day”, which aims to appreciate the blessings of the sea. The Japanese people have spontaneously held a number of activities to oppose the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea.
On the same day, the “Don’t Discharge (Nuclear) Contaminated Water into the Sea—Protect the Ocean and Life” rally initiated by citizen groups such as “Don’t pollute the ocean again! Citizens’ Meeting” was held in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. Fishermen and other people participated in the rally under the scorching sun, expressed their opposition to the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea from their own perspectives, and called on the government to reconsider the plan.
The “Future Ocean” project initiated by non-profit organizations such as the Fukushima Prefecture Peace Forum in Japan was officially launched on the same day, aiming to prevent the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company from discharging nuclear contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea to protect the ocean.
At a press conference held on the 7th of this month, one of the sponsors, “National Council for the Prohibition of Atomic Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs”, said that the “Future Ocean” project will collect signatures against the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water, establish a Homepage, making short videos and other methods to disseminate opinions against the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea both inside and outside of Japan.
The organization believes that the treatment of Fukushima nuclear polluted water should not be easily discharged into the sea, but the addition of water storage tanks should be explored; the radioactive substances produced by the nuclear accident cannot be discharged into nature again, but should be properly sealed; A clean ocean must be left for the future.
Masashi Gu said that even if the Japanese government pushes forward the sea discharge plan, it will take a long time to complete the discharge, so even if the discharge is started, efforts must be made to stop it. The “Future Seas” project will continue to oppose the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water.
“Leaving a clean ocean for the future is of course the responsibility of our generation,” Gu Yazhi said.
The attitude of Japanese fishery groups against the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water has not changed. Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura visited the National Federation of Fisheries Associations of Japan on the 14th and held talks with its chairman Masanobu Sakamoto. Masanobu Sakamoto emphasized in an interview with Japanese media after the talks that as long as he is not at ease about emissions, it is impossible to change his position of opposition.
On the 11th, Nozaki Tetsu, president of the Fukushima Prefecture Federation of Fishery Cooperative Associations, exchanged views with Nishimura Yasutoshi, and once again expressed his opposition to emissions. After the meeting, he emphasized that discharge into the sea cannot be tolerated in terms of the agreement that “no disposal (of nuclear-contaminated water) will be carried out without the understanding of relevant parties.”
According to the results of a poll published by Japan’s Kyodo News on the 16th, more than 80% of the respondents said that the Japanese government’s explanation for the discharge of nuclear contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea was not sufficient.
Editor: Nie Yue
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2023-07-18 08:39:25
