Asahi’s ‘Fukushima beer’ launch invites South Korea scorn

A retail outlet posts a notice stating that it is neither selling nor buying Japanese products amid signs of the spreading of a boycott campaign, in Seoul, South Korea.
July 25 (UPI) — Japanese beer company Asahi is at the center of a growing controversy in South Korea, following Asahi’s decision to sell beer using ingredients from Fukushima.
Regional newspaper Fukushima Minpo and other news services reported Thursday Asahi’s plant in Fukushima launched a limited edition beer, made from rice in the area not far from the nuclear disaster zone.
Asahi’s new beer began to be available on shelves on Tuesday in grocery chains and convenience stores in Fukushima Prefecture, and are being marketed as “Asahi Super Dry Fukushima Factory Limited Edition” beer, according to reports. Product labels reportedly read, “Pride of Fukushima.”
The beer launch comes at a time when Japan and South Korea are locked in a trade dispute, following a Japanese decision to restrict exports of key chemicals used in manufacturing South Korean tech products.
South Korean activists have called for the boycott of Japanese beverages, including beer.
News of Asahi’s limited beer drew public criticism in Korea, the Korea Times reported Thursday.
Online South Korean commenters derided the product launch, calling it “radiation marketing.” Others raised fears of contamination at the beer plant.
Tokyo Electric Power has previously struggled to contain the growing volume of contaminated water from damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima site.
In 2017, about 100 to 400 tons of contaminated water was being generated daily because of continued flow of groundwater from outside the site. Radioactive contamination may have been leaking from Japan’s paralyzed nuclear plant in Fukushima, and the water could have been seeping out for months.
Clean up work remains unfinished in the region.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Thursday the Japanese government has decided to begin the removal of nuclear debris at reactor No. 2 in Fukushima, but work won’t begin until 2021.
No comments yet.
-
Archives
- December 2025 (223)
- November 2025 (359)
- October 2025 (377)
- September 2025 (258)
- August 2025 (319)
- July 2025 (230)
- June 2025 (348)
- May 2025 (261)
- April 2025 (305)
- March 2025 (319)
- February 2025 (234)
- January 2025 (250)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS



Leave a comment