nuclear-news

Japanese Government is extremely self-serving in promoting the release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea,” says Chinese media

China calls Japan “self-serving” for discharging treated water

August 14, 2022

The Chinese media is increasingly protesting against the discharge into the ocean of treated water containing radioactive materials from TEPCO’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. They accuse the Japanese government of “selfishness” and “self-serving” in its plans to discharge contaminated nuclear water into the Pacific Ocean starting next spring, without regard to domestic and international opposition.

The China Network reported, “TEPCO has recently officially started construction of facilities to discharge nuclear contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean. This marks another step forward in Japan’s plan to discharge contaminated water into the ocean. The Japanese government, together with TEPCO, has been pushing for the oceanic discharge of contaminated water, a move that has been met with fierce opposition in Japan and neighboring countries,” the report said.

Masanobu Sakamoto, chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperative Associations, said, “The discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean has not been understood by the people of Japan and fishermen, and our position of firm opposition remains unchanged. The Seoul office of Greenpeace, an environmental group, also stated, “The dangers of discharging nuclear contaminated water into the ocean are extremely grave, and despite the existence of alternative plans such as long-term storage of nuclear contaminated water, the Japanese government has decided to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the ocean. This is in violation of the principle of prior precautionary measures and other measures that are unanimously accepted by the international community.

The China Times, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC), published an article written by Liu Jiu, associate professor at the Faculty of Humanities of Harbin Engineering University. He warned that “once Japan causes radioactive contamination by unilaterally disposing of contaminated water at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, it will bear various serious consequences for violating international law and international rules.

The disposal of contaminated water is not merely a matter of Japan’s internal affairs, but must also be regulated and bound by international law, and Japan must comply with its obligations under relevant international law,” Liu said. Japan is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on the Early Notification of Nuclear Accidents, the Convention on Nuclear Safety, and the Convention on the Safety of Radioactive Waste. Under Article 192 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, each country has an obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment,” he continued.

Japan should promptly seek the opinions of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international organizations and interested countries on the discharge of contaminated water from nuclear power plants into the ocean based on transparent data and truthful information, and together discuss methods and technologies for the disposal of contaminated water and come up with reasonable and legal measures,” he emphasized. If Japan stubbornly ignores its obligations under international law, does not respond to the concerns of the international community, and acts arbitrarily, it will invite endless criticism, claims of responsibility, lawsuits, and compensation claims from neighboring countries, Pacific island nations, and the entire world,” he asserted. The China Network reported, “TEPCO has recently officially started construction of facilities to discharge nuclear contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean. This marks another step forward in Japan’s plan to discharge contaminated water into the ocean. The Japanese government, together with TEPCO, has been pushing for the oceanic discharge of contaminated water, a move that has been met with fierce opposition in Japan and neighboring countries,” the report said.

https://news.nifty.com/article/world/china/12181-1809116/?fbclid=IwAR2nkAKaRYSxyG5V0v90hjNy7kPF25paW-SCyIDal5RuOjh1IjU93uxmw1I

August 21, 2022 Posted by dunrenard | Fuk 2022 | China opposition, Fukushima Daiichi, Radioactive Water, Sea release | Leave a comment

Chinese FM urges Japan to immediately stop construction of nuclear wastewater discharge project

May 17, 2022

China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday urged the Japanese government to immediately terminate the construction of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater discharge project near the Fukushima nuclear power plant by Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), stressing that countries across the Pacific have expressed serious concern and firm opposition to Japan’s wastewater-dumping decision.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin noted at Tuesday’s press conference that it is irresponsible for Tokyo Electric Power Company to push ahead with the project of dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea in disregard of the serious concerns of local residents and the international community.

Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) announced on Monday that it will discuss a draft review of the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea at its regular meeting on May 18. If agreed, the plan could be approved after a process including soliciting public opinions.

The Japanese government has so far failed to provide a convincing explanation on the legitimacy of the discharge program, on data reliability of the contaminated water, on the effectiveness of purification devices, and on the uncertainty of environmental impact, Wang said.

Given the potential harm of the wastewater to the marine ecological environment, food safety and human health, opposition voices from the Pacific Rim countries and the Japanese public have never stopped since the decision was made one a year ago.

Countries including China, South Korea, Russia and some Pacific island nations have expressed concerns; multiple Japanese civil organizations launched a petition with the signatures of 180,000 Japanese people to resist the project, the spokesperson noted.

According to TEPCO, the total amount of the nuclear-contaminated water in Fukushima reached 1.293 million tons at the end of March and continued to increase, and the contaminated water would be diluted with seawater and discharged.

It is estimated that 254 liters of clean seawater are needed for each liter of nuclear-contaminated wastewater, so the total amount of contaminated water Japan will eventually release into the ocean will exceed 300 million tons.

Wang stated Japan should pay attention to the concerns of the international community and the Japanese people, revoke the wrong decision, stop all preparations for the discharge project, and fulfill its due international obligations.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202205/1265871.shtml

May 22, 2022 Posted by dunrenard | Fuk 2022 | China opposition, Fukushima Daiichi, Radioactive Water, Sea release | Leave a comment