Ulterior motive by Tokyo seen in move to release Fukushima water

Chinese official says Japanese government aware nuclear-contaminated waste poses risks to health

Beijing strongly objects to Tokyo’s unilateral decision to dump Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean and calls for it not to activate the discharge plan before reaching an agreement with the parties concerned, a representative from China told the World Health Assembly in Geneva on May 27.

The Chinese representative said the discharge process for nuclearcontaminated water will take as long as 30 years. The coast of Fukushima has the strongest ocean currents in the world. Ten years after the nuclear-contaminated water is discharged into the sea, the radionuclides will spread to the seas of the world. This move transfers the risk to all human beings.

The discharge plan is not a private matter of Japan, but a major issue concerning global public health, he said, adding that many countries and stakeholders have expressed serious concerns. Before reaching an agreement with all parties, the Japanese side should not initiate the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea without authorization, he said.

Some scientists said the impact of long-term, low-dose exposures to radionuclides is unknown and the planned release should be delayed, according to a report from The Associated Press.

The Chinese representative said Japan’s justification for the discharge of such water into the sea can be summed up in one sentence:

The water is nontoxic and the discharge is reasonable.

“What the Japanese side said is completely untenable, and convincing answers must be given to a series of questions.

“First, if the contaminated water is safe, why doesn’t Japan use it on its own? Why is the water not used for agricultural or industrial purposes? And why is it not discharged into domestic lakes?

“Second, is discharging contaminated water into the sea the only viable option?

“Third, what will be the longterm global impact of the release of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean?”

Such a move by Japan is simply to save its own money while causing a disaster for the world, he said, adding the country has an ulterior motive in discharging the nuclearcontaminated water into the sea because the government knows it is harmful.

“We once again urge Japan to faithfully fulfill its international obligations and to deal with contaminated water in the safest and most reasonable way after sufficient negotiations with relevant parties and international organizations, including neighboring countries, and subject to strict international supervision,” he said.

In April 2021, the Japanese government officially decided to dump millions of tons of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean after treatment. Many countries have expressed their firm opposition.

Meanwhile, an International Atomic Energy Agency task force arrived in Tokyo for its final review of Japan’s plan to release the nuclearcontaminated water into the Pacific Ocean.

The team, comprising experts from 11 countries, including China and the Republic of Korea, will visit the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and meet with Japanese officials, Tokyo Electric Power Company and Japan’s nuclear watchdog Nuclear Regulation Authority, the IAEA said.

The IAEA has repeatedly conducted inspections in Japan since February last year, and its final comprehensive report is expected to be released in June.

Liu Qingbin, former professor at Yokohama National University’s Institute of Advanced Sciences in Japan, said Japan had lost its credibility of dealing with the Fukushima disaster over the years and the IAEA must not be fooled by Japan’s superficial skills.

“Actions speak louder than words,” Liu said. “If you want to review, let’s review this: The absence of safety measures prevented taking adequate precautions to avoid the nuclear accident. The delayed response led to further damage and risks, and the lack of transparency made people miscalculate their potential health exposure because of radiation.”