The Japanese government said that “the country intends to pump more than one million tons of polluted water into the sea from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant.”
The Japanese government said work to pump the water would begin within two years.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the water will be released into the sea “after we are sure that the level of radioactive material in it is well below safety standards,” adding that the Japanese government “will take measures” to ensure that the decision does not harm the region’s reputation.
For its part, Washington announced its support for Japan and said, “It appears that Japan (Japan) has taken an approach consistent with internationally accepted nuclear safety standards in its decision to dispose of the contaminated water in the destroyed Fukushima Atomic Power Station after treatment. . ”
In a statement on its website, the Foreign Ministry added that “the Japanese government has been transparent about its decision.”
On the other hand, Japan’s neighboring countries announced their displeasure with the decision, with China saying that “Japan’s approach to this issue is extremely irresponsible and will harm public health and safety worldwide and the vital interests of neighboring countries.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Legian also called on Japan to “act rationally” on water drainage.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s foreign minister expressed his “deep regret for this decision, which could have a direct or indirect impact on the safety of our people and the surrounding environment in the future.”
The decision has met with strong opposition from fishermen and farmers in Fukushima, who fear it will affect the image of their products among consumers, as Kanji Tashia, head of a local fishing cooperative in Fukushima, explained before the announcement of the decision. , saying, “The government told us that they would not do it Water is released into the sea without the consent of fishermen, but now they return from this decision and assure us that they will drain the water into the sea, and this is incomprehensible. ”
Greenpeace, the environmental advocacy group in Japan, said, “The Japanese government has once again failed the people of Fukushima and that there is no justification for the decision to deliberately pollute the Pacific with nuclear waste.”
