Locals put on a performance to protest against Japan's planned discharge of Fukushima wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea, June 8, 2023. /CFP
Editor's note: Gabriela Bernal, a special commentator for CGTN, is a Korean analyst and Ph.D. student at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, South Korea. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
The much-anticipated International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on the discharge of the Fukushima radioactive wastewater was published on July 4, giving the Japanese government the go-ahead to release the water into the Pacific Ocean as planned. Although Tokyo and the IAEA maintain that the discharge is safe, many concerns and unanswered questions remain regarding the true impact this will have both on humans and the ecosystem in the coming months and years.
Although the water has been treated through an Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most radioactivity, it still contains tritium, a naturally occurring radioactive form of hydrogen difficult to separate from water which has been found to raise cancer risks if ingested. Japan plans to begin discharging more than a million tons this summer, a process that will take decades to complete.
However, the IAEA report still repeatedly states that the radiological impact of discharges of the treated water on the environment and population in neighboring countries would be "negligible," consistent with international safety standards.
Neighboring countries are however far from convinced. There has especially been major backlash coming from South Korea. According to a survey released in May by the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements, 73 percent of respondents were "strongly opposed" to the release of the Fukushima wastewater while 12.4 percent were "generally opposed," totaling 85.4 percent against the move.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks at a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, July 4, 2023. /CFP
Fishermen from all over South Korea also came together in front of the National Assembly building in June to protest the plan to dump the radioactive water in the ocean, calling on their government to take an opposing stance. They fear their livelihoods are in danger as 70 percent of the public in South Korea said they would consume less seafood if the water gets dumped, according to a report from Research View. The public has indeed been panicking, hoarding excessive amounts of seafood and salt recently.
Opposition parties in South Korea have also come together to oppose the plan, with Justice Party leader Lee Jeong-mi starting a hunger strike outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. Other party members and lawmakers also joined her.
Besides South Korea, Russia's foreign ministry also previously expressed "serious concern" over Japan's plan to release the water. In addition, last year, the U.S. National Association of Marine Laboratories voiced its opposition to the planned release, saying that there was "a lack of adequate and accurate scientific data supporting Japan's assertion of safety." Opposition to the discharge has also come from fishers and activists in the Philippines.
Besides concerns from the region, opposition against the plan has also been present domestically. For instance, in late June, the head of Japan's National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives reiterated his group's opposition to Japan's planned discharge. Activists and citizens have also been protesting in front of the Tokyo Electric Power Company headquarters, holding banners with their demands such as "Don't nuke the Pacific," and "Stop contaminated water."
Nevertheless, the IAEA has now officially given Tokyo the green light to go ahead with dumping the water. "With regard to ALPS treated water discharge, no radiological emergency is anticipated," the report states, but what guarantees do we truly have of this? At this point, no one can say for sure whether the release of this contaminated water will truly have just "negligible" effects.
The lives of millions of people are at stake. This is a decision that could be made after scientists from various regional countries have conducted a wide array of independent tests for a long period of time in order to get a more clear and objective picture of the situation.
Concerns from neighboring governments and ordinary people have fallen on deaf ears. We hope that Japan will allow further testing and scientific cooperation with more actors in the coming stages of the wastewater discharge.
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)