Despite firm opposition from neighboring countries and the international community, the Japanese government has commenced the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea on August 24.

According to two global online surveys conducted by CGTN, nearly 95 percent of respondents condemn Japan's act as extremely irresponsible, with an increase of 3.64 percentage points over the past three months.

In the survey, 91.4 percent of global respondents believe that Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea is harmful to the marine environment and public health, with an increase of 0.62 percentage points in three months. 

And 90.58 percent of respondents doubt the statement "nuclear-contaminated water is harmless" asserted by the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company, with an increase of 0.3 percentage points in three months. "Japan is committing a crime by dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean," voiced a netizen on CGTN platform.

According to the survey, 89.69 percent of respondents hold the belief that the disposal of nuclear-contaminated water is not Japan's "private matter" but concerns its neighbors, Pacific island countries, even the whole world and mankind. The percentage of respondents sharing the same view is up nearly 3 percentage points from three months ago. 

In addition, as many as 94.09 percent of respondents call on Japan to fully consult and agree with the international community, especially with stakeholders, regarding its nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan. Over the past three months, the percentage of respondents who share the same view has increased by 5.53 percentage points.

The international community also believes that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report should not be the "shield" or "green light" for Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean due to its limited mandate. 

In the survey, 79.83 percent of the respondents believe the IAEA report failed to address the world's concerns over Japan's disposal plan. In addition, 89.5 percent think inviting more experts from different countries to Japan to conduct a complete systematic assessment and jointly find the best disposal plan for its nuclear-contaminated water is necessary.

The two surveys, published by CGTN in English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms in April and July 2023, received responses from nearly 67,000 people in the world. 

Unfortunately, the Japanese government is still sticking with the ocean discharge plan. August 24, 2023 will be remembered as a disaster day for the global marine environment due to the actions of the Japanese government.