Iwaki City, on Japan's southern shore in Fukushima Prefecture, is a three-hour drive from Tokyo. The city has 60 kilometers of shoreline facing the Pacific Ocean and was a popular surfing destination in the country.

However, on Thursday, Japan began dumping the contentious "treated" nuclear-contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. It plans to release 1.3 million tonnes of such water over the next 30 years.

"Once the nuclear-contaminated water is discharged into the sea, there will be fewer surfers and business will only be more difficult. Maybe I will have to go to the construction site to work again," said Kenichi Funabe, who has been running a surf shop in Fukushima for 25 years.

He said he considers himself fortunate to have turned his pastime into a career. However, as the number of people surfing in the area has reduced dramatically owing to nuclear radiation worries, he has been forced to work part-time as a construction worker to support his family.

"I hope to continue working in my current profession. I hope they will value the ocean and take nuclear-contaminated water issues seriously," he said.

Fukushima's beaches are ideally suited for surfing. In the Tohoku region, Fukushima Prefecture is home to the most members of the Japan Surfing Association.

"Nuclear-contaminated water is not a result of any wrongdoings by us, the local people in Fukushima. It was clearly caused by Tokyo Electric Power Company's inadequate response. However, we are the ones most directly affected by the wastewater discharge, and that makes me feel furious about this situation," said a customer of Funabe's surf shop.

"Discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean is absolutely detestable. How can we surf here in the future?" questioned another surfer.

Many surfers do not believe the Japanese government's claim that the released water is safe and clean.

"As a fellow surfer and a Fukushima resident, I strongly oppose the ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated water. The reason is simple: If the water is genuinely clean, why not discharge it directly into Tokyo Bay?" said a surfer.

"Japan may claim that the nuclear-contaminated water is safe, but without concrete evidence, it is difficult to verify. The ocean discharge could have implications for future generations, and I firmly stand against it," said another surfer in Iwaki City.

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