The government in Tokyo announced on Tuesday that contaminated cooling water from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant will flow into the Pacific Ocean from Thursday. And neighboring China is angry. Beijing threatens retaliation, including on fish imports. It is a new blow to the already strained relationship between the two countries.
Roland Smith
In China, Fukushima has become the talk of the day. On social media, and on the street. “This is a disaster for the world,” says Alex Cheng, 32, a programmer from Shanghai. How do they do this? The oceans are already very polluted, and this increases pollution.” He also points out the alleged dangers: From what I’ve read, nuclear waste is nearly impossible to analyze. And I think it’s crazy that they let this flow into the sea in this way.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman called the move “inappropriate, unreasonable and incorrect”.
advertising resources
Since the announcement of the water drainage plan in 2021, a fierce battle of opinions has been taking place between the two countries. China uses all means of propaganda. Through extensive TV reports, articles and social media, they want to convince the world that rival Japan is doing it wrong.
Rather, it goes back to the colonial past of the Japanese Empire, and all the crimes committed against the Asian people at that time. This is in great demand in China. Anti-Japanese sentiment has always lurked beneath the surface in China, but it is now emerging everywhere. Anti-Japanese messages get millions of likes on social media. In the northern city of Jinan, a man riding a motorbike circles and shouts into a microphone: “Down with Japan!” Chinese flag flying on the back of his car. The man’s films are going viral on social media and are getting huge applause.
Japan did not lag behind. The government uses every means to make sure it is “right”. In fact, the Japanese Embassy in Beijing invited all international correspondents in China to a press event in June. Subject: “Safety information” for draining water. The ceremony was attended by Japanese officials and representatives of TEPCO. Because Japan says it’s not the only country that releases nuclear wastewater into the sea: China and other countries are guilty of it, too. To some extent this is true: it is common for cooling water from nuclear power plants to be discharged into the sea. The difference: the water at Fukushima was in contact with the malfunctioning nuclear reactor.
not dangerous
Yet Japan and the responsible energy company TEPCO swear it’s nothing serious. They say the cooling water from the nuclear power plant that exploded in 2011 can be cleaned up in a way that causes minimal damage. There will only be an “acceptable” amount of tritium in the water. Tritium is a radioactive isotope that is safe for humans and animals if mixed with water in minimal proportions. The IAEA supports the Japanese reading: it recently sent experts to Fukushima to review the situation, and gave its approval.
Moreover, Japan says it has no other choice. Since the nuclear disaster, the remaining nuclear material has been cooled. This is done with the help of water. This cooling water is then stored in tanks around the nuclear power plant. But since the entire site was now filled with those tanks, there was simply no space left. According to TEPCO, the water should go to the sea.
Jim Smith, a professor at the University of Portsmouth, who researches nuclear waste, including that from Chernobyl, agrees. He says that as long as Japan does what it promises, namely, dumping water containing small amounts of tritium into the sea, the risks are minimal. “Moreover, there are much bigger problems in the Pacific region. Think poaching and pollution from sewage and plastic. These are the real issues that need to be addressed.”
Water drainage has not yet been adequately investigated
However, environmental groups say that cooling water will remain in seawater for decades. With potentially catastrophic consequences for marine life. There could be damage to biodiversity and fish populations, which are already threatened by overfishing. According to Sean Burney, a nuclear expert with Greenpeace, the potential consequences of the discharge have not yet been adequately investigated. Burney also points out that alternatives, such as long-term water storage, are systematically rejected by Japan.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government is exposed to more than just China’s wrath: Japan itself is also strongly suspicious of the interpretation that cooling water is safe. Just like in the other neighboring country, South Korea. Such skepticism is being expressed in street protests in both countries, including environmental organizations calling for a cleaner solution to the cooling water problem. But criticize or not criticize, discharge continues on Thursday.
Unlimited free access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.
Zombie specialist. Friendly twitter guru. Internet buff. Organizer. Coffee trailblazer. Lifelong problem solver. Certified travel enthusiast. Alcohol geek.