All parties continue to oppose the Japanese government’s push for the nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan, “Nuclear-contaminated water cannot be allowed to pollute the sea” (International Perspective)
Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company announced on April 25 that it has completed the excavation of the submarine tunnel built for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and will continue to advance follow-up work. In disregard of the reasonable security concerns raised by the international community based on science, Japan’s erroneous practice of insisting on forcing the nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan in disregard of domestic and foreign opposition voices has aroused widespread doubts and strong opposition from all walks of life in Japan and the international community.
A new danger emerges——
Large-scale damage to the base of the reactor pressure vessel of Unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
On April 25, Shinsuke Yamanaka, chairman of the Japan Atomic Energy Regulatory Commission, said at a press conference that the base of the reactor pressure vessel of Unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has been confirmed to have been damaged on a large scale, but Tepco has not considered the possibility of the reactor pressure vessel collapsing and other emergency response measures. Shinsuke Yamanaka said that since Tepco had grasped the relevant situation last year, it should respond as soon as possible.
According to Japanese media reports, the No. 1 reactor of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant lost cooling power during the tsunami triggered by the “3.11” earthquake in Japan in 2011. The nuclear fuel was difficult to cool and melted down, falling to the bottom of the reactor. TEPCO reported at a meeting of the Japan Atomic Energy Regulatory Commission on April 24 that the underwater robot photographed an empty black space at the bottom of the Unit 1 reactor pressure vessel, where the control rod drive unit should have been placed Partially falling off, there is a high chance of a hole in the bottom of the pressure vessel. The underwater robot also filmed the water poured into the reactor to cool the nuclear fuel flowing down the pressure vessel. The company speculated that the heat of molten nuclear fuel at the time of the Fukushima nuclear accident caused the bottom of the pressure vessel to perforate, and there may be multiple perforations. This is the first image below the reactor since the Fukushima nuclear accident.
The Fukushima nuclear accident is the highest-level nuclear accident in the world, causing a large amount of radioactive material to leak, which has had a huge impact on the marine environment and human health. The above-mentioned relevant news immediately attracted close attention from the international community. Many parties urged the Japanese side to do a good job in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the disposal of nuclear-contaminated water after the accident to ensure absolute safety.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on the 26th that at present, there are great uncertainties and potential safety hazards in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and radioactive waste management of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The base of the reactor pressure vessel of unit 1 has been damaged on a large scale, and the reactor pressure vessel is at risk of collapse. If it is not handled properly or not responded in time, it may have a greater impact on the environment, resulting in an increase in the content of radionuclides in the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water. “This proves once again that the international community’s concerns about Japan’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea are justified, and it is justified to question Tepco’s professionalism in handling related issues.”
with long-term risk—
Contains a large amount of radioactive substances, which will cause serious harm to human health
Recently, the Japanese people have held many rallies to protest against the Japanese government’s plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea. On April 13, more than a hundred Japanese people held a rally near the House of Diet Members in Tokyo. Holding slogans such as “Don’t let nuclear-contaminated water pollute the sea” and “Don’t spill poison into the sea”, they resolutely opposed the plan of the Japanese government and Tepco to force nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. Leaders of several civic groups and local residents of the Fukushima nuclear accident delivered speeches on the spot, calling on the government to withdraw the decision to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea. The organizer of the rally, Toshihiro Inoue, said that he will uphold the belief in preventing Fukushima from suffering more nuclear pollution, continue to launch various citizen activities, and do his best to prevent Fukushima nuclear polluted water from being discharged into the sea.
Ban Yingxing, the joint representative of the Japan Nuclear Energy Information Office, said in a speech at the scene that in addition to 64 kinds of radioactive substances, the nuclear polluted water discharged into the ocean also contains other radionuclides with longer half-lives. Therefore, the discharge of nuclear contaminated water for decades or even longer will cause serious radioactive pollution to the global marine environment. Ban Yingxing emphasized that the Japanese government and TEPCO are still determined to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea when there are other feasible treatment methods. “This behavior clearly violates international laws such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
Previously, Masamichi Nishio, honorary director of the National Hokkaido Cancer Center of Japan, once again warned at a speech held in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture that full consideration should be given to the hazards of radioactive tritium elements contained in Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water to human health. He criticized the Japanese government and TEPCO for not conducting sufficient research and demonstration on the hazards of nuclear-contaminated water from the perspective of biology and medicine. A large amount of nuclear-contaminated water containing radioactive tritium and other radioactive elements discharged into the sea for a long time will bring long-term and serious harm to the health of all human beings, which is tantamount to “slow killing”.
Lin Xunping, an associate professor of food economics at Fukushima University in Japan, emphasized at the Fukushima Environmental Forum held by Fukushima University that the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea will have a serious impact on the fishery production that is gradually recovering in Fukushima Prefecture. Naoaki Shibazaki, a professor of hydrogeology at Fukushima University, said that TEPCO should focus on controlling the amount of nuclear-contaminated water, and suggested building a “retaining wall” to block groundwater in a wider area, so as to minimize the groundwater entering the nuclear power units to be scrapped .
The Japanese environmental organization “Friends of the Earth Japan” recently issued a statement stating that the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has not yet subsided. What Japan has to do is to tell the world the truth about the Fukushima nuclear accident and stop spreading radioactive substances into the natural environment.
Forced endorsement from other countries——
It will only further deepen the distrust of the plan to discharge nuclear contaminated water into the sea
The international community continues to oppose Japan’s decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. Professionals from China, South Korea, Russia, the Philippines, New Zealand and other countries have recently continued to speak out on different occasions, expressing concern over Japan’s unilateral push to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. They believe that it is extremely irresponsible to directly dump nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. Implementation will pose a threat to the marine ecological environment.
China Global Television Network recently launched a global survey, which attracted more than 30,000 netizens from various countries to participate within 24 hours. As high as 93% of the respondents strongly opposed Japan’s nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan, 90% of the respondents expressed difficulty in convincing Japan’s statement that “purified nuclear-contaminated water is safe and harmless”, and 86% of the respondents criticized Japan’s handling of nuclear-contaminated water is unscientific, undisclosed, and opaque.
On April 25, South Korean civic groups once again held a protest rally, calling on the Japanese government to withdraw its decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, and asked the South Korean government to speak out for Korean aquatic industry practitioners who will be directly affected by the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, and protect them Interests. A protester said that although the Japanese government claims that the treated nuclear-contaminated water is safe, the testing methods and data released by Japan lack scientific basis and transparency, and are not convincing. On April 16, South Korea’s State Affairs Coordination Office issued a joint press release from government departments, reaffirming Japan’s existing position that the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan needs to be scientifically and objectively ensured to be safe and in line with international standards.
On April 16, at the press conference of the G7 climate, energy and environment ministers meeting, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura said that steady progress in the decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, including the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea, will be welcomed. German Environment Minister Lemke said on the spot that he respected Japan’s efforts after the Fukushima nuclear accident, but “we do not welcome the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean.” On April 18, Japan’s “Hokkaido Shimbun” published an editorial criticizing that although Yasutoshi Nishimura later explained that it was a “slip of the tongue”, it clearly revealed the “scheming” of the Japanese government to hope that the G7 would endorse Japan’s plan to discharge nuclear polluted water into the sea , This move will further deepen the distrust of Fukushima residents on the sea drainage plan.
Mao Ning said that China once again urges Japan to face up to the concerns of the international community, fulfill its due international obligations, and properly handle issues related to the decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Research and demonstrate the disposal plan other than sea discharge, and strictly accept international supervision. “Until all stakeholders and relevant international agencies can confirm the safety of the sea discharge plan, the Japanese side should not initiate the discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea.”
(Newspaper Tokyo, Beijing, April 27th)