STORY: Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge "disastrous": Greenpeace Indonesia
DATELINE: July 15, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:20
LOCATION: Jakarta
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Fukushima nuclear plant
2. various of demonstrations against Japan's dumping nuclear-contaminated water
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LEONARD SIMANJUNTAK, Country director of Greenpeace Indonesia
4. various of Indonesian fishermen
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): LEONARD SIMANJUNTAK, Country director of Greenpeace Indonesia
6. various of the G7 summit
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): LEONARD SIMANJUNTAK, Country director of Greenpeace Indonesia

STORYLINE:

Japan's discharge plan of nuclear-contaminated water has drawn wide condemnations, with the country director of Greenpeace Indonesia adding his call for its cancellation.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LEONARD SIMANJUNTAK, Country director of Greenpeace Indonesia
"Our demand is to outrightly call for the cancellation of this plan, and there are other methods. If this practice is to be allowed, then it can get into a precedence and that's very dangerous.
I think the Japanese government needs to have wide acceptance, social and political acceptance from different stakeholders within Japan and outside of Japan.
Even I think the scientific analysis of this waste water from Fukushima is not conclusive enough. There are still other scientists who are actually taking much more cautious positions or even critical positions, because we're talking about substance that will probably have more than 1,000 years to dissolve to nature, and the potential damage to the environment and to human beings can be quite disastrous."

Simanjuntak warned of radioactive buildup in the food chain and urged to weigh the long-term impacts and costs of nuclear waste disasters.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): LEONARD SIMANJUNTAK, Country director of Greenpeace Indonesia
"If we're talking about food chain, and we are talking about potential accumulation. And Japan knows better this from the rest of the world with the Minamata disaster a few decades ago. There is almost certain accumulation of contaminated substance, and we're talking about radioactive (substance) here. For Indonesia, we are importing seafood from Japan. We shouldn't be limiting ourselves in terms of the direct costs. We're talking about potential nuclear waste disaster, which we'll take enormous amount of funds or budgets or money to handle if it takes place."

Simanjuntak also called on international governmental organizations, such as G7 and ASEAN, to take stance against Japan's discharge plan.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): LEONARD SIMANJUNTAK, Country director of Greenpeace Indonesia
"Japan, of course, is an integral part of G7. I think although G7 heads of state have kind of compromised also in this, we are certain that the people and also the parliaments can be persuaded to take stance against this plan.
I believe ASEAN also has to take a more clear position on this, reaffirm its position of nuclear-free region, particularly because this is very much connected to marine and maritime resources."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jakarta.
(XHTV)