STORY: Japanese rally against ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater
DATELINE: Aug. 19, 2023
LENGTH: 0:01:52
LOCATION: Tokyo
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1 various of the rally
2 various of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

STORYLINE:

As the Japanese government approaches a decision on the specific date for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, hundreds of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo on Friday to rally against the discharge plan.

Despite scorching temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, people from various parts of Japan braved the heat to gather in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence, urging the government to uphold its promise of "no disposal without the understanding of relevant parties."

Hit by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.

The plant has been generating a massive amount of water tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down the nuclear fuel in the reactor buildings, which are now being stored in about 1,000 storage tanks.

In 2015, the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the plant, made an agreement with fisheries cooperative associations of both Fukushima prefecture and the nation that they will not proceed with any wastewater disposal "without the understanding of relevant parties."

However, the Japanese government announced in April 2021 its controversial plan to release diluted wastewater into the Pacific Ocean and stated in January this year that the discharge will start "in the spring or summer."
Protesters at the rally handed a petition to the representatives of the Japanese government and TEPCO, demanding adherence to the 2015 agreement, the withdrawal of the ocean discharge plan and comprehensive measures to block groundwater infiltration. 

They also required addressing the root causes of increased contamination, and reconsideration of alternative options like long-term storage in large tanks and mortar solidification.

Friday's gathering was among continuous rallies during the week staged by residents across Japan, calling for the withdrawal of the ocean discharge plan and the exploration of alternative options such as continued on-land storage or other sustainable solutions.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tokyo.
(XHTV)